premonition that leaving it meant
more than appeared at the moment.

Freda walked with Bess while Mrs. Lewis and Cora kept close behind
them. They had not more than reached the turn that led to the direct
path when shouts and laughter were heard.

"There are the girls," Bess exclaimed. "They are looking for us."

The surmise was correct, for directly the answer came back to the
familiar camp call.

"Here we are!" cried Cora. "On the pine path."

"Oh!" gasped Belle. "We have had the greatest fright! Where have you
been?"

"Making a call," replied Cora, calmly. "What was your fright?"

"Come along and I'll tell you," Belle replied. Then she saw Freda and
Mrs. Lewis.

"We have brought protectors," Cora said. "Mrs. Lewis and Freda are
going to spend the night with us."

"Oh, splendid!" exclaimed Marita. "I was so afraid we would have to
stay alone."

"Where are the boys?" Cora asked.

"Someone from the beach came up and said Dray's boat was loose, and of
course, they had to all go at once to tie it up."

"Better than to let it drift," Cora said, "but I am sorry if you were
timid."

"Oh, we were not," declared Belle, stoutly. "Only we distinctly heard
someone on the back porch."

"At our ice box!" gasped Cora.

"Oh, we never thought of that!" exclaimed Belle.

"Then likely we will be without breakfast," responded Cora. "But here
we are. Who has the key?"

Belle opened the door. "The light is out!" she whispered. "Cora," she
said, aside, "I left it burning!"

CHAPTER IX

A MERRY TIME

"Yes, I say it's a shame!" cried Jack, indignantly.

"Perfectly awful," confirmed Dray.

"Our meeting is at nine," announced Walter, "and when I went on the
soup shift, I did not agree to do the waiting. That's not my part."

Ed tucked an end of white mosquito netting in his belt, draped it
jauntily, and appeared ready to do the "waiting." Walter was frying
bacon and eggs on the oil stove. Jack threw dishes at the
oilcloth-covered table in imitation of a game of quoits, and he rarely
missed the mark. They were about to have breakfast, and in spite of
the difficulties encountered in the way of modern improvements omitted
in the arrangement of Camp Couldn't (the camp got that name for a
million reasons), the boys were having a fine time.

"That coffee will be cold," protested Dray, "and my doctor says cold
coffee is slow poison. I prefer my poison quick." The joke about
Dray's doctor was that Dray never k