Jo muttered to herself as she pulled the next item from the mending basket. Surveying the ripped sleeve, she shook her head in dismay. "I fixed a different tear on this two weeks ago!" She debated delaying the repair until after the upcoming camping trip. "I'm sure that Emil will manage to rip out the stitches before dark." Wondering how the boys managed to wear out their clothes so quickly, she searched her basket for darker thread. Amy's entrance into the parlor interrupted her rummaging.

"Amy, what a surprise!" she exclaimed. "We didn't expect you again until Sunday."

"I was out making some calls, and thought I'd stop by."

Jo set her work basket aside and excused herself to ask Asia to make some tea. Returning to the parlor, she made polite conversation with her sister. Hearing Amy prattle on about her previous visits, Jo controlled the desire to laugh. As youths, Amy had once prevailed upon her to come along, with disastrous results. Perhaps mending the boys' shirts wasn't so terrible, if she had escaped a visit to the very formal Mrs. Montgomery.

Amy gave her a quizzical look, and asked, "Are you even listening to me, Jo?"

"Oh, sorry," Jo apologized. "I was remembering the day we went calling together, and how much I scandalized you."

Amy giggled. "I have to admit, you did a great impression of May Chester." The two reminisced for several minutes. "Anyway, it looks like the children are keeping you busy."

"When don't they? Look at my mending pile--I think the boys secretly seek out ways to ruin their clothes. And Nan isn't much better. I'm afraid that my basket will be overflowing after we go camping in a few days."

"Camping? With that many children? Amy responded. "Jo, you take too much upon yourself!"

"I'll have help--Nick and Asia will come. I'm just wondering what to do with the boys, because they won't all fit into one tent. They can be wild enough with adult supervision, and Nick can't stay in two tents at the same time. I was considering putting Dan in charge of the other tent--he can be very responsible."

Amy made a polite comment on Jo's dilemma, and then saw a sly grin forming on her sister's face. Amy cringed inwardly, knowing Jo's penchance for trouble.

"Perhaps Laurie would like to come," suggested Jo.

Amy controlled an urge to shudder, and offered, "I know he's had a lot of work lately--business is doing well."

"Well, I'm sure he wouldn't mind if I asked him. He'll let me know if he can't come. Would you be a dear and ask him for me when you get home?"

Amy racked her brain for protests, and couldn't find a legitimate reason to not ask her husband. "I'll do it tonight," she promised.

The two sisters continued to chat over their cups of tea, and Amy made her escape as soon as possible. She gave the driver instructions to return home, and wondered if she could simply "forget" to ask Laurie. But with sober reflection, she realized that Jo's persistence was unending, and that Jo would make the request herself if necessary.

Laurie returned from the office at the usual time, greeting his wife with a kiss and settled himself in an armchair with a book. Amy greeted him cheerfully, and set about to ensure that the dinner preparations were going well. She waited until dinner was served to mention Jo's request.

"Laurie, I visited Jo today," she began.

"How is she?" he queried.

"Very well, and Jo wanted me to ask you something," Amy continued reluctantly.

Laurie saw the conflicting emotions in his wife's face, and he began to get worried. "There aren't any problems at the Plumfield, are there? I hope that everyone is fine."

"No, they're all fine," Amy replied slowly, "but she needs another male chaperone for an upcoming activity. She's taking all of the children camping, and all of the boys won't fit into one tent."

Laurie began to answer with a smile, and Amy continued rapidly, "Of course, I told her that you may have conflicts with your work schedule."

"We have had good business lately, but there's no reason why I couldn't take a day or two off. Bess will be going, won't she? And I always enjoy spending time with the boys."

Reluctance changed to concern as Amy considered that her daughter might spend time in the wild under uncertain circumstances. "I hadn't asked her--Bess usually prefers indoor activities."

"But didn't she learn to fish last summer? I think she really enjoyed that," insisted Laurie.

"And Jo didn't say where they would find tents--I know that great-aunt March had nothing like that at Plumfield."

"I'm sure that Jo is perfectly capable of procuring tents and organizing such an activity. I think I would enjoy going--I havn't done anything like that since before I was in college."

Amy's concern changed to horror as she realized that her husband really intended to go. "But...but...you'll get so dirty, and the ground is very hard, and won't you ruin your clothes!"

"Amy, I've been out camping before, and I know what it's like. I'm just lucky that I didn't have to do it as an army officer--the war ended in time."

Laurie skillfully dodged Amy's protests, and turned the tables on her even further. "You know, if you're so concerned, perhaps you should come along to make sure we're safe," he teased. "Perhaps Bess could teach you how to fish."

Amy's brow furrowed even more in consternation. She attempted to divert this line of questioning, but Laurie was persistent. In the end, Amy found herself agreeing to come along to "safeguard" her husband and daughter.

"You know, Jo always did call you a rascal! And she was right!" came the parting shot as she left the dinner table. Laurie chuckled to himself quietly, and made mental notes to visit Plumfield the next day to set the details.

Midmorning, Laurie left instructions with his secretary to take messages if any callers came. He walked home to ask Amy if he could take the carriage. Apparently his wife had satiated her need for social contact the day before, and he enjoyed the crisp air during the drive to Plumfield.

Near the barn, Laurie found Nick struggling with a mass of white canvas.

"Laurie--perfect timing! Could you help me for a minute? The boys are still in school."

Laurie assented, and good-naturedly tried to help Nick make sense of the jumbled cloth. "Is this one of the tents?" he asked.

"Yes, and they're all in terrible shape. Jo got these on loan from Col. Bradshaw, and they're left over from the war. You can tell by the smell," he added, wrinkling his nose. "I hope they'll be all right after I air them out--I don't like reminders of army camps."

Laurie helped Nick spread the tents over the rails of the corral, and Nick intended to have the boys beat the dust out when chores started that afternoon. Laurie's suit was a sight by the time he walked into the house.

"Laurie, what have you been doing?" asked Jo. "Your suit looks terrible!"

"I was helping Nick with the tents," explained Laurie a little sheepishly.

"You didn't have to do that in your good suit," protested his sister-in-law. "What will Amy say?"

Laurie reddened as he considered his wife's reaction when he got home. "I don't know," he admitted.

"I suppose you'll deserve your scolding, then," Jo said with a grin. "Here, I'll put a towel down on the sofa so you don't ruin the upholstery," she teased. "I don't suppose you'd care for a cup of tea?"

"That would be lovely--thank you."

Jo asked Asia to make a pot of tea, then sat down in the parlor. "I assume that you're willing to come camping this Friday, then."

"Yes--I'm glad for the opportunity to spend more time with the boys."

"And Amy didn't object? I thought she'd die when I asked her to pass on the request. But she was outwardly polite, like always."

"Yes, she did squirm a bit last night when she relayed the message. But I can spare a couple of days from the office, and I even talked her into coming along."

Jo struggled to lift her jaw off the floor. How did you manage that?" she asked incredulously.

"She was very concerned about her family's safety, so I thought the best solution would be if she personally supervised that safety."

"But won't she have a terrible time outdoors? And sleeping on the ground... I don't think she could tolerate that for an entire night."

"I suppose we could make a concession and get her a cot. Though I hope that we wouldn't try to borrow any army cots from Col. Bradshaw--the tents were in terrible condition."

Jo giggled. "I suppose I should have known better than to borrow real army tents. I know Father has enough stories about how difficult it was during that time."

"Maybe this will encourage the boys to avoid careers in the military," teased Laurie.

Together they planned to meet at Plumfield early Friday afternoon. Jo saw Laurie out to his carriage, with cheerful reminders to bring old clothes.

"Is everyone ready?" shouted Nick into the front time. "The cart's hitched!"

Kids bustled onto the porch, carrying knapsacks and blanket rolls. Mrs. Jo circulated among them, making sure that everyone had a jacket or sweater. The tents and food stood packed in the back of the cart, and one cot took up part of the cart's floor. Nick made sure he had the ax and lanterns stowed away. Asia checked to see if the doors were latched shut and the fires completely extinguished. Laurie cheerfully helped wherever he could, while his reserved wife watched the chaotic scene in dismay. Her place of honor on the cart's front seat did little to appease her apprehension.

The early summer day proved to be beautiful as the cart left Plumfield. The kids laughed and chattered among the hay as they moved down the road to the deeper woods. A mile past Plumfield, Nick took the cart off the road to a rolling meadow. A stream ran past on the far side of the grass. As soon as the cart stopped moving, the children swarmed over the sides and scrambled to unload the wagon. The adults tried to restore order with difficulty.

"Wait! Wait!" Nick shouted above the commotion. All movement ceased, and Tommy looked especially foolish trying to balance a bundle of tent poles. They slipped out of his grip and fell to the ground with a crash. Everyone laughed, including Tommy.

"All right. Let's do this in a more organized way," Nick instructed. He sent Laurie and most of the boys to set up the tents near the stream. He asked Dan and Emil to clear grass for a fire pit and line it with rocks. Nan immediately volunteered to look for rocks. Bess moved to help Asia carry cooking utensils and pots near the emerging fire pit. Mrs. Jo supervised the entire process, offering suggestions and encouragement. Nick hauled a big log near the clearing to chop firewood. Amy stood quietly, unsure what to do, until Jo asked her to help Bess and Asia with the cooking area. Even then, she had no idea how to organize the boxes or start a fire.

When the camp was ready, a group of kids formed around the adults. They all begged to go off to fish or hike or explore the woods. After he obtained order, Nick offered to take a group on a hike, and Jo would supervise fishing in the stream. Rob begged his mother to go on the hike. Jo only gave permission after she made firm eye contact with Nick as an admonition to pay special attention to the youngster. Bess wanted to go hiking, and asked her parents to accompany her.

Amy didn't know what to say. She had worn a simpler linen dress for the occasion, but she still didn't want to go wandering in the dirt or possibly meet bears. Laurie filled the awkward silence by volunteering to go. He sent a sidelong glance at Amy, waiting to see her next actions.

"I thought I'd like to try fishing, she offered as an excuse. "I'm not sure how sturdy these shoes are for hiking. Is it all right if your father goes hiking, and I try to catch some fish for dinner?"

Laurie and Bess felt conflicting reactions to Amy's careful side-stepping, but could find no fault in fishing as an alternate activity. They left with Nick and half of the boys, and Amy affected interest in Nat's instructions on how to choose the best fishing pole. When his explanations began to involve worms, she wondered if maybe bears weren't so bad...

Walking through the woods, Bess and Laurie chatted easily, pointing at the birds and trees.  Rob walked for the first mile or so, then his shorter legs grew tired. Then Nick swung him up onto his shoulders, and the boy's face lit up at his new perspective of the world below. Bess began to take interest in the various plants, and picked flowers for future art projects. Her collection grew to the point that Tommy volunteered to help carry all of the ferns and flowers. They walked a little slower than the rest of the group, seeking new and different kinds of plants to collect.

Bess caught a glimpse of a different kind of leaf among the bushes. It was a bright, shiny green, and shimmered among the more sedate ferns. It grew up from the ground and climbed the trunk of a huge oak tree. Curious, she came closer and saw white berries among the clusters of three leaves. The bright colors might really add to a painting... She wondered if the leaves were wet, but her sense of touch proved that they were merely very smooth.

"How pretty!" she commented, and proceeded to pick a branch to add to her bundle. It fell from her grip, and Tommy retrieved it for her. "Thanks! Would you mind carrying that one?"

"Of course not," agreed the curly-haired boy.

They caught up to the group and continued their walk. Finally Nick decreed that they return to the campsite. Only the promise of dinner prevented a complete mutiny. Halfway back, Dan examined Tommy's collection of plants more closely.

Pointing to the shiny green leaves, he asked, "Where did you get that?"

Confused, Tommy tried to describe the kind of bush they had picked it from. Bess became defensive, assuming that Dan simply wanted to pick on her. All other conversation in the group ceased.

"You should drop that right now--have you touched your face or any other parts of your body?" he continued to interrogate.

Laurie, surprised at first, became a little concerned. "Dan, what's wrong with those leaves?" he queried.

"Those are poison ivy--Mr. Owen told me about it. They'll make your skin itch like crazy, and even blister sometimes."

Bess turned pale, and put her hands against her cheeks as an expression of horror slowly formed. "Oh, no--I picked them!" She began to panic, poised as if she might run uncontrolled into the woods.

Laurie moved to calm her. "Move your hands away from your face, Bess," he instructed gently. He gripped her arms near the elbows and forced her hands from her cheeks. "It'll be all right--we're nearly back to camp."

Tommy was taken aback as well, though he didn't look like he might begin screaming at any moment, unlike the pale blonde girl. He immediately dropped the offending leaves, and frantically rubbed his hands in the grass. Nick put a calming hand on his shoulder, reassuring him that Mrs. Jo and Asia would know what to do when they got back to camp.

Amy stooped at the stream's edge, trying to rid her hands of a distinct fishy odor. Nat had proved to be an effective teacher, with the other children and Jo offering suggestions as well. As she had already avoided the hike, she couldn't pretend a lack of interest in fishing at that point. So she had suffered the horrors of touching worms with her bare fingers... But she still felt some real pride in catching two fish, and Nat had been gracious enough to gut them for her. She considered requesting one of "her" fish for dinner, for trout was a tasty dish when prepared correctly.

Amy heard a commotion behind her, and stood to see what was going on. The hiking group had returned, and she focused immediately on how Laurie walked with his arm around Bess. Her daughter's shoulders were shaking uncontrollably, and her head was bowed. Amy ran as fast as she could to meet them.

"What happened? Are you all right?" she asked amid the instant chaos that formed at the edge of the clearing. Jo and the other children had followed her, and everyone spoke at once. Amy couldn't believe the tear-streaked, red, swollen face that greeted her when Bess lifted her head. Bess displayed her hands as well, reddened with white blisters forming. Tommy showed his hands to Jo, and the noise increased further.

Jo's voice finally cut through the cacophony. "Quiet, please!" The decibel level dropped to where Nick's reassurances to Tommy and Bess's quiet sobs were audible. "Let's get Bess and Tommy closer to the fire, and we'll see what we can do to help them."

Amy and Laurie escorted Bess between them, and Laurie explained how their daughter had found poison ivy the hard way. Perched on a large log, she let Asia bathe her hands and face with cold water. While that helped a little, the burning, itching sensation continued largely unabated. Amy pulled her husband aside.

"We should take her home right now! Dr. Pierce must have something for that rash," she insisted. "I knew that we never should have come!"

Nearby, Nan had carefully examined the blisters on Tommy's hands, and wondered what property of the plant could cause such a reaction. An idea began to dawn on her, and a grin quickly followed. "Tommy, you remember the salve I made for the measles rash?" she asked.

"Yes," he replied slowly. "It smelled awful.:

"But didn't it work? I mean, once I added the oatmeal."

"Well, it did help with the itching..." Tommy admitted, and then a grin formed on his face as well.

Amy confronted Jo, demanding that Nick hitch the cart to take Bess into town. Jo understood Amy's frantic reaction, while her mind searched for other options. Then a tug on her sleeve distracted her.

"Nan, what do you want?" she asked. "Is it important?"

"Yes, I think I know what to do about the rash!" Nan responded.

Amy looked skeptical, and Jo stood baffled. Then memory caught up with her, and she grimaced involuntarily. "Nan, that stuff had such a terrible odor!"

"I know," Nan admitted, "but I'm sure we could find the right plants right around here, and it would be faster than riding all the way back to town. No one would have to miss the fun here, and it would make Bess and Tommy feel better. Dr. Pierce's salve didn't help much with the measles rash, anyway."

"Salve? Plants?" interruped Amy. "What are you talking about?"

"I found a recipe for a salve that helped with the measles rash last fall, and it uses natural plants. I'm sure it could be ready within an hour."

Amy thought a moment, and realized that it would take that long to take Bess back to town. But to risk longer discomfort if this didn't work...

Jo added her report of how effective the salve had been for the measles, and that it would probably work on poison ivy, too. If they sent someone immediately to find the right plants, they could have the concoction ready before dark. Amy finally caved in to her sister's suggestion.

Nan called to Jack and Emil, asking them to come over. "Do you remember what a burdock and golden seal look like?" she asked.

Emil backed away, shaking his hands energetically in denial. "No--I hate digging in the dirt!" he protested.

"Don't you remember how awful that stuff smelled?" queried Jack.

Nan looked him right in the eye. "What's worse--picking some flowers and putting up with the smell, or listening to Bess cry all night?" she asked bluntly.

Jack and Emil reluctantly acquiesced, dragging their feet as they headed for the woods.

An hour later, Nan lifted a bitter-smelling pot from the fire. "Asia, did you bring any oatmeal with you? she asked.

"No--I planned to make hotcakes on the griddle in the morning."

"Hmmmm...I'll have to add something else to make it thicker." In the darkening gloom, she wandered to the edge of the clearing. Suddenly she noticed some moss at the foot of the tree, and pulled up a clump. Another idea formed in her mind...

Bess squirmed as Nan pulled the spoon from the pot. "You're not putting THAT on my face," she protested. "It smells horrible! And I'll look terrible!"

"What's worse, the smell or the itching?"

"Um, the itching, I suppose... But it's GREEN! The boys will make fun of me!"

Nan maintained eye contact, and restated the question. "What's worse, the itching or teasing from the boys?"

Bess finally gave in, and let Nan spread the green goop over her face and hands. The moss made it look even more grotesque than the oatmeal had been. Tommy made a more willing patient, having experienced its beneficial effects before. Both of them felt better, and dinner proceeded without any difficulties, beyond the occasional giggle at how foolish the two looked. Tommy withstood the teasing better, joking that he might pretend to be a monster from the woods in the middle of the night. Rob reacted with a little fear, until Jo told him that Tommy was just kidding. Amy's anxiety ceased as she saw that the salve really helped to reduce the swelling, despite the horrible appearance it caused.

Full darkness reigned when Jo and the other adults ordered the children to bed. They protested, still feeling energetic. Jo listened to the complaints for a moment, then whispered a question to Asia. Asia thought a moment, then nodded her head.

"Quiet! Quiet! I'll grant you one concession--IF you agree to the terms."

The children paid attention, and Jo laid down the terms. They agreed that they would trade nights for the pillow fight just this once, and wouldn't leave their assigned tents. Once the fifteen minutes were up, they would go to bed quietly and not pester her the rest of the night. Soon chaos reigned in the three tents--pillows flying and children yelling. Jo wondered to herself what the animals in the woods thought of the racket. In two of the three tents, everyone's pillows quickly carried green smears as Bess and Tommy participated. When the fifteen minutes ended, two-thirds of the group managed to sleep despite the bitter smell of Nan's salve filling their tents. And thanks to that salve, Bess and Tommy were able to sleep comfortably.

In the morning, Asia cooked up mountains of hotcakes for the voracious group. Bess and Tommy felt much better--the rash and swelling had receded considerably. They dismantled the tents and carefully put out the fire. Everyone had a completely different appearance than the day before. Jo dreaded the chaos of arranging use of the bathtubs later. Everyone was filthy, and some of the children still sported traces of the salve in their hair or on their faces. Bess and Tommy sported fresh coats of the green solution, and didn't look abashed about it anymore. Her own hair was bedraggled, and she didn't dare tell Amy how disarranged her usually immaculate coiffure remained. But the lack of cleanliness and order didn't hide the happy feelings among the group. Amy and Laurie laughed and smiled as they climbed into the cart beside their daughter. Jo couldn't believe how her strait-laced sister chattered with all of the children and teased Laurie mercilessly. Laurie looked happier than he had in a long time, relaxed and content. He pulled his wife into the crook of his arm as the cart went into motion. Birds sang in the trees, and everyone smiled as they reminisced over the previous day's events. Nick urged the horses into a trot, and headed back for Plumfield.