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  [Illustration: She found Douglas sitting in a forlorn heap in
  their  tent.

  (_Frontis_)              (_The Carter Girls' Week-End Camp_)]




  THE CARTER GIRLS'
  WEEK-END CAMP

  By NELL SPEED

  AUTHOR OF
  "The Molly Brown Series," "The Tucker
  Twins Series," etc.

  A. L. BURT COMPANY
  Publishers      New York
  Printed in U. S. A.




  Copyright, 1918,
  By
  HURST & COMPANY




CONTENTS


  CHAPTER                                 PAGE
      I. A LETTER                            5
     II. THE RETURN                         12
    III. THE PROBLEM                        30
     IV. ROBERT CARTER'S ASTONISHING GIRLS  48
      V. THE TUCKERS                        66
     VI. POST-PRANDIAL CONVERSATIONS        78
    VII. THE STORM                          97
   VIII. THE DAMAGE DONE                   115
     IX. MR. MACHIAVELLI TUCKER            126
      X. MR. HIRAM G. PARKER               142
     XI. THE BIRD                          165
    XII. PLEASE REMIT                      185
   XIII. TEAKETTLE                         194
    XIV. THE FORAGERS                      212
     XV. BABES IN THE WOOD                 232
    XVI. TOM TIT                           252
   XVII. THE SPRING-KEEPER                 269
  XVIII. MORE FINDS                        278
    XIX. A DISCUSSION                      286
     XX. DR. WRIGHT TO THE RESCUE          298
    XXI. LETTERS                           311




The Carter Girls' Week-End Camp




CHAPTER I

A LETTER


From Douglas Carter to her mother, Mrs. Robert Carter


                                GREENDALE, VA., AUGUST --, 19--.

MY DARLING MOTHER:

Words cannot express the joy and gratitude all of us feel that father is
really getting well. I shall never forget the miserable time last spring
when Dr. Wright came into the library where Helen and Nan and Lucy and I
were sitting and told us of his very serious condition. I had felt he
was in a very bad way but did not realize it was quite so dreadful. I am
sure you did not, either. And when Dr. Wright said that you must take
him on a long sea voyage and we understood that we were to be left
behind, the bottom seemed to drop out of the universe.

And now, dear mother, I have a confession to make: You took for granted
we were going to the springs when we wrote we were to spend the summer
in the mountains, and we thought with all the worry you had about
father, perhaps it was best to let you go on thinking it. Of course you
did not dream of the necessity of our doing anything to make money as
father had never told you much about his finances. Well, mother dear,
there was about $80 in the bank in father's private account. Fortunately
for the business, which Mr. Lane and Dick have carried on to the best of
their ability, there was some more in another account, but we have
managed without touching that. I hope I am not going to shock you
now, but you shall have to know it--we have rented our lovely home,
furnished, for six months with privilege of a year, and we have sold the
car, dismissed the servants--all but Susan and Oscar, who are up here
at Greendale with us. This is what might shock you: We are running a
week-end boarding camp here in the mountains and the really shocking
part of it is--we are making money!

It was a scheme that popped into Helen's head and it seemed such an
excellent one that we fell to it, and with dear Cousin Lizzie Somerville
chaperoning us and Lewis Somerville protecting us, we have opened our
camp and actually would have to turn away boarders except that the boys
are always willing to sleep out-of-doors and that makes room for others
not so inclined.

We see Dr. Wright quite often. He comes up for the Sunday in his car
whenever he can spare the time. He has been kindness itself and has
helped us over many rough places. There have been times when we have
been downhearted and depressed over you and father, and then it has been
his office to step in and reassure us that father was really getting
better. He and Bobby are sworn friends and there is nothing Bobby will
not do for him--even keep himself clean.

We