THE BOY SCOUTS ENTERTAIN
When the girls were ready to take the train which was to carry them
home for the spring holidays, it was Ruth who desired to avoid
Marjorie’s company. But she was not so successful as the latter had
been on their last journey; probably this was due to the fact that she
was not foresighted enough to secure an early dismissal.
The girls boarded the train together; but Marjorie sat with Lily as far
as the Junction. When, however, the time to change trains arrived, Ruth
found herself alone on the station platform with Marjorie. There was
nothing to do but be sociable; besides, Marjorie must not suspect that
anything had happened in their relationship to alter their friendliness.
The coach they entered was comparatively empty; Marjorie chose a seat
by the window, and Ruth sat down beside her.
“I believe I’ll do my crocheting,” said Marjorie, opening her velvet
hand-bag, and taking out a square of filet that was all too familiar
to Ruth. “I lost it last week behind Lily’s cot, and I haven’t done
nearly so much as I wanted to. I’m making a camisole top for Miss
Phillips for her birthday; do you think she’ll like it?”
Ruth’s face became scarlet. Fortunately for her, the other girl was too
busy with her work to notice. She leaned over, and pretended to button
her spat.
“Yes, it’s lovely, Marj,” she replied. “When is her birthday?”
“It’s the sixteenth of April; I want to give it to her the day we get
back. Would you buy the silk and make it up, or give it to her just as
it is?”
The girls discussed the matter, and Ruth suggested a way of making it.
“If I come over next week,” asked Ruth, “will you show me that pattern?
I’d like to make it for mother.”
“Certainly; I never knew you could crochet till Lily told me you
and Helen and Doris were the only ones in the troop who won their
second-class badges on that account.”
“Yes,” said Ruth, quite composed by now, “I learned the last time I
was home. You see I didn’t have any house-party to keep me busy, so I
thought I might as well do something useful!”
The conversation drifted to swimming, and basket-ball, and finally to
the Girl Scout troop. Ruth could not refrain from telling Marjorie all
about the good times that were in store for her.
“But maybe you’ll be a scout before the play comes off, Marj,” she
suggested.
“How many more times do you think the troop will take in new members
this year?”
“Only once, I guess--but then I’m not sure. But of course nobody can go
camping who isn’t at least a second-class scout.”
“Don’t worry about that! If I ever get in, I won’t stop till I’m a
_first_-class scout!” said Marjorie emphatically.
“It would be fun to race to see who won it first, if you were only in
the troop,” observed Ruth.
Marjorie folded up her crocheting and looked dismally out of the
window. “Sometimes I think I’ll never make it; I don’t know how to work
any harder than I did for that last Latin test.”
“Oh, I guess you must have been nervous. I’ll bet you know as much as I
do now about prose composition. But you simply lost your head.”
“Maybe I did.”
“Be a sport, and try again--get Jack to help you; he ought to be able
to, he’s a year ahead of you.”
“Here we are at last!” cried Marjorie, jumping up and reaching for her
bag. “And here are our families to meet us!”
Mrs. Wilkinson was obviously glad to see the girls together again; and
Mrs. Henry tried to conceal the feeling of pride she experienced at the
thought of her own daughter’s success compared with the other girl’s
failure.
“A good deal has happened since Christmas, hasn’t it, Marjorie?” said
Mrs. Wilkinson, after they were comfortably seated in the machine.
“Yes,” answered Marjorie, “I’m no longer a sorority girl.”
“So I understand--but are you a Girl Scout?”
“Not yet; my Latin----”
“Oh, yes, I know; you’ll surely be able to pull that up soon if----”
“Did Ruth make the troop?” interrupted Jack.
“Yes; she’s a second-class scout already.”
“Good for her!” said Jack. “I got my pin on Friday night,” he added
proudly.
“Oh, Jack, I’m so glad! Did Roger make it, too?”
“Yes--we’re both in the troop now.”
“So is Doris,” laughed Marjorie.
The holidays passed rather quietly for Marjorie; she studied from a
Latin book she had brought home with her, and worked on her crochet.
True to her promise, Ruth came over to copy her pattern, and proved
her ability in the new accomplishment.
Ruth and Jack discussed the party at the cabin; but Jack regretted
that both he and Roger were too new to be included among the lucky
participants.
It was with a very heavy heart that Marjorie watched Ruth pass her
house the Tuesday before school re-opened, bound for the cabin party of
the scouts. Jack rushed out to carry her suitcase to the station; and
Marjorie wiped away a tear as she turned again to her Latin grammar.
The Girl Scouts met in the dining-room, and made a pretence at eating
the lunch Mrs. Rock had provided. But they were all too impatient to
get started to care to waste any unnecessary time; so after fifteen
minutes had elapsed, Miss Phillips announced her intention of starting.
When the girls got off the trolley at the foot of Bear’s Hill, they
found two of the Boy Scouts waiting for them. As they came forward, the
girls of the first patrol identified them as David Conner and Russell
Henderson.
After the usual ceremony of greeting, David said:
“Our boys have laid a trail for you to follow; if you don’t miss any of
the signals, we ought to reach the cabin in fifteen minutes’ time!”
The girls were glad of their former experience in following a trail,
and succeeded in discovering all the signs and keeping on the path
indicated. Once or twice they found little notes of direction; but
aside from these, the signals were identical with those Miss Phillips
had taught them.
Part of the way, David walked with Ethel. “Isn’t Miss Wilkinson a scout
yet?” he asked.
“No,” replied Ethel; “she lost out again!”
“Somebody’s going to be disappointed,” remarked David, beginning to
whistle.
“Somebody else I know never gets left when there’s a girl around!”
exclaimed a voice behind them, which David identified as Russell’s
without looking around.
In a few minutes, the party came in sight of the cabin. Before they
could distinguish it from the trees that surrounded it, they saw two
red and white flags sending a message of “Welcome Girl Scouts!”
“Hadley’s on the job, as usual,” muttered Russell, as the girls who
knew the code interpreted the message to the others.
The cabin was built of logs, and surrounded by tall trees. The brush
had been cleared away, leaving an open space in front large enough for
the scouts to build an oven, and to arrange an out-door eating place.
The spring ran below the cabin.
The other boys who had visited Miss Allen’s came forward and greeted
the girls, and introduced the rest of the scouts and Mr. Remington, the
Scoutmaster. Several of the boys conducted their guests to the inside
of the cabin, where they removed their heavier wraps.
The interior of the cabin, which had a stone fireplace and a wooden
floor, was fixed up attractively with box furniture made by the boys
themselves. Several shelves in one corner held the supplies.
“It’s lovely!” exclaimed Ethel enthusiastically, as she sat down on the
bench in front of the fireplace.
“Where do you sleep?” asked Lily, with a puzzled look. “Surely sixteen
boys couldn’t all find room on the floor!”
“We sleep in tents, when we stay here all night,” said John. “Except,
of course, when a candidate is sent out here on probation; then he
sleeps on that cot!”
Mr. Remington appeared at the doorway. “As soon as you get rested, we
want to play some scout games,” he said.
All the scouts, except the squad who were preparing the dinner, played
games until almost dusk; then a whistle signal sounded which John
interpreted as “get ready for mess,” and the girls followed Miss
Phillips to the stream to wash and make themselves presentable for
supper.
The supper was a splendid one--much more pretentious than that which
represented the girls’ usual idea of a camp mess. There was broiled
steak, baked potatoes, baked beans, cocoa, rolls, and chocolate cake.
“I never knew boys could cook like this!” said Frances. “Why, it’s
wonderful!”
The girls wanted to help clear things away, but their offer was
refused. Two or three of the boys built up the fire, and in a few
minutes everyone was grouped around it, singing and talking.
John Hadley came over and sat beside Doris.
“It’s too bad Roger couldn’t be here to-night,” he said, “but you see
he’s one of the newer members of the troop. I daresay you’ll see him at
the next party.”
Doris laughed gaily. “Don’t worry about me, Mr. Hadley,” she said. “I’m
having a wonderful time.”
But with her naturally sympathetic disposition, she was quick to
realize that John was not so happy, and she tactfully turned the
conversation in the direction in which he was interested--namely, to
Marjorie. She explained as well as she could about Marjorie’s failure;
but as she never had been able to understand it herself, she was not
very successful in convincing John of the cause.
About eight o’clock, Mr. Remington called for “stunts,” and started by
telling a funny story himself; Miss Phillips followed with a negro song
in dialect; Ruth and Ethel gave a dialogue; and several of the boys
performed gymnastic feats.
At nine o’clock, Miss Phillips reluctantly rose to go. She thanked the
boys and invited them to the play. “And some day,” she added, “we want
to entertain you.”
“Our boys wish to offer the Girl Scouts of Pansy troop the use of our
cabin and its equipment for a week this summer,” said Mr. Remington,
after he had acknowledged Miss Phillips’s invitations.
The girls all clapped; it seemed too wonderful to be true.
“The nicest time I ever had in my life!” said Lily, as they were riding
home on the trolley. But she added the phrase which Ruth had come to
hate: “If only Marjorie could have come along!”