When Tuesday arrived, however, the girls found many little things to delay them, so it was past nine o’clock before they met at the old headquarters, but the tent had disappeared.
“Here we are, Verny, bag and baggage!” shouted Julie, as they tramped up the side-steps of the porch.
“And some of our folks are coming over in a few minutes to see us off. I suspect they have various advices to whisper to you, as well as leave with us some forgotten parting words,” said Joan.
“Eliza’s going to give us a parting pie,” added Betty, so innocently that every one laughed.
“Well, the visitor that we invited to camp with us for the summer is hitched up and waiting to start,” Mrs. Vernon informed the girls, as she pointed towards the barns, where a horse was seen going down the back road.
“Why, Hepsy’s hooked up to a buckboard? What for?” asked Ruth.
“We won’t need it this summer, so Uncle Verny suggested that Hepsy take it along for us to use if we had to go to the stores at Freedom, or should we want to go away on a picnic.”
“Say—that’s a great idea! I never thought of it,” said Julie.
“Which proves that you have no monopoly on great ideas,” retorted Joan.
Then the automobile drove up to the steps and was soon followed by a heavy rumbling auto-truck that was used for heavy cartage at Mr. Vernon’s factory. He had sent it down for the newly-fledged Scout Troop to make use of to carry tents, boxes and what not to Verny’s Mountain.