PIPES OF PEACE
Half an hour later Polly discovered Esther seated alone by her slowly
perishing fire taking the last stitches in Betty's rejected ceremonial
dress. She had even embroidered on the left sleeve a small crown in
gold colored silk, since Betty's old title "The Princess" would scarcely
be changed whatever new names might be awarded to the other girls in
their Camp Fire.
"Where's Betty?" Polly inquired carelessly. "I hope she wasn't cross; I
suppose it was not kind of me to leave her and return another way, and
she was right, it did make us late, but we had a delicious adventure!"
Polly had dropped down on the ground and put her arms about her, knees,
slowly rocking herself back and forth, her face shining with mischief
and excitement, so that her color came and went quickly and tiny sparks
appeared to dart forth from the blueness of her eyes and the blackness
of her hair.
But as Esther neither answered nor asked any questions Polly stared at
her in amazement. She had no particular emotion for Esther one way or
the other, perhaps because she was not yet a rival in Betty's
affections, but she had always tried to make herself agreeable to her
and to have her feel like one of them; moreover, she did not enjoy being
disregarded.
Halfway up on her feet a glance at Esther's face made her drop back into
her old position, except that she put one hand under the girl's chin,
turning her face toward her.
"For goodness' sake, Esther, what is the matter?" she demanded. "I
suppose it is Betty!"
And Esther nodded, feeling an absurd disposition to shed actual tears of
disappointment. So much had been planned for to-night's Council Fire
and this was the first disagreement in their camp. Should Betty fail to
appear, the other girls, learning the cause, were sure to take sides and
no one would be really happy.
Until Esther finished her story Polly listened without comment, although
her face flushed and her lips were pressed close together.
"I do think Miss McMurtry was a little hard," she said finally. "It
isn't fair to expect us to reform all at once and she might remember
that Betty has never had the discipline of having to do things when she
didn't wish to before. It is different when one has been poor, isn't
it, Esther? Never mind, I will do my best. Betty hasn't any right to
make everybody uncomfortable just because she is offended, particularly
when she has had so much to do with our plans for to-night."
Polly disappeared, but when tea was served a short time later a signal
to Esther reported that she had met with no success. Betty helped with
the evening work, saying nothing but looking pale and tired, so that
Miss McMurtry wondered if she had been too severe. Perhaps Betty was
used up by her walk! She would have liked to have talked to her but had
no opportunity, for as soon as supper was over (and three other girls
always did the clearing up) Betty immediately disappeared inside her
tent, and when her three friends came in to dress for their meeting they
found her in bed covered up with her blue blankets and not in the mood
for conversation.
Vainly Mollie and Esther attempted persuasion, reproaches, they received
always the same answer--fatigue and not ill temper kept Betty from their
entertainment. She was sorry of course but they would probably have a
better time without her.
Curious, but in the half hour required by the three girls for their
dressing, Polly, in spite of her promise, added not a single word of
regret or entreaty in spite of Esther's pleading looks and Mollie's
outspoken demands that her sister exert her influence. Appearing
utterly absorbed in her own costume and in admiring Esther's and
Mollie's, Polly only shook her head.
The June afternoon was a long one, so there still remained sufficient
daylight for the girls to see to dress in their tent. Over the crest of
Sunrise Hill a pale crescent moon with a single star glowing beneath it
had now arisen and the moonlight later on promised to be radiant.
There were bursts of laughter, cries of admiration floating from one
open tent to the other, for this was the first time the girls had seen
one another dressed in their new costumes.
Polly plaited her long black hair in two braids, twining it in and out
with narrow strips of bright orange ribbon, and then around her head she
bound a broader band of ribbon the same color with a single black
feather just above her forehead on the left side. With her dark hair
and high cheek bones, which to-night were crimson with excitement, she
made an unusually picturesque Indian girl. Mollie's hair was softer in
texture and less heavy, so that she wore it hanging loose over her
shoulders.
At first, however, Esther's appearance was not much of a success.
Although, apparently lost in languor and uninterested in anything, from
her couch Betty observed her, wondering what could be done. For Esther
to look so awkward and plain to-night, when as the first of their Camp
Fire girls to be raised to the rank of Fire Maker she would be the
center of all eyes, did seem hardly fair.
Trying to make the best of herself and without the gift most girls have
in this direction, Esther had also arranged her hair in two braids, but
while her hair was thick it was too short to be effective in this style,
and parted in the middle accentuated the plainness of her long face with
its irregular features, light blue eyes and large mouth; moreover, the
bright yellow of her khaki costume with its red fringes, gay shell and
beads made her complexion appear in contrast paler than ever. In
despair she was twisting a band of bright red cotton decorated in brass
spangles about her forehead, when a cry from Polly, who happened at this
moment to catch sight of her, made her drop her head-dress.
"Stop, and don't you ever so long as you live, Esther Clark, dare to put
a touch of red near your face," Polly demanded autocratically, rummaging
at the same time in a small box on a table which she knew held a number
of trinkets belonging to Betty. The next moment drawing forth a band of
dull silver embroidery about an inch and a half wide, she crossed over
to the older girl.
"Please let me fix you a little differently," she urged coaxingly,
beginning at once to unwind Esther's hair and combing it out over her
shoulders; then loosening it in front she put the silver band like a
crown about it. Esther's hair wag red, of this there could be no
denial, but now unbound it showed bright strands of gold and darker
shades of red that could never have been discovered when tightly
fastened to her head. Perhaps it was partly due to Polly's little act of
friendliness making the other girl happier, but certainly there was a
marked change for the better in Esther's appearance, so much so that
Betty decided she looked almost pretty when a few moments afterwards her
three friends bidding farewell to her went out leaving her alone in her
tent, where the darkness was now closing in. In parting, Mollie and
Esther had added a final plea to Betty to join them, but still Polly had
spoken no word.
Lying alone on her couch Betty wondered why? Of course Polly was always
being swept off her feet by new people and new interests and so after
ten days in camp would not be so fond of her, but it was odd that she
cared nothing for her presence at their Council Fire to-night, since
they had planned the whole ceremony together and were to play leading
parts.
Partly to close out the moonlight, which was now shining faintly inside
her tent, and partly to shut her ears to the voices and laughter of her
friends, Betty turned over on her balsam pillow with her face to the
tent side, and there covering up her head lay perfectly still, so still
that she would not even put her handkerchief to her eyes, although for
some reason or other they were uncomfortably moist.
Fifteen minutes passed and there was no noise of a returning footfall,
but presently there was a faint, sweet odor in the lodge and Betty heard
a low call such as a boy would make on a wild reed whistle.
She did not stir, so the sound was repeated more shrilly, and by and by
a pair of hands forcibly pulled the blankets down from her face.
There stood Polly in her Indian costume with her intense love for the
dramatic shining in her eager face and holding above Betty's head two
perforated sticks, one painted blue to represent the sky, the other
green to represent the earth, and both of them decorated in tiny
feathers of birds and a pair of wing-like pendants.
"Betty," Polly asked quietly, "do you remember the names of these two
Indian treasures and how hard we have worked to make them as like the
originals as we could?"
"Of course, they are the calumets you are to use in the Council Fire
ceremony to-night. They are pretty!" Betty conceded.
But Polly had dropped down by the side of her bed. "They have another
name, Betty, which isn't calumets and you know it, and we were to use
them at our Council Fire to-night. They are called 'pipes of peace' and
I can't very well lead the party that is to bring them to camp and also
the children who are to receive them."
A silence in the tent then followed, lasting several moments.
"Aren't you a little ashamed, Princess, thinking of the character of our
ceremony this evening, not to be willing to be present? It is to be war
and not peace then, isn't it?"
Betty laughed. "I only said I was tired," she argued faintly. "I am
sure no one has the least reason for thinking I am angry if I happen to
prefer to rest."
Then Polly began to feel that her case was won. Very quietly she
slipped over to a wooden dress-good's box covered with bright cretonne
and, opening it, drew forth the ceremonial dress so recently finished by
Esther, then she lighted two candles on either side the table underneath
their small mirror. Betty's head-dress was there, a band of her
favorite blue velvet ribbon with three white feathers crossed in front.
Catching it up Polly waved it temptingly.
"Come on, Betty, and let me help you dress, everybody is waiting for us
and there never was such a night!" But seeing that her friend still
hesitated, added in a tone which was a question, not a reproach: "Don't
you think, dear, that so long as you really originated our Camp Fire
club and asked Miss McMurtry to be our guardian, it is rather a pity for
you to make the first break? Isn't one of the Camp Fire ideas to learn
to put the happiness of a good many people before our own personal
desires?"
In a half minute Betty was out of bed with her Camp Fire dress nearly
on. "If you are going to turn preacher and reform at this time of life,
Polly O'Neill, then goodness knows what is to become of me! Once you
were my partner in crime, but now--well, it is hard to think of you even
yet as 'Saint Polly'!"
"And will be to the end, me darling," Polly agreed, dropping into her
Irish brogue from sheer pleasure that her purpose was accomplished.
Five minutes later the two friends were hurrying forth toward a circular
piece of ground some yards from their tent, which to-night the girls
wished known as their "earth lodge." There the other Camp Fire members
had already assembled with a great pile of wood in their midst waiting
to be kindled.