At last Elise saw the Captain glance in her direction as the whistle
blew once more for attention and the Captain commanded, "Fall in!" A
look of serious interest appeared on the faces of the girls as they
formed in a horseshoe, the Captain and the Lieutenant standing in the
gap and the American flag spread out before them.
Elise, with Helen beside her, walked to a place just inside the circle
and stood facing the Captain. In the Lieutenant's hands were the staff
and hat, the shoulder knot, badge and neckerchief of the Tenderfoot
Elise.
She could not refrain from a glance at them. How she had longed to wear
all those things; the insignia of everything she had learned to admire
and look up to in the girls of America!
"Salute!" said the Captain.
All saluted Elise, who stood waiting for some order, she did not know
what.
"Forward!" said the Captain to Helen, and the two girls stepped to the
center.
Regarding Elise with a long, careful glance, and speaking carefully, so
the little French girl should miss nothing of the full meaning of her
words, the Captain asked:
"Do you know what your _honor_ means?"
"Yess," said Elise, finding her voice after what seemed to her an
endless time. "Yess, it does mean that always I shall be trusted to be
faithful and true and honorable."
"Can I trust you," asked the Captain, "on your honor, to be loyal to God
and your country, to help other people at all times, and to obey the
Scout Law?"
Elise, coached by Helen and Rosanna, made the half salute in unison with
the whole company, as she answered, "I do promise on my honor to be
loyal to God and my country, to help other people at all times and to
obey the Scout Law."
"I trust you on your honor to keep this promise," answered the Captain.
The circle of girls listened with respectful and solemn interest. Well
they realized that the vow being given was not an empty or idle one.
They knew that it entailed hard work, self-denial, and many hardships.
Yet they gloried in it, and silently renewed their own vows as they
heard the Tenderfoot make her promises.
"Invest!" came the Captain's next order.
Stepping forward, the Lieutenant gave Elise her staff, and put the hat,
handkerchief and knot on her, and smiled as Elise said, "I thank you!"
in her pretty way.
Then, at a whispered word, she marched up the line to the Captain who
pinned on her trefoil badge and explained that it was an emblem of her
Scout "life." If for any misbehavior, the trefoil or "life" must be
taken away from her, she would become a dead Scout for the time the
Captain ordered and for that time in disgrace.
The new Scout was then initiated into all the secret passwords, a
proceeding which filled Elise with despair; she felt that she would
never be able to remember the queer words and phrases.
Then with the ceremony of marching back to their proper patrols the
ceremony was over, and in a moment the formal meeting was dismissed.
The girls crowded around, all anxious to meet the new Tenderfoot and
welcome her. They talked to her so hard that Elise felt her head whirl.
She was glad to hear the voice of the little Captain suggesting a song.
She handed a leaflet to Elise, but the girls knew the songs, and
gathering in a circle they wanted to know which one to sing.
"Sing _The Long, Long Line_," suggested the Captain, and the girls sang:
THE LONG, LONG LINE
(Tune: The Long, Long Trail)
Recruiting song.
Do you feel a little lonely?
Are your friends too few?
Would you like to join some jolly girls
In the things you think and do?
Don't you know your Country's waiting?
Have you heard her call?
See, the Scouts are crowding, crowding in,
Where there's room for one and all!
Chorus
There's a long, long line a-growing,
From north to south, east to west,
There's a place awaiting in it, too, that you'll fill best.
We are sure you'd like to join us
If you knew what we can do
And we'd like, O how we'd like to make a good Girl Scout of you.
It certainly sounded sweet as the fresh young voices blended, and Elise
thrilled as she listened. She was having such a good time! All the girls
seemed so friendly and so sweet, with the exception of one girl who hung
back and on whose face there rested the shadow of discontent and
dissatisfaction. Elise found herself wondering about her; she seemed so
out of place in that happy, merry throng. But none of the other girls
appeared to notice that one of their number sat apart and occupied
herself rather ostentatiously over a book.
They were all so busy making the evening pass pleasantly for the
charming new Tenderfoot who responded so prettily to their advances that
no one spoke or looked at the silent Scout, but presently Elise noticed
that the little Captain sat down beside her and compelled her attention.
Even then the girl looked as though she preferred to be let alone.
For a long while, the girls sat and told Elise about their work and play
and the camping in summer and the delightful hikes all the year. Finally
it came time to go home and some one called for another song.
"Which shall it be, Elise?" asked Helen. "You choose one of the songs."
"I see one follows the air of the _Old Colored Joe_," said Elise. "I do
know that loving song. Please to sing that; and if I may, I will try to
sing it also."
"Of course we will sing that, you dear," laughed the tall young
Lieutenant, and together they sang:
WE'RE COMING
(Tune: Old Black Joe)
Camping Song.
I
Come where the lake lies gleaming in the sun;
Come where the days are filled with work and fun.
Come where the moon hangs out her evening lamp;
The Scouts are trooping, trooping, trooping back to camp.
Chorus
We're coming! We're coming! To the lakes, the hills, the sea!
Old Mother Nature calls her children--you and me.
II
Come where we learn the wisdom of the wood;
Come where we prove that simple things are good,
Come where we pledge allegiance to our land;
America, you've called your daughters--here we stand.
Chorus
We're coming! We're coming! 'Til we spread from sea to sea,
Our country needs us--wants us--calls us--you and me!
"That is so _most_ lovely," said Elise as the song was finished, never
for a moment realizing that her own pure and bell-like voice had added
richness and beauty to the song.
The other girls looked at each other and smiled. Here was indeed a find.
Never had there come a Scout to the council with such a wonderful voice.
They felt that the pretty young Tenderfoot was a great acquisition to
their number. So they all crowded around and said good night,--all but
the silent Scout who had not joined in the jollity. Elise and Rosanna
and Helen filled the two automobiles that were waiting for them with the
girls. Never, never had those big cars been so crowded. Certainly they
had never held happier passengers. But there was no noise or
boisterousness, no singing or whistling. The girls chatted in tones that
were agreeably low and as each one reached her destination, she thanked
Rosanna or Elise. When the last passenger in the Hargrave car had been
set down, Elise leaned back in a corner and thought deeply. She was
happy beyond words.
To do good to someone every day; that was part of her pledge. Such an
easy part! But it was hard _not_ to be good when everyone was so good to
her. Then suddenly she thought of the sulky face of the girl at the
meeting.
All the time she was telling Mrs. Hargrave about the installation and
the songs, and trying them over for her, she saw the dark, discontented
face before her. She could not feel perfectly happy because somehow the
face seemed to send her a message. "Help me; help me!" Elise heard in
her soul. But what could she, a stranger, a girl who could scarcely
speak the new language, what _could_ she do for that girl? And besides,
why did she _need_ help? Elise, whose bright eyes saw everything, had
noted the beautiful silk stockings, the texture of the black hair
ribbon, and at the last, the expensive fur that edged her coat. Also a
car had come for her, in which she went off alone. It was not poverty,
at all events, decided Elise. She could walk; she was not lame like the
poor little blond in the corner. As Elise thought it over, she puzzled
more and more. She decided to ask Rosanna or Helen next day; then a
better decision came to her. She would find out for herself. No one
should tell her. Then if she made any mistake, why, the mistake would be
hers.
But the next day but one the plot thickened. She went over with Rosanna
to see Miss Hooker about some Scout work, and as they stood on the steps
waiting for the door to open, it did open with a jerk, and the girl
Elise had been worrying about dashed down the steps and into her
limousine. Her face was disfigured with tears.
"Dear me!" said Rosanna. "What do you suppose has happened to Lucy
Breen? She has been crying."
"Assuredly. The _petite pauvre_ one!" answered Elise sadly.
Rosanna with her usual directness asked Miss Hooker the moment they
entered what was the matter with Lucy.
Miss Hooker hesitated. "You really ought not ask a question like that,
Rosanna," she said finally, "but perhaps I ought to tell you. You will
all have to know."
"Please _don't_ tell me, Miss Hooker," Rosanna begged with a deep flush.
"I thought perhaps someone had died or something like that."
"No, but for a week Lucy must be a dead Scout herself."
"How _awful_!" cried both girls, and then were silent.
"I prefer not to tell you why just now, but of course this will not make
you shun her. You must show all the kindness and consideration that you
can for her, and be with her all you can." More than that Miss Hooker
did not seem to want to say, and the girls, saddened and quiet, finished
their errand and left.
A day or two later, going with Mrs. Hargrave to the Red Cross rooms down
town, Elise thought she saw Lucy Breen shrink out of sight behind some
portieres at the back of the store that the Red Cross used as a sales
room.
Elise acted on a generous impulse. She went back through the store
looking at one thing and another until she in turn came to the
portieres. Behind them was a space used for a sort of store-room for
articles brought into the shop, and as Elise looked curiously through
the curtains as though wondering what lay beyond, she saw Lucy standing
in a corner, crowded against the wall. Elise nodded gaily.
"Are you what they call making the sort of things in here, Lucy?" she
cried. "Is it not fun to see what the good kind people give away?"
She stepped into the store-room as she spoke, smiling and nodding. "Yes,
it is droll, some of the things," she chattered on, as though Lucy was
doing her share in the conversation. Finally, however, like a little
clock, Elise ran down. She could not think of a single thing to say
further, and she trailed off, looking shyly into Lucy's dark face.
Lucy was smiling a set and bitter smile.
"Don't you think you had better get out of this and leave me?" she
asked. "Perhaps you don't know that I have lost my badge. I shall be a
dead Scout for a week, and I don't care in the least whether I ever wear
it again or not."
Elise came close and laid a hand on Lucy's shoulder, but the girl shook
it off.
"_Don't!_" she said pettishly.
"I knew that you had resigned your badge for the so small time of a
week," said Elise gently, "but one week soon passes."
"Do you know _why_ I lost it?" asked Lucy harshly.
"No," said Elise, "and I do not so much care. That is for you to know,
and our dear Captain. I am just so so sorry that you are unhappy. But
you will be happy again. Always unhappiness goes away. We do not forget,
but it ceases to wound. And if the fault makes you so unhappy, why,
certainly you will never, never so do again; will you, dear Lucy?"
To her surprise and dismay, Lucy turned and, hiding her face in her
arms, leaned against the cracked old wall and sobbed.
"Oh, I _am_ unhappy!" she cried. "I am unhappy, and I don't know what to
do! Sometimes I think I will run away!"
"Oh, don't do that; don't do that!" cried Elise. "Think of your dear
mama and your father. Oh, you could never have a fault that would make
you need to do anything that would make them so unhappy!"
Lucy laughed her bitter little laugh.
"I think I will tell you what has happened," she said, "and then you can
see just how I feel."
"Can you not tell to someone more wise than I?" asked Elise, her dismay
growing. "I will be so glad to listen, but for advice, I am so ignorant,
so what you call it? I speak your English so poorly, that maybe I say to
you the wrong thing."
"You needn't say anything," said Lucy. "You were so good to come and
speak to me, and I want to talk to someone. I had advice from Miss
Hooker but I shall not take it."
"Was it not good advice?" asked Elise, who thought every word that Miss
Hooker uttered was a pearl of wisdom.
"I suppose so," said Lucy with a sneer, "but she does not understand.
Oh, Elise, I shall _die_, I am so unhappy."
"No," said Elise softly, "you will not die so. If it could be, I would
be dead long since but I am not, and I am happy--so very, very happy
just as my most dear ones who are dead would wish me to be. So it will
be with you."
"I want to talk to you," said Lucy.
"Let us sit here then," said Elise, "where no one comes. There is a what
you call 'meeting' which my maman is here to attend. It goes on in the
upstairs, and she told me it would meet for an hour or two. Tell me all
your woe."
She pulled Lucy down on a pile of velvet curtains and patting her hot
little hand, said softly, "I wait."