The Camp Fire Girls Solve a Mystery; Or, The Christmas Adventure at Carver House

  CHAPTER XXII ONE MORE TOAST

  "To the Christmas Adventure at Carver House!" proposed Katherine, raisingon high her glass of fruit punch.

  New Year's dinner was over, and they all stood in their places around thetable, drinking toast after toast.

  "The Christmas Adventure at Carver House!" echoed the Winnebagos. "Thebest adventure we've had yet. Drink her down!" The toast was drunk with awill.

  Sylvia stood beside her father, her face one big sparkle, while a moresubdued, but equally rapturous, gleam shone from the doctor's eye as hegazed on the adored child from whom he need never more be separated. TheCaptain stood opposite Hinpoha and gave her a long look as he touched herglass, as if he wished to fix every detail of her in his mind against theseparation that was coming on the morrow; Slim also had his eyes turnedtoward Hinpoha as he clicked glasses with Gladys across the table.Justice gave Katherine's glass a little nudge as he touched it, toattract her attention, for she had her face turned away from him towardSylvia; Sahwah's eye had a far-away look as she matched with Migwan.Nyoda and Sherry beamed impartially upon them all, and Hercules smackedhis lips over his glass in the corner by himself. Hercules had abandonedhis intention of dying, and announced that he was planning to get himselfanother goat, because life was too uneventful for a man of his vigorwithout something to fuss over and take up his time.

  "And it all happened because Katherine forgot Nyoda's name!" said Sahwah,setting her glass down.

  "I wasn't born in vain after all!" laughed Katherine, meeting Justice'seye bent upon her in a close, quizzical scrutiny.

  "Which goes to prove," said Nyoda, "that everything has its use in thisworld, even our shortcomings. Let's celebrate that discovery. We havedrunk to the memory of Uncle Jasper Carver and to the memory of SylviaWarrington; we have drunk to the memory of the man who built Carver Housewith the secret passage; we have one swallow of punch left. Let's drinkone more toast, not to the _memory_ of Katherine Adams, but to her_forgettory_!"

  And amid a great shout of laughter the last toast was drunk.

  THE END