“Most certainly not,” rebuked Miss Elting. “You have done quite enough as it is, without turning a bear loose on the community. You had better all go back to bed. What did you do to your car, Jane?”
“Bumped its nose, that’s all. My only regret is that I didn’t bump it against one of the Italians. I shouldn’t have minded giving the bear a smash, too. Good night. Sweet dreams, darlin’s!” Jane flounced into the tent and throwing off her bathrobe tumbled into bed, where she was soon sound asleep. The others did not quiet down quite so quickly. Harriet, especially, lay thinking over the experiences of the evening, and each time the thought of the pursuit of the Italians by Crazy Jane and her motor car occurred to her, Harriet would laugh softly to herself. She finally laughed herself to sleep, to be awakened in what seemed but a few moments later, by the blowing of a fish horn at the lips of Crazy Jane McCarthy. Day had dawned. The sun was just peeping over the eastern hills, the campfire was blazing and Miss Elting was getting breakfast.
Harriet quickly drew on her bathing suit, then, running out of the tent, plunged into the pond, uttering a little scream as the cold water enveloped her. None of the others had the courage to take a cold plunge that morning, as the air was rather cool. As for Harriet, she remained in the pond until Miss Elting insisted that she come ashore.
Camp was struck immediately after breakfast as the girls wished to make as much progress on their journey in the cool of the morning as possible. They struck camp with the skill of veterans, and within half an hour from the time they began the operation, everything was packed and stowed in the car.
“Now, don’t you girls try to play me any more tricks to-day. I’ve got the food. If you don’t find Jane, you get no supper. Understand?” laughed Jane.
“I’ve got thome bithcuit in my pack,” piped Tommy.
“She won’t have them for long,” laughed Margery. “Tommy will have eaten the biscuits before she has gone a mile.”
“Well, I don’t eat tho much that I get fat,” protested Tommy. “I gueth I know when to thtop.”
Miss Elting was giving Jane final directions as to when and where to look for them, after which the four girls and their guardian, with their packs slung over their backs, stout sticks in their hands to assist them over rough places and also to frighten away troublesome dogs, started out on their journey of ten miles or more. They crossed the road, traveled up a hill and headed straight across country. The unmarked trail was rough and following it fatigued them considerably during the first two miles of their journey.
Shortly after eleven o’clock they came in sight of a remote farm house tucked away in a valley. Miss Elting decided to call there to get some milk. The woman of the house at first regarded them with suspicion, but she soon thawed under Miss Elting’s gentle voice and winning smile.