CHAPTER X

A NOVEL INITIATION

"Quick girls! Get Nora!"

This was the order given by Pell, who in emergencies assumed leadership.

"Here Nora," called Betta, "just put your hand on my shoulder. We can almost walk in. Don't be frightened."

But Nora was terribly frightened. That water! And not being able to swim a stroke!

"Look!" called out Thistle, who was now standing in the more shallow water, "it is only up to my shoulders. Just bring Nora out here and she can wade in," announced the Scotch girl.

The sight of Thistle actually standing on her feet brought to Nora the first free breath she had breathed since that awful thing happened. Now she had courage to stop choking and do as she had been told.

"Why, you swam that time," puffed Betta to whom Nora had struggled. Did she really swim? She felt herself buoyed up for a moment somehow, in fact she had never gone down.

Before that supporting move had lost its endurance her hand was safely on Betta's shoulder, and both were moving slowly but securely towards the bank.

"That's it," Pell encouraged. "No need for any trouble if you just keep--cool!"

"Cool enough," grumbled Thistle. "I hate lakes for that," she continued to call out.

"How's that!" asked Betta when she reached the shallow water from which point all were wading in.

"Wonderful!" exclaimed Nora. Her relief was so great it seemed to her pure joy.

"Your first?" asked Wyn.

"First?" repeated Nora.

"First ducking," added Wyn. "If so it is your official initiation. You are now a full fledged member of the Chickadees."

It was easy for Nora to laugh--she felt she would never do anything but laugh, it was so good to be safe within reach of shore once again.

Thistle and Wyn threw their wet heads back and emitted a "coo-hee." The call was taken up by the others, and instead of the incident being of an alarming nature it was thus turned into a lark.

"Coo-hee! Coo-hee!" sounded along the little lake basin, while shouts of laughter and expressions of opinion about bobbed heads after an unexpected ducking, were snapped from Scout to Scout as the party waded in.

So near the edge they were loath to emerge. No possibility of getting any wetter or spoiling anything more generally, but there was a possibility of more fun.

"Where's that Jimbsy boy?" demanded Pell. "We didn't leave him to the sharks, did we?"

"Look," replied Thistle, pointing to a little slash in the lake's outline. It was a pocket full of water just about big enough to float the upturned boat that Jimmie was pushing in through it.

"Poor boy! And we never asked him what he was out after," reflected Betta. "Maybe he had an order to bring a boat load of passengers from the Ledge."

"We'll take up a collection for him," proposed Pell.

"What'll we collect?" asked Wyn.

"Opinions," replied the first. "They're most plentiful."

Nora was out of water and shaking herself like a poodle. Now that it was all over, the thrill was unmistakable.

"Look who's coming!" called out one of the girls, and turning around Nora glimpsed Ted coming down the narrow path.

"Quick, Nora, hide!" exclaimed Wyn. "Then spring out and surprise her."

Obeying, Nora jumped behind a big bush.

Even in the excitement she realized what companionship meant. It was so much more fun than playing at foolish dressing up and imagination games. Could she have but understood more clearly she would have recognized in that situation the theory of having girls "do" to learn, and that active sport of the young is one of the standards of Scout teaching.

She listened as the girls greeted Mrs. Manton. No gasps of alarm nor expressions of fear were exchanged, for Cousin Ted was of the Scout calibre herself.

"Better hang on the hickory limbs and dry, before your leader sees you," she cautioned. "Those uniforms won't be fit for parade."

"And mine was all beautifully pressed," whimpered Pell.

"So were all our suits, Mrs. Manton," asserted Thistle, "because we were calling on you first."

"Really! Did you see my little girl?"

"Oh, yes," drawled Betta.

"I so want her to grow into scouting," continued Mrs. Manton, and at that Nora felt she could make her presence known. But a quick snap of a stick from Betta, as she swished it back of Nora's bush, kept her from stepping out.

"Does she like the water?" asked Wyn, with a suppressed giggle.

"I am afraid she has had little chance to get acquainted with it," replied Ted. "Nora has been developed at one angle. This sort of experience would probably give her nervous prostration."

That was the cue. Nora jumped out!

"Child!"

"The very same!" pronounced Thistle grandly, waving a dripping arm.

Mrs. Manton was too surprised to do more than look at Nora. Her brown eyes were twinkling and her mouth twitching in a broad grin. Presently she jumped past Betta and threw her arms around Nora.

"You darling baby!" she exclaimed, all unmindful of the water she was blotting up from Nora's new suit. "How ever did you--come here and get--like--this?"

"Chick-chick-chick-Chickadees!" sang out a chorus. "Cluck! Cluck! Cluck!"

If one could look pretty after a ducking in a strange lake, Nora did. Her curls liked nothing better, and her cheeks pinked up prettily, while her eyes--they were as blue as the violets that listened in the underbrush.

"You don't mind her initiation, do you, Mrs. Manton?" asked Wyn.

"Why no. In fact, I'm delighted," replied the young woman. "But why the secret? I have been left out in the cold," she said, genially.

"Only candidates are informed," said Wyn, keeping up the joke.

"Was that really it? Was this a private initiation, and am I intruding?"

"All over," sang out Betta. "The bars are down and the guests welcome."

"Betta be goin' up the hill a bit," suggested Thistle. "This is no place for dripping chicks."

"The sun _would_ be helpful," agreed Pell. "I don't mind the water when it's fresh, but I hate to get mildewed."

"Hey!" came a call from somewhere. "Wanta get in again?"

"We certainly do not," yelled back Wyn. "Jimbsy James, you're a fraud. What ails your yacht, anyway?"

"All right, then," called back Jimmie good naturedly. "I'll be goin'. So long!"

"So long yourself," called back Wyn, "and send your bill to headquarters."

"Were you--in his boat?" asked Ted, a light beginning to break through the girls' perpetual nonsense.

"We were, momentarily," replied Betta. "But we needed exercise so we decided to walk," she finished. Nora saw how friendly the girls all were with Ted, and felt a pang, not of jealousy, but of regret. Why had she never known such companionship?

"I must go back to my trees," said Mrs. Manton, when the girls had found a clear path of sunshine. "I have some important marking to do. Nora, you follow directions and you need not fear earth, sky or water. These little Scouts are impervious to all catastrophes."

And Nora had almost expected to be sent home for a rub down, a hot drink and all the other coddling!

"Oh, I'm all right," she hurried to reply. "I'll be home----"

"When the ceremonies are over," interrupted Thistle. "We are due at the Ledge long ago, and if we don't soon make it I am afraid we will all be kept in tonight."

"In those wet things?" protested Wyn. "Not for me. I'm going back to camp and change. Come along Nora. We have an extra outfit in our box and we'll lend it to you. Thistle is a regular fish, she is never happy when dry skinned."

Mrs. Manton had disappeared in the winding path and Nora was secretly glad of Wyn's invitation. She could not as yet actually enjoy wet clothes. The girls had managed to save their hats and caps, but even these still dripped and could not be comfortably worn to keep off the strong sun's rays that beat down in the clear spots along the lake's edge.

"We'll have some trouble explaining to the general," remarked Thistle as they started back to camp. "And this was the day we were to finish our collection."

"But look, what we did collect," answered Wyn under her breath, referring to Nora. "Did you ever see anyone so pleased as our friend?"

"She looked happy," assented Thistle. "But say, Scoutie; whatever are we going to tell the girls about the prince?"

"Let's say we drowned him," suggested Wyn, foolishly. "That will give Alma a lovely murder mystery to work upon."

Nora overheard the word "prince" and surmised correctly it was meant for her Fauntleroy. She longed to turn back to the Nest rather than meet the other girl who might recognize her.

"It's so near lunch time----" she began.

"Oh, no girlie," protested Betta. "You are the only specimen we have collected today, and if you don't come back with us we will all get dreadful marks. Come along. Be a sport and help us out."

"Yes, we will be considered life savers, perhaps," added Thistle. "Of course, we won't say we did anything noble----"

"Nor say we didn't," drawled Wyn.

Thus urged, Nora had no choice, so she set off with her new companions towards Chickadee Camp.