The Three Midshipmen

ter, trying to screw up her courage to a deed of daring; and because it was for herself it seemed almost impossible for her to do it. With her white fa

she waited there was a chance-a very faint one, but still a chance-that the thing she so desired might come true

up with a frown as th

in the sharp, fretful tone of on

er words tumbling over each other in her excitement, "and O, please may I go this evening-to Miss Laura's? It's the

pened as Elizabeth stumbled on, a

camp that it would be just this way. Girls like you are never satisfied. You want the earth. Here you've had a month-a whole month-off in th

adie's white dress before supper. If there was any work I had to do it would be different. And-and even servant girls have

ut an evening every month; and if I agreed to that, next thing you

rocking her Teddy Bear to sleep when Elizabeth came downstairs, and had listened, wide-eyed and wondering, to all that passed. But tears in Elizabeth's eyes were

y!" she cried out, stamping her small f

a sharp command stopped her. "Put that child down. I

now and hiding her face from her mother. The tinkle of the doorbell cut the tense silence that followed Mrs. Page

e frowning woman, Elizabeth's wet eyes and drooping mouth, and little Molly clinging to her skirts as sh

or Elizabeth

her," interrupted Sadie with ill-con

ura--" she was beginning when Sadie unceremoniously slammed the

ing untoward had happened to Sadie; so after a moment Olga turned, flew down the steps, and hurrying over to the car-line, hailed the first car that appeared. Fifteen minutes later she was ringing the bell at the door of Judge Haven's big

o her, though she was right there in the hall-nor let her give me a message for you. Her

aid gently. "Sit down and tell

could not tell it quietly. She told it with eyes flashing

camp if she hadn't been sick and the doctor said she'd die if she didn't have a rest and change, and so Miss Grandis got her off. O Miss La

can do. You see she is not yet of age, and her father

ot that I should think she'd want to-but when I asked Elizabeth why she called her Mrs. Page she said her stepmothe

seventeen?" La

r out. She could earn her own living and not work half as hard somewhere else, and go out when she liked

his matter. Two wrongs will never make a right. If there is anything that can be done

Miss Laura, how would you live through seve

zabeth will not have to do that," she said g

Laura led the way to a large room on the third floor. At the door o

mp," Mary Hastings cried,

d several long low settees of brown rattan, backs and seats cushioned in cretonne of soft greens and cream-colour, and a few chairs of like pattern were scattered about. Curtains of cream-coloured cheesecloth, with a stencilled design of pine cones

stand by thi

e-fa

r, never s

is dark and

house

s his

belo

service so deep tha

said earnestly, "Miss Laura, I never, never saw any place

too. You remember the very first words of our Camp Fire law-'Seek beauty'? I thought of that when I was f

nd with you," returned Bessie with her shy smile, which remark was

r under cover of the gay clamour of talk that followed. "For heaven's sake, do ch

e glance, at which Louise retreated with a shrug o

nd she would have seen them unmoved in the eyes of any other girl; but Elizabeth-that was another thing. She glanced scornfully at the others laughing and chattering around Miss Laura, and vowed that she would never c

e fire, but I love the candles almost as much; so at our meetings here, we will have both." The girls were standing now in a circle broken only by the fire. Miss Laura set the three candlesticks with the bayberry candles on the floor in the centre of the ci

for Wohelo means work,'" and

lo mea

because through

to conquer, to b

e working and bec

means

Mary Hastings, the strongest, healthiest girl of them all,

of Health, for Woh

e candle, s

o means

ealth, because

and ar

health and beaut

e very shrine of

means h

of Bessie Carroll, who was next her. With a glance of pleased surpr

ht of Love, for W

ll as she lighted the

lo mea

e is life, and light

nd motherhood, and father

service so deep tha

means

barely audible, breathed through the room, then deepened into one

antelpiece, where they burned steadily, sending out a faint spicy odor that mingled with the pleasant fragrance of the firs. The f

your good times-the 'fun' that every girl wan

d Eva Bicknell, a little

cried an

ed pretty Annie Pears

kating at the Arcade

pool and tennis." Th

nell muttered. "Great chance

's where I go for them when you go to you

fun, 'specially when the boys ta

ndle-wrapper added, "an' finish up with a pr

girls as these? But now one of the High School girls was speaking. "We have most of our good times at the school. There is always something goin

shows. For half an hour longer she let the talk run on, and that half-hour gave her sidel

l have the Council meetings here every Saturday, but this room is not to be shut up all the other evenings. We may have no moving pictures, but you can come here and dance if you wish, or play games, or sing-I'm goi

admiration; for here was a white-tiled kitchen complete in all its appointments, even to a small white-enamelled gas range and a tiny refrigerator. On b

rshmallows and bacon-bats and anything else you like. You can come here yourselves every We

eyes twinkled as she asked the question, wi

ntly, though until that moment

me Guardian, Miss L

the fascinating kitchen, two maids entered with t

of having you all here in my own home," Miss

. "Three cheers for our Guardian-give 'em with claps!" an

he girls once more about her before the fire. "I hope," she b

voices broke in, and Lena Barton

Camp Fire idea. And while I am planning good times and many of them for ourselves in these coming months, I wish that together we might do some of this loving se

work?" questioned Ev

probably mean by mission

y folks, and that sort of

hild or-or anything," she ended hastily, intercepting an exchange of glances between Lena a

va Bicknell grumbled as she linked her bony little arm

dandy time to-night, an' I ain't goin' back on her the minute I'

d. "I ain't goin' back on Miss Laura any more than you are. Mebbe you're so flush that you can drop penni

xt Wednesday they sang for a while, Laura accompanying them on the piano, and Rose Anderson played for them on her violin. After that they sat on the floor before the fire and talked; but L

the door, and was present at the interview. She was evidently very conscious of the fact that her braids w

good home and must be contented to stay in it "as my own children do," she ended with a glance at Sadie, who sat on the edge of a chair with much the aspect of a terrier watching a rat-ho

she had a little change now and then, and the co

sister-she must be satisfied with

ainly unattractive, but perhaps all the more for that reason she ought to have a chance-a chance which might possibly mean

this next Saturday and bring her sister. After the business is over, we are going to have a fudge party. I have a little upstair

eing a refusal on her mother's lips, she burst out eagerl

er mother wanted for her, and she saw that Sadie's heart was set on accepting this

d to go. She longed to look back towards the kitchen where she felt sure that Elizabeth must have been wistful

went down the steps, and the child's sma

ter the caller, Sadi

xt Saturday and you're going-you can just thank me for that t

hadow on it too. Of course it was better to go with S

get through her work the sooner, and she plastered a huge white bow across the back of her head, and pulled down the skirt of her dress to make it

t not on Sadie! Sadie did most of the talking as the three walked on together, but the other two did not care. It was enough for Elizabeth to be with Olga again, an

leasure. "We've missed you so at the Councils, Elizabeth," she said, "but it's go

the rest of the evening her eyes and ears were so busy that for once her tongue was silent. She vowed to h

ings asked, "Miss Laura, have you decided yet what our special work is to be-the 'se

ecide," Laura returned. "Ha

lp support some little child-maybe a s

ney," objected Louise Johnson, "and I'm

it wouldn't be so much, d

going to leave me out, a

rroll, "if we could find a dear little girl b

half a dozen kids at home I reckon you

d Eva Bicknell, who w

d do things for her," suggested Frances Chapin. "There are s

baby appealed more to t

ake cute little dresses for her," Rose

he lacey dresses and things you're talki

ack a counter question. "How much did you spend fo

two. What of it?" Lena retorted

Fire baby?" Mary demanded. "If sixteen of us give ten cents a week we

owd dropping over six dollars a month for picture shows a

d, at least in part. Girls, I'd like to tell you about one I saw at

tell us," th

alone in the world. Think of it, girls, a nine-year-old boy without any one to care for him! He's lame too-but he is the bravest little soul! The

ances Chapin said softly, think

s Laura," Rose Anderson begg

ook-about soldiers. I wonder if any of you would care to go with me. You might possibly find your

ol girls spoke toget

ded Alice Reyno

n't anything catching there." It was pr

Elizabeth whispered to Olga,

you want

little fellow," Elizabeth answered. "I

lting out of her black eyes as she loo

Chapin, Elsie Harding, and Alice Reynolds, with Mary Hastings, A

Barton declared airily. "I'd rather walk down

amongst a lot of sick kiddies. But I'll agree to be satisfied with any blue-eyed baby girl you and Miss Laura pick out for our Camp F

maybe they won't find any girl to f

add, "and if we did, it would probably be one with parent

come in every package. I s'pose you'd want

uty to begin with, anyhow," giggled Louise. "She'll probably develop

reckles," snapped Lena Barton, whose perk

Louise teased. "Yours will probably

er into them, with a few gentle tender words brought their thoughts back to the deep meaning of the thing they were planning to do-trying to make t

d even Lena Barton was more subdued than usual until, at last,

" and thereupon rebounded t

t suppose I can do much for our Camp Fire baby," she told herself, "but there