The girls assisted Miss Miller in making hot lemonade to warm their chilled bodies. Then, every one was ordered to rub down thoroughly with Turkish towels, and pop into bed under blankets which had been warmed through before the blazing fire.
No one felt the slightest discomfort from the drenching, but the girls all complained of the closeness of sleeping in rooms. They felt as if they were cramped in boxes.
"I don't know what we shall do at home. I begin to see what Daddy means when he says 'folks don't need over-heated homes and poorly ventilated rooms,'" sighed Zan.
"The doctor is perfectly right, too. Half the ills the present generation suffers from are caused by poor ready-made foods, lack of sufficient exercise through rapid-transit, and the sweetmeats and indolence two-thirds of our women indulge in, to say nothing of late hours, excitement and major evils," added Miss Miller.
"Daddy has written a book on just that subject, Miss Miller! How queer you should speak like he does. He thinks that this generation is using up the vitality and perfect health bestowed upon us by our ancestors, and if we don't start soon to build a fund for ourselves and our descendants we will dwindle into a puny race. That is why he is such a radical for less medicine and more common sense in every-day living," replied Zan.
"Well, we'll all read that book, Zan, when it is ready, and no doubt find out how to live better," said the Guide.
Breakfast was eaten in the house while the welcome sun streamed in at doors and windows, and the birds came out of their refuges and sang blithely to one another.
No one wanted to remain indoors any longer than was necessary, so they started for the Bluff as soon as dishes were washed. The water that had formed the pond on the lawn the night previous had soaked into the ground leaving the lawn a soggy looking place, indeed.
As the Band neared the Bluff the sound of rushing water made them look at each other in surprise.
"Oh, I bet anything, the terrific fall of rain has started a freshet! If it is, girls, it will be wonderful! Do let's run!" shouted Zan, leading the race.