The Meadow-Brook Girls in the Hills — Janet Aldridge

"I hear that Janus Grubb is going to take a passel of gals on a tramp over the hills," observed the postmaster, helping himself to a cracker from the grocer's barrel. "Gals?" questioned the storekeeper. "Yes. There's a lot of mail here for the parties, mostly postals. Can't make much out of the postals, but some of the letters I can read through the envelopes by holding them against the window." "Lemme have a look," urged the grocer eagerly. "Not by a hatful. I'm an officer of the government. The secrets of the government must be guarded, I tell ye. There's six of them--" "You don't say Six letters?" interrupted the grocer. "No, gals. One's name is Elting. She's what they call a chaperon. Another is Jane McCarthy-I reckon some relation of the party who wrote me a letter asking what I knew about Jan. I reckon Jan got the job on my recommendation." "Who are these girls, and what do they think they're goin' to do up here?" "Call themselves 'The Meadow-Brook Gals.' Funny name, eh?" grinned the postmaster, balancing a soda cracker on the tip of his forefinger, then deftly tossing it edgewise into his open mouth. "They pay Janus ten dollars a week for toting them around," he chuckled. "Read it in the McCarthy party's letter to Jan." "What are they going to do up in the hills?"