ish to wake everyone up just
because I thought I heard something."

"You'll be able to win a lot of honors easily, Bessie, when you come
into the Camp Fire. That's one of the things the girls do--they learn
the calls of the birds, and to describe them and all sorts of things
about the trees and the flowers. You must know a lot of them already."

"I guess everyone does who's lived in the country. Some people can
imitate a bird so it would almost fool another bird--but not Jake. He's
stupid."

"Yes, and like most people who try to frighten others, he's a coward,
too, Bessie. He showed that to-night."

"I'm not afraid of him any more. If I'd known before how easy it was to
frighten him I'd have done it. Then he'd have let me alone, probably."

"Well, you go to bed now, and get to sleep again. And try to forget
about Jake and all the other people who have been unkind to you.
Remember that you're safe with us now. We'll look after you."

"I know that, and I can't tell you how good it makes me feel."

Wanaka laughed then, to herself.

"I say we'll look after you," she said, still smiling. "But so far it
looks more as if you were going to look after us. You saved Minnehaha in
the lake--and to-night you saved all the girls from being frightened.
But we'll have to begin doing our share before long."

"As if you hadn't done a lot more for me already than I'll ever be able
to repay!" said Bessie. "And I know it, too. Please be sure of that.
Good-night."

"Good-night, Bessie."

In the morning Bessie and Zara woke with the sun shining in their faces,
and for a long minute they lay quiet, staring out at the dancing water,
and trying to realize all that happened since they had said good-bye to
Hedgeville.

"Just think, Zara, it's only the day before yesterday that all those
things happened, and it seems like ever so long to me."

"It does to me, too, Bessie. But I'll be glad when we get away from
here. It's awfully close."

"And, Zara, Jake Hoover was around here last night!"

"Does he know you're here? Was that why he came?"

"No," said Bessie, laughing again at the memory of the ghost. And she
told Zara what had happened.

"He won't come around again at night, but it would be just like him to
snoop around here in the daytime, Bessie."

"I hadn't thought of that, Zara. But he might. If he stops to think and
realizes that someone turned his own trick against him, or if he tells
someone, and they laugh at him, he