With this form of banter they passed the time until the clearing in the woods was found where the berries grew in thick profusion.
“Oh, my! what a lot of them!” exclaimed the girls, as they jumped the deep ditch and fell to picking the luscious fruit.
“U-mm! Verny, you never tasted anything so delicious!” called Julie to the Captain who was seeking a safe spot to cross to the berry-patch.
After a silent time during which every one seemed hard at work, Mrs. Vernon stood up and called out: “How many quarts have you ready for supper, girls?”
Julie also stood up and laughed: “I am not sure how many quarts I can hold, but there is still room for some more.”
“We haven’t any other holder to put the fruit in—that’s why I am eating mine,” said Ruth, in self-defense.
“You’ll not be able to say that in another few minutes. Now begin to pick and save the berries until I come again,” said the Captain, going over to a clump of white birches.
“I know what: she’s going to strip some bark and make cornucopias for us to use,” explained Joan, as she saw Mrs. Vernon tear strips from the trees.
And that is just what she did. Each girl was given a deep cornucopia and soon the holders were full of berries. As each one had eaten plentifully of the fruit, as well, they were ready to start up the road again.
“Girls, we can gather berries to eat every day and still have plenty to can,” said the Captain, as they neared the camp.