"Yes, I am a properly appointed guardian," Miss McMurtry answered
slowly, "and Esther and I have been studying the Camp Fire program until
she is almost ready to become a Fire-Maker, but I wonder if, you girls
wish me to be your guardian in camp this summer? Perhaps I am not
suited to it!" She turned to look at Betty, but failing to catch her
eye, looked toward Polly. For the same reason both girls kept their
heads bowed, until Betty was finally able to reply with as much
enthusiasm as she could muster:

"Oh, of course we wish you, and we shall try to give as little trouble
as possible." Really in her present enthusiasm Betty believed that she
and her science teacher would be able to put away all past differences
and live in perfect accord under the influence of their new ideals.

Miss McMurtry now turned again to Esther; there were special reasons for
her unusual interest in this girl, although even Esther herself was
unaware of them.

"You are wearing your bead chains, aren't you?" the new guardian asked,
slipping two narrow strips of leather, one strung with orange and the
other with bright red beads, from about Esther's throat. "You see each
one of these beads represents some honor a girl has attained in the Camp
Fire," she explained, "so the girl who finally arrives at the rank of
Torch Bearer, really an assistant to the guardian, may own seven
different chains of bead, one color for each of the seven crafts."

"My honors so far have been won in health and home craft because of what
I was taught at the orphan asylum," Esther added frankly and then
blushed uncomfortably, for several of Betty's friends were staring at
her curiously. What had inspired Mrs. Ashton and Betty, supposed to be