NOW OUR CAMP FIRE'S BURNING LOW.
"It doesn't seem possible that the summer is nearly over and we
are going home next week," said Migwan. "It seems like only
yesterday that we came. And yet, somehow I feel as if we had
always been here together. Won't it seem queer, not to be eating
and sleeping together any more?" The Winnebagos were taking a
walk down the road that ran along beside the woods, seeking
specimens of flowers and weeds. They could not help noticing the
changes in the trees and flowers along the way. Many of the
leaves were already crimson, and the wild asters were blooming in
profusion everywhere. The air had the cool, crisp clearness of
autumn. The sky had become that deep blue which marks the
passing of summer, and the clouds seemed thicker in texture. The
girls drank in the air in great draughts like strong new wine,
rejoicing in the glorious weather, yet it made them feel sad,
because it meant that this most wonderful of all summers was very
near its end. This would probably be their last nature walk, and
the girls were taking a sample of every growing thing that looked
in the least promising, and snapshotting all the dear familiar
scenes, to be taken home and shown to friends, and the events
connected with them lived over again in the telling!
Nyoda and Sahwah, covering the ground with their swift stride,
soon left the others far behind. "We really ought to wait for
the girls," said Nyoda, coming to a halt when she discovered that
they were so far in the lead, and seating herself on a stone
fence she helped herself to the blackberries which grew against
it, and held out a handful to Sahwah. Opposite them was an old,
tumble-down house, weatherbeaten and bare of paint, its empty
window sashes gaping like eyeless sockets. The girls had named
it the "Haunted House," and wove many a tale of mystery about it.
Beside it was an apple orchard, its trees dying of old age, and
under one of them was a grave with a headstone. Nyoda swung her
heels against the stone wall and contemplated this gaunt remnant
of other days. She glanced down the road to see if the girls
were coming. They were not yet in sight.
"Sahwah," she said in a tone that proclaimed a sudden
inspiration, "I 'stump' you to go into the haunted house and make
ghostly noises when the girls come along." Sahwah needed no
urging to undertake a mission of this kind. Hand in hand the two
stole across the road and climbed in one of the windows of the
house. The door, locked years ago, was still holding its ground
against intruders. The room they stepped into was empty save for
an old spinning wheel, thick with dust and cobwebs, which stood
in the corner. The floor echoed hollowly to their footsteps and
instinctively they rose up on tiptoe, to stop the noise. Thus
they walked cautiously about making believe that they were
followed by ghostly footsteps, and clinging to each other in mock
terror. There was a closed door at one end of the room and Nyoda
whispered dramatically: "In one minute that door will swing open
and a ghostly hand will be thrust in."
She had hardly finished speaking when the door did swing open,
and a hand clutching a paint brush came through. Nyoda gave a
fine shriek and fell over backwards as if fainting. The hand was
followed by a body and a head. "What the devil!" said a voice.
"Excuse me, ladies, what the devil!" Finding that the haunted
house was haunted by a painter they returned to the road and
resumed their seat on the fence to wait for the girls.
Thus the days slipped by, each more lovely than the last, filled
to the brim with joyous incidents that would linger in the
memories of the girls as long as they lived. One of the big
events of this last week was the dancing party given for them by
the Mountain Lake boys. The boys' big assembly hall was
decorated with flags in honor of the occasion, in addition to the
trophies and banners lining the walls, which Mountain Lake Camp
had won in athletic and aquatic contests with other camps.
Hinpoha and Gladys were easily the belles of the ball, and had so
many partners to choose from that it was hard choosing. Sahwah
said afterward that she was glad she was not so popular, because
she did not have to spend so much time splitting dances up, and
consequently had more time to dance! Now all the girls were glad
indeed for Gladys's rigorous coaching, for they were complimented
on every side upon their "different" way of dancing.
Nyoda fell in love with little Manuel, a nine-year-old Spanish
boy from Cuba. It was his first visit to America and his first
experience with American boys, and he often felt very homesick.
Nyoda, with her dark hair and eyes, reminded him of the young
women at home and he warmed to her like an old friend. "I like
not the baseball," he confided when she inquired as to his
favorite sports, "I like the high joomp." He and Nyoda danced
together so much that Sherry regretted his intercession with the
camp director that the little boys be allowed to stay up all
evening.
Gladys had arranged a fancy dance taking in all of the girls,
which they presented during the course of the evening. The music
for it was the "Beautiful Blue Danube Waltz" and the girls
impersonated in their dance the Danube River, winding through its
green valley. The girls, dressed in light green, were the river
itself, while Gladys, in a filmy white dress with water lilies
twined in her long yellow hair, was the Spirit of the Danube, and
frolicked among the rhythmically swaying girls like a real river
nymph on the rocking waves of the mighty stream. Their dance
brought down the house, and the girls were obliged to do it three
times before they would stop applauding.
Ed Roberts watched with jealous eyes as Gladys glided off with
one or another of the boys, but beyond the one dance she granted
him for politeness' sake she paid no further attention to him,
and he retired to the side lines to scowl upon the gay scene.
The evening drew to a close all too quickly and the boys and
girls parted, with many regrets and promises to write.
The next day the Mountain Lake boys broke camp and departed for
their homes, and the girls gathered on the dock to see the
steamer go by. There was a great waving of handkerchiefs when
the _Bluebird_ rounded the cliff. "O look what they're doing!"
gasped Sahwah, as a commotion rose on the deck of the boat. The
boys had seized one of their number and were dragging him to the
rail in spite of vigorous resistance. Superior forces won out
and he went overboard with a mighty splash, in accordance with an
immemorial custom of the Mountain Lake Camp, that at least one
boy be thrown into the water with his city clothes on. The boy
didn't seem to mind it in the least, but climbed aboard again
perfectly good-natured, and waved his dripping hat at the girls
until a bend in the shore line hid them from sight.
"O dear," cried Migwan, "to think that the next time the
_Bluebird_ comes we'll get aboard her and sail out through the
Gap and leave dear Camp Winnebago behind forever!"
But Nyoda would not let them be sad even though it was all coming
to an end, and kept up such a perfect whirl of merrymaking that
they did not have any time to think of the evil day so near at
hand. Seeing Sahwah sitting pensively on the dock one day she
fastened a rope to the launch and bade her hang on to it and then
drove the launch around in swift circles. Sahwah shot through
the water like a torpedo, holding on for dear life and shrieking
with excitement. The other girls came running at the sound and
demanded to be towed likewise, and soon the launch had a tail
like a kite, that swished along at a fearful rate, leaving a long
foaming ridge in its wake, until one by one the joy riders
dropped off and swam ashore.
The nights were very cool now and the girls required sweaters and
sometimes blankets when they sat on the high rocks after sundown
and watched the stars rise over the lake. Nakwisi was in
constant demand in those star watches to introduce the girls to
their brothers and sisters in the sky, and under her guidance
they soon learned where to look for Corona, Arcturus, The Twins,
Spica, Vega, Regulus and all the gentle summer stars. The wide
open spaces of the sky over the lake were a constant delight to
Nakwisi, and she kept saying, "What a joy it is not to have your
favorite constellation cut in half by a chimney or a telegraph
pole!"
Willingly she told over and over again the story of Castor and
Pollux, of the Great Bear and the Little Bear, of Cassiopeia, and
Corona Borealis. They were thrilled night after night when
Scorpio sprawled his great length over the hilltops, with fiery
Antares glowing like a jewel in his shell. They traced out the
filmy scarf of the Milky Way and recalled the Indian legend of
this being the pathway of the departed spirits. Nakwisi told
another tale about two lovers who were separated in death and
placed on different spheres, and who built the Milky Way as a
bridge so they could communicate with each other. Nyoda had
taught the girls the three ways the Indians had of testing
eyesight, namely, by reproducing the spots on the rabbit,
counting the Pleiades, and spying out the little companion star
to the one in the handle of the Big Dipper, the pair which the
Arabs call the Horse and Rider, and the girls would not rest
until they, too, had caught sight of the tiny point of light.
And in learning to know the stars they were doing much more than
just that; they were making friends whom they would always keep
and love, and who would greet them with the same cheery twinkle
wherever they were, rich or poor or joyful or sad, as surely as
the seasons came round!
The camp book was finished, and sent off to Professor Bentley
with its clever descriptions and cunning illustrations, bound in
a leather cover with the Winnebago symbol on the front. The
"doings" and adventures recounted in it made it very thick and
heavy, and yet there were so many things they had planned to do
that were left undone! "We never had our sleeping party on the
Bartletts' lawn," said Migwan regretfully.
"Don't you remember," said Sahwah, suddenly grown reminiscent,
"when we were waiting for Gladys to come, you said she was going
to be your affinity, and I was afraid she would never look at me
at all?" And Sahwah smiled happily, for if Gladys had any
"affinity" at all it certainly was Sahwah herself.
Meanwhile Gladys and Nyoda were sitting up on the Sunset Rock,
looking out over the water and enjoying their own thoughts. The
lake was absolutely calm, except for a few long ripples like
folds in satin. A motor boat cutting through left a long,
fan-shaped tail like a peacock. There was a faint rosy tint on
the water, as if the lake were blushing at the consciousness of
her own loveliness. Nyoda noted idly that the rocks under the
water looked warm and green; those above cold and gray.
"Nyoda," said Gladys.
"What is it, dear?" answered Nyoda, taking her eyes from the
lake.
"I've been thinking a great deal of late," went on Gladys, "about
what I shall do this winter. You know mother has her heart set
on my finishing at Miss Russell's school, but the more I think of
it the more I see what I have lost by not going to the public
high school. So in my last letter to papa I asked him if I might
not go to public school the last two years, and I now have his
answer." She spread out a letter and handed it to Nyoda. It
read:
"My dear daughter: Nothing could please me more than your
request to take the last two years of your high school work in
the public school instead of at Miss Russell's, although I must
say your mother made a considerable fuss at first on account of
the various classes of girls you would be thrown with. However,
she thought better of the plan when she heard that your little
friend Sahwah is a Brewster of the Samuel Brewsters, and this
Hinpoha person you are so fond of is Judge Bradford's granddaughter.
As long as Miss Kent is a teacher in the High School and takes
such an interest in you there is no objection on our part to your
going on to school in the company of your new friends. You are
old enough to choose your companions, so from now on it's going
to be 'up to you.'
"Lovingly,
"YOUR DADDY."
"My dear child," said Nyoda, "this is certainly good news! I
have wanted very much to have you continue in the Winnebago group
this winter, but thought of course this was impossible, as you
were going away to school. How glad I am!" Their hands met in a
warm clasp, setting a new seal on their friendship.
The girls, who had begun to dread the separation from Gladys,
were overjoyed at the prospect of having her in school with them.
"To think," said Sahwah, "that I have lived in the next block to
you for fifteen years, and never knew you until now!"
Dr. Hoffman was very sorry indeed to say goodbye to Sahwah. "You
vill write to me, yes?" he begged. "In vinter I lif in Boston in
such a street," and he scribbled the address on the back of an
envelope. "And, if you should break any more bones, you let me
know, and I vill come and tie dem up!"
Then came the last Council Fire at camp. With misty eyes they
rose to sing "Mystic Fire" once more under the spell of the
forest.
"With hand uplifted we claim thy power,
Guide and keep us as we go,
True to Wohelo.
Thy law is our law from this hour,
Thy mystic spirit flame will show
Us the way to go--"
The glow of their faces was not entirely from the fire which
flickered over them as they danced, but was mingled with the
light of that inner flame of Wohelo which had been kindled in
their hearts, and which would mould and color their whole lives.
Gladys was to be made a Fire Maker at this Council, and when the
time came for the bestowing of rank Nyoda called for "Kamama the
Butterfly" to stand and present her qualifications. Gladys
stood, and before the initiation began asked if she might make a
request. Nyoda nodded and Gladys asked if it would be possible
for her to change her Camp Fire name. "State your reason," said
Nyoda. "If it is a plausible one the change is permissible."
Gladys spoke in a firm, clear voice. "When I was choosing my
name I took 'Kamama the Butterfly' because it was such a pretty
design to put on my dress, and not because it meant anything to
me. I do not wish to be known as 'Kamama the Butterfly' any
longer. If I may, I would like to take the name Geyahi, which
means 'Real Woman.'"
"Your reason is a good and sufficient one," said Nyoda, "and you
may make the change." Then followed the pretty ceremony of
taking a new Camp Fire name. The old one was written on a piece
of birchbark and put in the fire to signify that it was to be in
existence no longer, and as it burned the girls all pronounced
the new name in concert, and promised to forget the old one.
Proudly Gladys displayed her fourteen required honors and her
twenty others, and passed her examination admirably. She stepped
back into the circle a full-fledged Fire Maker, with flushed face
and downcast eyes, her new rank filling her with a great sense of
responsibility.
Nyoda then awarded the special honors for which the girls had
been trying all summer. Sahwah and Nakwisi won the banner for
keeping up the best form on the Hike; Migwan and Hinpoha had made
the best nature count; the Alphas were the best housekeepers and
had planned their menus the most economically; Gladys had learned
the greatest number of birds, flowers and trees; Migwan had
written the most songs. Each girl thus honored felt prouder to
wear the bit of painted leather bestowed upon her than if it had
been a crown jewel.
After the summer honors had all been given out Nyoda rose again
and said there was one more honor to be awarded before the
Council was over, and called on Sahwah to stand. Sahwah rose
wonderingly. "Sahwah the Sunfish," said Nyoda impressively, "on
the thirtieth day of the Thunder Moon you rescued from drowning,
at considerable inconvenience to yourself, the maiden we now know
as Geyahi. Through some mysterious agency which we will not
mention, our good friends, Professor Bentley and Professor
Wheeler, heard of your little escapade, and made it known to a
National Society which takes delight in hearing such tales. This
Society has sent you a little badge for a keepsake. It gives me
great pleasure to bestow upon you this Carnegie Hero Medal 'for
distinguished bravery."'
"A which?" stammered Sahwah, abandoning both ceremonial etiquette
and grammar in her amazement.
"Yes, it's true," laughed Nyoda. "Stand forth and be decorated!"
"Speech!" cried the girls, when the medal had been fastened on
Sahwah's ceremonial gown. But instead of making a speech Sahwah
sat down on the ground and burst into tears, and had to be patted
on the back before she was herself again. So the last Council
Meeting ended with a great feather in the cap of the Winnebagos,
and the fire sank to embers and the girls filed out softly to the
tune of their good-night song:
"Now our camp fire's burning low,
Wohelo, Wohelo,
Off to slumber we must go,
Wohelo, Wohelo."
And the next morning they all stood on the dock waiting for the
_Bluebird_ to come and carry them off, laughing at each other's
funny appearance in city clothes, and winking the tears back
whenever they thought of what they were leaving behind. Gladys,
who had never seen the other girls in "suits," scarcely knew them
at all. The _Keewaydin_ was crated up and ready to be taken
along to the city, and Sahwah's bathing suit, still wet, was tied
to the outside of her suitcase, for she had stayed in the lake
until the very last minute. "Good-bye, dear, beloved lake,"
Nyoda heard her whisper as she rose from the depths for the last
time. And Gladys, who had been so loth to come to camp with the
Winnebagos, was still more loth to go, and her only consolation
was that she could be with the girls during the winter!
And by and by the _Bluebird_ came and they got aboard and went
sailing out through the Gap, and left the lake and mountains and
islands and forest behind them forever. But the strangest part
was that they took with them as much as they left behind!
THE END.
* * * * * *
The next volume in this series is entitled "The Camp Fire Girls
at School; The Wohelo Weavers."
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THE CAMP FIRE GIRLS IN THE MAINE WOODS; or, The Winnebagos Go
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This lively Camp Fire group and their Guardian go back to Nature
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THE CAMP FIRE GIRLS AT SCHOOL; or, The Wohelo Weavers.
It is the custom of the Winnebagos to weave the events of their
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THE CAMP FIRE GIRLS AT ONOWAY HOUSE; or, The Magic Garden.
Migwan is determined to go to college, and not being strong
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THE CAMP FIRE GIRLS GO MOTORING; or, Along the Road That Leads
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The Winnebagos take a thousand mile auto trip. The "pinching" of
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