PANSY TROOP MEETS
Now that the girls had seen the Boy Scouts’ demonstration, they were
more anxious than ever to get their own troop started. But they did not
have long to wait, for the following afternoon Miss Phillips placed a
typewritten list on the Bulletin Board in the main hall.
In a few minutes, a crowd began to gather. Ruth was the first to
appear; to her great delight she saw her name at the bottom of the list.
“Who made it?” asked Marjorie, who was too far back in the crowd to
read the paper.
Ruth read it out loud:
“School Swimming Team:
“Seniors--Margaret Williams, Martha Meyers.
“Juniors--Helen Stewart, Edith Evans, Violet Henderson.
“Sophomores--Ethel Todd.
“Freshmen--Ruth Henry.
“Substitutes--Rose Craig, Frances Wright.”
“Congratulations, Ruth!” said Marjorie, sincerely. “Now you’ll surely
be a Girl Scout!”
“I hope so,” said Ruth, as she walked down the hall with her old
friend. “My last marks were pretty good--but, you never can tell.”
“If I ever pull up my Latin, I’m going in harder for swimming. I want
to learn fancy diving and life-saving,” said Marjorie.
“That would be nice,” agreed Ruth, “but for the present I’m going to
be content with plain dives and long-distance swimming. Anyway, I
can swim well enough to be a First Class scout, if I pass the other
qualifications.”
The girls separated to dress for dinner. It hardly seemed possible that
Miss Allen could announce the new Scout candidates so soon, and yet a
decided air of expectancy prevailed during dinner that evening. Every
few minutes, one or two girls would allow their glance to wander in her
direction, and they were finally rewarded by seeing her rise from her
chair.
“You have all seen the names of the girls on the swimming team,” she
said. “You know, too, that out of that list of eight girls, four are
already candidates for the Scouts.
“All this goes to prove,” she continued, “just what Miss Phillips and I
have always thought--the same girls go out for athletics over and over
again, and the rest of the school is content to let them do all the
work. Now what we hope the Girl Scout organization will do, is to make
interest more general.
“Of the remaining four girls on the swimming team, only one stands high
enough in her lessons to be selected as a candidate. That girl is Ruth
Henry!”
As soon as the girls had stopped clapping, Miss Allen went on with the
announcements. “The eight candidates--Dorothy Maxwell, Edith Evans,
Helen Stewart, Frances Wright, Ethel Todd, Marian Guard, Lily Andrews,
and Ruth Henry are to meet in my office to-morrow afternoon at two
o’clock to organize and to elect their Captain.”
After dinner was over, Marjorie sought Ruth. She was not jealous of her
friend’s triumph; Ruth deserved it, and she did not.
So, with genuine pleasure, she said, “I’m awfully glad you made it,
Ruth. Nobody deserves it more than you!”
Ruth thanked her, and Marjorie continued enthusiastically, “I think you
have done a big thing for the school. And I mean to belong just as soon
as possible. I’m going to give up everything else till I pull up my
Latin mark!”
Ruth bit her lip. To her, half the fun of belonging to the Girl Scouts
consisted in being able to write home and tell her parents and friends
that she had succeeded where Marjorie had failed. But she said nothing
to indicate her feelings to the other girl.
Promptly at two o’clock the next afternoon--which was Saturday--the
scout candidates assembled in Miss Allen’s office.
“The first thing we will do,” said Miss Allen, “is to vote for a
Captain. Then, if possible, we will invite the person you elect into
the meeting, and she can take charge, for I won’t have time myself.”
She asked Ruth to come forward and give out the paper for voting.
“Every Scout should be prepared with a pencil, but if any girl needs
one this time, I will lend her one.
“Write the name of the person you want on the paper; if there isn’t a
majority for any one candidate the first time, we will vote over again
between the two or three highest.”
But there was no cause for a second vote; Miss Phillips was elected by
an overwhelming majority. Lily was sent to the gymnasium to tell her
of the result of the election, and returned with an invitation for the
meeting to transfer its location to the gymnasium.
In a few words, Miss Phillips thanked the girls for the honor they had
given her, and promised to live up to the Scout laws as faithfully as
she could.
“Now,” she continued, “since we have eight girls, we will elect a
patrol leader and a corporal.”
“What are their duties, Miss Phillips?” asked Lily.
Miss Phillips smiled. “Scout Andrews,” she replied, “after this
when you wish to ask a question, rise, salute me, and say ‘Captain
Phillips.’ If I return the salute, then you ask your question.
Now--let’s try that!”
Lily did as she was requested, and Miss Phillips explained that the
duties of these officers were to get the girls out to the meetings,
lead the marching, conduct opening exercises, and so forth. Frances
Wright was elected patrol leader and Lily Andrews was made corporal.
“Now,” said Miss Phillips, “open your handbooks to page 44, and you
will see the different ceremonies to be used. We will begin with a
simple one to-night.”
After she had read the instructions aloud, she blew a series of short
whistles and the girls assembled in line--with Frances at the top, and
Lily next. Lily was sent to the room next door for the flag, and at the
command of the Captain, the girls pledged allegiance. Then they sang
one stanza of “The Star-Spangled Banner,” standing at attention. After
this, led by Miss Phillips, they took the Scout oath. With their right
hands raised to their foreheads, they repeated:
“On my honor I will try
To be true to God and my country.
To help others at all times.
To obey the Scout laws.”
Their hands dropped to their sides.
“Patrol Leader Wright,” commanded Miss Phillips, “lead in the Scout
Laws.”
Frances stepped in front of the group, saluted the Captain, and the
girls repeated with her:
“A Girl Scout’s honor is to be trusted.
A Girl Scout is loyal.
A Girl Scout’s duty is to be useful and to help others.
A Girl Scout is a friend to all, and a sister to every
other Girl Scout.
A Girl Scout is courteous.
A Girl Scout is a friend to animals.
A Girl Scout obeys orders.
A Girl Scout is cheerful.
A Girl Scout is thrifty.
A Girl Scout is clean in thought, word and deed.”
“What is your motto?” asked Miss Phillips.
“Be prepared,” they answered.
“What is your slogan?”
“Do a good turn daily.”
“Be seated!” commanded Miss Phillips. “After opening ceremony,” she
continued, when the girls were seated, “comes Scout talk. To-night I
am going to talk about your good turn. It will be harder for you girls
than for the Scouts who live at home, but let me see what you can do.
Make a list of the things you do, but do not sign it. Bring it next
week to the meeting, and perhaps we shall read them aloud.” Then she
suggested some good turns that might be done at the school.
“Business meeting is next in order. We must first of all have a
secretary. I am ready for nominations.”
After a great deal of consideration, Ethel Todd was elected secretary;
Ruth Henry was made treasurer.
“Now it is time to decide upon a name,” announced Miss Phillips.
“A name?” asked Ruth, without rising or saluting. “Can we have Greek
letters--or something like that?”
The other girls smiled at her impetuosity, but Miss Phillips hastened
to correct the false impression.
“No, not that,” she answered, “but each troop takes the name of a
flower--rose, daisy, violet, and so on. And each patrol takes the name
of a bird. Suppose some of you suggest the names you would like, and we
can vote upon the three most popular.”
Frances suggested “Pansy,” and the girls decided to make it their
choice. The selection of the patrol symbol was put off until a later
time.
After dues had been discussed and agreed upon, Miss Phillips said, “I
would like to suggest that we consider candidates only once a month.
It is nearly February now--and we are just starting. It would make too
much confusion if we take them in at every meeting. So I think the best
plan would be to get the list of those eligible from Miss Allen at the
end of each month, and take them in at the following meeting.”
This suggestion was voted upon and passed.
“When shall we have our first hike?” asked the Captain.
Frances Wright rose and saluted Miss Phillips. “Captain,” she said,
“let’s wait until we get our uniforms.”
Helen Stewart’s face fell. She was one of the poorest girls in the
school--her mother was a widow, and it was about all she could afford
to do to pay the regular expenses. Helen did not know how she would
ever get her uniform.
“All right,” agreed the Captain, “but you all know you have to _earn_
the uniform. You aren’t allowed to write home and ask your parents for
the money. And what is more, you are supposed to _make_ it!”
Lily looked disappointed. She was thinking of having her uniform made
by a Fifth Avenue tailor. Helen looked proportionately pleased.
“There are lots of things you can do to earn money--typewriting in
the office, taking care of babies, running errands for people in the
village, taking orders for knitting and sewing----”
“But we’ll be almost like servants!” exclaimed Lily, interrupting her
Captain’s speech.
“It won’t hurt you, girls,” Miss Phillips said laughingly. “And to
encourage you,” she added, “I’ll earn mine, aside from my salary.”
“And we’ll make it a kind of race to see who can earn theirs first.
Let’s have a bank and a banker, and report each week on what we have
made.”
The girls approved of the plan, and Ethel Todd, the secretary, was
chosen banker.
“Now,” said Miss Phillips, “we will adjourn our business meeting for
Scout work. Open your handbooks to page 60; we are going over the
Tenderfoot test together.”
The test seemed comparatively easy, and Miss Phillips decided to give
it the following week. “You may each bring a quarter,” she said, “and
if everybody passes we will fill out our blank and send it to National
Headquarters in New York.
“Now,” continued the Captain, “let’s have some games. Next week we’ll
have military drill, but we won’t start that to-night. Let’s play
‘Boots without shoes.’ Does anybody know it?”
The girls shook their heads, and Miss Phillips requested all but
Frances to go into her office.
She explained the game to Frances, and told her to go and bring one of
the girls into the room. She returned with Lily.
“You want to belong to the Girl Scouts, don’t you, Lily?” asked Miss
Phillips, with mock solemnity.
“Yes!”
“Then will you promise to do as I do, but to say just what I tell you
to say?”
“I promise.”
Miss Phillips took three jumps. “Say ‘Boots,’ without shoes!”
Lily imitated the action, and repeated, “Boots, without shoes!”
“But that isn’t right!” protested Miss Phillips. “We’ll try over again.”
She gave her increasingly difficult gymnastic feats to perform, ending
each with the same command of “Say ‘Boots,’ without shoes!”
Finally Lily saw through the trick, and cried triumphantly, “Boots!”
Miss Phillips sent her for the next girl, and they continued until all
the girls were initiated.
Before they separated for the evening, Miss Phillips taught the girls
the Scout yell--
“A-M-E-R-I-C-A
GIRL SCOUTS--GIRL SCOUTS--U.S.A”
and they yelled it joyfully, adding first “Miss Allen’s, Miss Allen’s,”
on the end, and then giving it over again in honor of Miss Phillips.
Lily ran up to find Marjorie, who had spent the first Friday evening
since Pledge-Day in her own room. Both girls were glad that there was
no secrecy about the Girl Scout meeting, which would prevent them from
discussing it together.
Ruth went over to her own room with equal haste, joyfully anticipating
the letter she would write to the folks at home to tell them of her
good fortune.