you, begging your pardon for contradicting you,” answered George, touching his hat to the guardian. “I’ll tell you before we go.”

In the meantime, that camp was disappearing with greater speed than had ever before marked the striking of a Meadow-Brook Girls’ camp. Thus far the girls had had no part in the striking. They had made several individual efforts, only to be thrust aside by the determined boys. Now and then George would appeal to Miss Elting as to where this or that article was to be packed. The girls were never asked. It was as though they were merely guests.

All was in readiness within half an hour after the boys had swooped down upon the camp. Captain George distributed the packs among his fellows. These were not very heavy loads, for the girls had taken light packs, knowing they would have to climb more or less, provided they followed the hills.

“Now we are ready to move,” announced the captain, himself shouldering the largest of the packs and nodding to the boys.

“But, my dear Captain, we have not yet decided to move camp,” answered Miss Elting, smiling good-naturedly.

“Decided? Of course not. It wasn’t for you to decide. We decided that yesterday. You don’t have to come along if you don’t want to, but your equipment is already on the way.”

“I won’t go a step,” declared Margery.

“You may, of course, stay here if you wish,” answered the captain politely. “May I assist you up the hill, Miss Elting?” he questioned.

“Oh, no, thank you, Captain, I am quite well able to climb this hill. Come, girls. I suppose we might as well give in. It is either that or lose our equipment. These young men are very determined.”

“Aren’t you going to tell uth what the great thurprithe ith?” demanded Tommy.

George uttered a long-drawn whistle.

“Say, girls, I forgot all about that. Honestly I did.”

“Then tell us now,” suggested the guardian.

“I’ll tell you when we get to the camp.” George began climbing the hill, followed slowly by the girls and their guardian.

“Isn’t he provoking?” grumbled Margery petulantly.

The boys led the way over the brow of the hill to the more level ground and on into the forest that crowned the top of the hill. Reaching a cleared spot from which the timber had been cut, the girls found the advance guard of Tramps at work pitching the tent. There was a heavy growth of bushes, but the stumps had been fairly well burned off. The clearing, surrounded by great trees, was about an acre in extent and a really attractive camp site.

“Here we are,” announced George jovially, throwing down his pack. “You girls just make yourselves at home while we put the place to rights. How do you like it?”

“I like it,” answered Harriet frankly. “You have done considerable work here, I see—cut all the bushes and leveled off the ground for the camp. It is very kind in you, Captain. Where is your camp?”

“A quarter of a mile to the north,” he replied with a wave of his hand. “You will find a fine spring just the other side of those rocks yonder. There is an old log road leading in from the highway. It is a much more convenient place in every way than the one where you were camped, and yet not a soul comes here. We were here for a time last fall. Have you plenty of provisions?”

“For the present,” answered Harriet, nodding. “We shall have to go to town within the week, however.”

“No need to do that. There is a farmhouse a mile from here where we can get everything we need. We go there for milk every morning. We can just as well bring your milk at the same time and anything else you may need.”

“You are very kind,” said the guardian. “But now that we are here, suppose you tell us about that very great surprise.”

George pointed out a pile of wood that they had gathered, showed Harriet where the spring lay hidden behind the big rock and pointed out other advantages of the camp they had chosen for their friends, the Meadow-Brook Girls, all of which pleased the girls very much, though Margery and Tommy would not have shown their satisfaction for the world.

The camp was pitched in record time that morning, but the boys kept working about, even going so far as to make an oven of flat stones. George then drew from a bag a dozen squirrels that they had shot that morning. These he proceeded to skin and dress, after which he spitted them on sharp sticks ready for broiling over the fire when luncheon time should have arrived.

The hour for getting the noon meal was at hand almost before the young people realized it. Time had passed very rapidly that morning. The boys got the luncheon that day. By this time the Meadow-Brook Girls had begun to enter into the spirit of the fun. They were chatting and laughing gayly, teasing the Tramp Boys and criticising their methods of house-keeping. Luncheon was the jolliest meal they had enjoyed that season—so the girls unreservedly declared. After having finished and before getting up from their blankets, Captain George coughed significantly.

“Now, I suppose, you would like to hear about it,” he said teasingly.

Harriet shrugged her shoulders.

“Having waited this long, I don’t think it would give us much pain to wait longer,” she replied.

“No, no! Tell us,” cried Buster.

“I thought you weren’t curious?” taunted Davy.

“Don’t keep us in suspense, Captain. Tell us now. You don’t have to be coaxed to tell, do you?” asked Miss Elting.

“No, we are really anxious to tell you the whole story, and I know you’ll all shout with delight when you hear it,” answered Captain George.

CHAPTER IV
AN UNPLEASANT SURPRISE

The captain of the Tramp Club leaned back and, clasping his hands about his knees, gazed reflectively at the blue sky overhead. The eyes of the Meadow-Brook Girls were fixed inquiringly on his brown face. Captain George appeared to be in no hurry to tell them of the surprise that the Tramps had in store for the girls. Tommy was the first to break the silence.

“Thith thuthpenthe ith killing,” she observed.

“Oh, don’t hurry him,” scoffed Crazy Jane. “He won’t be half so interesting after he has told it; and, what’s more, he knows it. That’s why he’s so long about telling. Suppose you wait until after supper, George? The evening is so much better for telling fairy stories. Then we can all go to bed and have nightmares!”

“This isn’t a joke,” protested Sam Crocker a trifle impatiently. “This is dead serious business, as you will realize before you have done with it.”

“Indeed?” commented Buster sarcastically.

“Yes, indeed,” returned Sam sharply. “Better tell them and have it out of your system. I’m getting a little tired of their not believing us. They will believe all right after they hear the glad and joyous tidings.”

“We believe motht anything,” Tommy informed them solemnly. “And we believe you folkth don’t know what you are talking about. Do you!”

“If you will give me half a chance, I will tell you,” answered George. “Did you ever hear of Newtown, on the coast?”

“Oh, yes. That is a fashionable summer resort,” said Harriet.

“Just so. Ever hear of the Atlantic Coast Tennis Tournaments?”

The girls shook their heads.

“I have,” said Miss Elting. “I have understood that they were a feature of the summer at Newtown.”

“They are,” agreed George. “They are the biggest and most important affairs ever