The Meadow-Brook Girls Under Canvas

In Short

Janet Aldridge’s 1913 juvenile novel follows Harriet Burrell, Grace "Tommy" Thompson, Margery "Buster" Brown, and Hazel Holland as they leave Meadow-Brook for a summer at Camp Wau-Wau under the supervision of Miss Elting. Throughout their stay, the girls brave chaotic carriage rides, hazing rituals, practical jokes, night-time storms, wild bears, and social tensions stirred up by malicious campmates. Harriet's unwavering integrity and the wild antics of newcomer "Crazy Jane" McCarthy help transform the group, earning this early girls' outdoor adventure story its place as an endearing artifact of early American youth fiction.

The Story

The narrative opens in Meadow-Brook, where young Grace "Tommy" Thompson suffers a comical mishap in a ditch after nearly being run down by an automobile driven by "Crazy Jane" McCarthy. Soon after, the local schoolteacher, Miss Elting, invites sixteen-year-old Harriet Burrell—a hardworking girl devoted to aiding her mother—to attend the forest-bound Camp Wau-Wau as her guest. Harriet joins her younger friends Tommy, Margery, and Hazel on the excursion.

Their trip into the woods immediately runs into trouble when their sour driver, Jasper, loses a horse, forcing the party to leave their heavy trunks behind and trek five miles through the gathering twilight. Upon settling into their tents under the guidance of Chief Guardian Mrs. Livingston, the girls encounter the unfamiliarities of wilderness living. Tommy is plagued by fears of wild beasts, which leads to a midnight panic when Jasper returns to deliver their baggage.

Life at Camp Wau-Wau moves quickly into structured routines, but Harriet is soon targeted for camp hazing. She is blindfolded, taken into the dark woods by a secret group of masked girls, and forced to jump into a creek. Harriet handles the prank with grace and humor, refusing to expose the culprits during Mrs. Livingston's formal inquiry. Tension mounts when two wealthy, snobbish campers, Cora Kidder and Patricia Scott, seek to undermine Harriet's reputation. Their schemes peak during a dinner service when a batch of soup prepared by Harriet is ruined with soap, causing Harriet to lose an "honor" mark.

As the summer progresses, eccentric newcomer Jane McCarthy—dubbed "Crazy Jane"—arrives at camp in an outlandish evening gown. Jane's boisterous nature and physical bravado quickly reshape the camp dynamic. When Jane disguises herself as a ghostly "banshee" on stilts to frighten the campers, Tommy accidentally brings her crashing down near the campfire. Later, a severe thunderstorm batters the camp, uprooting trees and crushing tents; Harriet bravely helps rescue imperiled girls, earning respect across the camp.

Harriet and Jane continue to prove their mettle by fending off a young bear that wanders into camp, driving the beast off with burning logs and chair rungs. Meanwhile, Jane uncovers the truth behind the soup-sabotage and pressures a remorseful Cora to confess her misdeeds to Mrs. Livingston. Though Harriet briefly faces discipline for attempting to shield Cora from discovery, her selflessness shines through. Cora makes a full confession, clearing Harriet's name and restoring harmony to the camp before the summer ends.

How It Unfolds

The journey begins Miss Elting invites Harriet Burrell to join her, Tommy, Margery, and Hazel on an outdoor summer retreat at Camp Wau-Wau. Their travel hits an immediate snag when their driver Jasper breaks his carriage, forcing the group to hike five miles through the dark woods to reach the campsite.

Initiations and alarms The girls adjust to tent life, where Tommy suffers constant night terrors about wild animals. Harriet is abducted from her cot by masked campers and subjected to a water-jumping hazing ritual, which she takes in good humor while shielding the pranksters from punishment.

Sabotage at the dining hall Rival campers Patricia and Cora orchestrate a plan to ruin Harriet's standing by slipping soap into her soup batch. Mrs. Livingston inspects Harriet's locked supply box, finds evidence of tampering, and reluctantly strips Harriet of her camp honor mark.

Crazy Jane disrupts the peace Jane McCarthy arrives at camp wearing an impractical formal gown and proceeds to shake up camp life with her wild antics. She later haunts the camp dressed as a giant banshee on stilts, but Tommy grabs her drapery, sending Jane sprawling into the campfire grounds.

Storms and wild beasts A fierce midnight gale rips through the campsite, causing a falling tree to crush tents and forcing Harriet and Jane to pull frightened girls to safety. Days later, a lost young bear wanders into the camp; Harriet and Jane charge the beast with a burning torch and a wooden chair leg, driving it into the creek.

Confrontation and clarity Jane corners Cora about her involvement in the camp schemes, convincing her to take responsibility for her actions. Cora confesses the whole truth to Mrs. Livingston, exonerating Harriet and restoring her lost honor as the summer draws to a close.

The People

• Harriet Burrell: A selfless, mature sixteen-year-old who works hard to help her mother. She desires to be a supportive friend and an honorable camper. When confronted by hazing, false accusations, and physical danger, her stoic kindness and physical courage win over her peers.
• Grace "Tommy" Thompson: A young, lisping girl whose dramatic fears and blunt observations provide constant comedy. She desires safety and comfort, hating physical exertion, but her impulsive actions often unexpectedly resolve camp crises.
• Jane "Crazy Jane" McCarthy: A loud, eccentric, and fiercely independent newcomer from Meadow-Brook. Unbothered by social conventions or camp attire rules, she wants excitement and fair play, ultimately using her bold personality to defend Harriet and expose camp deceit.
• Mrs. Livingston: The stern yet compassionate Chief Guardian of Camp Wau-Wau. She wants to maintain order, character development, and safety among the girls, balancing strict discipline with genuine fairness.
• Cora Kidder: A fashion-conscious camper who desires social status. Led astray by her manipulative friend Patricia Scott, she participates in sabotaging Harriet before feeling intense remorse.
• Patricia Scott: A spiteful camper who seeks to avenge personal grievances by orchestrating pranks against Harriet, using Cora as her accomplice.

In Its Own Voice

"I'm sorry Harriet isn't here," continued Hazel. "Harriet is helping her mother," replied Hazel. "She always has something to do at home. She is a much better girl than either you or I, Buster."

Hazel and Margery discuss Harriet's dutiful nature while resting on a dusty roadside before the camp trip is announced.

"A low, deep growl sounded right at the head of Tommy's cot. With a wild cry the terrified little girl landed in the middle of the floor."

Tommy suffers a panic attack in the dark interior of her tent during her very first night at Camp Wau-Wau.

"Young ladies, permit me to introduce to you Miss Jane McCarthy of Meadow-Brook. Miss McCarthy has not been with us long enough to become familiar with our regulations regarding dress."

Mrs. Livingston addresses the dining tent as Jane makes a jaw-dropping entrance dressed in an elaborate low-cut silk gown.

What It's Really About

Beneath its lightweight episodic adventure, The Meadow-Brook Girls Under Canvas examines the moral growth of young women through communal living. The novel contrasts superficial social status with genuine integrity. Characters like Cora and Patricia rely on wealth, motor cars, and exclusive circles to define their worth, which leads them to spitefulness and deceit. Conversely, Harriet’s unselfishness and patience demonstrate that true character is revealed through how one handles hardship and unfair treatment.

The story also explores the transformative power of nature and physical activity on spoiled or timid children. Through shared hardships—such as five-mile hikes, severe storms, and shared chores—the girls shed their petty rivalries and childish fears, learning self-reliance, honesty, and the value of unvarnished loyalty.

Why Read It Today

Modern readers interested in early twentieth-century series fiction or the history of youth outdoor movements will find this novel an engaging slice of period entertainment. Janet Aldridge writes with an uncomplicated, cheerful momentum that makes the camp routines, ghost mishaps, and animal encounters genuinely fun to follow. It offers a nostalgic glimpse into the values of 1910s American youth culture, highlighting early ideals of girls' physical empowerment and outdoor camaraderie.

Readers should be prepared for period conventions that reflect the era of its publication. The prose relies heavily on phonetic dialect—most notably Tommy's pronounced lisp ("thave me!", "conthulting")—which appears on nearly every page and may feel tedious to contemporary eyes. The plot follows a predictable, highly formulaic structure typical of early house-author series books published by Henry Altemus Company. However, for those who appreciate classic juvenile fiction, the colorful presence of "Crazy Jane" and the earnest goodness of Harriet make this forest outing a lighthearted, memorable read.