The Prescott daily news., 1914-07-30
CAMP FIRE GIRLS By LOUISE MERRiFlELD.

T don't give a continental hang, mother. It's close on to moving time, and I ain't going to let a lot of girls like that camp out on my place. They'll be cutting crosslots through the hay fields after water and yege tables and all sorts of truck. and I won't have it."
 They'd be lots of company for me, Pa" Out of the cool buttery Mrs. lis dale stepped briskly with two pails of milk. She put the covers on both, and waited, smiling at the stoop-shoul- dered, stubborn old fellow making his toilet for dinner at the iron sink.
 Just tell them what I say, now, mother" the old man insisted T cant be bothered round having time
 Somebody was whistling down the winding lane that led from the barn to the brook where the cattle trooped to be watered night and morning. She knew it was Ben, and her chin settled into decisive lines.
 Pa, l hate to go against you, but rights right, and these girls are will ing to go round by the road. I shall tell them they can stay where they are. l guess after thirty-eight years here, I've got some rights, Alonzo, and they'll buy milk and butter and vegetables steady for two weeks"
 Ben stopped dead short when he came around by the woodshed and ( ;~l, bolted if it hadn't been for the friend ly, comradely greeting they gave him. He had never seen girls like these Dressed in khaki skirts, middy blouses, and hair bound in close Indian plaits around their heads, the girls stood smiling at him.
 We're going into camp over on your hill,' called one of them. 'Is there a spring around the pine grove?"
 Ben assured them there was beau ty. He'd go himself and show it to them
 We're Camp Fire Girls My name is Dorothy Nevins." The tall. blue eyed girl held out her hand to him. T heard your mother say Ben would show us where things were so you must be Ben. Is it safe bathing in that pond above the dam?"
 Safe enough if you know where the holes are Ben said. Keep toward the upper end on your side"
 It's darling old place. Dorothy said, wistfully You want to live in city all your life to really appreciate this. l wish l lived here, part of the year, anyway
 80 do L. said Ben before he thought, and then he stared hard at the fire, and felt his cheeks grow warm. Yet he added huskily. II wouldn't mind a bit if you were here"
 It was the last day before the camp broke up Ben was in the pasture next the woodland hunting a couple of calves that had stayed when he heard the girls calling for help. The cry came from the old mill pond down by the hill. Ben took the short cut to it through the strip of woodland and the boggy meadow beyond
 It's Dorothy the girls called. as he neared them. She was teaching one of us to swim and dive, and We cant find her"
 Ben knew where she was The bank shelved into rock strata at this point. and dipped down into a deep hole l filled with treacherous sunken snags and broken old boughs. Every boy and man in the whole town too knew that black hole in the Tisdale mill l pond and steered clear of it.
 Along the road came Pa" Tisdale. leaning way over and dreaming his day dreams. He heard the girls cries, and inwardly resented the dis turbance of the beautiful morning peace, until he turned the bend and saw what had happened. And some how, sixty odd years dropped right off Pas" schoulders then and there. He. too, knew that place in the pond. He had lived there at the old farm as a | boy
 Whoa, girls" he called to the gray mares, and stood up, tugging at his old vest and boots. Leaving the load