Natalie: A Garden Scout Part 4

"Where is he? I want to thank him, Rachel!" cried Natalie, grat.i.tude uppermost in her thought just then.

"You won't have far to go to find me," laughed a genial voice, and everyone turned to see Mr. Marvin standing behind them.

Then followed a visit indoors, with Mr. Marvin acting as guide from attic to cellar, and his party stringing out behind. Some loitered in a room, and then ran to catch up with the main guard. Or some lingered to admire a view or interesting object in the house, and hurried after the others later, for fear of missing something worth while.

The main hall ran from front to rear of the house, cutting it in half.

On one side of the wide hallway was a "front parlor," and back of it the back-parlor, or "settin'-room," as the farmers called it. Across the hall was the dining-room and pantry, and leading from the pantry was the kitchen. These rooms were so s.p.a.cious that Janet laughingly remarked: "Our entire apartment would go in one room."

"Look at the wonderful fireplaces!" exclaimed Belle.

"My! One can throw a log three feet long on the fire and not strike either side of the chimney," added Frances.

"Girls! Just see the funny little cupboards built in on each side of the chimney-facing," called Norma, opening one of the panels that fitted snugly to the bricks.

Everyone called attention to a different discovery. Janet laughed at the small wavy-gla.s.s window panes, that twisted the scene outdoors into grotesque views. Natalie marvelled at the great dark beams overhead that were not only hand-hewn from the timber, but also hand-planed. Mr.

Marvin drew attention to the wooden pegs used in the corners of these beams, and the crude nails that a Colonial blacksmith had beaten into a form that could be used by the home-builder of the house.

"It is all so wonderful, Natalie, it seems like a dream!" exclaimed Miss Mason, delighted beyond words.

"Look at the heavy planks in the floors!" said Belle.

"Yes, even the wood in the floors is hand-sawn and smoothed down by hand and sandpaper. These floors will _never_ wear out," said Mr. Marvin.

"Such a room ought to have sand on the floor instead of carpet. Picture this old house furnished, attic to parlor, in strictly old-time style, low wooden beds, high-boys, clothes-presses, and patchwork quilts adorning the foot of the beds; in the front hall, a small stand to hold the hand-dipped candles and sticks; a few braided mats in the 'company room' and in the hall, but not in the other rooms; and sand,-glistening white sand,-sprinkled over these floors every few days, and then washed out when the dust demands it."

As Miss Mason pictured the scene of the interior after the old Revolutionary period, everyone saw how lovely such a plan would be. When they followed Mr. Marvin up-stairs and saw the extensive view from the landing of the stairs, Mrs. James said: "Here we must have a seat, so one can sit and study the lovely, peaceful scene that stretches away over the hills."

The second floor had been divided into six rooms, with ample closet s.p.a.ce in each. A modern bathroom had been installed a few years before by the tenant who had agreed to make all improvements and repairs at his own expense.

"Why! These bedrooms have electric lights in them!" exclaimed Natalie, thus drawing attention to the drop-lights.

"I didn't see any down-stairs," said Mrs. James.

"Did anyone think to look for them?" asked Miss Mason.

"No, we were all trying to see your old homestead with hand-dipped candles. The light they gave us was so dim we had no way of seeing the electric lights," laughed Natalie.

"I'm going down-stairs this minute, and a.s.sure myself if there are any,"

declared Miss Mason.

"No one would have them up-stairs and not have them on the first floor,"

said Mr. Marvin.

While the others went to the attic to revel in a real old-time spot, Miss Mason went down to the first-floor rooms to hunt for electricity.

To her astonishment she found how cleverly the late tenant had arranged it. That he had a keen appreciation of the house was evident in many ways, but in none so plainly as in the lighting.

On top of each old-fashioned wooden mantel that crowned the fireplaces, at the end of each mantel-board shelf, Miss Mason found the plug for an electric fixture sunken on a level with the wood of the shelf. And on each side of the door opposite the fireplace, she found that the old-fashioned candlestick fixtures that had been admired as genuine Colonial bits, had been wired and were ready for a bulb. Also she discovered that a wall-plug was cleverly set in the high base-boards on either side of the room. From these one could run the wire for a table lamp, or a floor lamp, as preferred.

She hastened up-stairs to tell the others about it, but when she reached the second floor, such shouts of delight came from the attic, she could not resist the curiosity to go up.

"Miss Mason! Miss Mason!" shouted Natalie, the moment she saw the teacher's head appear above the stairway. "Just see what we found!"

"The very old pieces that Natalie's grandmother used!" added Belle, pulling Miss Mason across the floor.

"Isn't it all like a fairy tale, Miss Mason?" laughed Janet, eagerly clasping her hands in her excitement.

Mrs. James and Mr. Marvin were dragging great heavy pieces of mahogany from under the eaves, and the several objects already brought to view were being dusted, duly examined and admired by the young girls.

Miss Mason saw one fine old high-boy and another old low-boy. The foot-boards of three mahogany beds were already out on the floor, and the two discoverers were working hard to pull out the other sections of the beds. Miss Mason immediately went to work to bring to light some old rush-bottomed chairs which were so covered with cobwebs and dust that one could scarcely see them under the dark eaves.

When lack of breath caused the three eager workers to desist and rest for a short time, an inventory was made. Natalie joyously called out the items while Mr. Marvin wrote them down.

"Two low-boys; three high-boys; one side-board; five dining-room chairs with haircloth covered seats; one round extension table; nine odd chairs with rush-bottoms; four wash-stands of mahogany, with basin-holes and under-shelf for ewer of water; four complete mahogany fourposter beds, with rope webbing for springs; one damaged four-poster bed; box of old candle-sticks, and snuffers, etc."

"To think that this wonderful old collection of Colonial furniture was here all these years and the tenants never took them, or used them!"

exclaimed Janet.

"That goes to show how honest they were," added Norma.

"The finding of this old family furniture certainly is opportune,"

remarked Mr. Marvin. "With these pieces as a start, you can add to the collection from time to time. I should advise you to keep only such pieces from the city home, Natalie, as will harmonize with old Colonial things. Also retain any intimate objects, but sell all the rest that is only suitable for New York apartments."

As they all went down-stairs again, Miss Mason remembered the electric fixtures in the rooms on the first floor.

When she told of the admirable manner in which the wires had been run to bring out the best results, in keeping with the type of room, Mrs. James was surprised.

"I would never have thought a farmer had enough educated judgment to do it. It only proves how we _mis_-judge them by considering a farmer an ignorant individual who does nothing but grub on his farm."

"Mos' time you-all come down f'om dat garret. I done call an' _call_, 'til my lungs bust open. My goodness! dat fine lunch mos' spiled, now!"

Rachel stood at the foot of the old stairs, glowering up at the delinquents who had never heard a sound from her while they were in the attic.

"Oh, Rachel! We found the loveliest things up in the attic! Just think, Rachie, my very own great-grandmother's mahogany furniture was tucked away under the dark eaves, and Jimmy found it!" cried Natalie, catching hold of Rachel's fat hands and shaking them excitedly.

"Is dat so, Honey?" gasped Rachel, forgetting all about the luncheon and the tardy guests.

"Uh-huh! And we are going to keep everything in the old house strictly Colonial, so it will look like a picture," said Natalie, leading the way to the side verandah where the luncheon had been spread upon newspaper.

Everyone was hungry and Rachel's viands were always tempting, so full justice was done the sandwiches and other good things provided. Rachel bustled about with importance, as she waited on her "chillun" and insisted upon Mr. Marvin having a third cup of tea. Had she but known the truth-he never took tea in the city, but dearly liked strong black coffee after a meal.

"Now you-all kin clar out and see th' fahm whiles I do up the leavin's f'om lunch. Run down an' see d' riber an' what fine woods we got acrost d' paster-lot. You'll fin' plenty to see an' keep you busy 'til I finishes cleanin' up," said Rachel.

Miss Mason was intensely interested in the woods that formed a boundary of the property along the riverside for a long stretch. Mrs. James understood her interest, but no one else had been taken into the teacher's confidence. She wished to see possibilities before she spoke of the Patrol of Girl Scouts who were looking for a camp-site.

However, she found everything so desirable that she soon engaged Mr.

Marvin in a talk that ended with her having rented a section of woodland for the summer, at a nominal price. She was to give Natalie and her friends certain lessons in scouting and take them on the hikes with the Scouts when they all studied birds, beasts, and other Nature-lore, as part of the consideration.

It was past three o'clock before the inspectors were ready to start back home. Rachel had been sitting on the door-step of the s.p.a.cious kitchen for a long time before she spied them coming across the fields from the stream.

"Ef you-all 'specks to get back home in time fer dinner, we's got to get a hustle on, 's all I say!" grumbled she.