Blue Robin, the Girl Pioneer Part 11

"Oh," s.h.i.+vered the Sport nervously, "perhaps it is the crazy man!" She sprang to her feet and made as if to take to her heels again.

Every girl followed her example, and in another moment there would have been a wild stampede to the shelter of the hall, if a loud voice had not called out, "Welcome, Englishmen! Welcome!"

Simultaneously with these words a lithe form sprang into the midst of the terrified girls, who clung to one another with wildly beating hearts as with dilated eyes they glared at the intruder, a tall Indian youth, resplendent with a feathered head-gear. He was clad in deerskin trousers fringed at the seams, a string of hairy scalps hung at his belt, and he held a bow and arrow in his hands as he stood and looked down at this bevy of frightened colonial maids with a broad smile on his grease besmeared face.

There was just a second's pause, and then Helen shouted merrily, "Oh, it's Teddy Hart, and he's Samoset! Oh, girls, don't you remember? He was the Indian who came and welcomed the Pilgrims!"

Of course they all remembered, for had not Lillie dealt at length upon that very scene when telling her story? And Teddy Hart, why, he was a Boy Scout, one of Fred Tyson's patrol, which was known as the Eagle patrol.

This was all that was needed to make the girls forget the crazy man and the Sport's harrowing tale, and they crowded about Teddy crying, "Oh, Ted, where did you get the rig?" or, "What made you think of it?" and, "Isn't it the best ever?" This last was from the Tike who was hopping about the new arrival examining the hairy scalps-which turned out to be a few wigs borrowed from the village barber-with keen curiosity.

"Great Caesar! give a fellow a chance to breathe, won't you?" fired the make-believe Samoset, as he mopped his face energetically. "Don't riddle me with questions; I'm not a target!"

Yes, this was the second surprise, or the forerunner of it, for before Teddy was ready to surrender his place as the hero of the moment, the beat of a drum was heard, and from the little bit of woodland where Ted had been hiding issued a group of queer-looking individuals. They were all attired in somber-colored clothes with broad white collars, high conical-shaped hats, and all carried guns and had swords clanking at their sides in good impersonation of the Fathers of their country. The next moment they had formed in line and with well-simulated solemnity of countenance, "as if going to meeting-house," t.i.ttered Grace, these sixteen men-at-arms, headed by Capt. Standish-who was no other than Fred Tyson-marched valiantly down the street towards the garden.

It was the Sport after all who saved the day for the Pioneers, for as they stood in dazed laughter wondering how to greet these unexpected guests, the Sport's hand shot up, and two seconds later the girls had joined her in saluting their brother organization, as with one accord they gave the Pioneer cheer.

In quick response to a signal from their leader, the Scouts came to a halt, and as one man each Scout's hand went up to his forehead in the salute of three ringers held upright. This was followed by another cheer, a rousing one this time, as each boy shouted l.u.s.tily:

"Ready! Ready! Scout! Scout! Scout!

Good turn daily! Shout! Shout! Shout!"

The boys now fell into step again, and in a few moments had entered the little wicker gate where they broke ranks as they were cordially welcomed by the Governor's lady and Dame Brewster. For a short s.p.a.ce following pandemonium reigned, as the boys tried to answer the many queries propounded by the girls, each Pioneer, spying some one favorite boy, singled him out with merry jest to answer as to the why and wherefore of the unlooked for surprise.

Nathalie felt somewhat embarra.s.sed and stood apart from the girls, not having met any of the Scouts of the town. Perhaps she was a little scornful, for in the city she had been wont to pa.s.s a khaki uniform with scant approval, considering these emulators of chivalrous knights mere boys. Not understanding the aims or purposes of the organization they had failed to attract her.

But as she stood watching these tall, well-developed lads with heads held high, squared shoulders, and with the ruddy glow of an active life in the open on their bright faces, she reluctantly admitted that they were interesting to look at, at least.

"Ah, Miss Nathalie, I see you have forgotten me!" spoke a voice at the girl's elbow. She turned quickly to see the laughing brown eyes of Fred Tyson. Fred's face was flushed with embarra.s.sment as he felt somewhat timorous as to this city girl's greeting, since he had last seen her walking away from him with flushed cheeks and angry mien as he teasingly taunted, "Scare-babies! Scare-babies!"

But Nathalie had forgotten all about that trivial incident-perhaps because she had a brother and knew the moods of boys and how they delighted to tease and hark at the girls-and she dimpled with cordiality as she returned his greeting.

She was soon sparkling with merriment as Fred told of the fun they had in rigging up, and the sensation they created as they marched through Main Street. By this time the explanations from the boys were over, and the secret of the cheer fire was revealed. It had been made by the Scouts at the suggestion of Dr. Homer, who was much interested in the Pioneers and had planned the two surprises to give a little more tone to the celebration and fun to the girls.

The girls now clamored that they were hungry, and at an intimation from Mrs. Morrow the Scouts were invited to repair to one of the side rooms in the hall, where their Mayflower Feast was to be held.

The invitation was accepted by Fred for the patrol, and the party of merry-makers filed noisily into the hall. When the boys saw the Stars and Stripes, and the yards of red, white, and blue bunting hanging in graceful folds from the walls of the room, they broke into patriotic song. "Red, White, and Blue" was first sung in compliment to the Girl Pioneers' colors, and was quickly succeeded by the "Battle Cry of Freedom," and "The Star-Spangled Banner," in recognition of the starry emblem that symbolizes-more than any design that floats to the wind-the uplift of mankind, Liberty, and Union!

A cheery fire of pine knots blazed a greeting from the hearth, while two long boards supported on trestles and covered with a s.h.i.+ning damask cloth, represented the table of Pioneer days. Odd bits of old-time ware, such as silver porringers, queer-shaped jugs, or blackjacks, a number of wooden bowls, a high-standing salt-cellar, and a pewter tankard, were distributed about the table. But it was the flowers that lay in bunches here and there-and all May ones, too, from the cl.u.s.ters of white s...o...b..a.l.l.s, lilacs, pink and yellow azaleas, to the big bowls filled with sprigs of arbutus-that held Nathalie's eyes.

But flags, antiques, and flowers soon became things of the past, as the girls brought forth their lunch-baskets; each one had vied with the other to bring some choice edible and with the help of the modern knights, who declared that they had come for that purpose, the table was loaded with goodies.

Just before the feast was served, Will Ditmas, a fair counterpart of William Brewster, the ruling elder of Plymouth, suddenly stood up and, after much throat-clearing, announced in a droning voice that if those present were willing, for the furtherance of sobriety and seemly behavior, he would read a few rules from "A Pretty Little Pocket Book."

After stonily staring over a pair of goggles at a few irrepressible gigglers the would-be Elder read: "Speak not until spoken to; break not thy bread, nor bite into a whole slice; take not salt unless with a clean knife, and throw no bones under the table."

Those who were trying to keep their faces straight wavered in the attempt and joined the irrepressible Tike in a few hysterical t.i.tters as he continued: "Hold not thy fork upright, but sloping, lay it down at the right hand of the plate, with the end of the blade on the table plate, and look not earnestly at any person that is eating."

This last was the final straw for the Tike, and she giggled so unrestrainedly that she threatened hysteria, and Helen had to whack her on the back so that she could get her breathing apparatus in working order again. This ebullition was like a match to fire, and all those who had been smothering their mirth now broke forth into loud laughter, which threatened to become clamorous had not Mrs. Morrow held up her restraining finger.

The signal was too well known not to be obeyed, and the too mirthful ones were recalled to themselves. Then, too, they were all hungry; so forgetting the old-time admonitions of their forebears, they were soon occupied satisfying their hunger.

After the left-over goodies had been gathered into baskets to be delivered to a poor family, and the place was set in order again, the chivalrous knights and the emulating Pioneers swarmed merrily into the dance hall, where they held high court to the light fantastic as Mrs.

Morrow, the one-piece orchestra, rattled off ragtime harmony for round and square dances.

Nathalie by this time had met a number of the Scouts, and to her surprise found that some of them danced as well as, and in some cases better than her boy friends in the city. The would-be Elder, who had droned the rules from the pocket book, proved not only a good dancer, but most companionable, and finding that Nathalie was sadly ignorant as to the aims and purposes of the Scout organization, he set forth to enlighten her.

He took off his Scout badge, pointed out the eagle, and the stars and s.h.i.+eld, explaining that it was a trefoil badge and represented the three points in the Scout oath. The curl-up at the end of the scroll was a reminder to each Scout that the corners of his mouth should always be turned up in a smile of cheerfulness. The knot in the loop was a "conscience p.r.i.c.ker," as he expressed it, that a Scout was pledged to do some one a good turn every day.

The next dance was Fred Tyson's, and when it ended they seated themselves in a corner of the hall to cool off, and as Nathalie fanned herself with a much bedraggled handkerchief, they hit upon a topic that proved most entertaining, and that was-college. Fred stated that he expected to go to Dartmouth in the fall and was therefore looking forward to it with much pleasure.

Nathalie, with sparkling eyes, told how she had dreamed and longed to go to college, and then the golden lights in her eyes shadowed as she said that since the death of her father she had decided to stop dreaming about what was impossible for her, and to do something worth while, so she had become a Pioneer.

"But don't you think it worth while to go to college?" was Fred's puzzled query, "for surely there is nothing that will help a girl more in life than to have-what is it-the higher education?"

"Yes, I know," a.s.sented his companion, "that is all right, but when one finds that they can't have a thing-no matter how big or grand it is, or how much they want it-if it is impossible, it ceases to be worth while; that is, why spend time lamenting, or thinking about something that can't be accomplished?"

"Why, you are a regular little philosopher!" laughed Fred. But Nathalie was not heeding, for suddenly looking across the room she perceived that the dancers had retired from the floor, all but the Pioneers, who were standing in two lines in the center of the room facing one another as if about to dance the Virginia Reel.

"Oh, what are they going to do?" she cried, but before her companion could answer Helen came running up.

"Come on, Nathalie, we are going to dance the Pioneer dance. It's lots of fun."

"But I don't know it," objected the girl. "I am not going to make a show of myself before all these boys."

"Oh, but you won't," urged Helen, "for you can be my partner, and I will tell you as we go along; and then its awfully simple, for we just go through the motions of pioneer handcraft-"

"Pioneer handcraft?" echoed Nathalie more puzzled than before.

"Yes, don't you remember what Mrs. Morrow told us about the handcrafts of the Pioneer women? Well, she made up this dance to make these crafts definite. Oh, come, it is easy!" In a moment, Nathalie's objection being overruled, she bade Fred good-by and was hurried by her partner to join one of the two lines on the floor.

Only a few explanations were necessary, and Nathalie, who was quick to learn, joined her voice to the girlish ones singing:

"Singing, ringing thro' the air Comes the song of Molly fair.

Milking, milking Crumple Horn Down in the barn at early dawn."

As the song ended, the closed right hand of every Girl Pioneer was held out in front, elbow bent upward. Then came three movements up and down in imitation of the act of churning. This was done three times, as in chorus came:

"Churning, turning, see it splash, This way, that way, with a dash."

As the next two lines rang out:

"Skimming skimming foamy white, Making the b.u.t.ter golden bright,"

the motions were changed to those of skimming milk, repeated three times as in the previous movement, the girls emphasizing the end of each movement by stamping the feet, using first one and then the other. They ended this last motion by each girl placing her hands on her hips and tripping in line with the others lightly down the room in time with the music and then back to place.

A second of time, and each dancer was making the motion of holding a baby in her encircled arms, and while swaying to and fro these words were softly crooned:

"Golden slumber kiss your eyes, Smiles awake you when you rise.