CHAPTER XIX

THE BOY SCOUTS ENTERTAIN

When the girls were ready to take the train which was to carry them home for the spring holidays, it was Ruth who desired to avoid Marjorie’s company. But she was not so successful as the latter had been on their last journey; probably this was due to the fact that she was not foresighted enough to secure an early dismissal.

The girls boarded the train together; but Marjorie sat with Lily as far as the Junction. When, however, the time to change trains arrived, Ruth found herself alone on the station platform with Marjorie. There was nothing to do but be sociable; besides, Marjorie must not suspect that anything had happened in their relationship to alter their friendliness.

The coach they entered was comparatively empty; Marjorie chose a seat by the window, and Ruth sat down beside her.

“I believe I’ll do my crocheting,” said Marjorie, opening her velvet hand-bag, and taking out a square of filet that was all too familiar to Ruth. “I lost it last week behind Lily’s cot, and I haven’t done nearly so much as I wanted to. I’m making a camisole top for Miss Phillips for her birthday; do you think she’ll like it?”

Ruth’s face became scarlet. Fortunately for her, the other girl was too busy with her work to notice. She leaned over, and pretended to button her spat.

“Yes, it’s lovely, Marj,” she replied. “When is her birthday?”

“It’s the sixteenth of April; I want to give it to her the day we get back. Would you buy the silk and make it up, or give it to her just as it is?”

The girls discussed the matter, and Ruth suggested a way of making it.

“If I come over next week,” asked Ruth, “will you show me that pattern? I’d like to make it for mother.”

“Certainly; I never knew you could crochet till Lily told me you and Helen and Doris were the only ones in the troop who won their second-class badges on that account.”

“Yes,” said Ruth, quite composed by now, “I learned the last time I was home. You see I didn’t have any house-party to keep me busy, so I thought I might as well do something useful!”

The conversation drifted to swimming, and basket-ball, and finally to the Girl Scout troop. Ruth could not refrain from telling Marjorie all about the good times that were in store for her.

“But maybe you’ll be a scout before the play comes off, Marj,” she suggested.

“How many more times do you think the troop will take in new members this year?”

“Only once, I guess--but then I’m not sure. But of course nobody can go camping who isn’t at least a second-class scout.”

“Don’t worry about that! If I ever get in, I won’t stop till I’m a _first_-class scout!” said Marjorie emphatically.

“It would be fun to race to see who won it first, if you were only in the troop,” observed Ruth.

Marjorie folded up her crocheting and looked dismally out of the window. “Sometimes I think I’ll never make it; I don’t know how to work any harder than I did for that last Latin test.”

“Oh, I guess you must have been nervous. I’ll bet you know as much as I do now about prose composition. But you simply lost your head.”

“Maybe I did.”

“Be a sport, and try again--get Jack to help you; he ought to be able to, he’s a year ahead of you.”

“Here we are at last!” cried Marjorie, jumping up and reaching for her bag. “And here are our families to meet us!”

Mrs. Wilkinson was obviously glad to see the girls together again; and Mrs. Henry tried to conceal the feeling of pride she experienced at the thought of her own daughter’s success compared with the other girl’s failure.

“A good deal has happened since Christmas, hasn’t it, Marjorie?” said Mrs. Wilkinson, after they were comfortably seated in the machine.

“Yes,” answered Marjorie, “I’m no longer a sorority girl.”

“So I understand--but are you a Girl Scout?”

“Not yet; my Latin----”

“Oh, yes, I know; you’ll surely be able to pull that up soon if----”

“Did Ruth make the troop?” interrupted Jack.

“Yes; she’s a second-class scout already.”

“Good for her!” said Jack. “I got my pin on Friday night,” he added proudly.

“Oh, Jack, I’m so glad! Did Roger make it, too?”

“Yes--we’re both in the troop now.”

“So is Doris,” laughed Marjorie.

The holidays passed rather quietly for Marjorie; she studied from a Latin book she had brought home with her, and worked on her crochet. True to her promise, Ruth came over to copy her pattern, and proved her ability in the new accomplishment.

Ruth and Jack discussed the party at the cabin; but Jack regretted that both he and Roger were too new to be included among the lucky participants.

It was with a very heavy heart that Marjorie watched Ruth pass her house the Tuesday before school re-opened, bound for the cabin party of the scouts. Jack rushed out to carry her suitcase to the station; and Marjorie wiped away a tear as she turned again to her Latin grammar.

The Girl Scouts met in the dining-room, and made a pretence at eating the lunch Mrs. Rock had provided. But they were all too impatient to get started to care to waste any unnecessary time; so after fifteen minutes had elapsed, Miss Phillips announced her intention of starting.

When the girls got off the trolley at the foot of Bear’s Hill, they found two of the Boy Scouts waiting for them. As they came forward, the girls of the first patrol identified them as David Conner and Russell Henderson.

After the usual ceremony of greeting, David said:

“Our boys have laid a trail for you to follow; if you don’t miss any of the signals, we ought to reach the cabin in fifteen minutes’ time!”

The girls were glad of their former experience in following a trail, and succeeded in discovering all the signs and keeping on the path indicated. Once or twice they found little notes of direction; but aside from these, the signals were identical with those Miss Phillips had taught them.

Part of the way, David walked with Ethel. “Isn’t Miss Wilkinson a scout yet?” he asked.

“No,” replied Ethel; “she lost out again!”

“Somebody’s going to be disappointed,” remarked David, beginning to whistle.

“Somebody else I know never gets left when there’s a girl around!” exclaimed a voice behind them, which David identified as Russell’s without looking around.

In a few minutes, the party came in sight of the cabin. Before they could distinguish it from the trees that surrounded it, they saw two red and white flags sending a message of “Welcome Girl Scouts!”

“Hadley’s on the job, as usual,” muttered Russell, as the girls who knew the code interpreted the message to the others.

The cabin was built of logs, and surrounded by tall trees. The brush had been cleared away, leaving an open space in front large enough for the scouts to build an oven, and to arrange an out-door eating place. The spring ran below the cabin.

The other boys who had visited Miss Allen’s came forward and greeted the girls, and introduced the rest of the scouts and Mr. Remington, the Scoutmaster. Several of the boys conducted their guests to the inside of the cabin, where they removed their heavier wraps.

The interior of the cabin, which had a stone fireplace and a wooden floor, was fixed up attractively with box furniture made by the boys themselves. Several shelves in one corner held the supplies.

“It’s lovely!” exclaimed Ethel enthusiastically, as she sat down on the bench in front of the fireplace.

“Where do you sleep?” asked Lily, with a puzzled look. “Surely sixteen boys couldn’t all find room on the floor!”

“We sleep in tents, when we stay here all night,” said John. “Except, of course, when a candidate is sent out here on probation; then he sleeps on that cot!”

Mr. Remington appeared at the doorway. “As soon as you get rested, we want to play some scout games,” he said.

All the scouts, except the squad who were preparing the dinner, played games until almost dusk; then a whistle signal sounded which John interpreted as “get ready for mess,” and the girls followed Miss Phillips to the stream to wash and make themselves presentable for supper.

The supper was a splendid one--much more pretentious than that which represented the girls’ usual idea of a camp mess. There was broiled steak, baked potatoes, baked beans, cocoa, rolls, and chocolate cake.

“I never knew boys could cook like this!” said Frances. “Why, it’s wonderful!”

The girls wanted to help clear things away, but their offer was refused. Two or three of the boys built up the fire, and in a few minutes everyone was grouped around it, singing and talking.

John Hadley came over and sat beside Doris.

“It’s too bad Roger couldn’t be here to-night,” he said, “but you see he’s one of the newer members of the troop. I daresay you’ll see him at the next party.”

Doris laughed gaily. “Don’t worry about me, Mr. Hadley,” she said. “I’m having a wonderful time.”

But with her naturally sympathetic disposition, she was quick to realize that John was not so happy, and she tactfully turned the conversation in the direction in which he was interested--namely, to Marjorie. She explained as well as she could about Marjorie’s failure; but as she never had been able to understand it herself, she was not very successful in convincing John of the cause.

About eight o’clock, Mr. Remington called for “stunts,” and started by telling a funny story himself; Miss Phillips followed with a negro song in dialect; Ruth and Ethel gave a dialogue; and several of the boys performed gymnastic feats.

At nine o’clock, Miss Phillips reluctantly rose to go. She thanked the boys and invited them to the play. “And some day,” she added, “we want to entertain you.”

“Our boys wish to offer the Girl Scouts of Pansy troop the use of our cabin and its equipment for a week this summer,” said Mr. Remington, after he had acknowledged Miss Phillips’s invitations.

The girls all clapped; it seemed too wonderful to be true.

“The nicest time I ever had in my life!” said Lily, as they were riding home on the trolley. But she added the phrase which Ruth had come to hate: “If only Marjorie could have come along!”