The Camp Fire Girls in the Mountains; Or, Bessie King's Strange Adventure

ng they could do to us then, I

n to be careful when we're dealing with these people. And Mr. Jamies

d Bessie, gravely. "They stic

e them for his own purposes. He wouldn't tell them directly what he wanted, you see. He'd just hire someone who was clever enough to get

there if they send for us,

ay-the law will help you get it, if you want to be helped. You can decide whether you want to do anything or not. But i

forgive the robber, but the law has to be satisfied, because that

w feels that if they are not punished, thos

re wasn't any law. If a man was robbed, and he was strong enough, he protected himself by going out and fighting the robber. But that wouldn't work

of them was strong enough to stop such robbers, a whole lot of them bande

s, or to stop him from doing what he likes to her, because he's rich. But if all the other

d to it, too, with a certain degree of regret, for it would mark the climax and the end, as well, of their stay at the lake, which, though it had been so exciting, h

one of the owners of this preserve, and we take it in turns to use this lake for a camping site. Now Mr. Spu

" asked Margery Bur

with a laugh, which was echoed by the other gir

l, after all, in the winter, and we do have such a good time when w

ecause I've got a plan that will keep us as

ited voices was

going next,

e we goi

to the seashor

and the surf, don't you? Well, so do I, and I expect we shall want to spend a lit

usiasm. "I don't believe any Camp Fire has as nice a Guardian as you. It se

?" asked Margery. "I

ht all try, and see ho

g to go home by wal

n of lakes that begins at Little Bea

guessing, Eleanor only smiled wisel

. We're going to take the long way round. We're going straight up and through the mountains and down

hen?" ask

re. By the time we've had a little swimming and sailing there it'll be time to think a

ains, where you were so high that you could see all around the country. We'll do that, won't we? Here

stant hills, blue in the

em there's a little gap. Really, it's quite wide, though you can't tell that from here. Well, that's Indian Notch, and we get through the mountain range by going through it. It's a fi

real mountains. I used to dream about them, and sometimes I'd think I'd really been

oked at he

blood of peoples and races. Like the mountains, and the sea, and great rivers. Sometimes all the men in a family, for generati

ling me just that way," said Bessie. "Bu

race. The people who live along the Mississippi, here, and along the Don and the Vistula, and the other great rivers in Russia, never se

as good as another for me, if I like the people. I like to trav

atural, in a way, you see. For generations the young men and women have been moving on, from set

mean like the people from New England,

room for people; lots and lots of room. But this whole country is settled now. Law and order have been established about everywhere. And we'll begin to

way from it very long I know I'd get dreadfully homesick, and want to

way myself. When I was a little bit of a kiddie I always got tremendously excited if we were going on a journey. I guess it's a pretty good thing, real

d Margery. "The Italians and the other foreigners who c

ow, because my father and I are foreigners. And do you know why we ca

sly, so fiery was her speech,

icemen used to come to our house, and wake us up in the middle of the night to look for papers. A

ely, she felt that she was finding her wa

t this was a free country and a refuge for th

't they put my father in prison, just the way they did in Poland and in Sicily, when we tried to live there quietly

ng for you now, you and your father both. And it isn't the fault of this country that there are ba

ouldn't be allowed to do it. The law is helping them. In Pola

. If your father has done nothing wrong, and his enemies have lied and deceived the people i

t to know that my

eptional one. The people who made the law in the beginning couldn't have expected it to come. But the wonderf

ave really done no wrong, and, what is more, it will punish those who swear falsely against them. Be patient, and you will find that you and y

and sombre, seemed

ely. "For my father's sake! He has be

be I'll be able to explain some things to you better, and make you underst

had all been rather sobered by the sudden revelation, th

a way; we want to spread the light of the Camp Fire, and see if we can't get a lot of new Camp Fires organized in th

ld stay and teach them all the ceremonies, and the so

o the rest for themselves, I think. I shall expect all you girls to help, because you can