The Woodcraft Girls in the City Part 43

"The water rushes right down the mountain-side from Fiji's Cave and falls over a great boulder into a pool below that we use for a swimming pool," added Jane.

"And we have a large Council Ring there, and a ready-made fire-place,"

said Hilda.

"That reminds me! We all ought to feel hungry by this time, so we could have lunch on the lawn and start for the Bluff later, to get settled for the night," advised the Guide.

"I think I can eat a morsel, if coaxed hard enough," said Jane, laughing.

"I can eat everything in sight-even the gra.s.s," declared Billy.

"You won't have to stoop to the meek little blades, Billy, as we brought plenty of sandwiches and cake," said Zan.

As they enjoyed the luncheon brought from home, Miss Miller asked: "Who would like to visit the gardens after we're through with refreshments?"

"Oh, yes; I can't tell an onion from a gooseberry," laughed Eleanor.

"You ought to if you did your cookery work properly this winter," Miss Miller reproved.

An hour was devoted to trying to identify the many vegetables of the garden, and at the same time, enough fruit and other things were gathered for supper and breakfast.

"Funny how different lettuce, radishes, beets, and other things look to us when growing in the garden and when we have them ready served on the dinner table," commented one of the girls.

Then the Guide described the habits of many vegetables and explained how they grew and should be cared for and harvested. She touched upon the national interest taken in canning and preserving and hinted that the Wako Girls might start a cla.s.s for themselves early in the Fall.

Bill Sherwood had erected tents and brought the cots from the cabin, so all was ready for the Tribe when they reached the Bluff. The Council Ring had been cleared of debris and the camp-fire place ready for supper, so that the Guide smiled and thanked Bill for his trouble to have everything in order for them.

That night the girls sat star-gazing when Zan said: "We must start the new members and the Brownies on mat weaving and willow bed making, the first thing, Miss Miller."

"Yes, the rushes and willows ought to be just about right this time of year," added the Guide, delighted that Zan was taking a normal interest in her Woodcraft again.

So immediately after breakfast, they all started down the slope to the Big Bridge where the reeds grew thickest and longest. In pa.s.sing, the Guide called the attention of the Brownies and new members to the trees: Oak, hickory, maple and others were identified and described.

Then Billy tried to show his superiority over the other Brownies, by saying: "That is a red maple, and over there-that's a swamp maple."

"What's this, Billy?" asked Elizabeth.

"Oh, that's a mountain maple."

"What was the grove we came through last night?" said she.

"Sugar maples for maple syrup! Don't I know! I've tapped them enough when out with Fred," giggled Billy.

While they were all engaged in cutting rushes some of the girls gazed about now and then. In one of these wayward glances, May saw some green leaves growing in the brook.

"What are they, Miss Miller?"

"That is water-cress-would you like to gather it?"

"Water-cress! Oh, I love it in salad!" cried May.

"Then pull off your shoes and stockings and wade in and gather all you want. We'll have it instead of lettuce this noon."

Two of the girls preferred to help May gather cress as they thought they had enough reed and rush for a mat, so by the time the cutting was done, the three girls had a large basketful of water-cress.

That afternoon, they began weaving mats on the looms constructed that morning. As they were working for _coups_ they applied themselves carefully to the work. Even the Little Lodge tried the mat weaving but soon wearied of it.

Eleanor took an enthusiastic interest in the mats until she found it was tedious work and made her back ache with bending over the looms.

"It seems so silly to waste time on this stuff when you really do not need them or want them for anything," said she.

"We're not weaving a doormat but working for an honour," retorted May.

"But it is foolish-an empty honour," laughed she.

"I never think anything foolish that creates a desire to do perfect work, or apply yourself and overcome impatience," said Miss Miller.

"But where's the honour come in?" insisted Eleanor.

"It is an honour always to follow the Bible's injunction-'Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might.'"

"Oh, you're talking of religion-this is different," argued Eleanor, not to be silenced.

"Our Master felt that the two went together-honour and religion. If one does what is honourable and right in small things he can be depended upon for greater things, too."

"Well, weaving gra.s.s mats won't count," scorned Eleanor, pushing at her badly woven mat impatiently.

"Everything counts. If you can't be patient and do a simple thing like a gra.s.s mat how do you expect to be promoted? It is the promotion that gains us honours but if one fails to do the best he can with anything given to do, how can one hope to go higher in the scale of progress?

"In Woodcraft, it is not the gra.s.s mat we weave that counts for the _coup_ or honour, it is the general improvement in one's moral and spiritual life that really counts. And the uplift in mental and characteristic desires brings about the higher basis for the next step.

"You mistake, Eleanor, when you think you are weaving gra.s.s mats or willow beds-you are weaving qualities of thought, good or bad, and each pattern produced only shows what thoughts, upbuilding or destructive, you are allowing yourself to weave into the warp and woof of your future life. And this pattern is all there is to our temporal lives, but it is everything when we seek promotion to our eternal and spiritual life!"

Eleanor lifted her delicate eyebrows with a disdainful manner and pretended to stifle a yawn as she gazed away to Pine n.o.b.

The Guide saw the expression of being bored but she said nothing, being too n.o.ble a character to take offence or feel sensitive over the girl's rudeness. The other girls had heard the short lecture and pondered deeply as they worked.

Miss Miller saw the thoughtful girls in one comprehensive glance, and thanked the Great Spirit that the seed had not all fallen on barren ground.

Eleanor noticed the silence after a time and remarked:

"Have you girls lost your tongues?"

"Why-hy, no-o! I guess we were thinking."

"Thinking-what of?" wondered she.

"Why Miss Miller's words, to be sure. She is wonderful, that way, and we love to hear her explain things spiritual in such a simple way. It really makes religion attractive, I think," said Jane.