The Camp Fire Girls' Careers

In Short

Following her nerve-wracking stage debut, young Polly O'Neill startles her mentors by abruptly fleeing New York to join a humble traveling stock company in New England. Rejecting unearned privileges, Polly insists on forging her artistic identity through relentless work. Meanwhile, her loyal friends—including Betty Ashton, Esther, and Richard Hunt—navigate their own romances, hospital visits to a young dancer named Angel, and emotional reconciliations. Ultimately, Polly triumphs on stage in a powerful new play, proving her true genius and finding a mature balance between creative independence and enduring affection.

The Story

The narrative opens backstage as a tense, terrified Polly O'Neill prepares for her theatrical debut as Belinda under the critical eye of Richard Hunt and the protective guidance of Margaret Adams. Though her family and friends celebrate her performance, Polly feels like an impostor, convinced that unearned favors and constant praise have shielded her from true artistic growth. Overwhelmed by exhaustion and a fierce desire to test her own mettle, she abruptly disappears from New York without explanation, leaving her mentors and twin sister, Mollie, deeply worried.

While Polly seeks out a harsh theatrical apprenticeship in a cheap touring stock company, her friends in New York and New England continue their lives. Betty Ashton dedicates her time to visiting a children's hospital, where she forms a tender bond with a fragile young French dancer named Angel whose mother, Mrs. Martins, eventually becomes Polly's traveling companion. Esther and Dick Ashton settle into domestic happiness, hosting dinners that bring together old Woodford friends like Mollie, Richard Hunt, and Billy Webster. During these gatherings, underlying tensions and emotional misunderstandings surface, particularly regarding Betty's complicated relationships with her brother Dick and her admirer Anthony Graham.

Richard Hunt accidentally encounters Polly hiding in a Boston church during the holidays, discovering that she is enduring minor roles, cold boarding houses, and grueling work to rid herself of self-consciousness. Although Richard keeps her secret, he recognizes her fierce dedication. The turning point arrives when Polly returns to public view with a brilliant performance as Moira in an acclaimed new play. Her acting moves audiences to simultaneous tears and smiles, stunning Margaret Adams and proving that Polly's arduous self-exile was a success. In the final resolutions, misunderstandings between Betty and Anthony dissolve under the shelter of the trees, while Polly shares a quiet, transformative moment with Richard Hunt near Sunrise Hill, finally accepting that love can complement her lifelong devotion to her profession.

How It Unfolds

The terrifying debut Standing on a bare stage, a tense and exhausted Polly O'Neill struggles through her first major performance as Belinda under the guidance of Richard Hunt. Though her friends cheer for her success, Polly feels crushed by her own nervousness and dissatisfied with praise she feels she has not earned.

The sudden disappearance Refusing to accept a theatrical career built on favors and easy opportunities, Polly slips away from New York without telling her mentors where she is going. Her abrupt departure leaves Margaret Adams and Richard Hunt searching in vain while her family tries to piece together her motives.

Hospital visits and new bonds Betty Ashton spends her days visiting children in a hospital, bringing flowers and comfort to a young, crippled French dancer named Angel. Through these visits, Betty's circle expands, and Mrs. Martins is eventually hired to travel and care for Polly during her self-imposed exile.

The hidden apprentice While her friends host dinners and manage domestic life in New England, Polly quietly joins a cheap stock company traveling through the region. She plays minor roles as maids and queens, enduring hardship to learn the genuine discipline of her craft.

The accidental reunion Richard Hunt discovers a disguised Polly hiding in a Boston church after she accidentally reveals her presence by peeking into a window. Though he respects her secret struggle, he remains a steady, watchful presence in her life as she prepares for her true breakthrough.

The triumph of Moira Polly stuns the theatrical world by starring as Moira in a deeply moving play that showcases her undeniable genius. Her stunning performance silences all doubts, reconciles her with her mentors, and opens the door to her future.

The final harmony Old romantic misunderstandings are cleared away as Anthony Graham reassures Betty of his lifelong devotion. At the same time, Polly and Richard Hunt share a quiet, hopeful moment near Sunrise Hill, where Polly realizes she can embrace both her art and her affection for Richard.

The People

Polly O'Neill is an intense, fiercely ambitious young woman who wants to become a true actress through genuine merit rather than privilege. Standing in her way are her own self-consciousness, her physical exhaustion, and the suffocating kindness of friends who praise her prematurely; she ends up hardened, disciplined, and triumphant in her art.

Betty Ashton is a warm, generous young woman driven by a compulsion to rescue the unfortunate, though her impulsive generosity sometimes lands her in emotional trouble. She wants to maintain her independence and clear up misunderstandings with her peers, eventually finding emotional clarity and a lasting bond with Anthony Graham.

Richard Hunt is a seasoned, graying theatrical figure who initially doubts Polly's talent but grows deeply intrigued by her integrity. He wants to understand and guide her, ultimately becoming her most trusted confidant and a steady anchor for her restless ambition.

Margaret Adams is a celebrated, wealthy actress who overcame a lonely, grueling youth to find fame. She wants to nurture Polly's talent with the mentorship she never had, though she must eventually learn to respect Polly's fierce need for independent struggle.

Angel is a fragile, cheerful young French dancer crippled by a childhood fall. She wants to support her struggling mother and escape her physical limitations, finding solace in the friendship of Betty and the opening of Sunrise cabin.

In Its Own Voice

Polly expresses her profound dissatisfaction with unearned success to Margaret Adams, stating her absolute need for genuine hardship:

"I must give up the chance you have given me just the same, dear, and I must go away from New York tomorrow."

Richard Hunt reflects on his unexpected encounter with the fleeing actress in a quiet place of worship:

"Wait here for a moment, Miss O'Neill; we can find no other spot so quiet in which to have a talk."

Polly looks toward her future and her complex feelings regarding her profession and her companion:

"You see, Mr. Hunt, I never, never intend marrying any one. I mean to devote all my life to my profession and I have never thought of anything else since I was a little girl."

What It's Really About

The novel explores the friction between natural talent and the necessary discipline required to master an artistic career. It questions whether success given too easily diminishes an artist's integrity, arguing instead that genuine achievement demands solitary struggle, suffering, and self-reliance. Beneath the charming backdrop of club traditions and domestic gatherings lies an earnest meditation on vocational calling versus social expectation. The narrative asks how a young woman can claim her own identity in a world eager to coddle or define her, suggesting that true maturity requires shedding youthful vanity and embracing the unglamorous realities of hard work.

Why Read It Today

Readers who love turn-of-the-century boarding-school atmospheres, earnest theatrical ambition, and wholesome community bonds will find much to cherish here. Reading it feels like stepping into a sunlit New England parlor filled with rustling skirts, boiling teapots, and the crackle of campfires, balanced against the gaslit gloom of old-fashioned backstage corridors. Modern readers must be prepared for the distinct limitations of its era, including heavy-handed moralizing, period-specific class structures, and occasional sentimental melodrama that can feel slow by contemporary standards. Yet, what stays with you long after closing the cover is Polly's fierce, stubborn refusal to accept shortcuts, and the quiet, enduring warmth of friendships that survive distance, doubt, and time.