you want to go?"

"We haven't discussed that yet," Miss Ladd replied. "I suppose we could
go almost any time."

"Let's go at once," proposed Marion Stanlock. "We haven't anything to
keep us here and we can come back as soon as--as soon as we find the jam
on somebody's fist."

This figure of speech called for an explanation for Hazel's benefit.
Then Ruth Hazelton moved that the Camp Fire place itself at Mrs.
Hutchins' service to leave for Twin Lakes as soon as she thought best,
and this motion was carried unanimously.

"I move that Katherine Crane be appointed a committee of one to notify
Mrs. Hutchins of our action and get instructions from her for our next
move," said Violet Munday.

"Second the motion," said Azalia Atwood.

"Question!" shouted Harriet Newcomb.

"Those in favor say aye," said Miss Ladd.

A hearty chorus of "ayes" was the response.

"Contrary minded, no."

Silence.

"The ayes have it."

The meeting adjourned.

CHAPTER VI.

A TELEGRAM EN ROUTE.

At 9 o'clock in the morning two days later, a train of three coaches,
two sleepers and a parlor car, pulled out of Fairberry northwest bound.
It was a clear midsummer day, not oppressively warm. The atmosphere had
been freshened by a generous shower of rain a few hours before sunup.

In the parlor car near one end sat a group of thirteen girls and one
young woman. The latter, Miss Ladd, Guardian of Flamingo Camp Fire, we
will hereafter designate as "one of the girls." She was indeed scarcely
more than a girl, having passed her voting majority by less than a year.

The last two days had been devoted principally to preparations for this
trip. Mrs. Hutchins had engaged two men who struck the tents and packed
these and all the other camp paraphernalia and expressed the entire
outfit to Twin Lakes station. On the morning before us, Mrs. Hutchins
accompanied the fourteen girls to the train at the Fairberry depot and
bade them good-bye and wished them success in their enterprise.

There were few other passengers in the parlor car when the Camp Fire
Girls entered. One old gentleman obligingly moved forward from a seat at
the rear end, and the new passengers were able to occupy a section all
by themselves.

Before starting for the train, Miss Ladd called her little flock of
"spies" together and gave them a short lecture.

"Now, girls," she said with keen deliberation, "we are about to embark
on a venture that has in it elements which wil