CHAPTER XVI--PIONEER STUNTS
An exclamation escaped dazed Nathalie; and then a search was started,resulting at last in finding the card in one of the pockets of theskirt. Another cry issued from the finder as she read:
"To Nathalie, my faithful little nurse and helper. "Lucille."
"O dear!" said the girl with a shamed glance into the faces surroundingher, "I will never again say that Lucille is cross--oh, she is a duck ofa dear! It is the very thing I want, too. Now I shall not be the onlyPioneer without a uniform. I must run and tell Helen!" In another momentshe was racing with mad speed across the lawn, the uniform bulging outof the half-opened box in her arms.
In a short space she came speeding back, crying, "Oh, Mother, where isLucille? I must go and thank her this very minute!"
"Up in her room, I think," spoke up Dick, but Nathalie was alreadyhalf-way up the stairs.
"Lucille, it was just too lovely of you to think of me this way!" criedthe girl rapturously; and then before Lucille realized what was going tohappen, she was receiving a hug that threatened to demolish herentirely. "There, Nathalie Page," she cried, "that's more than enough;please leave just a wee bit of me, I'll take your thanks for granted."
"No, you won't!" persisted Nathalie with another hug. "I'm here to givethem to you in person." She loosened her hold so her cousin couldbreathe and then began to kiss her softly on the cheek. "Oh, but,Lucille, it was lovely of you to think of it," she ended as she finallyfreed her cousin, who ruefully began to twist up a few stray locks thathad been pulled down in the hugging process.
"Oh, pshaw, I don't want any thanks," Lucille responded as she finishedtucking up her hair. "As long as you are pleased, it's all right."
"But I'm serious, Lucille, for you have heaped coals of fire on my head,I'll have to 'fess that I was not a bit pleasant about waiting on you,because, you see, I had so much to see to with the Pioneer Stunts, thework, and everything, and then--"
"And then," mimicked Lucille with a mischievous glint in her eyes, "I'man awful cross patient; is that it? But it's all right, Nat, turn aboutis fair play, and if you had felt as badly as I did those few days, tomiss it all, the anticipated good times at Bessie's, well, you wouldhave been cross, too."
"Oh, I know it, and I was worse than you were, for I should havepossessed my soul in patience, but it was perfectly dear of you to giveme the uniform, and then to be so nice about it."
"Well, I'm glad I'm nice," teased her cousin, "but run along, child, forI have about forty-seven letters to get off by this mail."
And Nathalie, with a heart brimful of joy at the many surprises of theday, was very glad to hurry away and talk matters over with her mother.
"What shall I talk to Nita about?" she lamented the next morning as sheflew hither and thither, getting her work done in a jiffy so that shecould reach the gray house by ten-thirty, the hour set for the talk withthe princess, as Nathalie delighted to call her.
"Mother, can't you suggest something?" she asked dolefully as shestooped to kiss her mother good-by. "I do feel that it will not be rightfor me to take money for just chattering nonsense, and Nita won't let metell her stories."
"Well, it does seem as if it was undue extravagance, but still, if Mrs.Van Vorst thinks you are worth paying in order to help make her child'slife more enjoyable, it seems to me I should not worry about it."
"Yes, I know, but if I could only tell her stories," rejoined the girl,"perhaps I could help her more, for I could make my stories instructive,about nature, history, or--"
"That is true," was the answer. And then, as if reminded by the wordhistory, she said, "Why not tell her stories about the Pioneer women?You say she is so interested in the Girl Pioneers. In that way you couldteach her American history."
"Oh, Mumsie, you are a dear," cried elated Nathalie. "That is just thething, how stupid I was not to think of it! I will stop at the libraryon my way home this afternoon. What a help it will be to me, too, for weare going to have a fagot party, sort of a good-by to Louise Gaynor.Gloriana! I won't have any reading to do for that, for I'll be postedfrom my talks with Nita." Then she was off down the walk on her "way tobusiness," as she laughingly told her mother.
"Oh, tell me all about the Pioneer Stunts!" exclaimed the princess asNathalie settled herself for a cozy chat after her cheery greeting toher new pupil. Nita's eyes were sparkling expectantly, and theanticipated chat with her new friend had brought a tinge of color to herusually pale face.
"We have not had that as yet; it is to take place to-morrow night--oh,I'll tell you all about it," was the reply. And then, as Mrs. Van Vorstentered the room with a pleasant good morning, Nathalie demanded, "Doyou not want me to tell stories to Nita?"
"That is for Nita to decide," was the careless rejoinder. "I have askedyou here to please my daughter, and if she wants you here just to talk,why, talk away."
"But I feel as if I ought to instruct her in some way," demurredNathalie.
"Do not worry," returned Mrs. Van Vorst. "You will be worth all you earnif you only succeed in making Nita happy for two hours, and give hersomething to look forward to when you are not here. Of course, if youcould get something informative in once in a while, it would do good, nodoubt."
"I don't want any stories," interrupted Miss Nita petulantly. "MissStitt used to tell me stories by the yard and I have hated them eversince."
Nathalie made no reply; she was thinking how she could slip in a bit ofinformation without Nita's realizing it. "Oh, I will tell you about theflag drill!" she cried with sudden thought.
"Yes, do," acquiesced Nita, readily falling into the trap. "I want toknow just everything about it."
"Well, you shall," promptly returned her delighted teacher, andforthwith she set to define the meaning of the word liberty. "You know,Nita, when the Pilgrims and Puritans settled America they came here tobuild homes where they could have liberty of conscience, speech, andaction. Of course, you know all about how these first little settlementsgrew, until there were thirteen of them that bade fair to become verypopulous and wealthy. Well, the King of England, fearing perhaps thatthey would grow into a great nation and take power from him, began todeprive them of some of their rights and privileges.
"The people for a time submitted, but as his tyranny increased theybegan to feel greatly depressed, for it looked as if the liberty thatthey had been enjoying in the new land was going to be taken away fromthem, and that they were going to be chained like slaves.
"Now the first scene in the flag drill represents liberty--as the Goddessof course--lamenting that if she can live only at the price of slavery,she would rather die. So we see her walking up and down the platformrepeating in great agitation the famous words of Patrick Henry, 'Give meLiberty, or give me death!'
"Just at this moment music is heard, and the Daughters of Libertyenter--"
"The Daughters of Liberty--who are they?"
"Why, don't you know that when King George tried to impose the Stamp Acton the colonists they rebelled, and there was a great time. Bands of menwere organized all over the country, who called themselves the Sons ofLiberty, and refused to accept the Stamp Act, and--"
"Oh, yes, I know all that," cried Nita impatiently, "but what did theyhave to do with these girls who are to be in the Flag Drill?"
"Just you wait and you'll see," replied Nathalie somewhat abashed bythis practical question. "Well, these little patriotic bands acted likea whirlwind of fire, spreading patriotism--the determination not tosubmit to the king's tyranny--all over the land, so that King George wasdefeated for a time at least."
"Oh, yes, I know all about him," was the reply, "Miss Stitt just dotedon history, and she drilled me in American history until I just hatedit."
"In 1776," continued the Story Lady, "seventeen young girls met inProvidence at the house of Deacon Bowen, and formed themselves into oneof these Liberty Bands, only you see they were just girls like you andme. They were very industrious
and spun all day making homespun clothes,for they had resolved that they would not wear any more clothes that hadbeen manufactured in England.
"It is claimed that the clothes worn by the first president of BrownUniversity in Providence, and the graduating class, too, on CommencementDay were garments made by these girls. These young girls not only vowedthat they would not drink tea, because you see, it all had to come fromthe mother country, but they would have nothing to do with any young menwho were not as patriotic as they were, and who were not willing tofollow their example. These bands of girls were formed all through thecolonies and became known as 'The Daughters of Liberty.'"
"Oh, now I know, but do hurry and tell me what they did to the Goddessof Liberty!"
"Well, in our Flag Drill music is heard; then the Daughters of Libertyappear on the platform,--there are to be thirteen of them, to representthe thirteen states,--all carrying banners."
"What kind of banners?" burst from Nathalie's auditor impatiently.
"All kinds," was the answer. "You know, the first flag used in thiscountry was the English one, with the red cross of St. George; that wasthe flag carried by the _Mayflower_. After a while it was used only forspecial occasions, for the Red Ensign of Great Britain took its place.But as time wore on, each little State came to have its own flag orbanner, so that when the Revolution came these State banners becameknown as liberty banners.
"Some of them were very quaint and grotesque, with strange emblems anddesigns--some had rattlesnakes or pine-trees--and queer inscriptions. Aflag from South Carolina had a silver crescent on it; another from NewYork had a beaver; troops from Rhode Island floated a white ensign witha blue anchor; while the New England flag bore a pine tree. But to goback to the Daughters; as they march on the platform they form ahalf-circle before the Goddess, who has retired to her throne, a chairdraped with red. In her hand she carries a green branch,--no, don't askme why, for you will know when you hear the girls sing the 'LibertyTree.'
"When they finish singing, each girl in turn steps before the Goddessand tells the story of her flag, until a story has been told about eachof the thirteen flags. Of course, there were a number of these libertybanners, but we use only thirteen of them.
"There! I said I would not tell you any more today, and I'm not goingto. Oh, did I tell you that I told Mrs. Morrow about your motherconsenting to let us have your lawn? She is perfectly delighted, and atthe next Rally the scribe will write a note to your mother for thePioneers, thanking her for her offer."
And then--Nathalie could not remember what started the conversation inthis channel--she was telling about her brother Dick and his operation,while Nita listened with big sympathetic eyes, for somehow she was verymuch interested in this invalid brother of Nathalie's.
"You see, it is this way," rattled on Nathalie. "Dick must have theoperation as soon as possible--and--as it happens--well, you know Mother'sincome is limited since Father died and we have had to retrench a greatdeal. Then to make matters worse, just at the present time some bondsthat Mother owns are not paying any interest and we feel dreadfullyabout it, all on account of Dick. So we are all trying to be aseconomical as possible; Dorothy and I have a little bank, and every oddnickel we can scare up we drop it in, and oh! the money your mother isgoing to give me for talking to you, why, that's going in the bank, too!Dorothy and I sometimes wish that some magic fairy would come along andturn those stray cents and nickels into gold dollars, but there, Ishould think your head would ache, my tongue has galloped so hard andfast." She paused, and with a merry laugh cried, "I should not wonder ifafter a while your mother paid me not to come and talk to you, for youwill get so tired of me."
"Indeed I won't!" asserted the princess stoutly as she threw up herarms. There was a mutual hug and then Nathalie was off, for she had toget dinner and it would take her at least ten minutes to walk home.
A week later Nathalie was flying out of the gate of the big gray housewith something tightly clasped in her hand. It had been a week of hardwork, for O dear, she had grown tired of talking, and then too, she hadspent some little time in the library hunting up pioneer women. She hadbeen overjoyed that morning when Mrs. Van Vorst, who had been secretlyacquainted with the scheme of telling about these women founders of thenation presented her with a new book from a New York publisher that gavea number of interesting details about these dames of early times. Sheand Nita had spent the two hours that morning reading about the NewAmsterdam vrouws. She laughed slyly as she hurried along to think howadroitly she had managed in such a short time to tell her pupil not onlyabout the Pilgrim and Puritan dames, but other interesting historicalevents of those early days.
As the girl ran swiftly up on the porch and spied her mother reading afew feet away, she burst out with, "Oh, Mother, what do you think Mrs.Van Vorst gave me for teach--talking, rather, to Nita for the week? AndI'm to have the same every week. Oh, Mumsie, just guess!"
Mrs. Page's eyes smiled into Nathalie's joyous ones as she said, "I'mnot a good guesser, I'm afraid, Daughter, but I'll venture--fivedollars?"
"Five dollars!" repeated the girl disdainfully. "Oh, Mother, guessagain, it's more than that," she added encouragingly.
"Well, I'll have to give it up," replied her mother after a short pause,with a regretful shake of her head. "I told you I was not a goodguesser."
"Ten dollars!" burst from happy Nathalie. "Just think, a dollar an hour,two dollars a day, and ten dollars for the week! And, Mother, it's allto be put away for Dick!"
The night of the entertainment arrived, and promised to be a howlingsuccess, as Grace declared, who, with Nathalie, had been detailed to actas an usher. They had been kept pretty busy seating the guests, who hadappeared in multicolored gowns, and gay flowered hats, with here andthere a dress coat of masculine gender which gave quite an air offestivity to the occasion.
The program was opened by Lillie Bell. Attired in a very quaint colonialgown, she tripped along the platform, and with well-simulated blushesand much demureness of manner made an old-time curtsy. After beinggreeted with an ovation from her many friends, she bashfully sidled upto a rather puzzling-looking instrument on the platform, on which manyeyes had been focussed ever since the raising of the curtain, and seatedherself before it.
Upon this old-time spinet she played such ravishing strains of melodythat the hearts of her audience were captivated, and she was encoredagain and again. Louise Gaynor, a dear little colonial dame, nowappeared, and in her tru-al-lee voice--as the girls often called it--sangsome old English ballads, "Annie Laurie," "Robin Adair" and several ofsimilar character, whose celebrity had grown with the years.
The second Stunt was the renowned race for the Forefathers' Rock, KittyCorwin as Mary Chilton, and Fred Tyson as the slow-footed John Alden. Aspinning contest followed, the fair spinners being colonial dames fromPlymouth town, New Amsterdam, Boston, and Jamestown. The fair maiden ofPlymouth, Priscilla, spun with such deftness and skill that she not onlywon the plaudits of those assembled, but the prize. As she gracefullybowed her acknowledgment to her friends' loud clapping, she backedhastily off the platform. Alas, she backed into John Alden, who at thisopportune moment had appeared on the stage, with such terrific forcethat she almost bowled him over. John, however, to prove that he was notas slow as the name he had gained, adroitly caught the falling maiden inhis arms and then led the blushing damsel, Jessie Ford, forward as hiscaptured prize.
Barbara Worth proved quite a heroine in her single-act comedy on Pioneercraft, the plucking of a live goose. Mistress Goose, however, notunderstanding her part of silent acquiescence, being a twentieth-centurygoose and not a pioneer one, mutinied, and as Barbara came to the end ofthe couplet,
"Twice a year deplumed may they be, In spryngen tyme and harvest tyme,"
she escaped from her captor's clutch and with a loud, "Quack! quack!" ofdisapproval flew across the stage.
Barbara, dumb with fright for fear the goose would fly down among thespectators, gave chase, and then ensued a regular "movie" as am
id loudcalls urging her on in the race, and protestations voiced by the goosein a clamorous quacking, she chased it about the platform. Just asBarbara was about to capture her prey she tripped on a rug and measuredher five feet two on the floor. But Barbara was game, Fred Tysondeclared to Nathalie as they watched her, and jumping to her feet shesoon captured her featherless fowl, which, after being shown in itsdeplumed condition, was borne from the scene of its torments by thevictor.
The curtain now rose on "The First American Wash Day," a little playletrepresenting the women of the Pilgrim colony, with arms bared to theelbows, rubbing and scrubbing in tubs of foamy soap-suds, washingclothes, for the noble sires of our nation.
Nathalie gave a quick start and her eyes leaped wide open as sheconvulsively clutched Grace by the arm, and then she grew strangelystill as she watched the actors on the stage. The scene was adistinctive one, as the children of the _Mayflower_ ran hither andthither gathering boughs, make-believe sweet-smelling juniper, to placeunder the tripod from which kettles of water were suspended over a smallfire that simulated a cheery blaze.
As these pioneer mothers washed, and then wrung out their clothes,slashing them about in true washer woman's fashion, some one in the rearof the stage recited in a loud, clear voice:
"There did the Pilgrim fathers With matchlock and ax well swung Keep guard o'er the smoking kettles That propped on the crotches hung. For the earliest act of the heroes Whose fame has a world-wide sway, Was to fashion a crane for a kettle And order a washing-day."
"Pioneer Mothers of America." By Hand W. Green.
The applause of the spectators testified to the merit of theperformance, and as the curtain dropped, Nathalie, whose eyes wereashine with a strange fire, hastened out into the hall. "Oh, it was meanof her! It is the same as stealing, she knew she had no right to useit!" were the thoughts that flashed at white heat through her brain, forthe playlet that had just been enacted was the one she had lost in thelibrary!
And the one who had passed it off as her own, the one who had been thehead performer, and who had recited the verses, was Edith Whiton!
On rushed Nathalie straight towards the dressing room, determined totell Edith just what she thought of her, but the sight of a crowd ofgirls of which Edith was the central figure brought her to a standstill."Of course, Edith, we all recognized you!" "It was a clever Stunt.""Well, you have shown you are a Pioneer, all right!" Many similar paeansof praise came to Nathalie's ears.
The girl stood still, inwardly raging with indignation, almost ready tocry with the strife between her outraged sense of right, and acommonplace little monitor who whispered, "It would be mean to accuseEdith of a sneaking act in the very midst of her glorification. Andthen, too," continued the whisperer, "you are not really sure that Edithhas not some excuse to offer; there was no name on your paper." Nathalieswallowed hard, then her muscles relaxed, and the hard angry gleamdisappeared from her eyes. Well, Edith might be mean and small, but sheat least would be above her, she would say nothing!
With a certain pride that she had risen above doing what she wouldundoubtedly have regretted afterwards, Nathalie hurried into thedressing-room. A few minutes later as the curtain rose it displayed inits completed form the second idea that she had spent so much time inplanning.
Around the hearthstone in a Dutch kitchen sat a _huys-moeder_, busilyundressing her two little kinderkins while she sang the crooning nurseryrhyme:[1]
"Trip attroup attronjes, De vaarken in de boojes, De koejes in de klaver, De paarden in de haver, De kalver in de lang gras, De eenjes in de water plas, So grootmyn klein poppetje was." "_Colonial Days in Old New York._" Earle.
Through a window in the back of the cozy kitchen a blanketed squaw wasseen dandling her swaddled papoose in her arms, as she peered hungrilyin at the glowing fire, and watched the _huys-moeder_ fill the warmingpan with coals, thrust it between the sheets of the little trundle-bed,and then give her babies some mulled cider to drink.
The tiny figures in their _cosyntjes_, or nightcaps with long capes, hadjust crawled into bed when "tap-toes" sounded, and the honest mynheerand his good vrouw hastened to cover the still glowing embers with ashesfor the fire of the morrow. The Dutch curfew had sounded, which meantthat all good simple folk must hie to bed.
This fireside scene in old New York won its merited applause, andNathalie, who had been the Dutch mother, Mrs. Morrow's kiddies, thekinderkins, and Fred Tyson, the mynheer, were called before the curtainto receive the plaudits of their friends.
As Nathalie was hurrying from the dressing-room, glad that she wasthrough her long-anticipated Stunt, and doubly glad that it had been asuccess, her name was called. She turned to see Helen, who, with ananxious face, was peering from the adjoining dressing room.
"Oh, has anything gone wrong?" demanded Nathalie hastening to the door.
"I should say!" exclaimed Helen with woebegone countenance, "I have leftmy gun at home, and I must have it. Oh, I can't imagine how I could havebeen so careless! Can't you get some one to go and get it for me? Tellthem to hurry, for my scene goes on in ten minutes."
"Oh, I'm so sorry," sympathized Nathalie, "tell me where to find it,quick, and I'll get some one."
"It is in the hall just behind the rack! Do hurry, Nat, I'm just aboutwild!"
Nathalie darted away; but alas, she could not find any one who could goat that moment, every one had some important duty to perform just thenand there. Even the Scouts, who were always so ready to help the girls,were missing. "Oh, it is too bad!" bemoaned the girl. Presently her eyeslighted and in another instant she had flown up the stairs, seized herlong cloak in the dressing-room, and then sped down the steps into thegarden, and out into the street.
Ten minutes, that meant she would have to run every step of the way toget that gun there in time. So with the lightness of a bird she darteddown one street, up another, and then--her heart gave a great leap as shecame to the long, lonely stretch of road skirting the cemetery of theold Presbyterian church. But on she flew, hardly daring to cast her eyestowards the tall tombstones that gleamed at her with ghostly whitenessfrom the ghoulish shadows cast by the waving branches of the trees abovethem.
No, she was not afraid of ghosts, but she suddenly remembered a storyshe had heard as a little child, of a young girl who had been waylaidand killed by a man in a cemetery one dark night. Fiddle! she was notgoing to be afraid of a mere story, so with a snatch of melody on herlips she kept bravely on and soon left behind her the marble records ofthe dead. It did not take but a minute to ring the bell, tell Helen'saunt what she wanted, then grab the gun and start off on her returnjourney.
Oh, she did hate to have to go by that old graveyard, she would take theother way around; but no, that would take twice the time and she musthurry! So nerving up her courage she ran on with the firm determinationto play soldier, and level her musket if any one assailed her.
As she neared the cemetery her breath gave out, and instead of runningby this danger post she had to walk every step. Determined not to lookin the direction of these ghostly reminders of the past, she pushedresolutely on. She had almost reached the end of the long fence when thesudden snap of a twig, followed by a rustling noise caused her heart topause in its beating. A scream escaped her quivering lips, for there inthe bright radiance that fell like a silver veil over all objects shesaw the figure of a man rise from one of the tombstones near the fenceand come towards her!
-----[1] "From your throne on my knee, The pigs in the bean-patch see, The cows in the clover meet, The horses in the oat field eat. The ducks in the water pass The calves scamper through the grass. They love the baby on my knee And none there are as sweet as she."