Most of the day had been spent by the campers upon the canoes, and in some cases upon their own costumes, when these were necessary to carry out the idea. It had been planned to use that witching time when the sky was still beautiful from the sunset and yet the blue mist of evening with moon and stars was just appearing in the east. It did not seem best to plan for lighting up the canoes. While there was plenty of water, it is true, to put out any blaze that might occur, the canoes might not be in the most favorable position for an upset. The most beautiful light was offered by Nature herself.

The girls had worked hard. Not a canoe but was prettily dressed. As each one was brought from its hidden retreat to be launched, exclamations were heard on all sides. Admiration and surprise were mingled. It was a matter of honor not to intrude upon the secrecy of those engaged upon the work, but in some way the news about a few had leaked out. However, only the sight of the canoes themselves could give the full effect. The athletic director and the other councillors knew the plans for the girls and arranged the order of launching. With the heavier canoes, some of which had a light framework wired and resting on top of the canoes, the girls had to have some help. All those who were not needed to paddle or pose stood upon the shore and dock as audience and judges.

In the graceful fleet which passed the “reviewing stand” there was the canoe decked in ferns and evergreen, with a few paper birds wired to poise in flight above; one in yellow and white, with yellow roses and butterflies; another trimmed in white cotton, so put on as to imitate snow and ice, a diamond dust covering all, two long-bearded, white-garbed paddlers guiding the canoe, and a big white polar bear, sitting in the center and carrying a banner marked “The Northland.” The war canoe was given to some of the Juniors, who wanted to represent the Old Woman who lived in a Shoe, and had to have several children to overflow the big shoe of wired paper. One of the councillors in white cap and kerchief took the part of the Old Woman, and the children in quaint costumes, with ruffles of crepe paper, roused much enthusiasm among the spectators.

This canoe won the prize for being the prettiest, and some of the judges wanted to award it the prize for the most clever idea. But that finally went to the three girls of Squirrels’ Inn, whose canoe was decked to represent a pirate ship. A furled sail was put up in the bow, to which the pirate flag was attached. Frances as Captain Kidd, with Lilian and Hilary in costume, repeated in hoarse voices, as they passed the judges, the couplet which Lilian had been chanting, with “Yo, ho, ho!—and a bottle of rum!” Then all in deep voices sang the new Captain Kidd stanzas to the tune of Yankee Doodle, rendered slowly, while Lilian twanged an accompaniment on the guitar. Burnt cork mustaches of fierce upward curve, made all this more impressive.

As the light grew more dim, the girls in the canoe marked the Northland, turned on several flashlights, which lit up effectively the diamond dust, and those in the pirate ship turned on several large ones, which they had covered with their red paper. A few other lights flashed out in different canoes as they all circled prettily in the water and came into port once more.

“There, that’s over,” said Hilary, as with the pirate flag over one shoulder and Lilian’s guitar over the other, she entered the klondike. “Patty will certainly have to get up our entertainment for stunt night. We have only about a week to get ready now, and with the Wiscasset hike, the canoe trip to Brunswick, and the White Mountain trip, I can’t see where we get up anything, do you Frances?”

“No, I don’t. However, not all the girls will go on the White Mountain trip, you know. Perhaps we can have some little easy part to do that we can get quickly, or if we can think it up before we go, we can have it in mind, you know.”

“There come Patty and the girls now; let’s ask them.”

“O, Miss Patty, how about our having stunt night next week?”

“I have been thinking about that, girls. Who has an idea?”

Nobody seemed to have one.

“They have had everything there is to have, I’m afraid,” said Lilian.

“Well, let me relieve your minds, then,” said Patricia. “I had an idea several days ago and have been trying to get it a little more clearly outlined.” At this point Cathalina gave a meaning nod to Lilian which Patty caught. “Yes, you think ‘the poor English teacher,’ don’t you?”

“It reminded me of outlines,” Cathalina acknowledged.

“We must have a meeting tomorrow and I will tell you just what I think we can do.”

At the morrow’s meeting the girls enthusiastically approved Miss West’s idea, applauded the productions already in hand and thanked her warmly for taking the responsibility. It was, to be sure, hers as councillor to see that the girls had some sort of entertainment ready for their turn at stunt night, but these girls, as good campers, were always willing to do their share and had no desire to take advantage of their young councillor. Some of the parts were given out and the girls began to learn them. They considered it pure fun, for there was required no serious preparation.

The canoe trip to Brunswick was next on the list of trips. The canoes, stripped of their decorations, bore the jolly campers away, around Marshmallow Point into Merrymeeting Bay, to the left, past Brick Island of Captain Kidd fame, and on up the Androscoggin river, the war canoe in the lead. So many wanted to go that each of the smaller canoes bore three. Some of the little girls who could not paddle were among those who sat more or less comfortably on life preservers in the middle. Or it would be one of the older girls who took the middle position, to change places with some tired paddler in bow or stern as need might be. The girls were reminded of the rules that no one was to change places in midstream. They must paddle to shore and make the adjustment. Lunch was distributed among the canoes, for the launches could not go up the shallow Androscoggin.

Hilary and Lilian took June with them. Frances, Betty and Cathalina were together. Neither Betty nor Cathalina had as much endurance as Frances, but they thought that by changing occasionally, all would be able to make the eight or ten-mile paddle with ease. Eloise, Helen and Isabel were together and rather evenly matched in paddling ability, as were Marion, Jean and Nora. Patty, with another councillor, carried some of the heavier packages or cans of lunch in their canoe.

“Hard luck, Miss West,” called Isabel; “what you have in the middle of your canoe can’t change places and help you paddle.”

“Some of it will help me paddle coming back,” answered Patty, pointing to the milk can and package of sandwiches. “And Mr. Clark has gone on ahead to see about getting corn for us to roast.”

“O, joy!” exclaimed Isabel, “corn and bacon! I saw them putting in the bacon.”

“Do we wait till we get to Brunswick before we have lunch?” asked Eloise. “Patty spoke as if we would.”

“No, I don’t think so,” said Isabel. “We build a fire somewhere along the river, I think.”

“I don’t see the war canoe. I wonder which side of this big island we take.”

“I believe the one to the left is the way,” and Isabel pointed out a few imaginary indications that the war canoe had taken that course. But it turned out that while their canoe had no trouble in getting through, this channel would have been too shallow for the war canoe. It had gone to the right. There were many sand bars in the river, but the paddling was easy. There was no wind and the water was calm, like a mirror reflecting the rocks and dark green trees of the shore, while the dark blue canoes came stealing up on the grassy surface to add to the beauty of the scene. Not even the most practical girl, her mind chiefly upon getting to the destination, eating lunch and getting points for paddling, could fail to be impressed by it.

“Shall we go to see Bowdoin College?” inquired Helen.

“In this rig?”

“Excuse the question, Eloise; I forgot our picnic garb. I remember the girls said that they usually go by trolley from Bath.”

It must be admitted that a substantial lunch adds much to the joy of such picnics. This one was especially good. The corn was boiled in a big kettle, which was borrowed or hired for the occasion. Such perfect and tender ears they were. Boiling was substituted for roasting and saved much time, a second lot of ears going in the pot as soon as the first came out. Potato salad and pickles, all the sandwiches one could eat, cake, ripe pears and all the milk one could drink,—what more could they ask? Yet still came marshmallows, passed around to be toasted over the embers.

“We’ll start home early, girls,” announced the young director of athletics. “Then we can take our time, change often if we get tired, and everything will be in our favor, no wind, and tide and current in the right direction. I believe we could almost float home!”

It was not quite like floating, however, and the girls earned their points for paddling. But without trouble they all reached camp in good season, and in good humor to think that they had carried through a twenty-mile paddle.

“How much do you think I paddled, Frances?” asked Cathalina, as they put away their paddles.

“O, you must have paddled half the way, in resting either Betty or me.”

“Scarcely that, I’m afraid. You paddled too long several times and wouldn’t let me take it, you know. You were afraid I’d get too tired.”

“Not at all. Wanted the points.”

“Never mind, I know you. You would take stern most of the way, too.”

“I wish you were coming to Greycliff next year, Frances,” said Betty. “How you would fit in with our crowd. You would love Polly and Juliet, and how proud we’d be of you!”

“That is awfully dear of you, Betty. For ‘half a cent’ I’d come. But I don’t think I can.”

“Think about it, anyhow,” Betty insisted.