Natalie: A Garden Scout Part 22

"You will, never fear. Janet found her vocation the first day she was here," laughed Natalie.

Then Janet had to tell about her stock-raising, and her friends laughed heartily when they heard about the first night the piggies arrived at their new home.

"The chickens are doing fine! I had to keep them shut up in the yard to-day to get them thoroughly acquainted with their surroundings, so they won't run away," said Janet, but she did not say that they were kept locked up for fear they might wander over to the garden again and create more trouble.

"I should think you would have a cow and sell milk," suggested Belle laughingly.

"Cows cost a lot of money. I priced one of Ames's and when I heard the sum, I lost interest in milk," replied Janet, causing the girls to laugh at her explanation.

"But I am going to buy some ducks as soon as my new allowance is due.

There is plenty of water for them to swim in and ducks look so rural, don't you know," added she.

"But they are difficult to raise, Janet," said Mrs. James.

"Why? If you let them swim about and give them enough feed, what more can they want?"

"I don't know, but they take certain spells of sickness quicker than any other fowl and, in a day or two, the whole flock droops and dies off.

Geese are much easier to rear and bring better prices in the market, too."

"Oh, then I'll have geese. But I've heard they chase one, if they don't like you," said Janet.

"They wouldn't chase you if you fed them; and should they take it into their geese-heads to run anyone else out of the yard, it will be a warning for others to keep away."

The drizzle stopped after luncheon, so that the girls put on raincoats and oil-skin caps and started to visit the Scout camp. On the way, they visited Natalie's garden and extolled her work and patience that had brought forth such results.

Natalie beamed like a full moon at the deserved praise and explained how wonderful the vegetables were before the dastardly birds dug everything up.

"Yes, Nat, I know," remarked Belle. "It's almost like the wonderful fish one just missed catching, isn't it?"

Everyone laughed at this, even Natalie joining in at her own expense.

"Well, I don't care! They _would_ have been much better if they had not been interfered with," said she.

After leaving the garden, Natalie opened the subject of the Scout Patrol that would be an offshoot of Miss Mason's first Patrol. This would give both Patrols the opportunity to launch the Troop.

"Fine! How soon can we begin?" said Belle.

"Well talk it over with Miss Mason this afternoon. I haven't had time, yet, to tell her about the Greenville girls who agreed to join us, as Janet and I have had _so_ much to do since then," explained Natalie.

The girls were now near enough to the woodland to hear the sound of singing. Mrs. James held up a hand for silence and they stood and listened. It sounded very wonderful from the hillside where they were to hear the blending of soprano and alto voices in the national anthem "Our America." There was a martial impetus in the singing that spoke well for the patriotism of the Girl Scouts.

"What does Miss Mason call her Patrol, Nat?" asked Norma, as they resumed their way to the river.

"Now that you speak of it, Norma, I must confess that I never asked.

Isn't it funny that I never thought of it?" said Natalie.

"But we will ask now, and find out. Of course we will have to use the same name if Miss Mason has already chosen one for a Troop," said Janet.

The visitors reached the camp site and found the Scouts holding a council meeting. They had just finished the patriotic song and Miss Mason was opening the meeting by an address. The unexpected guests were invited to sit down on a huge log and hear the Leader's speech.

"The members of this Patrol know the reason for this council, but I will explain to the newcomers, too," said Miss Mason, turning to Mrs. James and the girls.

"We have decided to send to Headquarters in New York to ask to be enrolled as a Troop, now that we have had more than a year's experience with the organization. Because you girls wish to start another Patrol and unite with our Troop, we think it urgent to be registered and chartered by the National Headquarters, and be able to own a flag and choose a t.i.tle and crest for our use."

The visiting girls exchanged glances with each other, as the question just asked Natalie was about to be answered now. Miss Mason did not see their looks and proceeded with her explanation.

"We chose a name when first we started our Patrol but we have never registered it, and there was a question whether we would care to change it after a time. We called ourselves the 'Solomon's Seal Patrol' as having so much meaning to the name. We think that the reflected glory of Solomon's wisdom is better than none. So we have decided, now, to christen our Troop by that name. We will vote on this later. At present I wish to mention a few other points.

"I am now about to speak of a new Patrol, or new members, so it is fortunate that our visitors arrived in time to hear all I have to say.

"I suppose every girl present has a manual: 'Scouting for Girls'?"

Everyone nodded in the affirmative, and Miss Mason continued:

"Then you will read on page 44, that every girl who wishes to enroll as a Scout must be at least ten years old and must have attended meetings for a month, during which time she will have pa.s.sed her Tenderfoot Test.

During the first month she is known as a Candidate. When she knows the meaning of the Promise and the Laws, and is sure she understands the meaning of the oath she is about to take, and comprehends the meaning of 'Honor,' she is eligible to be a Tenderfoot.

"My Girl Scouts pa.s.sed the Tenderfoot cla.s.s last year, and then took the Second Cla.s.s Test, which was also pa.s.sed successfully by them. We are all ready to pa.s.s the First Cla.s.s Scout Test, except that each girl must present a Tenderfoot who has been trained by the candidate. This is our opportunity, as you girls all wish to be Scouts, and my girls can train you, thus giving them the privilege of being First Cla.s.s Scouts.

"I was going to speak of other things, but since our visitors' arrival, I wish Mrs. James to tell us how many girls she knows on whom we can count for the new Patrol." Miss Mason turned to Mrs. James and waited.

"Natalie knows more about the matter than I, Miss Mason, as she and Janet went about the Corners securing the candidates. Let her tell us about it," replied Mrs. James.

Natalie was called upon to address the audience and so she got up and spoke. "Janet and I called on Nancy Sherman and Hester Tompkins and secured their promise to join our Patrol as soon as we were ready for them. Then we went to Dorothy Ames's house and got her interested. With these girls"-Natalie waved her hand at the four girls sitting on the log,-"we will have eight applicants. Janet has a younger sister Helene, who is not twelve yet, so we are not sure whether we want her to belong to our Patrol. All of us girls are over twelve and it is more fun when girls are nearer an age. I've been thinking that Helene might start a Brownie Troop, a younger Patrol than ours. We might allow them to join us, later on."

As Natalie sat down, the girls of Solomon's Seal Patrol showed their delight at the progress made in the enlisting, and Miss Mason commended the two who had visited the girls of Four Corners and had interested them in the proposed plan.

"Mrs. James, have you thought of a Leader and Corporal for Natalie's new Patrol?" asked Miss Mason.

"I fear I am not well enough versed in scouting to take such a responsibility upon myself. I would prefer having you do it," responded Mrs. James.

"I'd rather not be any officer, Miss Mason," exclaimed Natalie, "because they always have to work while the others have a good time. I'll just be an every-day Scout."

The girls laughed, as there was more reason than rhyme in the statement.

But Miss Mason said: "There's always one girl in a group who has the knack of directing her companions. Such a girl ought to be an officer."

"Then, for goodness' sake, choose Janet for our manager," exclaimed Natalie. "She always runs us and everything concerned with us."

The Scouts laughed, and Miss Mason nodded her head. "I always thought as much, but you will confess, Natalie, that she makes a pretty good general, eh?"

Janet blushed with pleasure at the teacher's praise, and Natalie smiled: "Oh, _pretty_ good!" Then she grinned at her friend.

"Janet, will you act as Patrol Leader for your new Scouts?" asked Miss Mason, turning again to Janet.

"I will, if Natalie will be my Corporal," returned Janet.

"Seeing that there are only two members in our Patrol as yet, I can't see how I can get out of being either one or the other," laughed Natalie.

"Oh, but we will have more members shortly, and this office of Corporal must be considered as binding until a new election," explained Janet.