watched them.
"It's one of our Camp Fire rules," explained Margery. "We're used to
camping out and eating in the open air, you know, and it isn't fair to
leave a place so that the next people who camp out there have to do a
lot of work to clean up after you before they can begin having a good
time themselves. We wouldn't like it if we had to do it after others, so
we try always to leave things just as we'd like to find them ourselves.
And it wouldn't be good for the Camp Fire Girls if people thought we
were careless and untidy."
Then they got back to work again, and the long summer afternoon passed
happily, with all four of the girls doing their share of the work. The
sun was still high when they had finished their work, and Walter gave
the word to stop happily, since he wanted time to put on his best
clothes for the trip to Deer Crossing, where the ice-cream festival was
to be held. Such festivities were rare enough in the country to be made
mightily welcome when they came, especially when the date chosen was a
Saturday, since on Sunday those who worked in the fields every other
day of the week could take things easily and lie abed late.
"Well, I'll see all you girls again to-night," he said. "I'll be along
after supper, Dolly--don't forget. We're goin' to ride over together in
the first wagon."
"All right," said Dolly, smiling at him, and winking shamelessly at
Bessie. "Don't forget to put on that new blue necktie and to wear those
pink socks, Walter."
"I sure won't," he said, not having seen her wink, and, as he turned
away, Dolly looked at Bessie with a gesture of comic despair.
"I think it's very mean to laugh at Walter's clothes, Dolly," said
Bessie. "They're not a bit sillier than some of the things the boys in
the city wear, are they, Margery?"
"I should say not--not half as foolish. I've seen some of your pet boys
wearing the sort of clothes one would expect men at the racetrack to
wear, and nobody else, Dolly. You want to get over thinking you're so
much better than everyone else--if you don't, it's going to make; you
unhappy."
Once they were at the ice-cream festival, where all the girls and young
fellows from miles around seemed to have gathered, Dolly seemed prepared
to have a very good time, however. She entered into the spirit of the
occasion, and, though she, like Bessie and most of the Camp Fire Girls,
would not take part in the kissing games that were popular, she wasn't a
bit stiff o
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