mid of triangular
sandwiches, rivalling in magnitude the pyramids of Egypt. This was
flanked by two gorgeous icing cakes, one white and one brown. A bowl
of chicken salad overflowed its cut glass confines, the same as
Pee-wee's island had overflowed its trusty scow.

It is true that the much feared salted almonds were there but they
crouched in shame under the spreading sides of a wooden hash-bowl
camouflaged with crepe paper and piled with jellied doughnuts. If
there were any lady fingers they did not show their faces (if lady
fingers have faces) but the jovial raspberry tart was there in all its
glory a hundred strong.

"Oh, I think everything is perfectly _scrumptious_," said Minerva
Skybrow, completing a tour of inspection at this culinary paradise and
allowing herself an olive or two.

"Goodness gracious, let them alone or there won't be any left," said
Miss Dora Dane Daring.

"Silly!" said Minerva. "There are _oceans_ of them. Doesn't the river
look perfectly lovely in the moonlight?"

"Oh, I think everything is _perfectly adorable_," said another friend;
"and the weather is just _heavenly_. For goodness' sakes, let the
candy alone; that's the fourth piece you took."

"Listen," said Minerva. "I'm not going to let a _single one_ of them
come out here till they have all arrived. We're going to have the
concert in the house first and they've _just got_ to listen to Mrs.
Wild speak about the Camp-fire movement, because she's just _perfectly
wonderful_. Do you know, I wish I had put the refreshments in the
summer house. No, I don't either--yes, I do. It would have been more
romantic--_rustic_."

"Oh, I think this tent is _perfect_," said another girl, slyly helping
herself to a salted almond.

"I know," said Minerva, her hand stealing unconsciously toward a box of
marsh mallows, "I know, but what I wanted was something
unusual--symbolic. A rustic platform in one of the big trees would
have been nice; it would have been sort of--sort of _scoutish_. I want
to have things _different_. That's why boys always make fun of the
Camp-fire Girls, they think we're _tame_. Think how Roy Blakeley and
his friends actually camped in that adorable old railroad car while it
was traveling, goodness knows where. When I went to the Aero Club
reception with Harold Fall they had the refreshments in a great
balloon; we had to go up to it on a ladder--_shh_, listen! Did you
hear a noise?"

A chorus of excited whi