the tubes thoroughly.
The girls had been watching everything with deep interest, and Miss
Miller continued, "If we leave these tubes alone, after a time the
pepsin and acids will digest the egg. Suppose, however, that I add one
teaspoonful of brandy or whiskey to one of the tubes and wait to see
what action takes place."
While speaking she took up a small vial of whiskey and poured a
teaspoonful of it into one tube. Both tubes were then corked up.
"Now, I want you girls to take a look at the temperature of these
tubes--they are the same as the temperature of a normal human stomach."
The girls obeyed and Miss Miller then placed the tubes inside a Thermos
bottle to keep them at an even temperature until the time required for
the digestion to take place.
Miss Miller took charge of the Thermos bottle while the girls took the
remainder of the dinner back to the Bluff.
The cake had been placed inside the cupboard and soon Wickee scented
it. He immediately took up his station directly in front of the doors
and started howling, with an intermittent sniff at the crack in the
cupboard door.
"Hey, there, Wick! Dogs' stomachs were not built for cake any more than
ours were made to hold alcohol! You can't have any of that cake until
we see what effect that stuff has on the egg!" called Zan.
The wise dog looked at his mistress out of the corners of his eyes, and
then, creeping away from the cupboard, he quietly left the Bluff and
stretched out upon the moss under the willow by the pool.
Miss Miller had gone to her tent to place the Thermos bottle in her
box and was just coming out when Nita came from her tent. A pink flush
over-spread her face when she saw the Guide so near, and a letter was
hastily hidden in the folds of her tunic.
"I was just going down to the mail-box with a note to mother,"
stuttered Nita, seeing that the letter was seen.
Miss Miller made no reply but walked to the edge of the Bluff with
the girl and stood there watching her hurry down the slope. At the
lilac bushes that grew near Sherwoods' kitchen door, she saw Nita
stop suddenly and look down at the ground. She stooped and picked
up a letter--whether it was the one she carried and had dropped
accidentally, or another one she had just found, the Guide could not
tell.
Nita looked up at the Bluff, saw Miss Miller still watching her, and
ran past the house, out of sight.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
STAR GAZING FROM PINE NOB
Half an hour later Nita returned to camp with a face swollen and eyes
red from weeping. She said nothing and the girls made no audible
comment on her appearance. Miss Miller felt sorry for the girl, for
it was apparent that she had experienced a heart-breaking period. But
the Guide could not imagine what had caused the trouble--was it that
good-for-nothing boy Everton or was Nita home-sick, or possibly, but
not probably, she was ashamed of her actions during the past few days.
The girls took an early swim and then packed their kits for the night
out. Each had a rubber blanket beside the camp-blanket, so these were
rolled about the other items selected for the night.
At the barn, Cheokee was soon hitched up and all the duffle-bags were
thrown under the seats. The girls jumped in while Zan fastened the
traces and told Wickee he had to run behind, or alongside the surrey.
Pine Nob was high enough to enable one to see for twenty miles around
the country, so a magnificent view could be obtained from its summit
on a clear day.
"Friends, I'm about to earn another merit. Observe that I do not intend
losing it immediately by using slang, so if I seem to run away suddenly
after delivering my idea, it is not because of any attraction at the
house but merely because I dare not remain where I may be tempted to
lose my reward!" laughed Zan, as the others climbed in the surrey.
Every one smiled and waited. "Since our arrival the camera brought by
Jane has remained asleep in the living-room. I go to rescue it from
idleness!"
With that Zan rushed off toward the house, while Cheokee was started
down the road to wait at the side-porch for his mistress. Zan earned
the merit that time and Elena made a note to enter the plan of a Camera
Club in the Tally Book.
The Band reached Pine Nob without mishap, but the sun was too low to
take any good pictures, so it was postponed for the morning.
The fire was made, supper enjoyed and Cheokee fed and left tide to a
strong tree for the night. Then Miss Miller advised all to get their
beds made before darkness overtook them.
"Oh, aren't we going to sleep on the ground?" asked Hilda.
"There isn't a thing in sight that we could possibly make a bed of!"
added Jane, looking about in amazement.
"Oh, yes there is! We are going to win a _coup_ by making beds from
wild-material only--and mighty good beds you will find them, too!" said
the Guide, smiling at their doubts.
"Twigs, and leaves, and moss?" questioned Nita, ironically.
"No, hardly that, but come with me and you will see," replied the Guide.
Cheokee was tethered to a stump near the camp-site and left to enjoy
his supper of oats. Miss Miller then took a trail that had not been
noticeable until attention was directed to it. This, she followed into
dense woods for half a mile or so, before coming to an aromatic grove.
Young trees, as well as half-grown spruce, grew in a thick wall under
old pines.
The Guide took her sharp sheath-knife from its case and started to cut
only those branches which showed young tender green tips. "While I cut
you girls can gather and make bundles of it."
"What for?" wondered Nita.
"You'll soon see, and then to-morrow you will say, 'How _can_ Mrs.
Sherwood sleep on feathers when these kind of beds are so cheap and
convenient!'"
"Oh, I know! It's for bedding!" cried Elena.
"I bet you've read some of White's books, haven't you?" said Zan, whose
brothers were in love with White's wood stories.
"Better not talk so much and work more--darkness will catch up before
our beds are made," warned the Guide, cutting without a pause.
Finally, every one was laden with branches, and soon the plateau
was reached and Miss Miller sought for a place where the ground was
comparatively level. Here she threw the greens.
"Now watch me weave a spring bed," said she, sitting down a sort her
branches, long, medium and short pieces.
She laid a row of long pieces of spruce with the tender soft green tips
directly away from her. This she made about four feet wide, with the
hard ends of the wood facing her. Upon this, lapping about two feet,
she laid another row--then another, until the bed was about six feet
long. She then placed the next layer on top but turned the ends the
opposite way, managing to run the hard wood in and under the first
layer. The second layer was laid of shorter branches. The third layer
was laid of still shorter ones, without much hard wood to cover. What
there was was run under the soft ends of the second layer so that not a
bid of wood could be seen or felt. Done, she stood up and admired the
bed.
"One of you girls throw yourself down--test it!"
Two or three followed the suggestion at once and each one sighed with
blissful anticipation of the night's rest.
"Isn't it soft!" cried Elena.
"And springy!" added Zan.
"I love that piney odour. I always loved balsam pillows!" said Jane,
sniffing at the green.
Hilda and Nita said nothing but they remained on the bed when the
others got up, thus showing what they thought of it.
Miss Miller assisted the girls in making their beds and when this was
done, they wanted to go to sleep.
"But we haven't seen a single star! I thought we were going to take a
test in star-gazing!" reminded the Guide.
"Oh, pshaw! What time is it? Isn't it most nine o'clock?" yawned Zan.
"No, it isn't! It's only seven-thirty!" laughed Miss Miller.
"Well, girls, let's go to it!" retorted Zan, where-upon she drew upon
her criminal head the laughter of the Band.
"There goes Zan's merit for camera hunting!" shouted Elena.
Zan good-naturedly accepted her doom and turned her face toward the sky
to find the first star.
"Hah! there's a star!" cried she, in a short time.
"Where, where? It can't be, it's too light to see stars!" said Elena,
who had hoped to be the first to succeed with the stars.
"Yes, I guess Zan is right; I see one, too, but, girls, you have to
concentrate on seeking, or you'll miss the faint twinkling," came from
the Guide.
After that the quiet was broken by cries, "There's one! I see another!"
and so on.
Finally Miss Miller, not wishing to tire the girls the first night of
star gazing, asked, "Who wants to go to bed--or who will choose to hunt
some planets?"
No one was ready to retire, it seemed, for the new game was too
interesting.
"For everyone who finds and names the correct planet and can tell some
facts about it, we will award a merit!" suggested Miss Miller.
For some time thereafter, not a sound could be heard except the snoring
of Wickee and the soft thud of Cheokee's hoofs as he wandered about the
tether.
"I see Venus--right there," cried Hilda, pointing.
The girls turned in the direction pointed out and Miss Miller said,
"Yes, that is Venus. Now, can you tell us anything about it?"
"Not much, I'm afraid. But I know that Venus and our earth are often
called sister planets, and at Christmas time it is often called the
Star of Bethlehem, as it shines so bright at that season. Then, too, I
believe it is the brightest star we can see with the naked eye," said
Hilda.
"Yes, that much is correct and you have won a merit, but for the
benefit of the others I will add that Venus' brightness is caused
by the clouds that surround it and reflect the sun's light just as
looking-glass would. Our clouds also reflect sunlight. Often we will
see masses of cloud banked up, so like snow-mountains and reflecting
such brightness that it dazzles us to gaze at them. The thick clouds
that surround Venus prevent us, on earth, from seeing any of its
continents or oceans that may be there. Sometimes, when a cloud thins
out we can peep through and catch a glimpse of the markings of this
beautiful planet."
When the Guide concluded, the girls turned their attention to the sky
again. Soon after Jane called, "I see a great big star--or rather
planet. I suppose it is Jupiter, as I know Jupiter always travels near
Venus."
"Yes, Jane is right, too. Now tell us all you know about him. You may
gossip freely, for we all like Jupiter and are eager to hear all there
is to know about him," said Miss Miller. "But I would correct your word
'travel,' for Jupiter does not travel with Venus; because it is so
brilliant we see it with more clarity of vision; Venus also being so
bright, we can pick these two out without difficulty. Sometimes the two
planets seem quite near each other, which might lead you to think they
travel in the same path."
"Well, I know this much correctly, anyway," said Jane. "Jupiter is
called the Giant Planet because it is the largest of the sun's family,
and is about 1300 times larger than the earth. Then, too, our earth
only has one moon while Jupiter has at least eight, and I don't know
how many more will be discovered in time."
Jane's manner of ending her description made the other girls laugh, but
Miss Miller said, "Did you ever look through a telescope at the sky
with its myriads of stars and planets?"
No one had, and the Guide said, "You've all missed a treat. When we go
back to the city we will make it one of our Band's treats to visit
some institution where there is a telescope. Elena, make a memorandum
on your sleeve to enter that in the Tally Book."
Elena giggled, for she was not aware that any one had seen her use her
cuff for a memo pad.
"Before we leave Jupiter, I think that I should add that Galileo--the
man who first used a telescope, you know--sought for Jupiter one night
and discovered the moons travelling around the great planet. Poor
Galileo tried to prove to his fellowmen that the earth was not the only
world but that it was a mere planet like many others to be seen. Folks
in those days believed that the earth was the centre of all things and
that the sun naturally travelled around it, as the moon and stars did,
also.
"They were so furious with Galileo for trying to tell them the truth
that they cast him in prison. When he showed them how the moons of
Jupiter travelled around it in an orbit, just as the moon went around
the earth, people began to think seriously of his statements. Some said
Galileo was a magician and had bewitched his telescope, or else had
bewitched his followers. After a time, however, they were forced to
admit that he was right, and since then every one reveres the name of
Galileo as that of a wonderful astronomer."
"I'd like to find Mars! Please don't any one else take it 'cause I was
born under that planet!" said Zan, during the period of silence that
followed Miss Miller's talk.
"Oh, no, Zan, you were not born under any planet! You surely have not
mentioned such foolish ideas to your father, have you?" cried Miss
Miller, surprised at the girl's statement.
"Why, no, I never gave it a thought, except what I heard read from a
New York paper. They print horoscopes and tell about governing planets
and signs of the zodiac. Is it foolish?"
"I should say it was! I know that a certain newspaper, so-called,
makes a circulation-booster of a section devoted to the study called
astrology, for silly folks to read and worry over. It seems all wrong
to me for any one to waste a thought on such trivial things when
profounder studies are right at hand awaiting our choice. It is true
that according to certain laws of gravitation and natural law, the
tides of the ocean are affected by the moon and planets, and farmers
plant crops at certain seasons of the zodiac, but to lay claim to
a star or planet having power or intelligence to control our lives
and future acts, is to become a necromancer. As you can read in the
first Book of the Bible, God made all things and he gave man all
dominion over all created things. Man, as His child, was given power
and intelligence like unto God, made in His image and likeness, and
nowhere in the Bible can you read where He refuted that government and
dominion! We still have power over stars and planets, and I, for one,
refuse to be domineered by a light, shining millions of miles away
from me. What kind of a guardian do you suppose that planet would
make?"
"Then why do folks call Mars the Planet of War, and say that it is
always a blood-red for a long time before a war or national strife
occurs?" asked Zan.
"No one really knows that Mars is more war-like in its office than
Venus or Jupiter. But I will not tell you more of Mars until Zan has
found him and told us what she knows," said Miss Miller.
"I see Mars--but Zan wants the privilege," said Nita, in a whisper.
"Oh, no, Nita; if you've found him first, you have prior claim. I'll go
on star-gazing and find something new!" said Zan.
"Well, it is that fiery planet just over the oak tree," directed Nita.
It was correct and she was led to speak of anything she knew of Mars.
"I don't know much beside what I heard in a theatre-play called the
Martians. They had a great map on the drop-curtain and I looked at the
markings that were supposed to be on the planet. Then I heard once that
Mars is a world like ours and has winter and summer. In winter it has
vast fields of ice and in summer rivers and dark places that may be
green hills and valleys. I guess it has inhabitants, too, but I don't
know what scientists think about that."
"Nita is right as far as facts go, but one important item was omitted.
Mars has practically no clouds, whereas the earth has an abundance of
them. Therefore, it must be continually fine weather on Mars, for
there cannot be any rain. Whether any people live to enjoy permanent
fair weather, we do not know, because Mars is such a distance away
that even with strongest telescopes we can only see different coloured
markings on the surface of the planet. I sometimes think that Mars
would have to have a wonderful irrigation system to succeed with
vegetation if it is inhabited. As it could have no rain, it would have
to conserve the melting snows of winter to water its valleys in summer."
"Hurrah! I've found my planet! You never will guess where it is
located!" laughed Zan.
Several attempts were made to locate it, but to no avail.
"Yet it is the most prominent and to our eyes the largest in the sky,"
continued Zan, aggravatingly.
Mercury, Saturn, Neptune, Uranus, and others were all mentioned, but
Zan shook her head at each guess. Finally the Guide said, "Give up."
Zan laughed with delight at having cornered the teacher.
"Ha! The moon! It is just rising above that pine!"
They all laughed, and Zan was told to tell what she knew.
"Well, I know that the moon isn't made of green cheese, although
there are some folks who still believe so. Then, too----" but Zan was
interrupted by the others rolling on the grass and laughing.
"Miss Miller, they should each have a demerit for disturbing the peace
like this," said Zan, in mock severity.
"They'll soon cancel it then, with a merit, just as you constantly
cancel your merits with _de_-merits for crime!" laughed Miss Miller.
As soon as the girls had quieted down again, Zan continued her harangue
in a lecture-tone.
"The moon has mountains known to us as moon-mountains. There are many
extinct volcanoes on its face that are supposed to have formed these
mountains. The moon is a satellite of the earth--it follows the earth
like the little lamb followed Mary. If our earth should take it into
its head to shoot off to a corner of the ether, a few million miles
away, the moon would just trail along after, and most likely cry all
the way for its mother earth."
The girls were delighted with Zan's lecture and Miss Muller had to pull
her face into control before she said, "We won't be able to tell fact
from fancy, you are so ready with both kinds of information."
"Fancy will not deserve a demerit, I trust!" said Zan.
"Oh, no, but how can it win a merit? You must give us facts that will
stand water at Headquarters," said Miss Miller.
"I know that the moon was once a wonderful planet like our earth is but
its seas dried up and its surface broke into chaotic mountains--likely
from volcanic eruptions, as its mountains present such an appearance
through the telescope. It has no trees, flowers, or living creature!
It may be grand to look at from this distance but it is really a great
hulk of desolation, and I'm sure I'd not care to live there!"
When Zan concluded, Miss Miller asked how many knew the cause of the
moon's changing so often each month, to our belief. No one ventured to
reply, so the Guide tried to demonstrate to them.
"If I take a round object--here's a stone--and hold it between the moon
and my eyes, the side toward me is dark while the side of the stone
toward the moon is light where it reflects from the moon. Now, suppose
I hold this flash-light for the sun. As I move, or turn the stone
around, the side which was toward my eyes before gradually turns toward
the reflection of the sun's rays upon the moon and thence to the stone.
As we are stationary on the earth, while the earth revolves, we advance
toward the light, then leave it again, thus seeming to see the moon
grow or dwindle as the time may be."
As soon as the girls understood, the Guide was about to turn off the
electricity when the ray showed Nita yawning.
"Girls, if any of you are sleepy we will go to bed. We have been
enjoying ourselves so that I made no note of time," advised the Guide,
looking at the others for signs of sleep.
"Oh, don't say bed yet--we want to hear some more!" cried some of the
girls.
"Really, Miss Miller, I am not so sleepy and tired as my eyes--they
ache dreadfully and I don't know why," said Nita.
Miss Miller knew, however, that it was the stormy weeping of the
afternoon. Trying to divert the girl's thoughts would be the best
soothing lotion for her eyes as well as for her heavy heart. So the
Guide continued:
"Who can tell me where the Dipper is located? The big Dipper, I mean."
After much twisting of heads, one of the girls pointed it out.
"Yes; now I will give you the names of the stars that are to be seen
all the year round. I will give the Latin name too, for almost all
astronomers use the Latin terms but we use our common names for them.
"The all-year stars are found in the northern part of the sky, and of
these the Ursa Major, or Great Bear, is the best known. The two stars
pointing north in a direct line are sometimes called 'The Pointers' for
they point to the Pole Star.
"The Pole Star is always in the same spot and the other stars seem to
move around it. If we could leap from here to the North Pole we would
find that star directly overhead.
"In spring you will see Great Bear almost over your head; in summer
it will be between the Pole Star and the northwest horizon. It autumn
it will be found between the Pole Star and the northern horizon, and
in winter it is between the Pole Star and the eastern horizon. These
positions are very necessary for you to know, for both these stars help
to locate many other constellations. The stars forming the Great Bear
have been known since ancient days--in fact it is catalogued in a book
of stars made over 2000 years ago, and the constellation has not moved
or changed its form since that age.
"Now let us look for and find Great Bear--it is formed of seven bright
stars in a group. Two pointing at the Pole Star, which will assist you
in locating the constellation, and the others to the left of the first
two."
After much wondering and questions, the girls were able to recognise
Ursa Major, and thereafter they had no further difficulty in
immediately finding it.
"The next group of stars are almost opposite the Great Bear, being on
the other side of the Pole Star. It is called Cassiopeia, or Lady in
the Chair. It looks like a great letter 'W' half-over on its side.
"At no great distance from each other you will see two stars placed
between the Pole Star and Great Bear. These bright stars are called
The Guards, as they appear to guard the Pole Star. The old legend says
that Great Bear wanted to get at the Pole Star but the gods placed the
Guards between the bear and his prey to prevent the Pole Star being
destroyed.
"I brought a pair of field-glasses so that you can see the smaller
stars. Now I want you each to take a look at them as I explain about
them," said Miss Miller, taking a leather case from the ground at her
side.
"The two stars I am pointing to are Mizor and Alcor--the first one is
the large bright star, while the second is the small star that seems
quite near to its companion. The Turks use these stars as a test of
eye-sight for soldiers. If a man cannot see these stars with his naked
eye he cannot enter the army.
"It has recently been discovered that these two stars are not really
companions but that Alcor is far beyond Mizor, although, being in a
direct line of vision with it, it appears to be quite near the bright
star.
"It is only during the months of July and August that we can see
distinctly the group called the Great Square of Pegasus. Why it
should ever have been entitled to the name is more than present-day
astronomers can tell. It surely has no resemblance to a winged horse."
"I can't see Pegasus," said Nita, at this juncture.
"Look for a bright square formed of four brilliant stars; they are on
the other side of Cassiopeia, just as far from her as she is from the
Pole Star--it has several stars seeming to form the handle of a pan.
The handle-stars are another constellation called Andromeda, while
the three stars near each other at the end of the handle are called
Perseus. When you have found these stars I will tell you the legend
connected with them."
One girl after another located the stars mentioned while Miss Miller
directed them by pointing or description. The moment the last to
locate all had done so correctly, the story was demanded.
"There once lived a king named Cepheus whose wife was Cassiopeia. They
had one child, a daughter Andromeda, whose beauty was known of far
and wide. Cassiopeia boasted of the unparalleled beauty of Andromeda
so much that the nymphs Nereids heard of it. They became jealous and
begged their father Nereid to avenge them as they alone wished the
honour of being beautiful.