TRIED BY THE FLAMES
"Miss Burrell", began the Chief Guardian in a slow, impressive voice, "we
have gathered to-night at this Council Fire to inquire into certain recent
occurrences in which you played an important part. One of the most
stringent regulations of Camp Wau-Wau has been violated. The entire camp
is involved, in that suspicion may rest upon any one of you. It is well to
say here, that six girls came to me this afternoon, confessing their part
in the unfortunate hazing of last evening. These girls are new to our
order. I am satisfied that the gravity of what they were doing did not
appeal to them at the time and that they acted upon impulse, though by
their own confessions they had plenty of time to consider the matter
before becoming involved in it. You may sit, Miss Burrell."
Harriet dropped down, sitting cross-legged like the others, with the light
from the fire playing over her face and glinting in her hair.
"The unfortunate part of this confession is that the instigators of the
plot are still unknown. And when I explain matters you will be quick to
catch the dishonor of their actions. The six girls who have confessed, it
appears, received notes just before retiring, these notes having been
tucked in under the walls of their tents accompanied by a scratching on
the canvas to attract their attention. These notes called upon them to
report at the tent occupied by Miss Burrell, Miss Thompson, Miss Kidder
and Miss Scott for the purpose of initiating the new girls. The girls who
received these notes did not recognize the writing. One of these notes was
preserved. I have it in my possession, but am frank to say that I am
unable to identify the paper or the handwriting. Rather than attempt to do
either, I should prefer to have the instigator or instigators confess
their part in the affair. Will the young woman who wrote these notes,
stand up and declare herself?"
A breathless period of waiting followed. There was no sound from the
circle of anxious-faced girls, scarcely the movement of an eyelid. Tommy
Thompson nearly broke the spell by heaving a deep, long-drawn sigh.
"Then there remains no other course for me than to proceed with the
inquiry," continued the Chief Guardian. "Miss Burrell will please rise."
Harriet did so. Her face was pale, but she did not appear to be nervous.
"Miss Burrell, you will please relate what took place last evening."
"I can tell you only what occurred after I was aroused from sleep,"
answered Harriet in a low, but perfectly audible voice.
"Do so," was the response.
"I was aroused by some one bumping against my cot. I sat up, but was
forced back into bed and a towel or something of the sort was quickly
bound about my head. I was dragged from the cot. At first I struggled,
then I began to understand that some girls were playing tricks on me. I
decided to let them have their way. I felt sure it was nothing serious. In
fact, I enjoyed it quite as much as they did and perhaps more."
"Please continue," urged the Chief Guardian gently.
"They led me out into the forest where some sort of a ceremony followed,
after which I was told to jump into a deep pool. I jumped." Harriet smiled
faintly at the memory of that jump in the dark. "The water was not deep
and I was in no danger of drowning. I can truly say, Mrs. Livingston, that
the girls who hazed me were very considerate. They did nothing that could
possibly be considered dangerous."
"Did you see any of the girls who took you from your tent, or any of the
others who were with them!"
"I saw them, yes, but I did not see their faces, Mrs. Livingston."
"Did you recognize any of them?"
"No. You see their faces were covered."
"But surely you must have recognized the voices of some of them."
"I think they must have disguised their voices," Harriet replied. "Pardon
me, but do not the young women whom you say have confessed to hazing me,
know who their companions were?" asked Harriet, gazing steadily into the
face of the Chief Guardian.
"Those who have confessed to the hazing know each other. In fact some of
them talked the matter over among themselves before joining in the
escapade. Like yourself they were unable to identify the ringleaders of
the party. Then again they were excited, probably more so than were you
yourself," answered the examiner with a faint smile. "How many would you
say were involved in the hazing?"
"I cannot say definitely, but my recollection is that there were eight
girls."
"This narrows it down to two girls. These no doubt were the instigators.
How did you come to be in the tree with Miss Thompson when we reached the
scene?"
"I had gone there to help her. She seemed to be in trouble," smiled
Harriet.
"Now, Miss Burrell, you say you do not know who these girls were; you
could not identify them. Is that what I am to understand?"
"No, I do not know them," replied Harriet, gazing straight into the face
of the Guardian.
The young girl felt that every eye in the camp was fixed upon her.
"I will ask you one other question," continued Mrs. Livingston. "Have you
any suspicion as to who they are? Think well before you answer."
Harriet hesitated a moment, studying the Council Fire gravely. Then she
raised her clear eyes to the face of Mrs. Livingston.
"I have no suspicion that I should care to voice," she answered.
"That will be all. You may resume your place with your companions. Will
Miss Thompson please step forward?"
Tommy tripped over to the fire. There was a frightened look on her face.
"Tell us what happened to you, my dear," urged Mrs. Livingston
encouragingly.
Tommy stammered and lisped and twisted and turned, then she burst forth
into speech.
"They--they took me from my cot, Mithith Livingthton. But I fought them.
They carried me out in the woodth. Then--then they--they told me I wath a
thquirrel and----"
"A what?"
"A squirrel," interpreted Harriet.
"And then they made me climb a tree."
"You did not have to climb, did you!" smiled the Chief Guardian.
"I gueth not. I wanted to. You thee, I thought after I had climbed the
tree I could make a big noithe and frighten them away," chuckled Tommy,
squinting shrewdly at her questioner.
"Oh, a bit of diplomacy on your part?" nodded Mrs. Livingston.
"Yeth, I gueth that wath it." Tommy had no idea what diplomacy was, but
concluded that it must be something to her credit, so she decided that she
had exercised it.
"You screamed; then what?"
"They ran away ath fatht ath they could. I withh you could have theen them
run, Mithith Livingthton. It wath awfully funny."
"I wish I might have," answered the examiner dryly. "What then?"
"I tried to get down and I got fatht. I got hung up by the cord to my
bathrobe. I couldn't get down and I couldn't get up. I wath jutht like a
bird only I didn't thing. But if I couldn't thing, I could yell. Then
Harriet came, then the otherth came, then they got me down and I wath
happy ever afterwardth. That ith all."
A faint giggle greeted the conclusion of the evidence of little Tommy, but
it was quickly suppressed by a stern glance from the Chief Guardian.
"Did you recognize any of your captors so that you could identify or name
them?"
"Oh, my no. I gueth I didn't know my own name. You thee I wath exthited,
Mithith Livingthton."
"It was not surprising under the circumstances," admitted the Chief
Guardian with a smile that she could not suppress, and that was reflected
on the faces of nearly all the girls seated before her. But all during the
evidence the Guardian had been intently regarding not only the witness,
but the other girls as well. She was seeking for that tell-tale look that
would identify the guilty girl or girls.
Tommy was told that she might take her place again. Mrs. Livingston
consulted with some of the guardians, then called Patricia Scott to the
fire. There was a movement among the other girls at this, a craning of
necks and some smothered exclamations. Mrs. Livingston was very
businesslike and courteous. Patricia's dark face wore a slight pallor as
she walked forward and faced the Guardian.
"Miss Scott, you and Miss Kidder occupy the same tent with the two girls
who have just given their evidence. Did you hear any unusual noises in the
tent last evening?"
"Yes, I did, Mrs. Livingston."
"Explain what you heard?"
"I don't know that I can explain it clearly. At first I thought I heard
the shuffle of feet on the floor. I was very tired and sleepy. I recall
that I partly roused myself. I thought I heard some one speak in a low
tone, but supposing it was in the next tent I dropped back to sleep again.
I did not hear another sound until the general alarm was sounded on the
bell."
"You hurried out without knowing that your two tentmates were missing?"
"No, I did not know about it then. I did not know until I saw them out
there in the woods."
"Thank you. That will be all."
Cora Kidder was next called upon to testify. She was very pale and plainly
nervous. She realized that having slept in the same tent with two of the
Meadow-Brook Girls, a certain amount of suspicion would be attached to her
not knowing anything about the exciting occurrence of the previous night
in her tent. In answer to the first question which was the same as had
been put to Patricia, Miss Kidder said:
"I did not wake up, Mrs. Livingston. I--I may have heard something, but if
so I--I don't remember anything about it now."
"You must be a sound sleeper," observed the Chief Guardian.
"I have been since coming to Camp Wau-Wau. I'm just 'dead,' the moment I
get into bed. I was hardly awake when I stumbled out of the tent in
response to the general alarm last night calling us all out. I fell over a
tent rope and that woke me up a little."
Tommy laughed, but fortunately the examiner did not hear her. Harriet
nudged Grace to warn her to be quiet.
"You have no idea that would give you any clue to the perpetrators of this
affair?"
"No, Mrs. Livingston."
"Is there any other person among the girls who has anything to say or who
can give us any information?"
The silence was tense. The Chief Guardian's eyes traveled slowly over the
group before her. No one answered.
"That will be sufficient, Miss Kidder. The guardians will please join me
for consultation."
The Wau-Wau Girls spent an anxious few moments while the conference was
going on. Finally, the guardians resumed their places. Mrs. Livingston
stood facing them again.
"In view of all the facts which we have in our possession, the guardians
have been able to arrive at a conclusion regarding the six girls who have
confessed. Naturally we can take no action in the case of the others, not
knowing who they are. We believe that while the six girls are deserving of
dismissal, they were influenced by a spirit of fun, rather than of malice,
therefore the question as to whether they shall be dismissed or not shall
be put to a vote of the Wau-Wau Girls themselves. All in favor of adopting
some other method of punishment please rise."
Every girl in the gathering rose to her feet with the exception of Harriet
Burrell. Tommy observing that her companion had not risen, sat down
hurriedly.
"All in favor of letting the guilty ones go without punishment will rise,
now."
Harriet was on her feet in an instant, with Tommy a slow second.
"I am afraid you are very much in the minority, my dear," said Mrs.
Livingston, smiling on Harriet. "Your forgiving spirit, however, is to be
commended. It is the true spirit that should actuate a Wau-Wau Girl. In
view of the previous vote, I shall have to impose a penalty that already
had been agreed upon by the guardians in case the members of the camp
decided upon some form of temporary punishment Therefore I sentence the
six young women"--here Mrs. Livingston read their names out, names of
girls that Harriet did not know--"to solitary confinement in their tents
for the period of twenty-four hours. They will take their meals in their
quarters. The young women will now rise, pass in single file before the
fire and proceed to their tents."
Six young women with lowered heads and cheeks aflame, slowly, hesitatingly
rose to their feet, hurriedly filed past the fire, then turned their
footsteps toward their quarters.
"Oh that'th too bad," piped Tommy as the last of the six passed into the
shadows.