“By the way,” suggested Tom here, “can’t you give us what’s done of the mending, please, Mrs. Bryan? It’s time we got back to camp.”
She sent Florence and another Blue Bird to get it, and they ran off, swinging their lanterns.
“We’ll send down the bill by some of your sisters, with the rest of the work, by day after to-morrow at the furthest,” she promised, as the girls stood up to bid the three Scouts good-bye.
They watched the canoe paddle off into the darkness, then settled down to hear the rest of the adventure.
“But there’s something else we haven’t told you!” said Winona, when the whole story had been told and talked over for a long while. “There’s going to be a lake carnival.”
“Oh, what fun! Let’s go!” said Adelaide, speaking more brightly than Winona had ever known her to. “We could hike as far as this side of the lake by land, couldn’t we, Opeechee?”
“Certainly we could—if we had to,” said Mrs. Bryan, who was watching Winona. “Wait till Winona finishes. She looks as if she had a plan.”
“I was thinking,” said Winona, “that it would be very nice if we could decorate a float. The boys said they were sure the Scouts would loan us enough rowboats to build the float over, if we needed it. And we could have tents——”
“Of course we could!” said everybody enthusiastically, and all began to plan at once.
Finally Mrs. Bryan rose, and suggested that it was twelve o’clock, and that all but the breakfast-getters had better sleep till eight next morning. So they put out the fire, and went to bed.