A TRIBUTE OF ROSES
The little meeting room over the post-office in Flosston had served as
headquarters for True Tred Troop--and tonight Margaret Slowden was to
receive her new badge, to take the place of that much-prized little
gilt wreath with its clover leaf center, her merit badge lost some
weeks before.
"Hurry along!" called Grace, who was impatiently waiting for Cleo and
Madaline, both of whom seemed to enjoy lagging while Grace wanted to be
early rather than late. "Don't you know we have to take our tests and
Captain Clark ordered us to be at headquarters at seven-fifteen sharp?"
"All right," responded Cleo, "but here come Mable Blake and Mildred
Clark. We can all be together if you just wait half a second for us,
Grace."
"I don't mind seconds, but I hate hours!" retorted Grace. "I don't want
to be a moment late and give anyone a chance to think up hard questions
for my tests."
"Oh, you needn't worry," Cleo assured her. "I know you can beat us all
at knots."
That brought back to Grace her attempt to make a "clove-hitch" and a
"running bowline carry out her noble deed" and she flashed a
significant look at Madaline, who shared a part of her secret.
"Oh, yes, I know the knots," she replied. "But you just ought to see me
try to light my fire in the open, with two matches! More like two boxes
I guess."
"And my simple dish," contributed Mildred Clark, who now, with her
companions, had joined the group, and all were merrily making their way
to the meeting room. "I thought I would select the very simplest of the
simple, and I took pork and beans."
"You did!" exclaimed a chorus.
"Yes, and it is a real wonder I am here. I thought I never would get
out of that old hot kitchen. Martha told me I should have taken Irish
stew but--"
"But you preferred the Boston Bake," interrupted Mable Blake.
"Of course Mildred wouldn't have anything to do with the Irish!" teased
Madaline, who was well known to have "leanings" in that direction.
"Indeed, I will never scorn the Celts again!" sighed Mildred, "for I
had to brown the pork and it burned. I had to soak the beans all night
and they swelled up so I had to scoop them up on a dust pan next
morning. I didn't use those, of course," as the girls' looks protested,
"I had enough on the floor to plant a garden and I really did plant
them. Then, the big pan full I baked, and it took all day. Did you ever
know plain pork and beans constituted an exact science in the
preparation for the table? Why didn't I try milk toast, and get
finished in time for your ball game, girls? Don't you think I am a real
hero of the simple dish-pork and beans?"
"We surely do, Millie, and I hope you get a perfect mark for all that
work," spoke up Grace. "My real trouble came in making a bed. That
sounds so easy, but our beds have lace covers, and no sooner would I
get one end straight, than the other would be all draped up in little
cascades. Don't you all just hate to make beds?"
"Oh, no, I love to do it," declared Mabel. "But just let me show you my
flag. Doesn't it look like a crazy quilt design?" and from her scout
manual she unfolded a page of paper, with the required American flag
drawn and colored in crayons, and not really a poor illustration of her
beloved Old Glory.
"Well, you have all had your troubles, but I think mine was by far the
most complicated and exasperating," Cleo declared, coherent
conversation being made quite possible by the double file in which the
girls grouped themselves, as they walked along. "You should just see me
take my measurements. Of course I forgot to follow instructions and
'see card at headquarters,' as the little blue book directs."
"My sakes!" exclaimed Grace. "Do we have to have our measurements
tonight?"
"We must answer all test questions and that is one of them," replied
Cleo. "But when I got my height by using a pencil over my head on a
door-post, of course we all do that, I had a set of cords all knotted
up at points to show waist, chest, arm, etc., and our pet kitten,
Cadusolus, made a tackle for the whole bunch, and before I could
recover them she had taken her own measures on my marked strings. I
won't be sure of them now, for I had to finish them in a big hurry
after that."
"I know the Mariner's Compass by heart," called in Mabel Blake from the
rear line. "Brother Jack tested me, and he said I could sail an ocean
liner with my knowledge," she insisted proudly.
"We have our tests first, don't we?" asked Grace.
"Yes, of course, that all happens outside in the private troop room,
but I'll bet the other girls listen at the keyhole!" put in Mildred.
"And last time a lot of boys on the back fence could see in the
window," Madaline reminded the anxious aspirants.
"Oh, there go all the other girls, let's hurry," urged Cleo, and when
the candidates mounted the stairs over the post-office, they were but a
small part of the noisy crowd that pounded its way on the narrow and
rather uncertain steps.
All of the officers assisted in the examinations so that not more than
a half hour was consumed in that detail, and when the girls filed into
the drill room, their smiling faces announced the good news that all
had passed.
Quickly at the given signal all the troops "fell in" and the regulation
"horse shoe" was formed with Captain Clark and Lieutenant Lindsley in
the gap, when the salute was given and the other formalities complied
with and each candidate was conducted to the captain. After answering
the captain's questions and saluting, each candidate received her
staff, neckerchief and knot from the patrol leader, while the badge was
pinned on the blouse of the solemn-faced girls by the captain herself.
All of this was conducted with a striking degree of seriousness, and as
the exercises made Tenderfoots out of the newest candidates, our own
little friends looked on, with united dignity, while they awaited their
turn to receive degrees of the second and first class.
The tests for Tenderfoot were but simple, and consisted mainly of knots
made and the knowledge of scout laws, with a few civic questions, so
that the beginners shared no part of the anxiety experienced by Cleo,
Grace and Madaline, and those of their higher grades. The distinction
of advancement is the privilege of wearing the badge on the left
sleeve, second class below the elbow and first class above on the same
arm, so that ceremonial occupied but a brief space of time.
No conversation was permitted during the Investure, but the presence of
Rose, who sat in a corner looking on with wondering eyes, had not been
unobserved by the scouts. That she had come from Franklin with
Lieutenant Cosgrove was sufficient credential for the privilege of
being present during the ceremonial, but it was Grace who talked with
her eyes to Cleo, directing her interpretative glances from the pretty
little stranger, to the now duly installed second-class scout, her
message being, "See that pretty strange girl over there?" and Cleo
replying in turn with her glance, "Yes, isn't she pretty? Who is she?"
With all her light-heartedness, which was sometimes termed
"light-headedness," Grace was fast developing a new sense, somewhat
related to our old friend Common Sense. Ever since she tried her girl
scout knot in the woods, and had eventually received a real letter from
the actual victim, she had been planning to "confess" to the other
girls, and seek their advice. First, she made up her mind to tell
Madaline, as that friend already knew a part of the secret, but the
fact that Cleo was credited with better judgment swayed her toward that
counsel. Then came such a succession of busy days, busy afternoons and
busy evenings, Grace could find no available time for the portentous,
confidential conventions of chums. So no one but Benny had, as yet,
heard anything of the mysterious letter found in the holly rock in
River Bend Woods.
But this evening during all the scout ceremony Grace and her conscience
were having a silent battle on the score of the prolonged secrecy.
Grace wished to wait a little while longer but her conscience fought
for immediate confession. Only the importance of Captain Clark's speech
seemed sufficiently strong to drag her attention from this mental
conflict.
"In striving for honors," the captain was now stating, "Girl Scouts
must be careful to use prudence and wisdom. It will not do to rush into
personal danger to do something that may seem to be brave and noble,
when a less hazardous means of accomplishing the same end may be found,
if intelligently sought for."
Grace sank back in her seat. The captain's eyes seemed to be directed
straight at her! Could anyone have told Captain Clark?
"All our special honor and merit badges are tokens of noble deeds, done
for humanity according to the principles laid down by our rules, and
explained in our manual, but none of these should be interpreted as
involving unnecessary risk to us, or the use of our guns, our ropes,
our staffs in any violence which might be avoided!"
"Ropes!" repeated Grace under her breath. "We should not--use--our
ropes--"
"Grace!" whispered Madaline. "See that big bunch of roses over there!"
"Yes!" nodded Grace.
"They are for Margaret Slowden when she gets her new merit badge, and
nobody knows who sent them!"
"Uh-hum-m!" breathed Grace in assent.
When Captain Clark finished her practical talk, the ceremony of
bestowing the substitute badge on Margaret was the nest feature of the
evening's exercises.
"You all recall our lovely ceremony on the evening of Margaret's
original presentation of her merit badge," the captain said, "but this
time we have merely to call attention to that great occasion and our
minds are filled with its pleasant memories. The noble deed done to
acquire this badge was one of unusual heroism and peculiar wisdom," she
went on, "for Margaret stayed at her post in a dreary, lonely room,
guarding her hats and cloaks with the same spirit of attention to duty
which at that same hour was bringing her distinguished brother his
consecrated D.S.C. We will now pin upon Margaret's breast--a badge to
take the place of that one, lost some time ago, and we all hope she
will be doubly rewarded by the second badge of merit!"
There was a stir in the audience and Margaret was conducted to the
platform by her patrol leader. Captain Clark then pinned on her coat
the new badge, with the words of commendation, and this concluded, an
usher advanced with the bouquet. The captain glanced at the card before
indicating that the testimonial be presented. It was inscribed
merely--"A Friend."
Everyone was puzzled. It was very unusual to give hot-house flowers in
May. Then a side door was heard to creak on its hinges and the pretty
stranger, Rose Dixon, was just seen passing out.
"I wonder why she left?" Madaline asked Grace.
"Oh, I don't know, but I would like to leave myself," unexpectedly
retorted Grace.
"Sick?" persisted Madaline.
"No--just tired," and no one knew better than Grace what a conscience
prodder such a meeting as this proved to be--that is "no one" except,
perhaps, Rose Dixon.