e
for her and Aunt Phoebe. With Aunt Phoebe came "Silky," a wiggling,
snapping Skye terrier. He gave one glance at genial Mr. Bob, who was
rolling on his back before the fireplace, and with a growl fastened his
teeth into his neck. Hinpoha rescued her pet and bore him away to her
room, where she shed tears of despair while he licked her hand
sympathetically. Aunt Phoebe's first act was to put Hinpoha into deep
mourning. Hinpoha objected strenuously, but there was no help, and she
went to school swathed from head to foot in black. Nyoda was wrathful at
the sight, for if there was one point she felt strongly about it was
putting children into mourning. Among the gaily dressed girls Hinpoha
stood out like some dark spirit from the underworld, casting a gloom
wherever she went.

"Where is that beautiful vase I brought your mother from the World's
Fair?" asked Aunt Phoebe one day, suddenly missing it.

"It was accidently broken at our last Camp Fire meeting," answered
Hinpoha, with a tightening around her heart when she thought of that
last happy gathering.

"Camp Fire!" said Aunt Phoebe with a snort. "You don't mean to tell me
that you are mixed up in any such foolishness as that?"

"I certainly am," said Hinpoha energetically, "and it isn't foolishness,
either. I've learned more since I have been a Camp Fire Girl than I did
in all the years before."

"Well, you may consider yourself graduated, then," said Aunt Phoebe,
drily, "for I'll have no such nonsense about me. I can teach you all you
need to know outside of what you learn in school."

"Camp Fire always had mother's fullest approval," said Hinpoha darkly.

"I dare say," returned her aunt. "But I want you to understand once for
all that I won't have any girls holding 'meetings' here, to upset the
house and break valuable ornaments."

"But you don't care if I go to them at other girls' houses, do you?"
asked Hinpoha, the fear gripping her that she was to be denied the
consolation of these weekly gatherings with the Winnebagos.

"I don't want you to have anything to do with that Camp Fire business,"
said Aunt Phoebe in a tone of finality, and Hinpoha left the room, her
heart swelling with bitterness. She was too wise to argue the point with
Aunt Phoebe, and resolved to depend on Nyoda to show her the way. She
dried her tears and went down to the living room and began to play
softly on the piano. It had been her mother's piano, the wedding gift of
her father, a