Blue Robin, the Girl Pioneer

by Rena I. Halsey

  CHAPTER XVII--LIBERTY BANNERS

  Nathalie's eyes dilated with terror, and her heart pounded with suchleaping beats that it almost choked her. She attempted to run, but alas,her limbs seemed tied with ropes, and then she remembered the gun!

  Just an instant and she had raised it, and with trembling hands waspointing it at the enemy, who by this time had lightly vaulted thewooden fence and was coming towards her. Nathalie's hand was feeling forthe trigger when, "Oh, don't shoot!" cried a voice in serio-comic tone,"I surrender!" Up went two hands in pretended subjugation.

  The girl gasped, dropped the gun, and then broke into hystericallaughter as she cried, "Oh--is--that you?"

  "Yes, it is I; Fred Tyson in the flesh!" rejoined the supposed murderercoolly, as with a stride he was at her side and, stooping picked up thegun.

  The reaction was so great that for a moment Nathalie feared she wasgoing to cry, but controlling herself by a strong effort she exclaimed,"Oh, I was sure you were a tramp," with a nervous giggle, "or a murdererintent on killing me, and then hiding my body in the thicket yonder."She shuddered.

  "Great guns!" Fred exclaimed as he looked the gun over. "It is luckythis thing didn't go off. By the Lord Harry, how did you come to becarrying it?"

  Nathalie, with a long breath of relief that all was well after herfright, then told Fred how she came to be near the graveyard at thattime. Then suddenly remembering that she had not a minute to lose, shecried hurriedly, "Oh, let us go on. I am afraid I am too late!"

  "You're all hunky," returned Fred calmly. "You have plenty of time, forI overheard Mrs. Morrow tell Helen to postpone her Stunt until one ofthe last."

  "But how did you come to be here, may I ask?" queried Nathalie as theyturned to walk up.

  "Oh, I was in the next room and heard Helen tell you to go and getsomething at her house. I started out to offer my services, but some onebuttonholed me for the next Stunt; I had forgotten I was in it. As soonas it was over I hurried out to find you, but you had skipped. I rushedafter you, missed you, and then remembering that you would return thisway as it is the shortest, sat down on one of the tombstones to wait foryou. But you're the stuff, all right, Nathalie Page, you ought to have amedal for bravery."

  Up went two hands in pretended subjugation.]

  He suddenly pointed the gun and then pulled the trigger.

  Nathalie gave a shrill scream in a spasm of apprehension, and jumped toone side. "Oh, please, don't do that, it might be loaded, you know!"

  Fred threw his head back and burst into a hearty laugh. "Oh, ho, I seeyou are not as nervy as I thought," there was a mischievous glint in hismerry black eyes. And then as if ashamed of torturing the nerve-rackedgirl he cried soothingly, "Don't you fret, Miss Blue Robin; there isn'tany guess with me, I don't take chances. I saw it wasn't loaded when Ifirst picked it up, but come, let's hurry!"

  "Please don't tell any one I was afraid!" pleaded Nathalie, as theyhastened on under the swaying branches of the trees that cast weird,fanciful designs on the moon-mantled path. "They will think me an awfulcoward and tease me unmercifully."

  Fred assured her that he would keep mum, and added that she was not acoward, but a very brave girl. Then, in response to a challenge to racehim to the Hall, they were off, Nathalie by this time having regainedher usual poise and nerve. She won the race, for Fred, desiring to begallant, dropped back a space or two just at the right time, and thusallowed his partner to be the victor in this race of two blocks.

  The gun was quickly delivered to Helen and then they hurried into thehall in time to see the portraits of Henry Hudson, Edward Winslow,William Penn, Governor Stuyvesant, and Captain Kidd and Henry Morgan,two pirates of pioneer fame. These colonial portraits were produced bytheir representatives standing behind a large wooden frame that had beenmade by the Scouts, gilded by the Pioneers, and then placed in front ofa dark curtain.

  Helen's Stunt proved to be a canvas background on which was painted alog cabin. At the door of this pioneer home stood Helen with a babyclinging to her skirts, pointing a gun at a skulking savage justdisappearing beyond a very fair representation of a clump of trees. Thispicture of a mother of the wilderness was loudly encored, as it wassignificant of the hardy courage displayed by the women of those earlydays.

  The last Stunt showed the Pioneers in line, each one with a big redletter pinned to the skirt of her uniform; the combination making theword "Pioneer Women." Giving bird-calls, building miniature log-cabins,making camp fires, jumping, throwing the lifeline, as well as making themotions of rowing and swimming, these and many other activities of theorganization were performed. The girls ended by falling into line againand singing a farewell Pioneer song.

  Mrs. Morrow now came forward, and after thanking the audience for theirkind attention and aid in helping make the affair a success by buyingtickets and by their presence, she announced that there would be anotherentertainment, a Flag Drill, to take place on the fourteenth of thatmonth. It would be held in the rear of the home of Mrs. Van Vorst, thatlady having kindly offered her lawn for the affair.

  The faces of the Pioneers, with the exception of Nathalie's and Helen's,expressed unbounded surprise as they heard this announcement. As FredTyson and two other Scouts passed slips of paper so that each onepresent could write her or his opinion as to the best Stunt of theevening, there was a merry clack of tongues as each girl queried how andwhen this wonderful thing had come to pass.

  Lillie Bell, who had been watching Nathalie, suddenly leaned forwardcrying, "Nathalie Page, I just believe that you know all about it!"Nathalie did her best to look bland and innocent when this accusationwas hurled at her, but the query was as a match to fire, and instantlyNathalie was surrounded by a bevy of girls, all eagerly demanding thatshe tell them how it came about.

  "O dear, how should I know?" she demanded with seeming indignation.

  "There, I told you she knew," declared the Sport, who at that momentjoined the group. "Her face betrays her! And then she is on thecommittee."

  Nathalie turned and flashed at Edith angrily, "Well, if I do know I amnot going to tell. If you want any information go and ask Mrs. Morrow."Then feeling that things were growing desperate and that she mightreveal what she had striven so hard to keep a secret, she broke from hertormentors and hurried into the hall.

  Seeing Helen at that moment she dashed up to her, and grabbing her bythe arm cried, "Helen, the girls are tormenting me to tell them aboutthe lawn party; oh, do keep them from asking me again, for I am inmortal terror that I may tell something that should not be told justyet."

  "All right," soothed her friend, "don't you bother about the girlsfinding out, I'll see to them. But here's Fred, he wants you to vote. Bythe way, have you heard that the Sport's Stunt has so far the greatestnumber of votes, and--"

  But Helen had been carried off by one of the Scouts, and Nathalie turnedto find Fred at her side eagerly demanding her vote.

  "Why don't you vote for 'The First American Wash-Day'?" demanded theyoung man as he saw Nathalie hesitate and swing her pencil, lost inabstraction. "It will win, I think, and it was a good Stunt, too; wellacted out. Edith deserves credit."

  "Do you think so?" flashed Nathalie. She colored angrily. "I do notagree with you. I think--" She stopped, compressed her lips, and thenadded coolly, "I shall vote for Helen, for I consider her Stunt the bestone of the evening." She wrote the name of the Stunt hurriedly, signedher name, and then handed the card to Fred, who was regarding her with apuzzled expression on his face.

  He took the card and turned to go, but seeing that the floor had beencleared for dancing he stopped, and swinging about asked Nathalie if hecould have the next dance. Nathalie assented, although she did not feelin the mood for dancing just at that moment.

  "You won't mind waiting a moment, will you?" asked Fred. "I have got toturn in my cards. Then I see this is a square dance, and I want a waltzwith you. Are you angry with me?" he asked wonderingly as he saw thatNathalie's eyes still gleamed fire and that her cheeks were bri
ght red.

  The girl looked up at him absently and then, suddenly comprehending thatshe was acting rather rudely towards this new friend, cried laughing,"Angry with you? Indeed, no! I _am angry_ with--some one," she addedbitterly, her glance suddenly falling on Edith. "But there, return yourcards and then we will dance."

  Five minutes later as Fred swung his partner lightly up and down thehall to waltz time, Nathalie forgot all the unpleasant jars of theevening in the enjoyment of the moment. But later, as they hurried outon the veranda for a breath of fresh air, she remembered how rudely shehad acted and felt as if she ought to make some kind of an explanationto Fred for her seeming rudeness. Then it suddenly came to her thatperhaps he might think she was jealous of Edith. Oh, no, she was notjealous--she was willing Edith should win the highest number of votes,only it did seem a bit hard to have to give all the glory up to some oneelse, when it rightfully belonged to her, and then Edith _had been_ meanabout it.

  "Please don't think I didn't want Edith to win," she burst forth as theyseated themselves in a cozy corner where she could see the dancers inthe hall. "Only--you see it is this way, I--"

  But before she could finish, the Tike came rushing up all of a whirlcrying, "Oh, Nathalie, your Stunt won! I'm awfully glad!" And she dancedup and down in her delight at Nathalie's success.

  "Oh, 'The First American Wash-Day' was Edith's Stunt," Nathalie hastenedto explain, resolved that she would be a martyr to her wounded pridewith a good grace.

  "That didn't win the highest vote, but your Stunt did," retorted Caroljubilantly; "the one with the old Dutchwoman putting the kiddies to bed.And that Dutch lullaby--oh, Nathalie, where did you learn it?"

  Before Nathalie could answer Carol had skipped away, leaving the girlwith a strange expression on her face as she stared at Fred withmystified eyes. "Do you suppose I really won it?" she demanded after apause. "I thought you said Edith's Stunt was the winner."

  "So I heard," was Fred's reply. "But then, Miss Nathalie, I am awfullyglad your Stunt won. It was a peach, I thought myself, but I heard--"

  "Oh, I don't care about that," cried Nathalie. There was a quiver to hervoice. "I don't deserve it; oh, I have been awfully mean, and yet I havebeen calling Edith mean--" She stopped abruptly. How queerly it hadturned out!

  Catching a rather strange look in her companion's eyes she exclaimed,"Oh, indeed I was willing that Edith should win--I don't care a snapabout it myself--only, you see it was this way." She floundered for amoment and then with a sudden catch in her breath leaned towards Fredcrying, "If I tell you something, will you swear never to reveal it?"Fred's face brightened; he was delighted to think Nathalie consideredhim worthy of her confidence, and lost no time in assuring her of thisfact. But the girl was thinking of only one thing, and that was that shewas going to break her silence in regard to Edith and unburden herselfof what had been causing her a good deal of discomfort all the evening.Nathalie talked rapidly and in a few minutes Fred was in possession ofthe facts about "The First American Wash-Day," and how it had come aboutthat although the idea was Nathalie's, Edith had won the glory of itwithout the work.

  "Say, but you're game!" declared Fred admiringly, as Nathalie finishedher story. "It was a fine thing for you not to tell; I don't blame youfor feeling mean about it. But the Sport had no right to use it--"

  "Well, never mind now," cried Nathalie, "it is all over with and I amglad I didn't tell any one but you, and you won't break your word, willyou? The word of a Scout, you know," added the girl archly.

  Fred laughingly assured her that his word as a gentleman was sufficientand as binding as that of a Scout. Then as they discussed the Scoutoath, its pledges, and so forth, Dr. Homer appeared and asked his littlehike-mate if he might have the pleasure of a dance with her.

  Nathalie smilingly assured him she would be most happy and then with agood-by to Fred, the quaint little figure in its queer Dutch cap andflowered gown followed the doctor into the hall.

  * * * * *

  The long anticipated fourteenth of June had arrived, and the levelstretch of green grass with its circling hillocks in the rear of thegray house was ablaze with color. Beneath a high arch festooned with thered, white, and blue--the Pioneers' color again--stood a number of merrygirls, each one gowned in white with a scarlet sash, and a red libertycap, and holding in her hand a flag or small banner.

  Every eye as well as tongue was on duty, as each girl triumphantlydisplayed her flag to her comrades, proudly claiming that it was anexact copy of one of the liberty banners used by the colonies precedingor during the Revolution.

  "Hurrah for the Concord flag," cried Kitty Corwin, as she hoisted up asmall maroon banner inscribed with the motto, "Conquer or Die." "This isone of the oldest flags in America, for it was the one carried when the'embattled farmers fired the shot heard round the world'"--she twirled ithigh in air--"on the 19th of April, 1775, at the first battle of theRevolution!"

  "Oh, but your flag hasn't the romance that mine has," said Edith,ostentatiously waving a crimson flag fringed at the ends, and with acord and tassel. "This is the Eutaw flag and was made by Miss JaneElliot. Col. William Washington--he was a relative or something of littleGeorgie--when stationed at Charleston, South Carolina, fell in love withMiss Jane. One night, after spending the evening with his lady love, ashe bade her good night, she said she hoped to hear good news of his flagand fortune. Whereupon the poor colonel was forced to confess that hiscorps had no flag. Upon hearing this the young lady pulled down one ofthe portieres, cut it to the right size, fringed it at the ends, stuckit on a curtain pole, and then presented it to her gallant lover,telling him to make it his standard. Of course after that it broughtgood luck and won a great victory at Cowpens, January, 1781, and anotherat Eutaw Springs the following September. Forty years later the flag waspresented by the hands that made it to the Washington Light Infantry ofCharleston, for the fair Jane married the colonel, all right."

  "Well, don't you girls boast too much," declared Jessie, "for if ithadn't been for my flag there wouldn't have been any banners of libertyto make you patriotic." And Jessie held up a white flag barred with thescarlet cross of St. George, the flag dear to Merrie Old England as theflag of the people, and beloved by the colonists as the ensign thatfloated from the little ship _Mayflower_.

  As if to supplement Jessie's declaration, an Oriole gayly flaunted theRed Ensign of Great Britain with its canton quartered by the cross ofSt. George and St. Andrew. "This is the flag that followed Jessie's andwas necessarily adopted by the colonists as the flag of the mothercountry. It was called the Union flag--the two crosses signifying theunion of Scotland and England, when King James of Scotland becameking--and remained in use in America until the beginning of theRevolution."

  Grace, who had been impatiently waiting to float her flag, now cried,"Away with your old Johnnie Bull flags! Mine is worth a hundred of thoseold English rags, for it was the first distinctively American flag usedby the Colonies, 'The Pine Tree Flag of New England.'"

  "But it has the red cross on the white canton just the same," venturedJessie, "and it is red, too."

  "Of course it has the cross on it," quickly retorted Grace, "for at thattime the Colonies still belonged to England; but if you look, my lady,you'll see that pine in the first quarter of the canton, and that isAmerican all through, every pine on it. It meant that the colonists,although they were English, had a right to representation in the mothercountry and to a symbol of their own."

  "Well," persisted Jessie, in whose veins flowed a goodly supply ofEnglish blood, "your scrubby old pine was such a poor representation ofthat noble tree that Charles II asked what it represented--and was toldit was an oak."

  "Come, Jessie," laughed Helen, "that story is a back number. Every onecan guess without much effort that the man who told that yarn to theking was a New Englander. He wanted to gain favor with Charles andbluffed him a bit, trying to make out it was a model of the royal oak inwhich his majesty took refuge after the
battle of Worcester."

  "Oh, stop discussing the merits of that old pine and look at my banner,"sang out Louise Gaynor, shaking her flag furiously to and fro so as toget the attention of the girls. "This flag is the Crescent flag andstands for the bravest of the brave. Now listen, and you will allunderstand what true heroism means."

  The girls, impressed by the Flower's declaration, grew silent, and gazedcuriously at a red banner with a white crescent in the upper corner nearthe staff. "This flag was designed by Col. Moultrie of the SecondCarolina Infantry in 1775. During the siege of Charleston when the flagwas shot down, Sergeant William Jasper at the peril of his liferecovered it, and held it in place on the parapet until another staffwas found. In 1779, at the assault on Savannah, it was again shot fromits holdings. Two lieutenants sprang forward and held it in positionuntil they were killed by the enemy's bullets. Jasper again sprangforward and held the colors up until he, too, was riddled with bullets,and fell into a ditch. As he was dying he seized the flag in his handsand cried, 'Tell Mrs. Elliot'--she was the wife of one of themajors--'that I lost my life supporting the colors she gave ourregiment.'"

  Barbara, who was usually so placid and mild, now grew quite intense asshe pointed to her flag, the Cambridge flag, claiming that it was thefirst flag on this side of the water to float the red and white bars. Itsignified, she said, that although the colonists were willing to returnto the rule of the English, they were a body of armed men fighting forjust and equal rights with their brothers who had crossed the sea towhip them into submission. "But they didn't," ended Barbara withtriumphant eyes. "And this flag, also known as the Union flag--meaningthat the colonists stood as a man in their desire for the right--wasdisplayed by Washington in his camp at Cambridge, January 2nd, 1776."

  "Now let me have a chance," pleaded Nathalie, who had been impatientlywaiting to show her design for some time. "My flag has a story, too."She held up as high as she could a white flag with a rattlesnake in thecenter. It bore in black letters the name, "The Culpeper Minute Men ofVirginia," the snaky slogan, "Don't Tread On Me," and the famous wordsof its commander, Patrick Henry, "Liberty or Death!"

  "Do you see that rattlesnake?" continued Miss Nathalie, as she broughther flag to a standstill and pointed to the snaky emblem. "That has astory--"

  "Pooh," interposed Edith, who was jealously guarding her declarationthat her flag was the most beautiful because it had a story. "I don'tsee any story about that snaky old thing. Ugh, I never could understandwhy so many flags had that design."

  "I will tell you why," declared Nathalie, "because I have looked it up,and--"

  "But you are not the only one who has looked up flags," chimed Jessie,"for my eyes were just about ruined trying to get a merit badge forproficiency in flag history--"

  "And for deftness and skill in making our flags," broke in a Pioneerfrom the Bob White group.

  "I beg your pardon, girls, I know you are all very wise on the subjectof flags this morning," rejoined Nathalie good-naturedly, "but do youknow why the rattlesnake was chosen as an ensign?"

  She waited a moment, but as no one seemed to know she went on. "Therattlesnake is to be found only in America; my authority is BenjaminFranklin. It is the wisest of the snake family, therefore a symbol ofwisdom. Its bright, lidless eyes never close, this signifies vigilance.It never attacks without giving due notice, which meant that theAmerican colonies were on the square. Each rattle is perfect, while atthe same time it is so firmly attached to its fellows that it cannot beseparated without incurring the ruin of all; each colony was a completeunit in itself, and yet it could not stand unless it had the support ofthe others. As it ages, the rattles increase in numbers, which meantthat it was the fervent desire of the people that the colonies shouldincrease in numbers with the years."

  As Nathalie finished her little lecture, Helen, with a sudden movement,shouldered her flag like a musket, and parting the group of girls,marched jubilantly down the center, crying, "Oh, girls, you have had thefloor long enough to tell of the beauties and glories of your paltrybanners, but let me tell you, not a flag has won the honors and gloriesthat mine has. Hurrah, girls, for Old Glory!" she ended with atriumphant wave of the Stars and Stripes above their heads.

  As if inspired by the sight of the cheery banner so gallantly flung tothe breezes by their comrade, the girls with one accord broke into theflag cheer:

  "Hear! hear; hear Girl Pioneer! For flag so dear give a cheer! For the bars that are white and red, And stars on blue overhead We honor thee with a cheer! Hurrah! Hurrah! Girl Pioneer!"

  Before the echo of the cheer had died in the distance Nathalie cried,"Oh, girls, the first signal!" Immediately these little patrioticDaughters of that which every one holds dear fell into line, and withflags upheld fastened their eyes on a small platform that had beenerected in the center of the lawn draped with the national colors, wherethe Goddess of Liberty had just appeared. Holding up a green branch inher hand she began to walk agitatedly up and down the stage, pausingabruptly every moment or so to peer to the right or left, as if watchingfor some one.

  Suddenly she halted, and with the dramatic gestures of Lillie Bell--forit was she--cried in mournful tone, "'Is life so dear, or peace so sweetas to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it,Almighty God! I know not what course others may take, but as for me,give me liberty, or give me death!'"

  As the tragic intonation of her voice ceased, the band--composed, by theway, of a number of Scouts--burst forth with that old melody, "TheWearing of the Green." This was another signal, and the girls waitingunder the arch began to march slowly towards the stage, while theGoddess in feigned mystification moved quickly from side to side withher hand held to her ear, as if trying to ascertain whence came thismartial tune.

  But on came the Daughters of Liberty with flashes of white and red, andwith banners of many designs and devices. They presented such abrilliant showing that the audience seated in rows on the circlingmounds broke into loud applause, which burst into enthusiastic cheers ofgreeting, as in the bright glare of the sunlight they perceived OldGlory floating far above the heads of the banner bearers as they proudlymarched across the green.

  When the Goddess perceived this procession of fair damsels she stoodapparently in a maze for a moment, and then slowly retreated backwarduntil she stood on the scarlet draped dais with its throne. As thethirteen maids of freedom filed slowly on the platform, forming a halfcircle before the Goddess, the band struck into that old-time air, "TheLiberty Tree," and a second later every Daughter had chimed in and wassinging:

  "In a chariot of light from the regions of day The Goddess of Liberty came; Ten thousand celestials directed the way, And hither conducted the dame. A fair budding branch from the gardens above, Where millions and millions agree She brought in her hand as a pledge of her love, And the plant she named Liberty Tree."