HARRIET TURNS THE TABLES
Despite the solemnity of the occasion smothered giggles were heard
following Tommy Thompson's remark that had reached the ear of every person
at the Council Fire.
The Chief Guardian frowned, then her face relaxed in a smile.
"Did you speak, Miss Thompson?" she asked.
"Ye--yeth," stammered Tommy.
"My dear, I feel very much as you do," smiled the Chief Guardian. "But
discipline must be maintained. Those young women never will forget the
humiliation of this moment. In the future they will think twice before
engaging in any enterprise that will cause others mental or physical
suffering. There are at least two other girls and perhaps more, within
this circle to-night whose conscience will trouble them, whose sleep will
be fitful because they have not only done a very great wrong, but have
been dishonest enough to cover that wrongdoing by keeping silent and
permitting the stigma to rest on all of their companions. Miss Burrell!"
Harriet rose and faced the Chief Guardian.
"By your actions on two occasions, you have earned two honors, first by
the bravery you displayed when the accident to the buck-board wagon
occurred, second by your act of gentle forgiveness this evening. For each
of these you are entitled to an honor bead."
Mrs. Livingston stepped forward placing about the blushing Harriet's neck
a leather thong to which were attached two large wooden beads. As the
necklace dropped over her head, the Camp Girls rose and bringing their
hands together sharply made the Indian hand sign.
"I hope you may earn many more honors, my dear. I am sure that you will,"
said Mrs. Livingston, kindly, as Harriet tried to voice her appreciation.
This ended the session of the Council Fire for that night. It was now past
nine o'clock, so the girls strolled toward their tents in twos and threes,
discussing the evening's inquiry in low tones as they walked.
Harriet Burrell felt particularly sad. She did not like to think of those
six unhappy girls who had just been sentenced by the Chief Guardian. Her
sympathy too, went out to the others who had taken part in the hazing and
would not confess their guilt. It required no little force of character
for these girls to come forward and admit that they had instigated the
plot, knowing full well that dismissal from Camp Wau-Wau would have been
the penalty. Still, Harriet knew that under similar circumstances, that
would be what she should do.
Patricia and Cora already had reached the tent by the time Harriet
entered. She nodded to them smilingly. The faces of the two girls wore
haggard expressions which she was quick to catch.
Harriet had just pulled out her cot to tuck the blankets down when
something dropped to the floor. She suddenly recalled that when she had
come in after the hazing on the previous night, she had dropped the towel
that had been bound about her head, over behind her cot, intending to look
at it next morning. She had forgotten all about it. She now picked up the
towel, ran the edges through her hands, then bringing one end of it closer
to her eyes, she examined it keenly. The two other girls failed to notice
what she was doing.
Harriet tucked the towel under her blankets, turning to listen to what
Tommy was saying. This is what she heard from Tommy who was sitting on the
edge of her cot, removing her shoes.
"You girlths mutht be good thleeperth," remarked the little girl,
reflectively.
Patricia turned on her sneeringly.
"Speak when you are spoken to," she snapped.
"Yeth, I alwayth do. I thaid you mutht be good thleepers."
"Why!" interjected Cora.
"Becauthe you didn't wake up latht night when I wath being carried out
into the woodth," said Tommy, surveying Patricia and Cora with half closed
eyes. "It ith a wonder you woke up when they rang the bell. I can thleep
too, but you are champion thleeperth, ath my father would thay."
"Did I ask you for your opinion!" demanded Patricia, her eyes snapping, a
flush appearing high up on either cheek.
"No, but I jutht thought I would tell you becauthe you might not know it
unleth thome one told you, you thee."
"Thank you."
"You're welcome. How many beadth have you won?"
"I haven't won any beads," answered Patricia, crossly. "How many have you
won?"
"That dependth. I gueth I've won a whole thtring of them. I did thomething
that no other girl in the camp can do."
"You did!" exclaimed Cora. "I should like to know what!"
"You ought to know. I flew. Didn't you thee me hanging in the air from the
tree latht night! No, of courthe you didn't. I had flown down before you
got there and I couldn't fly up again."
"Tommy, it's bedtime," reminded Harriet.
"Yeth. I've got to thay what ith in my mind firtht. How long have you been
here!"
"Since the first of June," answered Cora impatiently. "Don't ask so many
questions."
"How am I going to know thingth if I don't athk?" demanded Grace.
"What you don't know won't hurt you," interjected Patricia.
"Oh, yeth it will. You don't know how it will pain me. I jutht have to
know thingth. I have to know thomething about everything."
"And nothing about something," suggested Cora sarcastically.
"Now, Tommy, don't you see that the girls do not wish to talk to you?
Don't intrude," remonstrated Harriet.
"Thank you," mocked Cora. "I am glad you have found your tongue at last. I
had begun to think that you said all you had to say at the Council Fire
this evening."
"No, not all," answered Harriet significantly. The two girls gave her a
quick, sharp look.
"What do you mean?" questioned Patricia, taking a step nearer.
"I had not intended to say anything about it this evening. However, as
long as you have started the conversation in that direction, I will, but I
will say what I have to say to Miss Kidder," replied Harriet steadily.
Harriet turned to her cot. From beneath, the blankets she drew out the
towel and stepping over handed it to Cora.
"What is this?"
"Your towel, I believe."
"My towel? What are you doing with it?" demanded the girl, fixing an angry
look upon the calm face of Harriet Burrell.
"It is the towel you bound about my head last night when you helped to
kidnap me and take me to the pool where I took my midnight initiation,"
answered Harriet, looking the girl straight in the eyes.
She had taken considerable chance in accusing Cora Kidder of complicity in
the hazing of the previous night, but the sudden pallor on the face of the
girl told Harriet that her shot had gone home.