PLANNING FOR ACTION
"NOW, don't trouble another bit," protested the old man when Leonore
pulled into the little boat landing. "I'll take the next boat across,
and be all right, thank you for helping me. You're a fine set of girls."
From the time they had left Borden's pier the girls had been tactfully
trying to find out where he lived, and why they couldn't drive him
directly to his place. But to all their inquiries he answered evasively,
and was most positive in declaring they could not fetch him home.
"But you are scarcely able to walk," protested Helen. "Why won't you let
us drive around there with you? You know this car can easily cover that
distance in a few minutes."
"I'm sorry to seem ungrateful," he replied, and the girls noticed his
voice was almost sobbing. "But I can't let you do it."
"And you live on that Luna Island?" queried Grace gently.
"I do, worse luck," he answered. "But we must take things as they come.
There's Jenning's boat. He'll bring me across."
They reluctantly assisted the aged passenger to alight and watched him
climb into the rain-soaked launch. He stumbled and almost fell into the
seat under the dripping canopy. Captain Jennings propped the leather
cushions under his sagging arms, and as the girls turned away from the
landing they heard the motor of the River Queen chug out.
"No wonder they call that place over there Looney Land," remarked Julia.
"It seems to me we are all meeting more of its loons every day."
"We have come across quite a few," admitted Cleo. "But this old man was
nice; I liked him."
"Why didn't you ask him for a pass to the island then?" remarked Louise.
"That still seems to be forbidden territory."
"Yes, something like 'No Man's Land'. But did any one ever hear of 'No
Scout's Land?' That's the beauty of belonging to a privileged
organization."
"Queer thing how every one warns us to keep away from there," said
Julia. "Every one but Bentley. Wonder what he would say if we asked him
for a pass!"
"That's a brilliant idea, Julie," declared Margaret. "The very thing to
do is to ask Ben."
"I knew that boy's name ought to be something with Ben in it," remarked
Grace. "I seemed to outline it in his face when he reminded me of my own
wild, but adorable little brother Ben. Of course, we never see our own
boys down here except at meals, or we might get them to help us."
"We don't even get ours at meals," said Helen. "Mother says we might
better all be in a hotel or boarding house, for all the home life we get
out of our cottage."
"Let's stop at our place and finish up our scout meeting," suggested
Cleo. "The storm sort of broke up our session."
So Leonore accommodatingly let them down in front of the Log Cabin, and
on the spacious rustic porch there the interrupted meeting was again
convened.
"Grace, if you are going to act as secretary, I think you should keep
records. When our summer is over we shall enjoy looking back at them."
"All right," agreed Grace, preparing pencil and pad for notes.
"We must remember," cautioned Margaret, "that we are pledged to protect
ourselves as well as others. Now, how do we know it is safe to go to
that island? Suppose there is some disease there?"
"We must find out more definitely about that, of course," spoke up Mary,
who was now a professed Tenderfoot. "It would be rash to run into some
dreadful sickness."
"Also, we must question our motives and make sure we are not doing this
out of rank curiosity," declared Louise sagely. "That would be silly,
even if pardonable, and I don't think we could make a very creditable
report to headquarters on such a pretense."
"Oh, that is clear enough," insisted Cleo. "It is just this way. We were
confronted by this fire-bug thing, directly we struck the place, and its
evidence has been piling up ever since. Every few nights a fire breaks
out--and no one is able to discover the culprit."
"And that note we found was a challenge. It was written for who ever
might pick it up, and we happened to be the 'whoevers'" said Louise. "So
it plainly seems like our duty to run down the Weasle."
"But just why would you think the writer was on the island?" asked
Helen, who, having come down late was not entirely familiar with all the
details of the situation.
"We haven't any positive reason for that supposition," admitted
Margaret; "but things point that way, and we must run down that clue
first. Besides, it is very strange how every one warns us to keep away
from Luna Land. It makes it fascinating, to say the least."
"Almost a good reason for going," remarked Mary. "And now girls, will
you come over to the hotel this evening, if you are free from other
engagements? We are going to have a children's entertainment in the ball
room, and I would love to have every one come."
"But our dresses?" asked Grace. "What should we wear?"
"It's a novelty thing, and you can wear whatever you please," answered
Mary.
"How about all going as a troop? We would advertise the scouts, and it's
lovely and cool now after that shower."
"Oh, that would be splendid!" enthused Mary. "Since all the war work has
moved off the earth nothing seems to have really taken the uniform's
place. And as you say, it will be wonderfully cool to-night."
"And another positive advantage to uniform is that one can't out-do the
other in togs. I love that," declared Helen, "although we all have
pretty party dresses."
So the True Treds scattered, keen with the anticipation of novelty night
at the Colonade.
It is safe to guess that in the short time intervening there was much
activity in each scout's home, in the matter of pressing uniforms, for
even "going as a troop" would mean public inspection. Yet this amount of
work was comparatively small compared with what might have been their
task had dancing dresses been demanded.
Into the gold and white ball-room of the Colonade the True Treds were
ushered with quite an imposing ceremony a few hours later; and if Grace
and Cleo wanted to giggle, the pomposity of the uniformed functionaries
forbade any such frivolity.
Mary was there to welcome them, and with her was her fashionable aunt,
Miss Constance Hastings, who was also distantly related to Cleo, through
the marriage of Cleo's aunt to Mary's father's brother--remote but
definite, just the same.
A perceptible stir was occasioned by the entrance of the girls; and
since they were really quite a small troop, they walked in in pairs.
Grace and Cleo led, then came Margaret and Louise, Julia and Helen,
besides Isabel Gantor and Elizabeth Bissell, two True Treds who had come
down that very afternoon, and altogether they made a fine showing for
the scouts.
After the first flush of excitement the usual exchange of compliments
occupied the girls. Cleo had grown so much taller, every one thought so,
and her gray eyes and fair hair were really "a lot prettier." Grace had
better be careful or she would get stout, why not roll on the beach
every day? Elizabeth suggested this, while the tables were then turned
on Elizabeth herself, who was declared to be far from thin.
"I am not getting fat," declared the jolly little Elizabeth. "I'm simply
warped from being out in the rain. You should see my farm."
Then Helen was warned that such beautiful coloring as glowed in her
cheeks, and such shadows as lurked under her dark eyes would some day
put her in the class of distinguished foreigners, but when she protested
that Irish are not so considered, and that those characteristics were
hers because of that sort of connection, the girls passed her by as
"satisfactory."
The opening strains of the orchestra prohibited further exchange of
compliments or criticism, and the scouts paired off for a lively trot.
All the dance seemed suited to their uniforms, in fact, most steps were
then executed with some precision, rather military in effect.
All about them buzzed the fairy-like children in such gorgeous styles,
as seem specially concocted for big summer hotels; and resting between
dances our girls had plenty of opportunity to observe the variety of
plumage under which the little summer birds flew.
It was during intermission that the master of ceremonies approached
Isabel; she happened to be the tallest of the scouts, and he asked her
if they would favor the company with some troop manoeuvers, but on
consulting the other girls they declined to do so.
"You see," Mary explained, as she was best acquainted with the hotel
staff, "we could not do anything in public as a troop without
permission. And while this is almost a private gathering, we feel it
best to adhere to the rules."
"Still it was flattering to be asked," commented Cleo.
"Let's go out on the porch," suggested Mary. "We will have a beautiful
view of the ocean to-night."
But it so happened that something else than the scenic effect
entertained them, on the spacious side porch of the Colonade that
evening.