"They look just alike to me," said Letty. "How can you tell which is which?"

"The red oak has pointed leaves and its acorns ripen every year. But the white oak's leaves are rounded and it takes two years for its acorns to ripen," explained Mary Lee.

"Oh, look here," cried Edith, bending over a bed of dry leaves.

"Here's an Indian pipe growing. I haven't seen one for years."

"Why, it's pure white," said Letty. "Not a bit of green on it. Even the root and the stem are white. It is like a regular miniature white clay pipe, isn't it?"

"One could almost blow soap bubbles through it," added Edith. "But come, girls, we must hurry on. It will be dark before we know it."

"Who is afraid?" said Mary Lee, "we have a flash light."

"How would you like to have a cup of sa.s.safras tea?" asked Edith, examining a small shrub.

"Where would you get the sa.s.safras?" asked Letty.

"Come over here and help me pull up this baby tree and I'll show you,"

said Edith.

All three girls pulled and up came the little tree, roots and all.

Then Edith took her jack knife which hung on a chain from her belt and peeled off bits of the bark down around the roots, and gave each of the girls a taste.

"It's sa.s.safras all right," said Edith, "but it doesn't look like the kind the women sell on the street corners in town. That's more reddish looking. Why is that, I wonder?"

"Don't ask me," said Edith. "I think I'm smart enough in knowing it's sa.s.safras. Why worry over its color?"

"Oh, here's a snail in its sh.e.l.l," said Mary Lee, picking up a round, brownish sh.e.l.l from the sandy path. "Come out here, Mr. Snail and show yourself," she said, holding the end of a long stick at the opening of the sh.e.l.l.

After a few minutes, there was a movement within, and out came a head.

"Look at its horns," said Letty. "Aren't they long?"

"Those aren't horns, those are its eyes at the very end of what appear to be horns. Watch, it is crawling entirely out of its sh.e.l.l. Isn't it funny looking, as it crawls along, carrying its sh.e.l.l on its back?"

said Mary Lee.

"And to think people eat the horrid little things," said Letty.

"They do?" exclaimed Mary Lee. "Whoever would eat them?"

"The French are very fond of them," explained Letty. "Haven't you ever seen the word 'escargots' on the menu cards?"

"I have," said Edith, "but I must confess that my French is so limited I never dreamed it meant snails, though."

By this time the road led again into the open, with woods on one side and farm lands on the other. The sun had now disappeared and night would soon settle down, so the girls quickened their pace.

"Do you think we can make it before it's pitch dark?" asked Edith, the most timid of the crowd. "It seems to me we have walked about five miles already."

"Oh, no, we haven't, but I do think we are within two miles or so of our destination. Cousin Edna and the Camp Fire Guardian are going to walk out and meet us. I suppose they have started by this time," said Letty.

"I'm glad we don't have to go through any more woods. This road is fine and hard," said Edith.

It was now quite dark, so Mary Lee walked ahead and flashed on the light.

Suddenly they heard a strange noise.

"Oh, what is that?" cried Edith, rushing on ahead, not waiting to find out from which direction the sound came.

Suddenly there was a dreadful scream from Edith, on ahead. "Help, help!" she cried. "Oh, girls, where am I?"

Mary Lee and Letty rushed on ahead, flashing the light. In the middle of the road sat Edith and near her was stretched a big cow, half asleep.

Edith, in trying to run from the mooing cow, had run upon it instead.

It had evidently strolled away from a nearby farmhouse.

"The big b.o.o.b," said Edith, "to stretch itself out in the middle of the road. It was a dreadful sensation to fall against that big hot animal, and not know what it was," she laughingly said, now beginning to see the funny side of the incident.

"Listen," said Letty, "what's that whistle?"

"It's the Campfire Guardian's whistle," exclaimed Mary Lee. "They must be near us now."

"What a relief," sighed Edith, picking herself up, and trudging on after the others.

When Cousin Edna and the Camp Fire Guardian met the girls, there was great rejoicing and before long all five arrived at camp.

The "hikers" were pretty tired, so they soon unstrapped their blankets and made ready to sleep.

"I'm so glad Cousin Edna could manage to get us cots to sleep on up here in the tents. I'm too tired to try it on the beach tonight," said Letty.

"Me too," said Edith. "Falling over that cow in the pitch dark was sensation enough for one night."

"Perhaps we'll feel more like it tomorrow night. I'd hate to go back to town without sleeping down on the beach one night," said Mary Lee, unrolling her blanket.

"Isn't this a scheme to sleep in our bathing suits, so as to be all ready to run down and take a dip at sunrise tomorrow morning!"

exclaimed Letty.

"I should say so. I do so love to take an early morning plunge," said Mary Lee, jumping into bed.

CHAPTER XXIX

LETTY'S SURPRISE

"My! doesn't this bacon taste delicious!" exclaimed Mary Lee, the next morning as the Campfire Girls were gathered for breakfast in the mess tent.

"And this corn bread and the cantaloupe," added Letty. "That early plunge surely gives one a great appet.i.te, doesn't it?"