Blue Robin, the Girl Pioneer Part 38

Mrs. Morrow appeared at this moment with the announcement that it was nine o'clock, and according to camp rules all Pioneers were to be in bed by that hour, so the girls sounded a parting cheer and then hurried to their tents. The few who loitered, as if reluctant to leave their friends across the lake, heard an old-time good-night song with one or two variations in words that added to its charms ring out clearly:

"Good-night, campers, Good-night campers, Good-night campers, We're going to leave you now!

Merrily we roll along, roll along, roll along; Merrily we roll along, o'er the dark blue sea."

A few moments before six the next morning Nathalie opened her eyes, yawned drowsily, and then rolled over to see Helen staring at her from the opposite bed with wide-open eyes.

"Oh, I have had such a delicious sleep," she cried. "I don't believe I wakened from the time I touched the pillow. Helen, isn't it just too lovely up here in these woods? Did you hear that whippoorwill toot just after we got into bed? And these bough beds, aren't they the coziest-"

"Well, you'll get coziest with a vengeance, Blue Robin," was Helen's terse reply, "if you don't get into your bathing-suit-" Helen ended with a shrill scream as the bugle's blast sounded with startling clearness in the still morning air.

But Nathalie was already half-way into her suit. The last b.u.t.ton was caught. "There, I'm ready before you, Miss Poke!" she taunted gleefully, as the second call sounded. The two girls tripped lightly across the open s.p.a.ce in front of the tents thickly strewn with pine needles and thus on down to the boathouse pier.

Just a moment and a slim figure was seen leaping through the air, then Nathalie arose like a mermaid from the sea, blowing and puffing the water from her mouth as she floated for a moment on her back and swam gracefully back to the bank. As she reached shallow water she stood up and waved her hand to a group of shivering ones on the bank crying, "Oh, come on, kiddies!

"Sure, it's cold!" she nodded to a faint remonstrance from a timorous one, "but you'll get heated if you'll take the plunge!"

Out from her dip, with the wish that it could have been longer, she hurried to her tent; after a rub came the dressing, the picking up of her clothes, the putting her bed to air, and then the call for breakfast.

After this meal came the event of the day, the naming of the camp, the tents, and the boats. Camp duties were soon disposed of and then there was a general stampede to Mrs. Morrow's bungalow, where the Sport, as chairman of this committee, stood waving the Stars and Stripes on the roof of the veranda.

A cheer arose a few moments later when its bright colors fluttered gently to and fro in the morning wind from the flag staff that had been hoisted over the Director's abiding-place, and the girls, quickly forming in line, gave the flag salute. The Star Spangled Banner was then sung with a heartiness that found its echo in the woods, the very leaves on the trees seeming to rustle in reverence to the country's honored emblem.

The campers now gathered before Mrs. Van Vorst's bungalow, where, from a high flagstaff erected by Peter, a white flag fluttered gracefully to the breezes, disclosing in red letters the words, "Camp Laff-a-Lot."

Beneath this flag curled a smaller one, also white, bearing in blue letters, "The Girl Pioneers of America."

Some one was just about to mount a ladder placed against the flagstaff when Nathalie, with sudden thought, turned and whispered to Mrs. Morrow, who immediately signaled to Helen. Helen nodded as she listened to her Director, and then stepping forward stood before Nita who, with her mother and Ellen, was a joyful spectator of this camp demonstration. A sudden look of delight overspread her face as she heard what Helen had to say, and then after a hurried a.s.sent from Mrs. Van Vorst, Nita with the help of Peter had mounted the ladder, holding a bottle of water in her hand.

A swing of the bottle, a crash of gla.s.s, a stream of water trickling down the pole, and Nita in a voice somewhat faint at first, but that grew louder as she caught Nathalie's eye, cried, "Summer camp of the Girl Pioneers of America, I name thee, Camp Laff-a-Lot!" Wild bursts of applause now broke forth, even Ellen and Peter doing their share, the former tearing off her ap.r.o.n and flapping it vigorously, while the latter brandished his hat hilariously, stopping every moment or so to rub the back of his hand across his eyes. "Sure," as he afterwards confessed to Nathalie, "it was enough to make any one weep with joy to see Miss Nita spilling all over with happiness!"

As the Pioneers hastened to the boat-house they saw a diminutive figure standing on the top of its little square cupola. With many flourishes of her bottle Carol-who had been elected to this honor-chimed jubilantly, "Boat-house, in memory of the ship that crossed the unknown sea to carry the founders of this nation to its sh.o.r.es, I now name thee, 'The Mayflower'!"

And so the naming continued, the little log summer-house being honored by the name of Ann Burras, a pioneer of the Jamestown colony, known as the first white bride in America. The tent loaned by Mrs. Van Vorst was dubbed "The Three Guardian Angels," in appreciation of the services of Ann Drummond, Sarah Cottin, and Mrs. Cheisman, also of the Jamestown company, sometimes known as "The White Ap.r.o.n Brigade," as during the Bacon rebellion they were placed in front of a trench where Bacon's men were digging, to prevent Governor Berkeley from firing on the Fort.

The "Grub House" was to be known as the "Common House," a most appropriate name, the campers declared, as it contained their food and ammunition, just as the little log hut known by that name held the necessities to sustain and defend the lives of the Pilgrims in the Plymouth settlement.

The doctor's army tent was named the "Three Margarets," to honor Margaret Brent of Maryland, the first woman suffragist, Margaret Draper, the first woman to publish a newspaper, and Margaret Duncan, the first of her s.e.x in the new world to engage in mercantile life. Helen and Nathalie's tent was to be known as the "Two Anns," out of respect to Ann Hutchinson, the first club woman, and Ann Bradstreet, the first American poetess.

The boats were quickly honored with the names _Priscilla_, _Mary Chilton_, _Annetje Jans_, and _Polly Prevoorst_, while shady retreats, lofty trees, and rocky coves were named anew to do homage to those women who helped their good sires build the foundation of this great Republic, by being faithful, enduring wives and mothers.

At eleven o'clock the girls a.s.sembled on the sh.o.r.es of the Lake for a life-saving drill. Forming in line at a given signal, each girl quickly unfastened her red necktie, and turning swiftly to the right tied one end of it in a square knot to her neighbor's. This red life-line was then thrown to the sinker-as the girls dubbed Edith, who was playing the part of the person drowning. She hurriedly grabbed this necktie rope and was drawn ash.o.r.e by her comrades.

The girls found that this drill not only made them keen and alert, training them to keep cool heads, but helped to give them reliance as well as courage, and-heaps of fun.

The bathers were now lined up for a swimming contest, each girl at the toot of the horn making a wild dash for the water, and swimming out as far as she could to the stake-boat, manned by the doctor, anch.o.r.ed some distance from sh.o.r.e. This contest was to determine not only who could swim, and the best swimmers, but those who had the greatest amount of strength and endurance, who would be able to train others not so competent.

Nathalie, who had spent a number of summers at a seaside resort and therefore was at home in the water, found to her surprise that she, Helen, and Edith were the three best swimmers of the campers. This was as much of a surprise to her as to the Pioneers, for, supposing that she was a swimmer of only average skill, she had never even told that she could swim.

Drills and contests being over, the girls were allowed to do as they liked, and so were soon gambolling about in the water, having the merriest time running races in the more shallow water, ducking one another, or teaching some more timid one to swim or dive.

Nathalie and Helen had rowed out some distance from sh.o.r.e and were practicing diving by jumping from the boat. "Now!" Helen would shout as they stood poised in the center, "One! Two! Three!" The next instant there would be a flash of pointed hands, a sweep of blue bathing-suits-like bluebirds skimming through the air-a splash, and then first one head would appear and then the other, each one blowing and puffing water from her eyes and nose like a porpoise.

"O dear," exclaimed Nathalie suddenly as the two girls sat sunning themselves in the boat, "here comes the Sport. I wonder what she is up to now!"

But it was all in a morning's fun, and the three girls were soon having fine sport as a diving team of three. Tired at last, they settled for a short rest, Helen and Nathalie laughing merrily as they watched Lillie Bell trying to induce Carol to do something more than wet her feet.

Suddenly there came a shove, and a second later the two girls went splashing head-foremost into the water!

A few moments and they bobbed up, not at all serenely, as they sputtered and gasped, struggling to eject the water from eyes and noses. Helen, seeing Edith disporting herself some distance away, demanded with flashing eyes, "What did you do that for?" while Nathalie, whose cheeks were sea pink, sputtered between gasps, "Edith, I think you are just as mean as you can be!"

But the Sport was off, waving her hand at them derisively as she swam rapidly towards sh.o.r.e. The girls by this time had righted their c.o.c.kle-sh.e.l.l, which they found floating right side up with the tide, and after clambering in Helen grabbed the oars, exclaiming wrathfully, "Oh, how I would like to get even with her for that!"

"So would I!" echoed her friend. "It does seem as if the imp himself was in that girl sometimes. But wait, I'll get one on her yet, see if I don't."

Full of the ozone of the forest and animated by that spirit of exploration that always inspires one in a new place, directly after lunch the Pioneers with staffs, knapsacks, and note-books, lined up for an afternoon tramp. To vary the adventure it had been decided to name it a salmagundi hike, which meant a tramp of observation, each girl aiming to see how many things she could observe, birds, animals, flowers, or leaves, in fact, anything that was to be seen in the field or woods.

Nathalie had prepared for the expedition in glad antic.i.p.ation, being particularly anxious to get in touch with so many things that she lacked of nature's many lores, but when she caught sight of the disappointed face of Nita, who was not, as yet, equal to a hike her spirits sank to zero.

Somehow her conscience would not be downed as it urged her to atone in some way to Nita for the many things that she was forced to be deprived of in her young girlhood. "No, I do not believe it is my place to stay with her," argued Nathalie's naughty self, "for I have already given up a great deal of time and fun in qualifying her to become a Pioneer. And then if I once begin by staying with her she will want me to remain all the time, and I shall never have a bit of fun."

But after a short inward struggle Nathalie pleaded that she was tired, and declared she was going to remain at home and have a good cozy chat with Nita.

The joy that shown on Nita's face at this declaration compensated her for her sacrifice, and she was just trying to think what she could do to make the time pa.s.s pleasantly for the girl when a sudden loud shout sounded from the woods. Before the girls could question as to what it was a chorus of boyish voices were heard shouting:

"Ready! Ready! Scout! Scout! Scout!

Good turn daily. Shout! Shout! Shout!"

For one moment the girls stared in dazed amazement, why-oh! that was the salute call of the Westport Scouts! But all thought came to an end a minute later as a troop of boys in brown suddenly appeared at a bend of the road leading from the woods. As they spied the Pioneers they broke into wild shouts and whistles, energetically waving handkerchiefs, staffs, anything they could muster, while the foremost one, no other than Dr. Homer, twirled his hat over his head hilariously.

In a few moments the scout mystery was solved as the girls stood surrounded by the Eagle Patrol of Westport, every one talking eagerly, some telling how they came to be there, while others were having great sport as they teased the girls about how nicely they had fooled them. It soon developed that the doctor and his wife were in the secret; in fact, Mrs. Morrow said that the doctor had chuckled so when he saw how mystified the girls were when they heard the calls from across the Lake, that she feared he would spring the surprise before it was time.

Yes, the scouts of Westport, who had been thinking of a three weeks'

tramp in some place not too far from the city, after hearing how Mrs.

Van Vorst had invited the Pioneers to camp at Eagle Lake, had gone to that lady, and after due inquiries had made their plans to camp at the same time as the girls, only on the opposite sh.o.r.e of the Lake.

Finding that the girls were bound for a tramp, the scouts, through Dr.

Homer, begged permission to accompany them. The girls quickly gave their a.s.sent, and in a short s.p.a.ce the hikers set out for a survey of the land, all but Fred Tyson, who lingered at Nathalie's side as if waiting for her to join them.

Seeing, however, that Nathalie made no attempt to follow the others, he asked with puzzled eyes, "What's the matter, Miss Blue Robin, aren't you going to hike?"

Nathalie choked for a moment, then gaining control of her emotions, with an attempt at a smile returned, "Why, no, I'm tired, you know we have been working awfully hard ever since we came-getting the camp in shape-"

she had caught a glimpse of Nita's keen eyes-"so I thought I'd just stay at home and rest with Nita. You know, she can't stand a long walk." This was said in a lower tone.

Fred's face showed disappointment, and then he cried boyishly, "Oh, I say, Miss Nathalie, you'll miss all the fun!" Then, as if half suspecting what might be the cause of Nathalie's staying at home, he said, "As for Miss Nita, if she wants to come with us we'll fix it so she won't have to walk a step!"

Putting his fingers to his mouth he emitted a sharp whistle, which two scouts lagging in the rear heard and immediately turned about and retraced their steps. "Here," continued Fred, "you fellows improvise a stretcher to carry Miss Nita so she can hike with us!"

Nita's eyes began to gleam, but Mrs. Van Vorst approaching from the other end of the veranda at this moment, and hearing of the proposed plan of navigation, demurred, thanking the boys most graciously for their kindness, but declining to let Nita go, claiming that it would be too much for her that warm day.

Fred, thus forced to be content, after a lingering look of regret raised his cap and then hurriedly joined the party who were already disappearing in the winding path of the woods.