CHAPTER IV--NATHALIE IS ASKED TO BECOME A BLUE ROBIN
"The Mystic!" echoed Nathalie in mild amazement, while one or two of thegroup turned and gazed curiously at the gray-shrouded figure hurryingby.
"You needn't ask me to look at her," asserted the Sport with a scowl,"after screwing up my courage as I did to ask her if we could use herterraced lawn for one of our drills; why, the glance she gave me almostfroze me stiff!"
The girls laughed at Edith's tragic tone, while Lillie Bell retortedteasingly, "Well, she must be a chill-raiser, Edith, if she could freezethe marrow in your spine."
"Girls, you should not speak as you do about Mrs. Van Vorst," admonishedHelen, "you know Mrs. Morrow says that she has suffered a great sorrow."
"Pshaw, we all know that," returned the Sport unfeelingly, "but that isno reason why she should make every one else suffer, too."
"Granted," rejoined Helen, "but she has grown to look at things throughmorbid eyes."
"I should think the gray gown she wears would make any one morbid,"suggested Lillie. "But what is the use of discussing her? I believe sheis just a crank with a fad," she added.
"Who is she, and why does she go about in that queer gray gown?"inquired Nathalie, insistently.
"She is Mrs. Van Vorst, the richest woman in town," explained Grace."She lives in that big, gray house surrounded by the stone wall. Haven'tyou noticed it? It's on Willow Street, up on the hill. You must haveseen it."
"Oh, the big house with the beautiful Dutch garden," exclaimed Nathalie,"and the queer little house at one side of it?"
"Yes," nodded Helen, "but that queer little house is an ancientlandmark--a Dutch homestead--built on a grant of land given by GovernorStuyvesant to Janse Van Vorst way back in 1667. The Van Vorsts, or theirdescendants, have lived on that place for hundreds of years. Billy VanVorst, the last of the line, married Betty Walton, a rich New York girl.He died some years ago, and--well, I don't know the exact story--" Helenhesitated, "but they say Mrs. Van Vorst has an awful temper--oh, I hateto tell it--and then it may not be true."
"But it is true," asserted Jessie Ford, "for Mother used to know Billyand Betty, too. She said shortly after Billy's death Mrs. Van Vorstbecame angry with her little child--I don't know whether it is a boy orgirl--and--"
"Whatever it is," broke in Edith, "it is all distorted and twisted,looks like a monster, for I saw it one day in the garden, the day I wasthere. It is always muffled up so people can't see it."
"Well, anyway," went on Jessie, "Mrs. Van Vorst got into a temper withthe child and shut it up in a dark room, and then went off to areception or something, and forgot all about it."
"Oh, how could she?" ejaculated Nathalie with a shudder.
"Well, when she came home and remembered it--it wasn't in the room--"
"And they found it all in a heap on the pavement in the yard," againinterrupted Edith, anxious to forestall the climax; "I have heard allabout it, they say it was an awful sight."
"Dead?" cried Nathalie in a shocked tone.
"No, not dead," returned Jessie, "but it might as well have been. It hadbecome frightened in the dark, said some one was chasing it, and intrying to escape climbed out on a shed and fell to the ground. Mrs. VanVorst was ill for a long time, almost lost her mind. Then she gave upsociety and came down here and built this big house beside thehomestead. She has lived in it ever since, but keeps to herself; shedoesn't seem to want to know people."
"Oh, I don't wonder she mourns in gray then!" exclaimed Nathalie. "Ifeel sorry for her!"
"And so do I!" chimed Helen squeezing her new friend's handresponsively, "for she will have to suffer remorse all her life. Mothersays she is to be pitied."
"Well, I should have more pity for her if she would let us have the lawnback of her house for our flag drill," remarked Lillie Bell, "or for oneof our demonstrations."
"You can be sure I'll never ask her again," declared the Sport,vehemently; "I believe she hates us just because we are young, and canenjoy life when her child can't."
At this moment Grace arose and handed Nathalie a peculiar-lookingenvelope of rough brown paper. "No, it won't explode," she giggled, asshe saw Nathalie handling the quaintly-folded envelope rather gingerly.
"You needn't think it is the butcher's bill, either," laughed Helen,"for it isn't. It is simply an invitation to one of our group meetings,or Pioneer Rallies, as we call them. We always use that kind of paperwhen we invite guests, for it was the kind used in pioneer times."
Reassured by Helen's explanation, Nathalie opened the envelope, notingthe old-style script printed by hand in scarlet letters, evidently thework of one of the Pioneers. Then she slowly read aloud:
"They knew they were Pilgrims, and looked not much on those things, but lifted up their eyes to Heaven, their dearest country, and quieted their spirits within."
-- Bradford.
* * * * *
Ye presence of ye young maide, Mistress Nathalie Page is enjoined to appear on ye 23rd of this month at ye Common House (Seton Hall) on ye corner of ye cross roades to Bergen Town, to join with ye maides of ye colony of Westport in a seemly diversion and Mayflower Feast.
Postscript: Kindly come apparelled in ye meeting-house cloathes and behave as a young maide should so do.
From the Girl Pioneers of America, ye Many-greated-grand-daughters of ye Mothers of ye Pilgrim Colony, who came to this new world in ye good sloop MAYFLOWER in 1620.
The expression of wonderment in Nathalie's eyes changed to one ofamusement as she laughingly cried, "My, but you are the real article!"
"Yes, the scribe did that," said Helen proudly; "I think it ought to beput in a glass case."
"Thank you!" promptly returned Jessie; "I accept your praise, butsuggest, as industry is one of the laws of the Pioneers, that I shouldreceive a special badge of merit, for if you could have seen me pokinginto those musty documents at the library to get the thing right, youwould say I deserved it."
"But what does it mean?" demanded Nathalie curiously. "What have you todo with the Pilgrims?"
"Why, it means," explained Helen, "that we girls, to freshen up ourminds on pioneer history, so that we may learn more about the women weemulate, name each of our rallies after some one group of pioneers, orsome special pioneer woman, in memory of their service to us. Then weall talk about them, each one telling what she knows."
"Or what she doesn't know, generally," broke in Lillie, dryly.
"I guess you are about right, Lillie," added Grace, "for we are awfullyrusty on pioneer history. It always seemed so stupid at school, but wehave learned a lot since we started naming our rallies after pioneerthings, and trying to see what we can cram. Why, girls," she criedsuddenly, as if impelled by inspiration to tell the latest thing she hadlearned, "do you know that there were almost thirty children who cameover with the Pilgrims in the _Mayflower_?"
"Well, I for one did not," remarked Jessie candidly; "I didn't know thatthe Pilgrims had any children; supposed they were just a lot ofblue-nosed men who wore high ruffs and tall, round hats, and who wentabout with long faces, telling people they would go to the devil if theydared to smile."
"There, Jess," broke in Lillie Bell mischievously, "you needn't getprofane over it."
"Of course they were grim and forbidding-looking," supplemented Kitty,"and--"
"And sanctimonious," added some one, "with their blue laws."
"Girls, you are all wrong," spoke up Helen, with a sort of call-you-downair, "it was the Connecticut elders who made the blue laws. The Pilgrimswere sincere, earnest men. Remember what Mrs. Morrow said about them?"
There was a sudden silence for a moment, and then a faint voice washeard from the other end of the veranda. Every one pricked up her earsand craned her neck to see who was speaking.
"Ye Stars! it is the Flower of the Family," whispered Edith; "what hascome to her?"
The sweet, low
voice went on slowly, perhaps a trifle unsteadily, "Godsifted a whole nation that he might send choice grain into thewilderness."
"Hooray for the Flower!" shouted some one, and then of course they allhad to clap, while the editor-in-chief of the "Pioneer," who was sittingnext to the speaker, jotted down this little saying with the air of anexpert reporter.
"Now, do you suppose," went on Helen, "that these picked men--"
"This choice grain," corrected the Sport softly, who was trying hard tocreate a laugh.
"Edith, please be serious," admonished Helen, looking at that young ladywith reproving eyes, but she was sitting with folded arms and eyes castdown, the picture of innocent and bland decorum.
Helen, seeing she had subdued the Sport for the time being, continued:"Yes, this choice grain was composed of not only sincere and courageousmen, as we know, but the most tolerant of any of the first settlers inthis country. But, of course, in serious, solemn times one is not apt tobe funny. They were not really sanctimonious, they just got that namebecause they tried to live up to their convictions."
"But they got it!" retorted the Sport, who was always hard to convincein an argument. Helen flashed her eyes at her in rebuke, and then,turning toward Nathalie, said, "We are not only going to tell what wehave learned about the Pilgrims at the rally, but we are to end with aMayflower Feast. We do not expect to eat the things the colonists did,of course, but the table is to be decorated with May-flowers--that iswith all the flowers that grow in May--so you see, it will really be aMay-flower Feast."
"The Boy Scouts are going to pick the flowers for us!" chimed the Tike,her good-natured face beaming good-fellowship at Nathalie.
"Dr. Homer--he is Mrs. Morrow's brother--" supplemented Grace, "is theScout Master of the Eagle Patrol, and as he is very anxious to make theboys chivalrous, he likes to have them help us all they can."
"But we are to have a great big entertainment," exclaimed Carolimportantly, "very soon, and we're to sell tickets so that we can makemoney for the Camping Fund."
"And we have such a bright idea for getting up something novel in theway of entertainments," spoke up Helen interestedly. "Each girl is toput on her thinking-cap and get to work on an idea; it has to beoriginal, nothing borrowed, or that has been used before, and then turnit in to our Director in proper shape to be carried out. All of thesenovel ideas are to be kept secret until we have had all of theentertainments, and then we shall vote for the one we think the best.The winners will receive merit badges for their efficiency."
"Oh, that will be great!" cried Nathalie, "but tell me, where are yougoing camping?" she questioned animatedly, for her thoughts hadinstantly reverted to a summer or so before when she and a party ofschool girls had camped up in the woods of Maine.
"We don't know yet," was Helen's practical rejoinder, "for we have gotto know how much money we shall have to spend. But come, girls, beserious and tell Nathalie some of our sports and activities. We want toshow her that we can do things worth while, you know."
"Oh, get Lillie Bell to tell us one of her stories!" cried the Sport,who was a warm admirer of the story-teller.
"Oh, I can't think of any now!" replied Lillie lazily. And then as achorus of voices seconded this plea, she cried, "Really girls, I can't.I was up half the night studying for exam. But," her face brightened, "Iwill tell you about the picked chicken if you like. As it has somethingto do with our pioneer law, it will come in all right."
"Oh, yes, do!" pleaded her hostess, who had been wishing that she mighthear one of the story-teller's thrillers.
"It isn't a blood-curdler this time, Miss Page," apologized Lillie, "soI cannot give you an exhibition of my reputed talent as a fictionizer.It is simply that Mother had a headache, Father was going to bring homea swell friend to dine with us, and as it happened, the butcher sent afeathered fowl, and our little Dutch maid was ill."
"Oh, it was maddening," she sighed in dolorous reminiscence, "but therewas no way out of it, for we had to have that chick for dinner. So I setto work; some people say that when you try to do right everything risesup against you. So it proved to me, but I remembered our Pioneer motto,'I Can,' and glued myself to that job. Verily, I thought that chickenmust be a relative to the goose that laid the golden egg, for everyfeather I pulled, a dozen at least came to the funeral. But I won out,and went to bed with a clear conscience, and that fowl--inside of me!"
"Hooray for the Pioneer laws!" called several voices hilariously, andthen at one and the same time, in their eagerness to give proof ofwell-doing, each one started to relate some personal experience. Theeffect of several story-tellers spinning yarns at the same time was soludicrously funny that all the stories ended in merry laughter.
"Oh, let's vary the entertainment," suggested Grace, "and sing ourPioneer song for Miss Page."
In another moment the fresh young voices, accompanied by a swing ofheads and a tap of feet, were singing, to the tune of "Oh, Maryland, MyMaryland":
"We laugh, we sing, we jump, we run, We're Pioneers, Girl Pioneers! We're always having lots of fun; We're Pioneers, Girl Pioneers! The wild birds answer to our call, These feathered friends in trees so tall; We learn to know them one and all. We're Pioneers, Girl Pioneers!
Refrain. We're Pioneers, Girl Pioneers! We're Pioneers, Girl Pioneers! We will be brave, and kind, and true; We're Pioneers, Girl Pioneers!"
Nathalie, who was enjoying this musical treat immensely, and longed tojoin in, suddenly gave a start. She had heard a familiar hand strike thekeyboard of the piano, and then start in with the tune the girls weresinging, while a clear, high, soprano voice--one that the girl had neverheard before--took up the air, and in a moment was leading the girls intheir song, and as though accustomed to do it.
She saw one or two of the girls smile at another in a mysterious way,and began to wonder what it all meant. As the last verse came to aclose, and there were three, Mrs. Page stepped through the low Frenchwindow from the living-room on the veranda, followed by a figure inwhite and Dick, who was hobbling along on a broom turned upside down.
There was a silent moment, and then the Girl Pioneers had jumped totheir feet and were saluting the lady in white, for it was Mrs. Morrow,their Director. No, they did not touch their shoulders as in the saluteto Helen, their group leader, but the forehead, in military salute.
Mrs. Morrow returned the salute, and then, as the girls broke into theirPioneer yell, came over to Nathalie without waiting for an introduction.But the young hostess had risen to her feet and was standing withoutstretched hand.
"Oh, my dear! you must sit down, or you may strain your foot!" criedMrs. Morrow anxiously, as she caught Nathalie's hand in hers and smileddown at her with luminous gray eyes, the kind that seem to radiatehearty good-will and cheer. Her greeting was so gracious, and there wassuch an undefinable charm in the bright face of the young matron, thatNathalie surrendered immediately.
"I did not mean to intrude on your sport, girls," cried Mrs. Morrow in amoment, turning toward the group, still holding Nathalie's hand, "but Iwas as anxious as you all were to meet our new neighbor."
The color deepened in Nathalie's cheeks as she cried in her impulsiveway, "Oh, but you are not intruding at all, Mrs. Morrow; I am more thananxious to meet you, for--" she stopped a moment, and then flashed, "thegirls all say you are lovely!"
There was a wild cheer at this, whereupon, the gray-blue eyes smiled atNathalie again. Then turning, the lady nodded to the compliments soboisterously expressed by the girls. For a few moments it seemed as ifeach girl was trying to outdo every other girl as to who should win inthis race for tongue speed, as they crowded around Nathalie and theirDirector.
Presently Nathalie looked up and laughed, for Dick did look so funny ashe hobbled from one girl to another--he had always been a lover ofgirls--on his broomstick. As if divining why she laughed, Dick, who hadheard her looked up. "Hello there, Blue Robin!" he cried teasingly,"what have you got to say about it?"
"Blu
e Robin?" repeated Mrs. Morrow in puzzled query, turning towardsNathalie, "why does he call you Blue Robin? That is the name of thisgroup."
"But I thought the name of this group was Bluebird," answered Nathaliein some surprise.
"So it is," returned Mrs. Morrow, "but you know, bluebird means bluerobin, too."
"There, Dick! I was not so far wrong after all!" cried Nathalietriumphantly, looking at her brother with convincing eyes. Then sheturned and quickly told how she had found the bluebird's nest in the oldcedar, how she had called the birdlings blue robins, and how Dick--whowas a terrible tease--had plagued her about it ever since.
"But please inform me, Mrs. Morrow," now spoke that young man, "why yousay bluebirds are blue robins?"
"Why, you know, the first bird seen by the Pilgrims when they came tothis land was a bluebird--our earliest songster. As it resembled therobin so much, they wrote home to their friends and told of thebeautiful blue robins they had seen in the new land."
"Oh, Nathalie," cried Helen with joy in her voice, "do you know thefinding of the blue robin's nest surely must be an omen for good! Keepthe name your brother has given you, and become a real bluebird, or bluerobin, by joining our group and becoming a Pioneer!"
"Oh, yes, Miss Page, do!" came quickly to Nathalie's ears; "we shouldlove to have you one of us."
"I'll coach you in the tests!" sang out Helen, who was ready to dancewith pleasure to think that there was a prospect of her new friendbecoming a Pioneer.
"And I'll help!" added Grace. "And so will I," "And I!" chimed severalgirlish voices.
Nathalie sat in embarrassed silence, hardly knowing what to answer tothese many cordial invitations to join, and offers to help her do thetests. "I would love to be one of you," she spoke hesitatingly, "but Iam not at all clever at doing things, for I can't sew, or cook, or doanything useful at all!" The girl's voice was almost plaintive.
"Ah, you are just the one we want, then," was Mrs. Morrow's quick reply;"we want girls who don't know how, so we can teach and train them in theright way."
There was loud applause at this remark, and then as the hubbub subsidedsomewhat, Mrs. Morrow held up her hand for silence. "Now, girls," shesaid, "give Miss Page time to think. Yes, we should be overjoyed to haveyou join the group, Miss Page, for later, in the summer, one of ourbluebirds is to emigrate South for the winter, and we should love tohave you take her place. I agree with Helen that the finding of thebluebird's nest in the old cedar meant that you were to become a truebluebird, or Blue Robin, as we shall have to call you."
Nathalie looked at Dick, and then at her mother. Mrs. Page was smilingat her so reassuringly that Nathalie understood that she gave herconsent, and joyfully signified her willingness to become a Pioneer.With a bob of her head at Dick she declared, that she would become oneif only to show her brother that there was such a thing as a Blue Robin.
Mrs. Morrow then explained that they had selected the bluebird as theirmascot not only because it was the bird of pioneer days, but because theword blue means true, and Girl Pioneers were to be true in word, andthought, and deed. And then as a bird means swift, they were to be swiftto the truth.
"The bluebird is also noted for its cheerfulness," she continued. "ThePioneers are to be cheerful. It is a loyal bird; the Pioneers are to beloyal to one another, to their pledges and laws, and to every one and toall things that are right, good, and pure. The bird is also very gentle,and we want the Pioneers to cultivate kindliness and gentleness.Flower," she called suddenly, "sing us that pretty little bluebird songyou know."
In compliance with this request the Flower sang, in her sweet soprano, afunny little song about a bluebird courting his lady love. Each verseended with the call-note, "Tru-al-lee," which the girls caught up as arefrain and sang with sweet, low tones, the Flower's bird-like trillrising high above the others.
Blue Robin, the Girl Pioneer Page 8
