All the girls clapped.
“Bon bon, dear Lucee!” whispered Elise.
Lucy smiled back at the dear girl who had befriended her at a moment when she needed a friend so badly.
“I want to ask how many of you girls are taking regular exercises every morning?” asked Captain Hooker. “It does not seem as though you had as good color as you should have. I want my girls to be the finest looking troop at the great meeting in the spring. It is to be in Washington; did I tell you? And I want every one of you to go. Now, there is an incentive to work. The rally is in June just after school is over, and I want you to earn the money for your railroad tickets. Of course we will all get special rates, and it will not cost us anything after we arrive there, as we will be the guests of the Washington Scouts, or some of the women’s organizations. But you should all of you be able to earn ten dollars before that time. It will take that much, but no more. If any of you girls belong to families who could send you, you are at liberty to help some other girl who is less fortunate, but you must each one of you earn the sum I have mentioned.”
“What if we earn more?” asked Lucy Breen.
“I am sure you will be glad to have a little spending money when you get to Washington,” said Miss Hooker.
“Some of us will earn more and some less,” said Helen. “After we earn the ten dollars, why couldn’t we put everything else we earn in your hands, and then it could be evenly divided at the end, and we would each have the same amount to spend, and when we come home we can each tell what we spent it for.”
“Splendid!” exclaimed Miss Hooker. “What do you girls think of that? I think it would be quite a test of your ability to get a good deal of pleasure or profit out of a stated amount.”
Again everybody clapped, and with a little more discussion the subject was left settled.
One of the Webster girls raised a hand.