The Woodcraft Girls in the City Part 37

Miss Miller had them take up knitting for the soldiers and required them to do a certain stint every day. They also completed the bead bandings for their ceremonial costumes. Nita loaned the Guide the pattern for a dancing costume and each girl cut out, fitted, and made, of cheap cotton crepe bloomers, blouse, and skirt for dancing.

Besides designing belts, banding, and costumes, the girls began regular weekly lessons with Elizabeth as teacher, in sketching and designing.

Elizabeth attended a New York School of Design and could tell the girls whatever she had learned. Many pretty patterns in cross-st.i.tch and other work were thus made and applied to use.

[Ill.u.s.tration: _ZAN'S CEREMONIAL COSTUME._]

"I'm going to ask Dad to send me to school next Winter," declared Jane, who enjoyed the work immensely.

"And Elena, Nita, and May ought to go, too," added Miss Miller, admiring the dainty work done by these girls.

One afternoon the Guide said: "Girls, have any of you entered blue prints in your Tally Books?"

No one had, so she added: "Just as soon as Spring comes with its first flowers, I want you to start a blue print alb.u.m. I think it is one of the most interesting and instructive of pursuits. I have a book that I completed during a trip through the Canadian Northwest, and I wouldn't sell those blue prints for any price-they are so beautiful and the wild flowers so interesting."

The Sat.u.r.days during November were spent in New York, the Guide taking the girls to the splendid public libraries; lectures ill.u.s.trated with motion pictures were given by white men who had spent many years with the Indians; and the unusual series of talks given at the Museum on Central Park West and 79th Street proved most interesting. Here also the Woodcrafters saw life-sized groups of Indians in wax, the individual costumes and customs of each Tribe being faithfully depicted by the clothes, items of camping outfits, and other things. In these exhibitions the girls found many suggestions that they could apply to pottery work, bead work, and other things pertaining to Indian life.

One afternoon, while visiting the large library on the corner of Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street, Miss Miller said: "Who knows where the first public library was founded-and when?"

No one knew, so the Guide told them.

"The first on record-there may have been private collections then as now, but it was not recorded-was founded at Athens by Hipparchus in 526 B. C.

"The second of note was founded at Alexandria by Ptolemy Philadelphus, but it was burnt when Julius Caesar set fire to Alexandria in 47 B. C.

It is said that 400,000 rare and valuable books were destroyed in that disaster.

"A second library was formed from the remains of the books in this first one, and this second was reputed to have held over 700,000 volumes, but this was captured by the Saracens who used the books for fuel instead of working to gather wood.

"In 1446 A. D. the next large library was formed and from that time on collections of important books were made and offered to the public for free use."

Such comments by Miss Miller always made the visits to public buildings very interesting to the girls, who acquired a general knowledge of things worth knowing in this manner.

One Sat.u.r.day before the weather was too cold, they all went to Bedloe's Island, now renamed Liberty Island, in New York Harbour. Here they climbed the endless round of narrow iron steps until they regretted having started the ascent. But there was no turning back, as the descent was on the other side and no one could go down when once started up.

Having wearily climbed to the crown of the head in the Liberty G.o.ddess Statue, they were disappointed at not finding the view any better than that seen from the balcony where the elevator stopped, but which was wonderful from that vantage point. From the Statue they walked about the Island and then took the small boat back to Battery Park.

The Aquarium was visited next, and here the girls found many odd and interesting fish. One funny fish, grey in colour and about fifteen inches in length, kept b.u.mping his nose against the gla.s.s side as if to come through. At each b.u.mp he slid back in the water and tried again.

"'Constant dripping wears the rock away,'" said Zan, watching him come back again and again to strike the gla.s.s.

"He is only playing tag with his nose," explained Jane.

"But why should he always keep his mouth open half-way, as if he had difficulty in breathing?" asked Nita.

"Maybe he has-that constant b.u.mping on his nose will cause a swelling and close up the nostrils," ventured Elena.

"Oh, I have it!" cried Zan, nodding her head vigourously. "The poor thing has asthma from that damp atmosphere! He gasps through his open mouth and tries to break down the screen of gla.s.s to get more air!"

This explanation brought a laugh not only from the girls who crowded about the gla.s.s case, but from some observers who also stood watching the queer fish.

Just before Thanksgiving, Mrs. Remington invited Wickeecheokee Band to spend the week-end in camp in the woods back of the house. Fred's Tribe would also camp there, and it was thought a good time to hold contests between the boys and the girls.

The girls hailed the treat with many varied expressions, but the days immediately preceding the Holidays grew so cold that most mothers objected to having the girls sleep out in the open.

"They can camp in the Council House," said Mrs. Remington over the telephone, when Miss Miller told her of the trouble.

"Oh, yes, yes!" cried everyone at that.

Beaded Ceremonial Costumes were finished but had not yet had an opportunity to be worn, so these were packed in the suit-cases with head-bands, moccasins, _coup_-sticks, and many other fine articles of Indian costume.

Wednesday was a beautiful day but so cold that Dr. Baker said he was relieved to know the girls would be in the Council House at night. The boys refused to be so molly-coddled, they averred, and so they camped out in the woods. However, Mrs. Remington whispered to the girls the next morning that Fred had made use of two Sibley stoves brought from Maine for camp use.

"There will be skating on the lake if we have another day and night of this cold," said Mr. Remington, rubbing his ears to keep up the circulation as he stood in front of the Council House early Thursday morning.

"I say, girls! Want your picture took? Get into your robes and pose out in the sun, if you do!" shouted Elizabeth, from the porch of the house.

It did not take long for the Woodcrafters to change to their Woodcraft costumes and when they ran over to the group of pine trees where Elizabeth stood waiting, they found the boys had decorated the place with totems, shields, and _coup_-sticks to create a genuine Woodcraft atmosphere.

Zan's costume, with its picturisation of the camp on the farm, was p.r.o.nounced the handsomest of all, although Elena's ran a close second.

So these two girls were selected for individual pictures which could be used in the Tally Book of the Tribe. Zan held Elizabeth's _coup_-stick, her own only having a few feathers on it, and the former being well-decorated by marks of achievement, for Elizabeth was a zealous Woodcrafter.

Thanksgiving dinner was not to be served until four that afternoon, and it was only ten when many of the campers began to wish it was late afternoon. Mrs. Remington was a perfect hostess and, having five healthy children, she suspected the gnawings under many belts. Hence her next suggestion:

"Fred, why don't you boys invite the girls to dinner at your camp in the woods?"

"How!" eagerly chorused the girls.

"Why, so we will, if the girls will bring the grub over from the barn.

We haven't enough to go around such a crowd."

Everyone laughed, and Mrs. Remington added: "If I was a Black Bear, I'd scout for victuals and not expect the squaws to bring their own feast!"

Fred understood his mother only too well, and he quickly took the hint, calling Fiji to help him. In another moment the two had disappeared in the woods and were seen no more for some time. The others walked slowly back to the Council House to change the beaded costumes to camp clothes again.

About the time the girls were ready to follow the hosts to the camp in the woods, Fred and Fiji were seen crossing the field, carrying heavy baskets on their arms and bags suspended over their shoulders.

"They must have scouted, Mother!" laughed Mr. Remington.

And "mother" nodded understandingly and laughed also.

At camp the Woodcrafters found Fred and Fiji unpacking boiled ham, potatoes, pickles and preserves, bread, a pie, and other edibles. In the bag that had been slung over Fiji's back was a stone crock filled with delicious cookies still warm.

"There girls, the cookies will hold you together while we roast potatoes and get the lunch ready," said Fred.

"Um-m! I want this recipe from someone to put in our book. These are the best cookies I ever tasted," said Elena.

"Someone can tell you the recipe right now, Elena. It happens to be my own that Mrs. Remington tried," laughed Miss Miller.