Carolyn Wells

Eight Girls and a Dog Carolyn Wells

"IS there any way to pack pillows in pitchers?" said Marjorie, framing herself in the frontdoorway, one hand grasping recklessly the handles of three large pitchers, and both armsfull of sofa-pillows. The group on the veranda looked up at her doubtfully."Yes," said brilliant Nan. "Have your pitchers bigger than your pillows, and the thing isdone.""But the pillows are bigger than the pitchers.""Then pack the pitchers in the pillows," said Betty."Why, of course! Betty, you're a genius!" And Marjorie disappeared with her burdens, while the girls on the veranda fell to chattering again like half a dozen shirt-waistedmagpies. Now I know that a story with eight heroines is an imposition upon even the gentlest ofreaders; but you see there were eight girls in the Blue Ribbon Cooking Club; and when theirpresident, Marjorie Bond, proposed that they go down to Long Beach and spend a fortnightall by themselves in her father's cottage, the whole club rose up as one girl and voted aye. Objections were disposed of as fast as they were raised. Permission? The girls weresure that the sixteen parents concerned could be persuaded to see the matter in a favorablelight. Expense? That should be divided equally among them all. Trouble? Would be morethan compensated by the fun. Luggage? Not so very much required; the house wascompletely furnished, except with linen and silver, and each girl should take her share. Burglars? That idea caused some apprehension; but when Marjorie said that Uncle Ned andAunt Molly would be right next door, plans were suggested sufficient to scare anyreasonably cautious burglar out of his wits. And so the preliminaries had been arranged, and the date decided upon, and the day had com