The Camp Fire Girls' Larks and Pranks

hirped a cheery welcome from the waiting earth. Over the treetops a big yellow hunter's moon was rising; its comical face grinning good-naturedly. It looked

the whippoorwill, repeated three times, and ending abruptly in the squall of a catbird. From within the blackness of the barn came an echo of th

," came t

countersign," comman

were here before," re

Inner Password," said

k entrance and came to a halt jus

tation. Scrambling up the ladder fastened to the wall which did duty as a staircase,

s and pieces of pottery. Ranged around the sides of the chamber, where the sloping roof met the floor, were four beds, all different, and only one indicating that the dwellers in that secret lodge were civilized persons. The first was a neat cot bed with blankets tucked in smoothly all around, and a dust cover folded up at the foot; the second was an "Indian bed" made of pine branches, dried ferns and sweet grasses, piled sever

pennant stretched across the chimney above the stone shelf of the fireplace, bearing in clean-cut English letters the word WINNEBAGO. Most of our readers have probably guessed the truth before this-the Indian lodge we have been de

g a hasty embrace on the sentinel guarding the fire, whom the reader has d

hand, which had become sadly crumpled during the process of Sahwah's bear hug. "What mis

ls, for her fit threatened to be a lengthy one. So Hinpoha started out after Medmangi and Nakwisi and I went back home after these apples, which I'd forgotten to take along to Hinpoha's. When I got to the corner of the street along came Gladys in the Glow-worm and said she had an errand to do for her mother in a hurry and we had better come straight out here without her and she would come later. I hurried over to Mrs. Varden's house to tell the girls, but when I got nearly there I saw a black car standing out in f

in which Nyoda joined heartily. "I wonder how long it will be before they come," said Sa

searching a nice safe retreat to which you can fly

he quail and the song of the robin. "There they are!" exclaimed Sahwah in mock terror. "Where shall I hide? Oh, I have it, I'll get inside of that pile of bearskins and listen while they

arrivals were mounting the ladder. "Keep on going, Hi

t a pie in your hand." Just at that moment her foot sli

e in the air and landed with a thud. Hinpoha wrung her hands in

t a mite," she said calmly, picking it up and dusting i

e was driving Gladys' car away and we all three shrieked at him at once. He pretty nearly dropped dead when he heard us, and stopped the car so suddenly we all flew out of the seat. But he was perfectly grand about it when we found out our mistake. He told us Gladys had gone home fifteen minutes before, but he would be perfectly delighted to drive us where we wanted to go. And so he brought us out

calmly seating herself again after poking

home," she continued. "Too bad yo

oked rather silly as she caught Nyoda's eye, but while Nyoda twinkled mischievously at her Sahwah knew that she would never give her away. But of course when Gladys arrived a few minutes later and heard

n shortly afterward Migwan went away to college and her departure caused a fresh bereavement. Though Migwan had been of such a very quiet nature, her influence had been widely felt, and the girls missed her more and more as the days went on. Hinpoha, especially, was almost inconsolable, for she and Mig

hwah the irrepressible, in such a forced tone of

'be happy' you know. Think how much worse off Chapa is alone in a strange city. Com

e zero for the month. So yesterday when we had to write one in class I took the utmost care and got it all done spotlessly and was just signing my name when Anna Green behind me tried to pick a thread off my collar and laid her fishy cold hand against my neck. I jumped and wriggled and the result was a beautiful blot on my composition. There wasn't time to copy it over because it was almost the end of the hour, so I resigned myself to a nice fat ciph

n quiet fell on the group again. "Tell us a story, Nyoda," begged H

" begged

ght shone on the diamond ring which now encircled the fourth finger of her left hand-the only thing which made t

ther. Then a dreadful thing happened. War was declared in the country and the village where they lived was taken by the enemy. Her father was killed, their home was burned and her mother died. Veronica, with the rest of the people in the village, ran away toward the mountains when the village burned. But Veronica became separated from her friends and fell, and could not get up again, for her leg was broken. She lay there a long time, and gave herself up for lost, when she heard a whinny beside her and there was her

ad happened in our time and that poor lonely girl had come to this city and we had

time, and this lonesome girl has come to our city, and

city, and you actually know her?" "Where does she live?" "When will

rchestra. I live next door to them, you know, and am well acquainted with Mrs. Lehar. She told me about Veronica some time ago and last week she went to New York to get her.

ha in a breath, and Sahwah sprang to her fe

ming?" they wan

t meeting," promised Nyoda

hed aside, and into the Council Chamber there burst the fattest boy they had ever seen. His great cheeks hung down over his collar; his eyes were nearly buried. His face was purple from violent exertion and he sat limply against the bearskin bed, panting heavily. The girls stared open-mouthed a

and stared in speechless surprise. Then with one accord seven hats were snatched from as

t the Winnebagos could not help laughing aloud. The confusion of t

ah, as usual breaking the silence first.

you girls," he said soberly, but with a twinkle in his eye. "We were chasing him"-and he pointed to the fat boy still puffing away for dear life on the floor-"and we couldn't

y. "You needn't be in such a great hurry to go," she said cordially. "You may at least stay until you have recovered your brea

gain directly and had to be fanned. This caused another general laugh and the boys and girls rubbed elbows so closely trying to revive him that all feeling of embarra

bago Camp Fire Girls, and these are the Winnebagos," and she named them in order. "We were having

all the boys in a sweeping gesture of his hand. "We go to Carnegie Mechanic. That's Slim over there," he said, pointing to the fat one, while all the girls laughed. "His real name's Lewis Carlton, but it's so long since anyone has called him that

hat if the fellows didn't leave him in peace he'd sit down on them some day and that would be the end of t

n eyes and a grave mouth, "is Bill Pitt. 'Bottomless Pitt,' we call him, because it's impossible to fi

ear ignorant, but not sure whether the Sheep Eater

ting to the "Bottomless Pitt," "he's

. The tall boy's eyes followed here and his teeth showed in a wide smile, as he seemed to read her thoughts. Hinpoha

Monkey, and those," indicating the other three, "are Dan Porter, Peter Jenkins and Harry Raymond. We seven boys have always gone together, s

s, who were beginning to like the spokesman very much,

t suggestion of a twinkle in his eye again, "is Cicero St. John-and the fellows don't cal

all him Cissy!" put i

one in their right senses name a boy-an American boy-Cicero

from calling you-Cis

ed one fellow overboard out in the lake when he tried it. Everybod

icero St. John with fresh interest and great re

ad considered theirs. But they all voiced their unqualified approval of the Camp Fire Girls when they heard that the Ceremonial Meeting wa

n with his mouth full. "How did you happen to get it, and

that if we could go on an automobile trip all by ourselves without once telegraphing to

id, and the bears did,'

wouldn't have been a regular Camp Fire Lodge, so he built this splendid chimney. We have named the Lodge 'The House of the Open Door,' or the 'Open

asked Slim, who could never see the se

adorable peaks and gables to hang things on. Besides, we w

e?" cried the boys, p

the girls. "Would you li

ains. As there were only five girls, Slim and Peter Jenkins were left without partners and consoled themselves by dancing together. Peter came just to Slim's shoulder and weighed ninety-five pounds against Slim's two hundred and thirty, and the result was so ludicrous that the rest could hardly dance for laughing. It was like a monkey dancing with an elephant. Slim took mincing little

, after a thorough going over of his bo

wringing his hands in mock despair.

ing home," said Nyoda

he Captain. "I thou

the beds upstairs?"

erent kinds of beds to win honors, and left the

Bottomless Pitt in a tone of envy. "I wish we Sandwic

Fire Song, the words of which h

is bare and d

house

is hi

couldn't we let them use the grou

seven boys' lips. "Hoor

ression, and her glance as it rested on Hinpoha held a repr

nce with the girls this one evening when you were here with us, but that doesn't mean that you're willing to adopt us. But we like you girls first rate, and want to know you better if you will let us. You can go to any of the teachers at Carnegie Mechanic and find out all you want to know about us. Pitt's

. Nyoda smiled into his earnest face. "All right, Captain," she said, "we'll agree to put you on

"You're a peach and I like you," he said emphaticall