elipe had appeared to be
courteous, although extraordinarily determined upon securing his own
way.

In return for their kindness and also because she liked both young men,
Mrs. Burton had invited Felipe Morris and Merton Anderson to their Camp
Fire entertainment. The entertainment was to be more than an ordinary
dance, since the guests had been invited to a swimming party in the
afternoon, then dinner and the dance later.

Since the girls were to spend a portion of the afternoon in swimming,
most of the preparations for their party necessarily had to be made
beforehand. Mrs. Webster had promised to look after final details, and
also there was Marie, who was temperamental, but who could be relied
upon to accomplish marvels when she was in the proper mood. Since the
entry of the United States into the war, Marie, who was an ardent French
woman, had adopted the American soldier as her especial protege.

Moreover, on the morning before their dance Alice Ashton and Peggy
Webster had motored into town, purchasing the provisions they considered
too troublesome to prepare. They bought two roast hams and a roast of
beef and half a dozen varieties of fruit. Their menu was to consist of
cold meats, baked beans, which were a Camp Fire speciality, roast
potatoes and corn, which could be cooked over the outdoor fire,
cornbread, fruit salad, coffee and cake.

In the afternoon the girls were to wear their Camp Fire bathing suits,
but at night they had concluded to appear in white dresses, with their
honor beads, almost as beautiful and as effective as jewels.

The ceremonial Camp Fire costumes were somewhat too heavy and too warm
for dancing on a midsummer night in a semi-tropical land.

The girls were naturally a trifle shy over the prospect of guests,
nearly all of whom were complete strangers. Among them were only two
with whom they had any previous acquaintance. They were Lieutenant
Geoffrey Carson and Private George Ferguson, the soldiers who were aided
after an accident in their motor car, by the Camp Fire girls during
their riding trip down the coast.

Two of the soldiers were members of one of the regimental bands and had
promised to play for the dancers, since the girls possessed only a
much-used victrola and were too far off in the country to be able to
engage the services of professional musicians.

No dance could have been less conventional, when for one thing the
white, smooth sands of the beach below the camp w