Natalie: A Garden Scout

by Lillian Elizabeth Roy

  CHAPTER XII--GRIT INVITES HIMSELF TO GREEN HILL

  The vegetables, animals, and flowers might have experienced grossneglect during the next few days, after the automobile arrived, had itnot been for Mrs. James' insistence that "duty came before pleasure."Even so, Natalie spent no time weeding the beds but gave the "farmer'scurse" ample opportunity to thrive luxuriantly.

  The third day after the Lowdens had promised to hunt up Sam and send himto Green Hill Farm, a most unique post-card came for Rachel. It had thepicture of the Woolworth Building on one side, and the information thatthis was a "gift card" given to those who visited the tower. On the sidewith the address, Sam printed with lead-pencil, "Deer ant: wurd cam ferme to be shoffer at yur place. Money O. K. comin rite away. sam."

  This elaborate epistle was displayed by Rachel with so much family pridethat the girls had hard work to keep straight faces. But they knew howhurt Rachel would be if she thought the writing was illiterate, so theysaid nothing.

  "If that card was mailed yesterday, as the postmark shows it was, Samought to be here to-day," said Mrs. James.

  "Yes, but he won't get here in time to drive us to Ames's farm for theguinea-hens," said Natalie.

  "As that will be my last act of law-breaking, I'll drive," announcedFrances.

  Therefore, the girls hurried away in the car. They had not gone morethan half the distance to Dorothy Ames's home, when Natalie saw a dogfollowing the machine.

  "Go home, old fellow!" called she, waving her hat to drive him back.

  But the dog stood momentarily still and wagged his stumpy tail, thengalloped after the car again, to make up for lost time.

  "Girls, what shall we do with that dog?" cried Natalie in distress. "Ifhe follows us much further he may get lost."

  Frances stopped the car and called the dog to her. He stood with frontpaws on the running-board and looked up at her with happy eyes.

  "He's a fine Collie, girls. Look at his head and the lines of his body.Someone get out and look at the collar for the owner's name," saidFrances, leaning over to study the dog.

  Belle got out and having examined the collar, remarked: "No name on it.It's just a plain leather affair with a frayed rope-end still attachedto the ring."

  The dog gave a short friendly yelp at Belle and wagged his tail rapidly,as a token of good fellowship.

  "Let him run after us if he wants to, then we will take him back with uswhen we return," suggested Janet.

  "We'd better have him jump inside the car, then, so he won't stray whileour attentions are turned," ventured Norma.

  So the dog was given room in the tonneau where he stood and watched overthe side of the machine as they flew along the road.

  Arrived at Dorothy Ames's farm, he waited until the door was opened,then he leaped out and pranced about the girls.

  "That's some dog you girls got there!" declared Mr. Ames, as he cameforward to welcome his visitors.

  "Yes, he must belong to someone living near Green Hill. He ran after ourcar as we turned from the state road into this road," explained Natalie.

  "I ain't never seen him about afore. I knows every dog fer ten milearound Greenville, and there hain't no farmer that kin afford a' animallike that," returned Mr. Ames.

  "Why--is he a good one?" wondered Janet.

  "Got every point a prize-winnin' Collie ought to have. I wish he was mydog! I'd win a blue ribbon on him," said Mr. Ames, as he examined thedog critically.

  "Then someone will worry until he is home again," said Normaconcernedly.

  The dog seemed not to worry, however, for he yawned and followed thegirls about as if he had known them since puppyhood. Mr. Ames told thegirls that the dog must be about two years old, and certainly showed hehad been accustomed to a good living.

  The guinea-hens were selected, several pigeons ordered to be deliveredin a few days when the house would be ready, and a number of younggoslings spoken for. Janet was not going to lose time planning for astock-farm business and not act, it seemed.

  "If you gals are going to take the dog back the way he came, you'dbetter not try to take the crate with the hens, too. I'll leave them onmy way to the Corners," advised Mr. Ames.

  The business matters settled, Frances spoke of her new line of work. "Ifyou folks ever want to rent a car for a trip, or when you want to go tothe station, just call me on the 'phone and I'll come for you. I amstarting a jitney-line and am always on hand for my clients."

  Mr. Ames laughed and said: "Sort of runnin' opposition to Amity, eh?"

  "Well, not opposition, exactly, as Amity is never about to attend tobusiness. But I intend running the car faithfully, as anyone who is inthe public service should do," said Frances.

  "What about a license?" questioned the farmer wisely.

  "Oh, that's taken care of. My chauffeur, Sam White, is going to drivethe machine, while I act as conductor."

  Mr. Ames laughed again, heartier than ever, and Dorothy smiledsympathetically at Frances. Then she said: "I wish I had something to dobesides churning butter and working on the farm."

  "Well, Dorothy, just you stick to us Girl Scouts and we'll find you somedesirable field of labor," said Janet encouragingly.

  Soon after this the girls started homeward, the dog jumping in withoutbeing invited and sitting up in the place provided him before. The girlspatted him and said he was a clever fellow. That started his tailwagging violently and his tongue panting with pleasure.

  At Green Hill, Mrs. James watched the girls stop at the side piazza, andthen, to her surprise, she saw the dog jump out of the car. He stoodwaiting for his companions to alight and then he sprang up the steps andwagged his tail at her.

  "What a fine dog," said Mrs. James, patting his head. "Whose is he?"

  "We don't know, Jimmy. He just followed us after we left the state road.Mr. Ames says he doesn't belong to anyone around here, 'cause he knowsevery dog in the county," answered Natalie.

  "He must have lost his way, then. Maybe he was with a party of autoistswho passed that way. They will surely come back to hunt for him, so wehad better hang a large sign out on the tree by the front gate," saidMrs. James.

  "That's a good plan," assented Natalie. "I'll run in and get a cardboardbox and print the sign."

  "Don't describe the dog,--just say we found a strayed canine," advisedJanet.

  "If no one comes for him, we may as well keep him until we determinewhat to do about it," added Natalie.

  "We must find a name for him, too. What do you suppose he was called?"asked Mrs. James.

  "If we knew that, we might have a clue to his owners," laughed Janet.

  "The best way to name him is this way," suggested Natalie. "Let each onewrite a name on a slip of paper and fold it up. Rachel shall deal outthe votes and the last one out of the box shall be his name. How isthat?"

  "Good! Run and get the paper, Nat," laughed Janet.

  So in a few moments six slips of paper were cut and handed out. Thepencil was passed around and everyone wrote her choice of a name for thedog. Rachel was called out to collect the votes in an old hat, and whenthey were well shaken she removed them, one by one, until the last onewas taken up.

  Mrs. James leaned over to see who was coming in.]

  She opened it slowly and spelled out carefully: "G-r-i-t."

  "Ho, _Grit,_ that is my choice!" shouted Natalie, clapping her hands. Asif the dog was pleased with his name, he jumped around madly and barkedshrilly.

  "He seems to like his name," said Janet, laughing at the way the animaltried to lick Natalie's face.

  "Maybe it sounds something like his real one," suggested Mrs. James.

  "Wall, whatever it is, I says he oughter have a pan of water to drink.Affer all dis excitement he needs refreshin'," remarked Rachel, going tothe kitchen and calling the dog to follow her.

  He went obediently, and just as the girls began to plan the sign, andwhat to write thereon, the gate clicked. Mrs. James leaned over thepiazza rail to see who was coming in, and saw a short, fat,
coloredyouth of about eighteen, approaching.

  "It must be Sam,--Rachel's nephew," whispered Mrs. James.

  The expected chauffeur saw the party on the piazza and removed his cappolitely, but his face expressed trouble, and he sighed as he stopped atthe foot of the steps.

  "You are Sam, aren't you?" began Mrs. James.

  "Yas'm, an' I would huv be'n here long ago, as I writ, but I lost mybes' friend and be'n huntin' him fer more'n an hour." Again Sam sighedheavily and his eyes were moist.

  "Oh, what a pity!" exclaimed Mrs. James. "How did it happen, Sam?"

  "Wall, yuh see, Ma'am, I brung him on the baggidge car tied to a rope,an' when we got off at the Statchun he was that glad to see the greengrass and fresh air that he galavanted 'round like a crazy thing. He tukit inter his head to chase a bird what flied low along the road, and Ilaffed as I follered after him. But I lost sight of him, down the road,until I got to the Corners. I diden know what way to take there, so Iwent the most travelled one.

  "That's where I made my mistake. I should hev asked the storekeeper theway to Green Hill. I whistled and called fer a mile, er more, but Gripnever showed up. Then I got afraid he was really lost. I turned back andasked the man at the Corners ef he saw'd a dog run by, an' he said,'Yeh, the mutt was chasin' down the road to Green Hill Farm.'

  "I got mad at him fer callin' Grip a mutt, but I hurried along the roadhe pointed out. I kep' on goin' and callin', an' went right by thisplace widdout knowin' it. When I came to a farm owned by a man calledAmes--a mile down the road,--he tol' me I was too far. So I come backagain. But I hain't seen no sound of Grip sence." A heavy sigh escapedSam and he drew his sleeve across his wet eyes.

  Perhaps the sound of the voice reached Grit--or Grip--in the kitchen, orperhaps his canine instinct told him his master was there,--whatever itwas, he came bounding out of the house and leaped upon Sam with suchforce that the little fellow was rolled over backward upon the softgrass.

  Grip pawed and rolled over again in his joy at seeing his master again,and the girls stood and shouted aloud with amusement at the scene. WhenGrip's violent expression of welcome had somewhat quieted down, Mrs.James said:

  "This certainly is a good ending to our adventure."

  Then she proceeded to tell Sam how the girls found Grip on the road, andhow fortunate it was that no other tourists had taken him in.

  Rachel heard a familiar voice and now came hurrying from her kitchen."Wall, of all things! Ef it ain't Sambo! How'de, my son?" exclaimed she,enfolding the little man in her capacious arms.

  "You talk as ef you hadn't looked fer me?" grinned Sam, endeavoring tofree himself from the close embrace.

  "I'm that glad to see yoh, Chile! I felt sort o' fearsome 'bout leavin'yoh all alone in a wicked city widdout me near to advise yoh dissummer," returned Rachel, beaming joyously upon her kin.

  Sam laughed, and then the story of Grip was told in a most graphicmanner, the girls interrupting to add some forgotten item.

  "Laws'ee! Ain't dat a plain case o' Providence fer us? An' to think howNatalie called the dawg Grit, too!"

  "Now that all this excitement is ended, suppose you business girls goand attend to your work," suggested Mrs. James. "While you were away Iwalked over to the vegetable garden and was horrified to find so manyweeds growing taller than the plants we are trying to coax along. AndJanet's investment has escaped from the pen and given Rachel and me therace of our lives. After half an hour's heated chase we captured thepigs, but the chickens are still at large, scratching Norma's flowerslips out of the ground. I have shouted at them, and driven them awayrepeatedly, but I see they are back there again."

  No more needed to be said then, and in a minute's time three excitedgirls were wildly racing to their various places of work to repair thedamages made in their investments.

  Then Sam was shown his room in the attic, where he could unpack hisfabrikoid suit-case and don his farm-clothes. It was plainly evidentthat he liked the idea of living in the country and driving a car whencalled upon, and Mrs. James considered the girls were most fortunate tohave Rachel's own relative--to say nothing of the dog--on the place thatsummer.

  Mr. Ames drove by before noon and left the crate with the guinea-hensand pigeons, and Janet eagerly began work on a separate coop for thehens. Sam offered to help build the pigeon-coop on the gable end of thecarriage-house, where the birds could alight without molestation.

  But the story of Janet's stock-farm and how she succeeded is told inanother book and can be given no extra room in this story. Suffice it tosay, she certainly had troubles of her own in trying to raise a barnyardfull of different domestic animals; and had it not been for Sam'sever-willing help in catching the runaways or repairing the demolishedfences, the result would not have been quite so good.

  That evening, as they all sat on the side steps of the piazza watchingthe far-reaching fingers of red that shot up from the western sky, Bellespoke plaintively:

  "I feel like a laggard, with you girls all working so hard at somebusiness. Nat with her garden, Janet with the barnyard, Norma with theflowers, and Frans with her jitney--what is there for me to do? I hatedirt and animals, and I haven't any car,--so what _is_ left for me?" shesighed.

  "Why don't you turn your attention to Scout study?" asked Natalie,feeling that they had neglected Solomon's Seal Camp lately.

  "I don't want that kind of work,--I want a real business, like you girlshave,--but what is there to do?"

  "You'll just have to pray and wait for an answer," suggested Norma, thedevout one of the group.

  "Is that what you did before the flowers came your way from Mrs.Tompkins?" asked Belle.

  "No, but you see, I always pray and hope for an answer, so I don't haveto lose time when something comes to me. It is always coming at theright moment, so I never have to ask especially for any one thing,"explained Norma seriously.

  Belle laughed softly. "I wish you'd do it for me, Norma."

  "Why, Belle! You know how to ask for yourself! You'll get it all thesooner if you stop laughing and try my plan," rebuked Norma.

  The talk suddenly changed at this point, and no one thought more ofNorma's advice to Belle. But the latter was duly impressed by Norma'sfaith, and determined to try secretly a prayer or two in her own behalf.So that evening after she had retired, she earnestly asked that a waymight be shown her to occupy herself that summer even as her friendswere doing.

  The following morning Sam suggested that the car meet the three dailytrains from the city, to carry any passengers to their destinations. Asit took but a short time to drive to the station and back, this plan wasagreed upon. Frances would act as conductor of the fares and direct Samthe way to go when taking a passenger home.

  On the morning trip they would bring back the mail and any orders thatmight be needed for the house or the Scout camp. In the afternoon thetrip would be made for passenger service only, and at evening the mailwould be brought back, or any purchases needed at Tompkins' store.

  The initial trip was made that morning at nine-thirty, the girls wishingFrances all success in her new venture. As the car disappeared down theroad Natalie hurried to her garden to go to work on the weeding.

  Janet went to the farmyard to begin building some sort of shelter for acalf she purposed buying from Mr. Ames. And Norma began to plant seedsin her flower beds. Mrs. James went in to help Rachel, and Belle wasleft alone on the porch to plan various things to interest herself,also.

  As she rocked nervously, trying to think of something agreeable to do,she heard Natalie cry loudly from the garden. She sprang from the porchand ran down the path to render any help possible to the friend indistress, and saw Natalie jumping up and down, with skirts held high andclose about her form.

  "Oh, oh! Belle,--bring a rock! Get a gun--anything--quick!" yelledNatalie.

  "What for--what's the matter?" shouted Belle, looking anxiously aboutfor a stone or a big stick.

  "A snake! A great big snake ran out of the ground and tried to get me!"screamed
Natalie, still jumping up and down.

  Belle caught up a heavy stone and tried to carry it quickly to herfriend, but she had to drop it after running a short distance, as it wastoo heavy for her. Then she found a smaller stone and ran with that todemolish utterly the awful thing!

  "Where is it? Where did it go?" cried Belle excitedly, as she reachedthe vegetable beds.

  "Oh, oh--it came out of that hole in the corn-hill, and ran that way!"gasped Natalie, breathless with her violent exercise.

  "Out of that hole! Why, that is only as big as my small finger! Howcould a great snake come from there?"

  "All the same it did! Oh, _oh,_ OH! Look, Belle! There it is,--underthat corn-spear!" shouted Natalie, bending and pointing at theterrifying (?) object.

  Belle had to look hard to be able to detect the little frightened snake.There, curled up under the tiny spear of green, was a young grass snakeabout three inches long. It held up its pretty striped head and watchedfearfully for the huge rock to fall upon its innocent body.

  Belle stood upright and gave vent to a loud laugh. "Oh, Nat! That isonly a dear little worker in your garden. Why would you kill a creaturethat will gobble up your troubles?"

  "What do you mean?" demanded Natalie, ashamed of her groundless fears.

  "Why, I've read in school that grass snakes, garter snakes, and evenblack snakes, are the farmers' best friends. They eat cut-worms, cleanoff all grubs from plants, and even keep out moles, beetles, and otherpests, that ruin vegetables."

  Natalie bravely turned her back upon the grass snake at this and waggedher head prophetically: "All the same, where a young snake like that canbe found there must be a big parent, too."

  "Doubtless, but the parent snake can kill off ten times as many pests asa baby snake, so don't go and kill it when it hurries to your cornfieldto catch a field-mouse," laughed Belle.

  As Belle started back for the rocking-chair to continue her mentalplanning, she saw Frances' car approach swiftly from the Corners.

  "Oh, goody! She has a passenger!" shouted Belle to Norma as she ran pastthe flower beds.

  Norma dropped her trowel and fork and raced after Belle to the gate towatch the private jitney go past. But Sam stopped in front of the gateand Frances beckoned to the girls.

  As Belle ran out to see what was wanted of them, a well-dressed lady,seated in the tonneau, smiled and said:

  "I alighted at Greenville by mistake. I was directed to a country placebeyond White Plains, where I hear I can buy some antiques. I am in thebusiness in New York, but I haven't time now to wait for another trainand go on to visit this lady. Your young friend here thought the onenamed Belle might possibly undertake this commission for me, as she wasat liberty to sell her time. Which of you is Belle?"

  Belle immediately signified that she was the one, and the ladycontinued: "I believe you know something of antique furniture andchina?"

  "Something--because I started a little collection of my own at home. Ihave read many books to be had at the Library on the subject and cantell a Wedgewood jug or bowl or a Staffordshire plate, as readily asanyone. I also know the different Colonial period furniture when I seeany."

  "Splendid! Then you can act as my agent up here, if you will. I must getback to keep an appointment in New York at two o'clock, but you can huntup this old farmhouse for me that is somewhere west of Pleasantville, ona road that is described accurately on this map," said the stranger, asshe unfolded a paper and glanced at it to see that it was the right one.This was handed to Belle, and the lady continued:

  "If you find anything there--or at any place in this section of thecountry--such as brasses, dishes, furniture, or pictures, telephone meat my business address and I will make an appointment to meet youwherever it is. Will you consider it?"

  "I should like nothing better, if you think I can do it for you,"returned Belle, delighted at the prospect.

  "I think you can, and for this service I will pay you for the time youactually give to the pursuit. Also I will pay for the hire of the car,as I explained to this young lady here.

  "If you can possibly find time to go to this house to-day, it willplease me greatly, as I want information about the four-poster canopiedbed I hear is there for sale. Telephone me full particulars after youcome back, will you?"

  Belle agreed eagerly to the proposition, and the lady then mentioned thesalary she would pay, by the hour, for this service of Belle's. AlsoFrances mentioned her charge for the use of the car, which was agreed towithout demur.

  "Now I wish your man would drive me to the railway station at thenearest point where a train can be taken without losing more time. I donot care which town it is, as long as I can get back to the city beforetwo o'clock."

  Belle was left standing speechless on the footpath as the car droverapidly away, and Norma smiled happily. "Did you pray as I told you to,Belle?" asked she.

  "Uh-huh!" was all the reply Norma got, but she understood Belle's waysand ran back to her flowers without another word. Belle walked slowlytoward the house to get her hat and handbag so as to start on the newventure as soon as Frances returned from the White Plains railroadstation.