“Yes, we can do that, too,” said Mrs. Martin, who liked camp life and roughing it almost as much as did the Curlytops.
So it was decided, and in the next town they stopped to purchase some bacon, coffee and other things they could cook over their alcohol stoves. They carried two small stoves.
About noon the auto was rolling along a quiet country road, and, finding a lane which did not seem to be much traveled, Mr. Martin turned off on that to be out of the way of traffic while lunch was being got ready.
Then such a good time as the Curlytops had, and Trouble also!
For they prepared a meal out in the open, and the table that was set was the running-board of the car, papers being spread on it for a cloth.
“Oh, I just love it here! Don’t you, Ted?” murmured Janet, her mouth half filled with part of a peanut butter sandwich.
“It’s dandy!” Ted exclaimed, as he reached for another slice of bacon, for Mrs. Martin had fried some in a little pan over the stove which burned solid chunks of alcohol. And such a wonderful odor as that bacon gave off in the woods! It was worth going miles just to get a whiff of it.
After the meal Mr. and Mrs. Martin strolled about in the woods while the children played near by. The radiator of the car was filled with fresh water from a clear, bubbling spring, and then the touring party started on again.
“We must be looking for a good place to make our night camp,” Mrs. Martin said, later in the afternoon. “We don’t have to go on to any certain place, so if we find a good spot we might as well stop there and begin to put up the tent. We want to get everything in readiness before dark.”
“That’s right,” agreed her husband. “So keep your eyes open, children.”