d rest, and when
we've done, we'll talk to you and tell you more about the Camp Fire
Girls and all the things we do."

"No, indeed," said Bessie, laughing back. "That won't do at all. You
cooked our meal; now we'll certainly help to clean up. That's something
I can do, and I'm going to help."

Zara, too, insisted on doing her share, and the time passed quickly as
the girls worked. Then, when the things were cleaned and put away, and
some preparations had been made for the evening meal, Zara begged to
have her first swimming lesson at once.

"No, we'll have to wait a little while for that," said Minnehaha. "We
must wait until Wanaka comes back. She's our Guardian, you see, and it's
a rule that we mustn't go into the water unless she's here, no matter
how well we swim, unless, of course, we have to, to help someone who is
drowning. And it's too soon after dinner, too. It's bad for you to go
into the water less than two hours after a meal. We're always careful
about that, because we have to be healthy. That's one of the chief
reasons we have the Camp Fire."

"Tell us about it," begged Zara, sitting down.

"You see this ring?" said Minnehaha, proudly.

She pointed to her ring, a silver band with an emblem,--seven fagots.

"We get a ring like that when we join," she explained. "That's the
Wood-Gatherer's ring, and the National Council gives it to us. Those
seven fagots each stand for one of the seven points of the law of the
fire."

"What are they, Minnehaha?"

"They're easy to remember: 'Seek Beauty; Give Service; Pursue Knowledge;
Be Trustworthy; Hold on to Health; Glorify Work; Be Happy.' If you want
to do all those things--and I guess everyone does--you can be a
Wood-Gatherer. Then, later on, you get to be a Fire-Maker, and, after
that, a Torch-Bearer. And when you get older, if you do well, you can
be a Guardian, and be in charge of a Camp Fire yourself. You see, there
are Camp Fires all over. There are a lot of them in our city, and in
every city. And there are more and more all the time. The movement
hasn't been going on very long, but it's getting stronger all the time."

"Are you a Fire-Maker?"

"Not yet. If I were, I'd wear a bracelet, like Ayu. And instead of just
having a bunch of fagots on my sleeve, there'd be a flame coming from
them. And then, when I get to be a Torch-Bearer, I'll have a pin, as
well as the ring and the bracelet, and there'll be smoke on my badge, as
well as fire and wood. But y