“My father says that he will take it up in the paper, too, girls,” Nan added, “and the few copies of the school paper that we’ve been getting out with the boys have gone all over town. I’ve heard all sorts of things about the S. P.’s and Molly’s and Phoebe’s drawings. They think we’re ‘real cute’ so far! But let’s show everybody we can be more than funny.”
“Hear, hear!”
The girls were not in their club room for this called meeting. In spite of windows and cross draughts, the fact remained that the attic was directly under the roof. June suns often made it quite warm. It was time to think of camping. Just now they were all in Jean’s big swing, three on a seat, Jean standing between them.
“Molly, tell the girls what Grace wrote.”
Molly drew a folded paper from her notebook. “This is a sheet from Grace’s letter,” said she. “She wrote to all of us, and this is what she said to me: ‘Molly, I just can’t write you a separate letter, have scarcely a minute free with all the last doings. I shall be a wreck, but if you promise that you really will keep things going at first yourselves, I’ll only be too glad to spend a few weeks in the woods or on the water. I told Mother that last week and I’m surprised that you wrote me about it. Perhaps she forgot to tell you.’ That’s all about that.”
“Why, how funny!” cried Phoebe. “It’s wonderful that Grace will do it, but why did your mother ask her? Did you tell her how much we wanted to go camping?”
“Only what we agreed, that we would talk about girls’ camps and how much fun it must be, and send for catalogues about tents, and talk about raising money.” Molly laughed herself at the array of hints which almost any discerning parent might take.
“Bless you, Molly, you’re the most transparent little dear in the world. You probably talked in your sleep, too.”
“I do sometimes,” Molly acknowledged. But for once the S. P.’s were not right. Parents sometimes make plans for their children and wiser ones than those same children often make. Seven fathers were having a glorious time in planning a little surprise, to say nothing of as many mothers, who were using the telephone or calling on each other occasionally while the girls were in school. It was a generous little plot against the S. P.’s, and for their benefit.
“I asked Mother about it and she said that she had written to Grace about it, since we all were talking about what fun it would be to camp. She thought it could be managed, if not right away, probably soon after Grace’s Commencement is over. She and Father are going on to it, you know.”