DARK hair rumpled by the breeze, Veve McGuire dashed up the curving walk to the Gordon home.

Scaling the steps in one flying leap, she landed squarely in the midst of six Brownie Scouts, who were having their weekly meeting on Connie Williams’ front porch.

“Am I late, girls?” Veve asked breathlessly. A school book slipped from her hand, landing with a thud beside the creaking porch swing.

“Are you late?” drawled Jane Tuttle, one of the older members of the Rosedale Brownie Scout troop. “What a question! Aren’t you always late?”

Now all the Brownies liked Jane, but at times her tongue was as saucy as the pert red ribbons on her long yellow pigtails.

“I had to stay after school,” Veve explained, scooping up the book. “Have I missed much of the meeting?”

“All of it,” answered Connie Williams. A friendly smile took the edge from her answer. She had deep blue eyes, curly blond hair, and was growing so fast that her pinchecked Brownie uniform soon would be too small for her.

Connie lived next door to Veve. Nearly always she stood up for her friend, who was the newest and youngest member of the Brownie troop.

“Anyway, I haven’t missed the hike,” Veve sighed, sinking down on the steps. “When do we start?”

“Miss Gordon is in the kitchen checking over the things we’re to take,” informed Connie. “Oh, here she comes now.”

At that moment, Miss Jean Gordon, the Brownie leader, appeared on the porch. Over her shoulder was slung a knapsack filled with ingredients for a trail meal.

“Everybody ready?” she inquired gaily.

“Let’s go!” shouted Eileen Webber, springing up from the porch swing.

The seven Brownies and Miss Gordon had planned a late afternoon hike to Pearson Ravine, a natural park one mile beyond the outskirts of Rosedale.

Connie, Veve and Miss Gordon led the way down the street. Directly behind, in orderly file, came Eileen, Jane, Rosemary Fritche and Belinda Matthews. Sunny Davidson carried the big tin can in which the Brownie Scouts planned to cook their outdoor meal.

“I’m so hungry I scarcely can wait until we eat,” declared Veve, skipping along beside Miss Gordon.

“So soon?” laughed the Brownie troop leader. “It will be a long while before we reach the ravine and start our fire.”

Tramping briskly down Kingston Drive, the girls soon reached the main highway. Beyond the south edge of Rosedale, they selected a narrow side road which took them directly to the park entrance.

A series of log steps built into the hillside led down to the shady ravine. Stone fireplaces and picnic benches dotted the wooded area. On beyond the shelter house, a picturesque log bridge arched across a lagoon.

“First, shall we select a fireplace and start supper?” suggested Miss Gordon. “Later, we’ll explore.” The Brownies dashed about, examining each fireplace to find the one best suited to their purpose. Finally, after much debate, they selected one in a dell near a spring.

While Connie and Veve helped Miss Gordon clear dead leaves and half-burned wood from the fireplace, Jane and Eileen brought dry wood and sticks. Rosemary, Sunny and Belinda began to peel potatoes for the stew.

“Our fire is about right now,” Miss Gordon said when it had burned down to scarlet coals.

Into the big tin can went tiny pieces of bacon, a large sliced onion and a little grease.

Soon the mixture began to sizzle and send up a tantalizing odor. The Brownies then added cut potatoes, a can of succotash, salt, pepper, a tiny can of tomato puree and enough water to cover.

“Umm—Uhmm,” mumbled Veve, sniffing the delightful aroma. “How ever can I wait?”

Miss Gordon told the girls it would take nearly half an hour for the stew to simmer. “Meanwhile, we might explore the ravine,” she proposed. “Shall we draw lots to see who watches the fire?”

Veve and Sunny received the short paper stubs, which meant they were to remain. “I hope it’s safe leaving you two alone,” Jane remarked uneasily. “If you forget to keep water in the cooking can, our entire supper will burn up.”

As she spoke, she looked directly at Veve, who was known to be forgetful at times.

“I’m sure Veve and Sunny are very dependable,” said Miss Gordon. “At any rate, we’ll not be gone long.”

“No fair sampling while we’re away,” Jane tossed over her shoulder as the girls started off down the steep slope.

Following a marked trail, Miss Gordon and the five Brownies proceeded to the lagoon. The still surface of the pool was covered with lily pads. From beneath the bridge came the deep-throated croak of a big bullfrog.

“Oh, I wish we could catch frogs!” exclaimed Connie, who liked to collect pets. “I want to take one home in a jar!”

“May we, Miss Gordon?” asked Belinda.

“Not this afternoon, I’m afraid,” the troop leader said regretfully. “Veve and Sunny soon will expect us for supper.”

On tramped the Brownies along a trail which wound in among the oak and maple trees. Miss Gordon advised the girls to walk softly so that whenever they saw an interesting bird or animal they could stop to watch without frightening them away.

“I’m perishing of hunger,” presently announced Jane, who was worried that the two cooks would forget to watch the stew. “When do we eat?”

“Our supper should be nearly ready by now,” Miss Gordon smiled. “We may as well turn back.”

Upon reaching the fireplace again, the minds of the Brownies were greatly relieved. Faithful to their duties, Veve and Sunny had kept the fire burning. Furthermore, they had stirred the stew at intervals, preventing it from sticking to the pan.

“How delicious that food smells!” cried Belinda. “May we eat now?”

Miss Gordon tested a potato to determine if it were done through and through. She smiled and nodded.

The girls lined up with their paper plates, and the Brownie leader dished out generous portions. Even so, enough was left in the cooking pan for second helpings.

“Hikes are wonderful,” declared Connie dreamily, as she seated herself at the long wooden bench and table. “Especially the eating part. I wish we could have an outing every day.”

“So do I,” agreed Veve. Her freckled face was smudged and flushed because she had hunched so close to the fire. “Camping would be fun too!”

Now at mention of the word “camping” all the Brownies looked directly at Miss Gordon. Recently, she had hinted that the troop might plan such an expedition sometime during the summer. School soon would be out, and so far the Brownie leader had given them no further information.

Accordingly, the Brownies were quite surprised when Miss Gordon said casually: “How many of you would like to go camping this month?”

“This month?” Connie repeated, her fork suspended in mid-air.

All the Brownies stopped eating. Attentively, they listened.

“Yes, girls. School will be out next week. Except for the possibility of rain and cool weather, June is a beautiful month for camping.”

“When do we start?” demanded Veve. “Where will we go and how long may we stay?”

“One question at a time,” laughed Miss Gordon. “The trip depends upon a number of factors. First, let’s have a report from our treasurer.”

Connie had been elected keeper of the Brownie Troop funds. Without consulting records she was able to report that the organization had on hand only $4.35.

“Now this is the situation,” explained Miss Gordon. “There is an established Girl Scout camp at Shady Hollow, about sixty miles from here. However, it is so new that to date, facilities have been provided for only a few girls, preferably older Scouts rather than Brownies.”

“Will we go there?” demanded Jane, who could not wait to hear the news.

“That depends. I’ve written the director. The camp at this time does not have cabins or tents for us.”

“O-oh,” moaned the Brownies, sunk in despair.

“But,” continued Miss Gordon, “if we’re willing to provide our own tent and equipment, we’re invited to use the camp and its facilities.”

“Then we’re to go after all!” cried Jane in delight. “Hurrah!”

“Save your cheers until you hear more,” advised Miss Gordon. “Let’s consider the problem of supplying our own equipment.” “How much will it cost?” asked Connie soberly.

“At the very best estimate, I figure we’ll need ten dollars apiece to cover a ten-day camping period.”

The amount seemed rather large to the Brownies. Seated around the fire, they waited hopefully. From Miss Gordon’s manner, they were quite certain she had a plan in mind.

“We could ask your parents for the money, but I’m not in favor of it,” said the Brownie leader. “Each girl, I think, should try to earn five dollars as her individual share. Then the troop as a unit must scrape together the remaining thirty-five dollars.”

“Our last bake sale wasn’t very successful,” sighed Rosemary. “We made less than four dollars.”

“A bake sale isn’t the answer to our problem,” replied Miss Gordon. “Time is short and this money must be raised quickly. At the moment I have no definite plan, but by the next meeting I hope to have something to present.”

“I know how I’ll earn my five dollars,” volunteered Connie. “My father promised to pay ten cents a hundred for all the dandelions I dig. Our yard is filled with them!”

“I can make money by wiping dishes,” added Rosemary promptly. “I’m good at washing cars,” announced Jane. “My five dollars is the same as in the till right now.”

One by one the Brownies told how they would earn their camping expenses—all, that is, except Veve. She remained silent because she could not think of any way.

“Another thing,” spoke up Jane before she stopped to think. “If we’re going to camp, I think every girl should have a Brownie uniform.”

Now as all the girls knew, Veve was the only troop member who did not have one. She had joined the organization at Christmas time while the girls were on a wonderful outing at Snow Valley in Minnesota. Since then, nearly six months had elapsed and still she had not purchased her uniform.

Veve had pretended she didn’t want to bother wearing one. However, the truth was, she had been unable to buy the uniform.

The little girl’s father had been dead several years, and her mother, who worked part-time in a downtown office, seldom had money for extras.

Now Miss Gordon had been careful never to speak of the fact that Veve had no uniform. For that reason, she was sorry Jane thoughtlessly had brought up the subject. “I’m not sure I want to go to camp,” announced Veve. Her cheeks were stained with color even though she had moved away from the fire.

“Why, Veve!” exclaimed Jane indignantly. “Only a moment ago you said—”

“Girls,” interrupted Miss Gordon, “it really is growing late. Let’s gather up our scraps now and put out the fire. We’ll discuss the camping trip later on.”

Connie brought water from the spring to throw on the coals. Eileen and Rosemary gathered up the paper plates and disposed of them in the garbage can provided by the park. The blackened cooking can also was discarded.

“Our camp now is as tidy as when we came,” said Miss Gordon. “Best of all, we have very little to carry home.”

“Except ourselves,” sighed Rosemary, who had eaten entirely too much.

Hiking back toward Rosedale, Connie fell into step with Veve. She noticed that her friend seemed very downcast.

“What’s wrong, Veve?” she asked.

“Nothing.”

“You didn’t really mean it when you said you didn’t care about going to camp?” “Oh, I don’t know,” Veve said, a trifle crossly. “I don’t have to decide now, do I?”

Actually, the little girl was afraid she never could earn five dollars as her share of the camp money. Though she had tried hard, she never had been able to save enough to buy her own Brownie uniform.

“Hey, Brownies! Do you see what I see?” suddenly demanded Sunny Davidson. At the head of the troop, she abruptly paused to stare at a sign-board along the roadside.

The Brownies saw that a man in white overalls was pasting up a new advertising sign. Two of the long paper strips already were in place. His long-handled brush moved very fast, smoothing out the wrinkles.

“He’s putting up animals!” shouted Sunny in high excitement. “Tigers, lions and a giraffe!”

“A circus must be coming to town!” cried Veve, cheering up at once.

Deeply interested, the Brownie Scouts paused at the roadside to watch the sheets being slapped skillfully into place. One revealed a pretty girl in a spangled costume, riding a snow-white horse.

“Oh, it is a circus!” laughed Connie.

“And it’s coming here a week from Saturday,” added Eileen as another sheet spread out before their fascinated eyes. “Oh, I hope I get to go!”

“I wish we all might see it,” declared Miss Gordon gaily. “You know—seeing this billboard has given me an idea as to how the Brownies possibly might make their camp money.”

“How?” cried the Brownies.

But Miss Gordon only smiled in a most mysterious way.

“I can’t tell you now,” she said, “for as yet it’s only an idea. Just be sure to come to the Brownie meeting next Wednesday. Who knows? I may have something interesting to report.”