Almost every pleasant evening was spent around the campfire, this entertainment never seeming to lose its fascination. Often the resources of Miss Mackin and her friends from Camp Sub Norm, the new camp erected after the storm’s devastation, were put to the test for a new story; but the fire kindled enthusiasm, and the glow inspired fancy, so that rarely was an evening closed, and seldom did the embers fall upon an empty hour, or a tale lacking thrill.
The sun dial was now “working,” although the sun could not be depended upon always, but it looked picturesque, and if nothing else it served to keep up the girls’ sense of observation until not a few even claimed to be able to foretell showers by it, although there was no barometric attachment to the simple, primitive device.
Hikes were becoming more popular as the season advanced, and it was on a glorious August day, when the sky was dyed a deep blue and the sun was registering every hour accurately on the garden clock, that Miss Mackin proposed a long hike with the noon meal in the woods.
“Pack up your troubles in your old kit bag and hike, hike, hike,” sang the girls as they prepared their lunches.
But the trouble seemed to be not everyone of them had a “Kit bag” nor even a pretty good imitation of one. But Corene came to the rescue with good stout wrapping paper, which she had providentially tucked away in a dry box.
“I’ll glue you up some war-time bags,” she offered, “if you make the sandwiches. I know exactly how to cut the bags, and they’ll dry in the sun as quickly as you have the grub ready.”
So while the others prepared “eats,” Corene and Cleo “did the bags,” neat little kits they turned out, too, with a good, stout handle of strong twine that might easily be slipped on to a strap and carried knapsack fashion.
“The real joy of it is,” whispered Louise, “we are going over the hills where the danger signs grow. Perhaps we’ll find the cave, or be held up by bandits, or something thrilling like that.”
“Lovely!” exclaimed Julia. “But do let us keep close enough together to go in pairs, at any rate. I should hate to have to do both the cooking and serving for bandits. It’s quite bad enough here with the serving taken off my hands.”
“All right, Jule. Depend upon it, we’ll stick around you,” declared Grace. “We don’t want to lose our own fireman right in the height of the season.”