Blue Robin, the Girl Pioneer Part 27

"To Nathalie, my faithful little nurse and helper.

"Lucille."

"O dear!" said the girl with a shamed glance into the faces surrounding her, "I will never again say that Lucille is cross-oh, she is a duck of a dear! It is the very thing I want, too. Now I shall not be the only Pioneer without a uniform. I must run and tell Helen!" In another moment she was racing with mad speed across the lawn, the uniform bulging out of the half-opened box in her arms.

In a short s.p.a.ce she came speeding back, crying, "Oh, Mother, where is Lucille? I must go and thank her this very minute!"

"Up in her room, I think," spoke up d.i.c.k, but Nathalie was already half-way up the stairs.

"Lucille, it was just too lovely of you to think of me this way!" cried the girl rapturously; and then before Lucille realized what was going to happen, she was receiving a hug that threatened to demolish her entirely. "There, Nathalie Page," she cried, "that's more than enough; please leave just a wee bit of me, I'll take your thanks for granted."

"No, you won't!" persisted Nathalie with another hug. "I'm here to give them to you in person." She loosened her hold so her cousin could breathe and then began to kiss her softly on the cheek. "Oh, but, Lucille, it was lovely of you to think of it," she ended as she finally freed her cousin, who ruefully began to twist up a few stray locks that had been pulled down in the hugging process.

"Oh, pshaw, I don't want any thanks," Lucille responded as she finished tucking up her hair. "As long as you are pleased, it's all right."

"But I'm serious, Lucille, for you have heaped coals of fire on my head, I'll have to 'fess that I was not a bit pleasant about waiting on you, because, you see, I had so much to see to with the Pioneer Stunts, the work, and everything, and then-"

"And then," mimicked Lucille with a mischievous glint in her eyes, "I'm an awful cross patient; is that it? But it's all right, Nat, turn about is fair play, and if you had felt as badly as I did those few days, to miss it all, the antic.i.p.ated good times at Bessie's, well, you would have been cross, too."

"Oh, I know it, and I was worse than you were, for I should have possessed my soul in patience, but it was perfectly dear of you to give me the uniform, and then to be so nice about it."

"Well, I'm glad I'm nice," teased her cousin, "but run along, child, for I have about forty-seven letters to get off by this mail."

And Nathalie, with a heart brimful of joy at the many surprises of the day, was very glad to hurry away and talk matters over with her mother.

"What shall I talk to Nita about?" she lamented the next morning as she flew hither and thither, getting her work done in a jiffy so that she could reach the gray house by ten-thirty, the hour set for the talk with the princess, as Nathalie delighted to call her.

"Mother, can't you suggest something?" she asked dolefully as she stooped to kiss her mother good-by. "I do feel that it will not be right for me to take money for just chattering nonsense, and Nita won't let me tell her stories."

"Well, it does seem as if it was undue extravagance, but still, if Mrs.

Van Vorst thinks you are worth paying in order to help make her child's life more enjoyable, it seems to me I should not worry about it."

"Yes, I know, but if I could only tell her stories," rejoined the girl, "perhaps I could help her more, for I could make my stories instructive, about nature, history, or-"

"That is true," was the answer. And then, as if reminded by the word history, she said, "Why not tell her stories about the Pioneer women?

You say she is so interested in the Girl Pioneers. In that way you could teach her American history."

"Oh, Mumsie, you are a dear," cried elated Nathalie. "That is just the thing, how stupid I was not to think of it! I will stop at the library on my way home this afternoon. What a help it will be to me, too, for we are going to have a f.a.got party, sort of a good-by to Louise Gaynor.

Gloriana! I won't have any reading to do for that, for I'll be posted from my talks with Nita." Then she was off down the walk on her "way to business," as she laughingly told her mother.

"Oh, tell me all about the Pioneer Stunts!" exclaimed the princess as Nathalie settled herself for a cozy chat after her cheery greeting to her new pupil. Nita's eyes were sparkling expectantly, and the antic.i.p.ated chat with her new friend had brought a tinge of color to her usually pale face.

"We have not had that as yet; it is to take place to-morrow night-oh, I'll tell you all about it," was the reply. And then, as Mrs. Van Vorst entered the room with a pleasant good morning, Nathalie demanded, "Do you not want me to tell stories to Nita?"

"That is for Nita to decide," was the careless rejoinder. "I have asked you here to please my daughter, and if she wants you here just to talk, why, talk away."

"But I feel as if I ought to instruct her in some way," demurred Nathalie.

"Do not worry," returned Mrs. Van Vorst. "You will be worth all you earn if you only succeed in making Nita happy for two hours, and give her something to look forward to when you are not here. Of course, if you could get something informative in once in a while, it would do good, no doubt."

"I don't want any stories," interrupted Miss Nita petulantly. "Miss St.i.tt used to tell me stories by the yard and I have hated them ever since."

Nathalie made no reply; she was thinking how she could slip in a bit of information without Nita's realizing it. "Oh, I will tell you about the flag drill!" she cried with sudden thought.

"Yes, do," acquiesced Nita, readily falling into the trap. "I want to know just everything about it."

"Well, you shall," promptly returned her delighted teacher, and forthwith she set to define the meaning of the word liberty. "You know, Nita, when the Pilgrims and Puritans settled America they came here to build homes where they could have liberty of conscience, speech, and action. Of course, you know all about how these first little settlements grew, until there were thirteen of them that bade fair to become very populous and wealthy. Well, the King of England, fearing perhaps that they would grow into a great nation and take power from him, began to deprive them of some of their rights and privileges.

"The people for a time submitted, but as his tyranny increased they began to feel greatly depressed, for it looked as if the liberty that they had been enjoying in the new land was going to be taken away from them, and that they were going to be chained like slaves.

"Now the first scene in the flag drill represents liberty-as the G.o.ddess of course-lamenting that if she can live only at the price of slavery, she would rather die. So we see her walking up and down the platform repeating in great agitation the famous words of Patrick Henry, 'Give me Liberty, or give me death!'

"Just at this moment music is heard, and the Daughters of Liberty enter-"

"The Daughters of Liberty-who are they?"

"Why, don't you know that when King George tried to impose the Stamp Act on the colonists they rebelled, and there was a great time. Bands of men were organized all over the country, who called themselves the Sons of Liberty, and refused to accept the Stamp Act, and-"

"Oh, yes, I know all that," cried Nita impatiently, "but what did they have to do with these girls who are to be in the Flag Drill?"

"Just you wait and you'll see," replied Nathalie somewhat abashed by this practical question. "Well, these little patriotic bands acted like a whirlwind of fire, spreading patriotism-the determination not to submit to the king's tyranny-all over the land, so that King George was defeated for a time at least."

"Oh, yes, I know all about him," was the reply, "Miss St.i.tt just doted on history, and she drilled me in American history until I just hated it."

"In 1776," continued the Story Lady, "seventeen young girls met in Providence at the house of Deacon Bowen, and formed themselves into one of these Liberty Bands, only you see they were just girls like you and me. They were very industrious and spun all day making homespun clothes, for they had resolved that they would not wear any more clothes that had been manufactured in England.

"It is claimed that the clothes worn by the first president of Brown University in Providence, and the graduating cla.s.s, too, on Commencement Day were garments made by these girls. These young girls not only vowed that they would not drink tea, because you see, it all had to come from the mother country, but they would have nothing to do with any young men who were not as patriotic as they were, and who were not willing to follow their example. These bands of girls were formed all through the colonies and became known as 'The Daughters of Liberty.'"

"Oh, now I know, but do hurry and tell me what they did to the G.o.ddess of Liberty!"

"Well, in our Flag Drill music is heard; then the Daughters of Liberty appear on the platform,-there are to be thirteen of them, to represent the thirteen states,-all carrying banners."

"What kind of banners?" burst from Nathalie's auditor impatiently.

"All kinds," was the answer. "You know, the first flag used in this country was the English one, with the red cross of St. George; that was the flag carried by the _Mayflower_. After a while it was used only for special occasions, for the Red Ensign of Great Britain took its place.

But as time wore on, each little State came to have its own flag or banner, so that when the Revolution came these State banners became known as liberty banners.

"Some of them were very quaint and grotesque, with strange emblems and designs-some had rattlesnakes or pine-trees-and queer inscriptions. A flag from South Carolina had a silver crescent on it; another from New York had a beaver; troops from Rhode Island floated a white ensign with a blue anchor; while the New England flag bore a pine tree. But to go back to the Daughters; as they march on the platform they form a half-circle before the G.o.ddess, who has retired to her throne, a chair draped with red. In her hand she carries a green branch,-no, don't ask me why, for you will know when you hear the girls sing the 'Liberty Tree.'

"When they finish singing, each girl in turn steps before the G.o.ddess and tells the story of her flag, until a story has been told about each of the thirteen flags. Of course, there were a number of these liberty banners, but we use only thirteen of them.

"There! I said I would not tell you any more today, and I'm not going to. Oh, did I tell you that I told Mrs. Morrow about your mother consenting to let us have your lawn? She is perfectly delighted, and at the next Rally the scribe will write a note to your mother for the Pioneers, thanking her for her offer."

And then-Nathalie could not remember what started the conversation in this channel-she was telling about her brother d.i.c.k and his operation, while Nita listened with big sympathetic eyes, for somehow she was very much interested in this invalid brother of Nathalie's.

"You see, it is this way," rattled on Nathalie. "d.i.c.k must have the operation as soon as possible-and-as it happens-well, you know Mother's income is limited since Father died and we have had to retrench a great deal. Then to make matters worse, just at the present time some bonds that Mother owns are not paying any interest and we feel dreadfully about it, all on account of d.i.c.k. So we are all trying to be as economical as possible; Dorothy and I have a little bank, and every odd nickel we can scare up we drop it in, and oh! the money your mother is going to give me for talking to you, why, that's going in the bank, too!

Dorothy and I sometimes wish that some magic fairy would come along and turn those stray cents and nickels into gold dollars, but there, I should think your head would ache, my tongue has galloped so hard and fast." She paused, and with a merry laugh cried, "I should not wonder if after a while your mother paid me not to come and talk to you, for you will get so tired of me."

"Indeed I won't!" a.s.serted the princess stoutly as she threw up her arms. There was a mutual hug and then Nathalie was off, for she had to get dinner and it would take her at least ten minutes to walk home.