"'I told thee when love was hopeless;
But now he is wild and sings--
That the stars above [up went the bread again]--
Shine ever on Love--'"
A peal of merry laughter close behind her made her jump, and the bread
came down kerchunk into the kneading trough.
"Gracious, Hazel! how you frightened me! I thought you were off with
Budd and Cherry."
"So I was; but they wanted me to come in and tell you there is to be a
secret meeting of the N.B.B.O.O. Society in the usual place. They said
you would know where it is."
"Of course I do; do you?"
"No, they would n't tell. They said it is against the rules to allow
any one in who hasn't been initiated. They said they 'd initiate me, if
I wanted to join."
"Well, do you want to?"
"Of course I do, if you belong," said Hazel, eagerly.
"Tell them I 'll be out after I 've put the bread to rise and cleared
up; but be sure and tell them not to do anything till I come."
"Yes," cried Hazel, joyfully, skipping through the woodshed and
encountering Chi with a bag of seed-beans.
"Where you goin', Lady-bird?" (This was Chi's name for her from the
first day.) "Seems to me you 're gettin' over the ground pretty fast."
"The Buds" (for so Hazel had nicknamed the children) "are going to have
a meeting somewhere of the N.B.B.O.O. Society, and I'm to be initiated,
Chi. What does that mean?"
"Initiated, hey? Into a secret society? Well, that depends.--Sometimes
it means being tossed sky-high in a blanket, and then again you 're
dropped lower than the bottomless pit; and you can't most always tell
beforehand which way you 're goin'."
Hazel's face fairly lost the rich color she had gained in the past
month. This was more than she had bargained for.
"Oh, Chi! They would n't do such things to me!" she exclaimed in
dismay.
"Well, no--I don't know as they 'd carry it that far; but those children
mean mischief every time."
"But they would n't hurt me, Chi. They would n't be as mean as that;
besides, Rose wouldn't let them."
"Well, I don't know as she would. But children are children, and Rose
ain't grown any wings yet."
"Was Rose initiated?" was Hazel's next rather anxious question.
"Yes, she was," said Chi, taking up a handful of beans and letting them
run through his fingers into the open bag.
"How do you know, Chi?"
"Coz I initiated her myself."
"You, Chi? Why, do you belong?"
"First member of the N.B.B.O.O. Society."
"Well, that's funny. Who initiated you?"
Chi set down the bag of beans, and for a moment shook with laughter;
then, growing perfectly sober, he said solemnly:--
"I initiated myself. But they was all on hand when I did it."
"What did you do, Chi?"
"Just hear her!" said Chi to himself, but aloud, he said, "I 'll tell
you this much, if it is a secret society. They try 'n' see what stuff
you 're made of."
"'Sugar and spice
And all that's nice,
That's what little girls are made of,'"
Hazel interrupted, singing merrily.
"There was n't much 'sugar 'n' spice' in that Rose Blossom when she put
me to the test. You ain't heard a screech-owl yet; but when you do,
you'll come running home to find out whose bein' killed in the woods."