Abalone Shells
After their summer holiday together at the Grand Canyon the Sunrise Camp
Fire girls had been separated during the previous winter, returning to
their own homes. Nevertheless, they kept in touch with one another and,
as a matter of fact, among the seven girls only Gerry Williams' history
had remained a mystery to the others.
From the moment of her appearance upon the west-bound train with Mrs.
Burton, who had introduced her as the new member of their Camp Fire
group, not a word had been spoken concerning Gerry's past. Mrs. Burton
must have regarded her friendship as a sufficient guarantee, since ever
afterwards she and Gerry had continued equally reticent, not even
confiding under what circumstances they originally had learned to know
each other.
Naturally such secrecy aroused a certain degree of curiosity, and now
and then one of the Camp Fire girls would ask Gerry a question, thinking
her answer must betray some small fact in her past. But either she would
evade the question or else politely decline to answer.
She was poor--no one could continue blind to this actuality--but whether
her parents were living or dead, whether she had any other relatives, no
one could find out from Gerry herself or from her Camp Fire guardian.
In truth, Gerry made no effort to conceal how intensely disagreeable she
considered a lack of money, freely announcing that poverty always had
been the bane of her past existence and that she asked nothing more from
the future than to be safely delivered from it.
Occasionally some one would whisperingly question whether Mrs. Burton
would continue her bounty to Gerry when the Camp Fire holidays were
over; yet no one had sufficiently bad taste to make this inquiry. Mrs.
Webster knew no more than the others. She made no effort to keep up with
her Sister Polly's many generosities, which were frequently as erratic
as the lady herself. Only to her husband would Mrs. Burton confide the
extent of her efforts to help other people. She preferred doing things
in her own way.
One circumstance was freely discussed between Mrs. Burton and her
protege. During the past winter Gerry had developed a desire to study
art and Mrs. Burton had arranged for her lessons. Yet Gerry made no
pretense of having any especial talent or of being very deeply
interested in her work. She was also frank in stating that she did not
care a great deal for the outdoor camping life, aside from the fact that
Mrs. Burton considered the influence of living with the other Camp Fire
girls of value to her. The great attraction in the experience for Gerry,
as she freely stated, was the opportunity it offered to be near her
famous friend.
Nevertheless, after a winter's study at the Art Institute in Chicago,
Gerry had learned to make pretty outdoor studies of flowers and other
small objects. She had a good deal of feeling for color and design,
which she declared due to her interest in clothes. Her Camp Fire
guardian encouraged her attention to art as much as possible, often
excusing Gerry from everyday tasks, that she might give more time to her
sketching.
Just why she should be thus favored the other Camp Fire girls did not
understand, yet Gerry appreciated the reason.
Also less was always expected of her, and her weaknesses were more
readily forgiven. The one foolish act of revenge upon Bettina had caused
the only serious difficulty with her Camp Fire guardian, and apparently
even this had been forgotten.
On the morning of their excursion Gerry had announced that she wished to
spend the day sketching along the coast and that Sally had been kind
enough to agree to accompany her.
The greater part of the time the two girls were extremely intimate and
if now and then a slight coolness arose between them it never continued
long, as they had too many common bonds of interest.
Both girls were charmingly pretty and an entire contrast. Sally Ashton's
eyes and hair were brown, her lips full with an up-ward curve and her
skin, which the sun and wind never seemed to tan, as soft and white as a
baby's. She was small and plump and her figure had no angles.
One might have been deluded by Sally's yielding and feminine appearance
into the impression that she could be easily influenced by stronger
natures than her own. The fact is that Sally was never really influenced
except when she chose to be.
Realizing this, Mrs. Burton made no effort to interrupt her friendship
with Gerry Williams, which was just as well since nothing is more
difficult than to interfere with a friendship between two girls who feel
a mutual attraction and see each other frequently.
Gerry Williams' prettiness was of a more unusual character. She had the
delicate fairness which one so rarely sees in its perfection. Her hair
was a pale gold, yet the gold was undeniably there. Her eyes were light
blue and held the clearness, the indelible, transparent blueness of
certain pieces of rare old china. Her small head was set upon a rather
long fair throat and as she walked with a peculiar lightness and grace
it was almost as if she might at any moment break into dancing steps.
About Gerry's nature there were elements which were frankly commonplace,
nevertheless her appearance suggested one of the dancing figures upon an
ancient Greek frieze.
This morning she and Sally wore their everyday Camp Fire costumes, and
because it was cool their Navajo sweater coats, Gerry's a bright scarlet
and Sally's an Oxford blue. They intended being away all day, and
besides Gerry's sketching outfit they carried their luncheon.
The girls had chosen to go in the direction of the artists' colony only
a few miles away. Over both the water and land there was the haze of the
early hours at the seaside, and yet the mist was only a light one and
more agreeable than the hot sun which would come later in the day.
The land was gay with flowers. On the hillside there were tall bunches
of cacti, one variety bearing a bright yellow flower like a silken
poppy. The ordinary jimson weed grew so large that each blossom looked
like a great white lily.
On the side toward the beach the tiny beads of water glistening amid the
rose color of the ice plants shone like tiny fairy jewels.
Past the groups of houses which presumably sheltered famous artists as
well as amateurs, perhaps with no more ability than Gerry, the two girls
wandered on, absorbed in their own conversation.
They were not especially disappointed at finding no one in the
neighborhood of the colony who seemed to be of interest. There were
three or four girls idling in one of the yards who stared curiously as
the Camp Fire girls passed, but Sally and Gerry paid but slight
attention to them in return, having previously confessed to each other
that they were a little tired of so much feminine society.
A tall old gentleman with a white, closely trimmed beard strode by,
carrying a large canvas under his arm. He frowned portentously, as if he
would have the girls appreciate that he was a genius in the grasp of a
creative impulse and so must not be disturbed. Neither Sally nor Gerry
had the faintest impulse toward disturbing him, yet his appearance
suggested a train of thought to Sally.
"I wonder, Gerry, why you decided so suddenly that you wished to study
art?" she said. "Until this summer I have never even heard you mention
the subject. Do you intend making a business of it some day? You won't
mind my speaking of this, but you have always said you had to do
something or other to make your own living."
Instead of replying at once Gerry hummed the first line of a song, also
moving on so quickly that Sally, who was averse to violent exercise, had
difficulty in keeping up with her.
"Certainly not, Sally," she answered finally. "Besides, if I ever should
develop such a foolish idea, who do you think would buy my silly little
pictures, except perhaps Mrs. Burton? I do wish she were my real aunt; I
am oftentimes jealous of Peggy. But really I began studying art last
winter chiefly on her account. She insisted that I should not idle away
all my time, so I concluded that I would prefer being an art student to
attending a regular school.
"Mrs. Burton was delighted, because she thinks it would be a good plan
for me to become a dressmaker or a designer. I am so fond of clothes and
she believes the art lessons will be of value to my future work.
However, my dear Sally, nothing is further from my own expectations. You
and I for different reasons must make marriage our career. You were
created for domesticity and I, well, I simply must marry some one with
money. I used to hope that Mrs. Burton might do a great deal for me some
day, before I knew about her own family and her Camp Fire group. Now I
realize that she only intends helping me to help myself, as the highly
moral phrase goes."
"But haven't you any people of your own, or any close friends?" Sally
demanded with the persistency which belonged to her disposition. Half a
dozen times before she had asked this same question without receiving a
satisfactory reply.
Gerry only laughed good naturedly. Sally's curiosity amused her.
"_No_ people and _no_ friends I care to talk about, my dear. You know I
have told you this several times before."
In spite of the fact that by this time the girls had walked for three or
four miles, up until now Gerry had not suggested sitting down to begin
her sketching. At this moment she moved over to the edge of a cliff,
glancing down at the beach below.
"Come, Sally, see what a fascinating place I have discovered. Suppose we
climb down to the beach; you must be tired and I may be able to work for
a little while. I do want to have something to show Mrs. Burton as a
result of our day."
On the beach the girls saw a little wooden hut with a huge kettle filled
with boiling water standing before the door. Half a mile or more out in
the ocean two Japanese fishermen were diving for the famous abalone
shells, while on the sands a dozen of the shells, having been thoroughly
cleansed, now lay drying in the sun; their inner surfaces of
mother-of-pearl held all the colors of the dawn.