“It reminded me of outlines,” Cathalina acknowledged.
“We must have a meeting tomorrow and I will tell you just what I think we can do.”
At the morrow’s meeting the girls enthusiastically approved Miss West’s idea, applauded the productions already in hand and thanked her warmly for taking the responsibility. It was, to be sure, hers as councillor to see that the girls had some sort of entertainment ready for their turn at stunt night, but these girls, as good campers, were always willing to do their share and had no desire to take advantage of their young councillor. Some of the parts were given out and the girls began to learn them. They considered it pure fun, for there was required no serious preparation.
The canoe trip to Brunswick was next on the list of trips. The canoes, stripped of their decorations, bore the jolly campers away, around Marshmallow Point into Merrymeeting Bay, to the left, past Brick Island of Captain Kidd fame, and on up the Androscoggin river, the war canoe in the lead. So many wanted to go that each of the smaller canoes bore three. Some of the little girls who could not paddle were among those who sat more or less comfortably on life preservers in the middle. Or it would be one of the older girls who took the middle position, to change places with some tired paddler in bow or stern as need might be. The girls were reminded of the rules that no one was to change places in midstream. They must paddle to shore and make the adjustment. Lunch was distributed among the canoes, for the launches could not go up the shallow Androscoggin.
Hilary and Lilian took June with them. Frances, Betty and Cathalina were together. Neither Betty nor Cathalina had as much endurance as Frances, but they thought that by changing occasionally, all would be able to make the eight or ten-mile paddle with ease. Eloise, Helen and Isabel were together and rather evenly matched in paddling ability, as were Marion, Jean and Nora. Patty, with another councillor, carried some of the heavier packages or cans of lunch in their canoe.
“Hard luck, Miss West,” called Isabel; “what you have in the middle of your canoe can’t change places and help you paddle.”
“Some of it will help me paddle coming back,” answered Patty, pointing to the milk can and package of sandwiches. “And Mr. Clark has gone on ahead to see about getting corn for us to roast.”