The Girl Scouts at Camp Comalong Part 16

They were down the steps, breathing hard and--yes--praying!

Darling little chubby Madaline! What could have happened to her?

The last girl had scarcely stepped down from the uncertain shelter of the tent when there was a call from within.

"Girls! Girls! Looking for me?"

It was Madaline's voice and she was in that tent!

"Where have--you been?"

"Oh, Madie, we were almost dead!"

"Madaline, Madaline! We thought you were gone!" The chorus was hysterical.

"Child!" gasped Miss Mackin. "Where were you?" She held her by both shoulders as if fearful she would disappear again.

"Under the tent," replied Madaline, still gasping for breath. "The little trap door was open, you know, and I got so scared of that awful storm I just dropped down. I never thought you would miss me."

"And didn't you hear us?" demanded the excited Grace.

"Couldn't hear anything but the storm. Wasn't it dreadful?"

"Not half as bad as you hiding away like that," Isabel was almost crying. "Why ever did you do it?"

"Why----"

"Never mind, children," soothed the director. "She didn't think we would miss her and I suppose she was terrified, but it isn't wise to drop out of sight, especially at night. Get out of your clothes now.

The storm is almost over, and to-morrow you will all have something interesting to write in your journals."

"I heard something slam," Corene recalled.

"That was the door. It hit me on the head," said the innocent Madaline.

"Was it your head that made the bang?" Even in the present excitement Grace could not resist the joke.

But the girls were not sleepy. They declared they didn't care if they never slept again so long as Madaline was all right, and when they finally did turn into bunks they placed the adventuress safely and snugly in the buckboard, between the two largest girls, Corene and Isabel.

"You won't drop down any more cracks this time," declared Corene.

"Wasn't it awful woozy down there?" asked Julia.

"Not a bit. Just nice and tight and you couldn't even hear the rain,"

said Madaline.

"I hope you didn't upset my woodpile," called out Julia.

"And I had a pretty fern growing in a tomato can. I'll bet you smashed it," charged Louise.

"Children, dear, try to quiet down," entreated the director. She could not be severe, for indeed she had been a very badly frightened young woman in the hour just pa.s.sing.

"Tell us a story?" begged Julia.

"Yes, do, and then maybe we'll doze off," bribed Margaret.

"Very well, if you promise to keep quiet and try to get to sleep, I will," agreed Miss Mackin.

Of course they promised, and she began; but hardly had she warmed up to her subject when a loud calling, shouting and yelling sounded through the slash of the retreating storm.

"What--now!"

"Mackey! Mackey!" came the call.

"The girls from Norm!" exclaimed someone.

"Yes, surely that's they. What can have happened?" gasped Miss Mackin.

By now the voices were near the tent and it was evident the cries were not fraught with terror, instead there was laughter, shouts and gales of it defying the winds and rain.

"Let us in! Let us in!" cried the victims, and quickly as the tent flap was loosed in came such a looking flock!

"Our tent blew away!" gasped Bubbles, she who so often indulged in that popular song.

"Blew away!"

"Yes, from over our very heads!" The five young women--they were actually five of them--dripped water and laughter in equal proportions, for the rain they brought in with them was now running in healthy little puddles all over the nice, new floor.

There wasn't much room to stir around without getting the beds wet, but as soon as the Norms could control their unseeming joy, Miss Mackin tried to find a few spots. This was done by pushing the beds into still more compact quarters, until Corene suggested they stand them on end and sleep standing up.

"Do you mean to tell us your tent is gone?" demanded Miss Mackey, when her third shower--the drenched Norms--squatted down to "rip off some water-soaked garments."

"We do. Exactly that. It blew away and we didn't even have time to blow a kiss to it," declared Bubbles.

"Where are the others?"

"At the bungalow. They ventured in, we hope they'll get out all right, but we wouldn't try it. Imagine that prim old couple having such a delightful surprise."

"I'm so tired I can sleep beautifully on the floor," declared another of the storm victims. "And please don't let us demoralize your squad, Mackey. They'll be all cross babies in the morning." Their own scare was then recounted and the surprise party made doubly welcome, when everyone insisted they could "get to sleep now," that there was so much "lovely company around."

Blankets were easily spared from the cots as the night had not cooled off too suddenly, and the Norms, being all around sportswomen, didn't find the pine boards and good blankets such a poor sort of bunk after all, so sleep was wooed and won finally.

They must have realized the morning would bring to them some strenuous duties, for what about reclaiming Camp Norm?

CHAPTER XIII