CHAPTER XXIII--MISS CAMPHELIA
A week had passed, and although the novelty of many of the activitiesand pleasures of this life in the open had dulled, every moment provedone of joy. Drills, contests, sports, hikes, and various entertainmentshad merged so evenly, one into the other, that tasks had lost theirirksomeness and play had received an added zest.
To be sure, some unfortunate accidents had happened; Grace had cut herhand when opening a can of tomatoes, Carol had been stung by somemysterious insect so severely that even the doctor was puzzled, and oneof the Orioles had sprained her ankle. But these mishaps had beenreceived with true camp fortitude--the Pioneer spirit, Helen calledit--and had only served as object lessons in the First Aid to the Injuredtalks given by Dr. Morrow, thus giving Helen and Kitty a chance todisplay their expertness in the triangular, the four-tailed, and manyother kinds of bandages.
Hammers, saws, and hatchets were in great demand one morning--the girlsall busy making stilts, some to show their scout friends that they couldhandle men's tools, while others were qualifying for first-classPioneers--when Lillie appeared. With woebegone face she reported toNathalie, who was serving as her assistant on the Grub committee, thatthere was no milk.
"No milk?" ejaculated the girl. "Why, wasn't the milkman here thismorning?"
"Sure," nodded Lillie, "but that Oriole girl--Nannie Plummer--dropped someswill into the milk can. She mistook it for the garbage pail--" Lillie'seyes glinted humorously--"she was so busy expressing her admiration forthat Will Hopper, you know the scout with the languishing eyes, as Helencalls them."
Nathalie's face expressed dismay. "Oh, what shall we do?" she almostwailed; "we have got to have milk for that pudding, and--"
"To be sure," laconically returned Lillie, "and you will have to go andget some."
"Get some?" echoed Nathalie faintly; "where?"
"At the farm-house, you know the place--with the red barn--on the road toBoonton."
"But there isn't time for me to walk there and back before dinner,"protested the girl somewhat wrathfully, "on this hot day, too!"
"No, but you can take Edith's bicycle, and go and get back in no time."
"Oh, but it is hot!" ejaculated Nathalie, some fifteen minutes later, aswith reddened, perspiring face she slowed up her wheel, and spying amossy bank overlooking a brook meandering beneath a group of willows,jumped to the ground. As she was standing her wheel against a tree, awoman with a reddish handkerchief tied over her head came up the bank.She started when she saw Nathalie, but instantly averting her eyeshurried on down the road in the direction of the farm-house whereNathalie was to get the milk.
The girl had thrown herself on the grassy slope and was fanningvigorously with her hat, when her eyes were arrested by something whitelying under an overhanging bush near the brook. Perhaps she would nothave stared so intently if she had not thought that she saw it move.Just at that moment a low wailing cry came to her ears.
Assured beyond doubt that the cry came from the bundle, she hurried downthe slope, and a moment later was bending over a baby, who, on seeingthe wondering face, looked up with innocent appeal in its wide blueeyes.
"Why, you dear," cooed the girl, "how did you come here?" She looked upexpecting to see some one to whom the baby belonged, but as there was noone in sight and she saw the little lip quiver pathetically, shegathered it up in her arms and chucking the dimpled chin began to jabberto it in baby language.
"Whom do you belong to, baby?" she questioned aloud, silently wonderingif that tramp woman who had come up the bank could have been its mother.But that could hardly be, she pondered, for she looked like an Italian,while the baby was fair with tiny wisps of golden hair straying frombeneath its neat white cap.
Reminded finally that the camp's need of milk was urgent, she laid thebaby down and ran along the bank first in one direction, and then theother, shouting and calling until her voice was hoarse. O dear, whatshould she do? She could not leave that dear thing there alone! Ah, shewould take it with her to the farm-house, perhaps Mrs. Hansen might knowsomething about it.
Carrying her find with one arm and trundling her wheel with the otherhand, she arrived in a short space at her destination. But alas, she metwith no satisfaction. Mrs. Hansen declared that in all probability thewoman was a gypsy, as there was a settlement of them some miles beyondthe town and that she had purposely deserted the baby. She also informedthe girl in a most emphatic manner that she could not leave the childthere as she had enough of her own to look after.
"But this is a white baby," persisted Nathalie, "see, it is very fair!"showing the little puckered face, for by this time it had begun towhimper quite loudly.
"Poor waif!" exclaimed the farmer's wife, "it is hungry!" Hastilygetting a cup of milk she put it to the mouth of the little one, whosefingers closed on it tightly as it drank greedily.
But feeding the baby did not soften Mrs. Hansen's heart, and Nathaliewas forced to see that there was nothing else to do but to carry thedeserted one to camp with her. But how could she trundle a wheel, carrya five-quart can of milk, and the baby all at the same time? PoorNathalie! she was in deep waters!
Mrs. Hansen, however, who was not unkindly, seeing the girl's dilemmacalled her boy Joe, and giving him the milk and wheel told him to hurrywith it to the camp, so that Nathalie would have her arms free to carryher charge.
Some time after the dinner hour Nathalie, tired, hot, hungry, and everymuscle aching from weariness, arrived at the camp. She was immediatelysurrounded by the girls, who besieged her with questions as to the whyand wherefore of her tardy appearance. But when their eyes lighted onthe blue-eyed cherub, who had been blissfully sleeping the greater partof the girl's three-mile tramp on a sunny road, they went wild withexcitement.
Mrs. Morrow presently arrived on the scene and promptly drivingNathalie's tormentors away, handed the infant to Ellen and Nita. Thenshe made the girl lie down in the hammock to cool off, while Helen andGrace rushed off to get her dinner.
As the girl, between bites, told of her strange adventure, she saw thatit was not to prove as disastrous as she feared, for the little strangerhad already captivated every member of the camp, even down to Peter,also Rosy, Mrs. Van Vorst's black cook. Indeed, it was petted, hugged,and kissed so many times that Mrs. Morrow, fearing it would be broughtto evil by so many caressing hands, then and there made rules as to howeach girl should care for it.
They all declared that Nathalie's finding that baby was providential,for one of the Pioneers that very morning had expressed the wish thatthey could find a baby in one of the farm-houses. They wanted topractice bathing and dressing it, as these were some of thequalifications necessary for a first-class Pioneer.
Although notices were posted in the post-offices of the towns, and alsosent to several newspapers, advertising the fact that a baby had beenfound and was at Camp Laff-a-Lot, no one claimed it. The girls weredelighted as they were enamored of their new toy, each one secretlyhoping it could remain with them.
The girls had even begun to discuss the project of calling it the GirlPioneer baby, and were deep in plans to raise money so they could haveit taken care of and educated as such, when Mrs. Van Vorst avowed thatif no mother appeared to claim it she would adopt it as her own.
This of course took away the girls' hopes of having the little one fortheir own, as who could deny Mrs. Van Vorst and Nita what they soeagerly desired and what they were so able to do? In the meantime, MissCamphelia--for so she had been christened--cooed, gurgled, and dimpledwith delight at each new mother who bathed and dressed her in silentadoration of the tyrant of the camp.
* * * * *
Nathalie stirred restlessly, jumbled up her pillow, and then floppedover with a sigh. O dear, why couldn't she go to sleep? It was not neartime to get up!
"Nathalie Page, what ails you?" came in exasperated tone from the otherbed. "You have been wiggling, bouncing, jumping, and sighing like aporpoise for half the night. For pity's
sake do go to sleep!"
Nathalie made no reply, assured that if she did she would betray what ababy she was.
"What does ail you anyway?" persisted Helen in a softer tone. "Have youbeen doing the green-apple act like Carol, and--"
"Oh, it's just Nita," replied the girl dolefully. "You see it is thisway, Helen. I told Mrs. Van Vorst that if Nita could mingle with girlsabout her own age it would do her a world of good." Nathalie sat up inbed and began to hug her knees. "So, you see, I feel responsible in ameasure to see that she gets a good time, but dear me, she is justhaving a horrible time!"
"How do you know?" questioned Helen, "she--"
"Oh, the poor little thing mopes and cries all the time. She won't admitit, but she doesn't want me out of her sight. Really, Helen, I know itis selfish when she is so afflicted--" Nathalie's voice quavered, "but Ido want a bit of fun myself sometimes."
"Well, I should say!" was Helen's ejaculation. "But I wouldn't worryover it. She's selfish, that's all, and shouldn't be encouraged. I havenoticed that she is terribly offish with the girls, and they are halfafraid to be pleasant with her."
"Oh, she does not mean to be offish, as you say," answered Nathaliequickly, "she is shy, and sensitive. I think she imagines the girls donot care for her because she is a humpback. If there was only some wayby which she could become better acquainted with the girls, and givethem a chance to know her better! She's an awfully bright little thing,and I know she would be a prime favorite, for there's lots of fun inher. She's just pining--well--for love."
"Humph!" came from Helen, "she gets enough of it from her mother andEllen; they spoil her."
"Yes, I know, but that is what she doesn't want--mother-coddling. Whatshe wants is to come out here and kick around as one of us in a roughand tumble way. Then she would get over her sensitiveness, but somehow Ican't seem to manage it."
There was silence for a moment as both girls fell to thinking. All atonce Helen bounced up in bed crying, "There, Nathalie, I have nailedit!"
"Nailed it?" repeated her companion. "Why--"
"Oh, you know what I mean, I mean about Nita. Now listen to Solon theWise. You get Nita to come and sleep in this tent--"
"Where, on the floor?" inquired Nathalie teasingly.
"You know what I mean--on my cot. I'll take her room. Then you drill herto take her part with the other girls, and so on, just as if she wereone of us. In three days I'll come back and take my turn with her, andyou take my place. Then in three days again let Lillie take a turn, andso on until the turns have gone the rounds, each girl being hertent-mate for three days. In that way she will become acquainted andhave a chance to get in with us."
"Oh, Helen, you are the brightest--but suppose she won't come?"
"Won't be your tent-mate? Why, she worships the ground you walk on!That's one thing that ails her, Nathalie, she's jealous of the girls,because in a way she is outside of it all. Get her into harness like therest of us and in ten days' time she'll be like another girl, or you canshut me up for a lunatic."
Nathalie, as soon as possible after the morning conference, had a littletalk with her Director, and finding that she agreed with Helen, soughtMrs. Van Vorst and laid before her the new plan. Of course she foundthat she had a number of objections to fight from that lady, buteventually she won, and it was decided that for the rest of the time incamp Nita Van Vorst was to be lost to her mother's bungalow, for to herunbounded joy she was to be one of the girls!
It was bathing hour, and Nathalie, with bugle in hand, was patroling thebeach, keeping her brain and eyes keenly alert, for some of the girlswere careless, and would swim out beyond the raft.
Carol was giving her considerable trouble, for having just mastered theart of swimming she had become very daring, doing her best to "show off"before the girls. Her companions had promised to keep an eye on her, butNathalie knew that when they were sporting about in the water they wereapt to forget their duty.
Her eyes swept from one group to the other. Ah, the Sport was swimmingout to the raft! How well she looked in that red cap, and what abeautiful swimmer she was, so free and graceful in her movements!Hearing a sudden cry, as she thought, Nathalie turned and glanced atCarol. Good! she had stopped her antics of pretending she was sinking.Her eyes again wandered to Edith, why where was she? There was her redcap bobbing on the water, what new trick was she up to now? She hadthrown up her arms. Oh, was she screaming? Pshaw, she was just foolingas usual, what a plague she was!
Nathalie strained her eyes, why, yes, she _was_ screaming! she had gonedown again! Just a moment, and then as Nathalie saw the red cap bob upagain and heard another piercing shriek, she realized that Edith wasdrowning! Nathalie's brain spun like a wheel--what should she do--sheglanced helplessly around. Where was Helen?
"Edith is drowning!" she tried to shriek, but her voice sounded faint,as if far away. O God! and then she remembered. Up went her bugle andtwo loud blasts--the danger signal that some one was drowning--rangsharply over the water.
Just a moment, and then with a sudden swirl through the air, Nathaliehad leaped into the water, and with long, swift strokes swam towards thespot where she had seen the red cap go down! Ah, she was almost there!As Edith threw up her arms again with another frenzied scream, for help,Nathalie grabbed her under the shoulders. But Edith, with a hystericalcry, threw her arms around her neck. Oh, she was dragging her down!
Nathalie regained control of herself, and was frantically beating backthe clutching arms. She had swung her around; she tried to get a firmergrip, but a nameless fear was pinching her heart. She felt her strengthwas giving out! Then she heard Helen's voice crying, "Don't lose yourhold, Nathalie, we're almost there!"
Edith was so heavy; Nathalie tried to tighten her grip; she was morequiet now. Oh, could it be? She heard the purling of water and saw, butdimly, something dark moving towards her. Oh, if they would only hurry?Some one had caught hold of Edith and was dragging--
When Nathalie regained her consciousness it was to hear Mrs. Morrow'svoice crying, "Poor little Blue Robin!" She opened her eyes to see thedoctor bending over her while Mrs. Morrow peeped over his shoulder witha cheery smile. "Edith?" she gasped, making an attempt to rise.
"As snug as a bug in a rug," rejoined the doctor promptly, "and you willbe, too, if you will drink this."
Nathalie meekly obeyed. She was so tired, would she ever get rested? Butshe did, and a few hours later was half sitting up on her cot supportedby pillows, surrounded by a group of sober-faced girls all eagerlylistening as she told how it came about. "If she hadn't gripped me sohard," she ended as she sank back on the pillows, beginning to feeltired again, "I could have managed." Then suddenly a queer little smilecurved her mouth and drawing Helen down to her she whispered softly,"Helen, do you remember the day Edith ducked us when we were off in theboat, and how I declared I would get even?" Her friend nodded gravely."Well," said Nathalie, still with that queer little smile, "I have gotone on her, haven't I?"
A cheer fire was in progress, and a noisy one at that. The Pioneers hadspent the afternoon and evening of the previous day over at the campacross the Lake at an entertainment called Scout Day, given in theirhonor by their friends.
Certainly it had been a most wonderful Scout Day, for there had beenscouts saluting the colors, giving calls, making signals, lightingfires, and building shacks, tepees, and miniature log huts. Scouts, too,had engaged in all kinds of drills, contests, and races, such as tiltingjousts, hand-wrestling, spear fighting and sham battles. And the games!They were a revelation to the girls in the uniqueness and cleverness ofthe ideas displayed. They had found, too, that scouts knew how to cookthe very things dear to a camper's heart, and sing--well, about every warand camp song known.
The Camp Circus presented the ludicrous side of these knights ofchivalry, as they did clown stunts, causing the girls to laughimmoderately. After supper had come a firefly dance, which made strongappeal to the weird and mystic in every girl's nature, as they watchedthe scouts swing about the blazing
light in strange and grotesqueevolution.
Perhaps the best was the scouts on the water, when, with a flotilla ofrow-boats and canoes decorated with the figures of paper animals, andbrilliantly aglow with Japanese lights they glided over the water, themotion of the boats making the lights look like fireflies dancing in theair.
The jolly times given by the scouts must be returned! When, how, andwhere, were the three questions causing no little agitation, when Carol,with a white, frightened face, leaped into their midst crying, "Oh,girls, the baby has a fit!"
On hearing this startling statement some of the girls began to cry,others jumped up and wrung their hands frantically, while a few made awild dash for Mrs. Van Vorst's bungalow. Helen fortunately kept cool,and, perceiving that a panic would ensue, seized her bugle and blew itquickly.
This halted the stampede, arrested the hysterical ones midway between asob and a cry, and caused a sudden quiet to fall, as she cried, in aloud clear voice, "Girls, keep perfectly still. Nathalie Page, EdithWhiton, and Lillie Bell, I appoint a committee of three to go and see ifCarol's report is so, and whether our services are needed. And please,Pioneers," she called out as the three girls sprang on their feet, "oneof you girls come back and let us know how things are progressing, as weshall all be anxious to know."
The next moment the three girls were running swiftly after Carol, who,immediately after delivering her news, had started to run back to thebungalow.
"Now, girls," continued Helen, "let us go on talking. Of course we areall worried, for we just love that baby!" she paused for a second, "butwe can't all help. Mrs. Morrow will let us know if we can do anything,so in the meantime, let us go on thinking up ideas."
A cheer greeted this speech as a tribute to their leader's level headand courage, for this was not the first time that she had preserved herpoise, and held the scales when unduly weighted on the wrong side.
Yes, it was true, little Camphelia was writhing in convulsions on Mrs.Morrow's lap, while Mrs. Van Vorst bent over her with agitatedmovements, applying with Ellen's help hot water, and mustard, and suchremedies as were available at the moment.
Nathalie touched Mrs. Van Vorst softly on the arm, "Is there anything wegirls can do?" Her eyes were big with anxious fear.
"Oh, I don't know," replied that lady distractedly; "if the doctor wereonly here!"
"Blue Robin, is that you?" asked Mrs. Morrow quickly, as she heardNathalie's voice. "Oh, we must have help! How unfortunate the doctor hadto go to the city to-day! But, Nathalie, can't you send a wireless toDr. Homer? Tell him to come immediately, for the baby is very ill!"
But Nathalie was already out of the sound of her voice, as with quick,light steps she ran to the girls who, with white distressed faces,awaited her on the veranda. "Mrs. Morrow says to send a wireless to Dr.Homer over at camp," she explained hurriedly, "but I am afraid we won'tget him, as the wireless hours are nine, twelve and eight, and it is noteight yet."
"Oh, yes it is," returned Lillie, "five minutes to eight," looking upfrom her little wrist-watch in its leather bandlet. "I'm sure we shallcatch him."
The girls hurried to the boat-house and climbed up to the little cupola,where Dr. Morrow, on first coming to camp, had installed his wirelessapparatus. The Pioneers had been somewhat mystified by this procedure,wondering of what use a wireless would be to him up there in thosewoods. But the doctor had soon demonstrated that it was not only one ofthe most useful things about camp, but one of the most entertaining.
He had not only been able to discuss with his fellow physician acrossthe lake many professional questions that he came across in his medicalbooks now and then, or letters from his colleague in Westport, who hadcharge of some of his important cases, but at times had been able togive valuable advice to the younger physician when dealing with somerefractory or eccentric scout.
But the doctor had done more than this, for he had gathered the fourolder girls, Helen, Edith, Lillie, and Nathalie together, and given themlessons in wireless telegraphy, so that they were soon glibly talkingabout ether waves, spark-coils, condensers, tuners, keys, and so on, ina way that proved his lessons had been well learned. They had, in fact,not only learned the Morse code, so that they could "listen in" when thedoctor was "picking up" an S. O. S. call from some ship in distress, butthey had heard many a wireless message from some signal station, or fromsome out-going or in-coming sea craft.
At first it had seemed quite odd that although their little amateurapparatus could send messages only within a radius of five miles, it wasable to receive them from a distance of over a thousand. They became soproficient in this click-clack language that they were soon sendingaerograms, or wireless messages, to the camp across the Lake for thedoctor. Sometimes, too, they sent messages to their scout friends, aprivilege only accorded after the messages had been read by theirDirector, so as to avoid senseless talk or idle gossip.
As soon as the girls reached the little wooden table holding thewireless, Lillie and Edith instinctively drew back, feeling that asNathalie was the one who had found the baby she had the prior right tosend this call for help. Seating herself, Nathalie quickly adjusted thetelephones over her ears and set to work. But to her surprise, as shepressed the wireless key on the detector to close the circuit, she heardno sharp crack, and saw no spark-gap. Again she tried with like result."Why, what is the matter with it?" she questioned turning towards thegirls in some trepidation.
"Let me try," pleaded Lillie. But alas, she met with no better luck thanNathalie, although she tried one experiment after the other. "I think itis the strangest thing," she commented staring helplessly before her;"what can be the matter with the thing anyway?"
But Edith, who had dropped down on her hands and knees to examine thebattery under the wooden board, now rose to her feet crying, "There isnothing the matter with the condenser, it must be that the aerial wiresare not right!"
As the girl made this announcement there was an ominous silence as theystared with distressed, worried faces at one another. "Oh, what can wedo?" lamented Nathalie, "could we--"
"I know what we can do," said Lillie suddenly; "we can row across theLake to the camp!"
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