CHAPTER VII. MINNAVAVANA'S BRAVES
The north wind is no respecter of persons. He wasn't invited to Betty'slawn party, but he came at dawn and stayed until dark the day she choseto entertain her dearest friends. Billy was glad of it. He said thatgirls' parties were silly, anyway, and he hoped the whole flock wouldhave to stay in the house. He declared that Betty needn't expect to seehim at the party: he would rather hide in the cellar all day than bethe only boy among so many girls. Aunt Florence smiled, and said sheguessed they could get along without him if he felt that way.
"Sometime before I go home, though," she promised Billy, "we'll have aboys' party, and then we won't care how hard the wind blows. But thegirls, dear me, Billy, they'll be so disappointed if they have to stayin the house."
"Who cares?" suggested Billy.
"Why, I care," suggested Aunt Florence. "Young man, I am helping Bettywith this party, and the wind is more than I know what to do with."
"Oh, if it's your party, Aunt Florence, that's different, and I knowwhat to do. Build a tramps' shelter and keep the wind out."
"What's a tramps' shelter, Billy?"
"Why, Aunt Florence, out in the woods the tramps make regular littlerooms of trees and branches. We can coax papa and his man to get awagon-load of Christmas-trees from the woods and make a room, not wherewe'd spoil the lawn, but the other side of the house, you know, downclose to the lake."
"Who would report boats, Billy, if your father and the man both go tothe woods?"
"Mamma would," was the reply; "she does lots of times. I'll getsome boys to help make the room if you want to do it. I wish Geraldwas here, but every time Mr. Robinson invites him to go on thefishing-tug, he goes. I wish I was him."
When Betty heard of Billy's plan, she said she didn't know he couldthink of anything so nice, and before noon the room was made.
"It's a fort!" declared Billy.
"Why, so it is," added Betty. "And to-morrow, Billy, let's play fort,and I'll ask Lucille and that little girl that plays with her, thatlittle Marion Struble from Marquette, and Cora and Gay to come andbring their dolls and play ladies from the settlement seeking safety inthe fort during an Indian war. You may be an Indian chief, you know,and I don't care how many boys you have for braves. Oh, it will beloads of fun."
"Let's do it to-day," suggested Jimmie Brown, the Detroit boy.
"And scare the girls to death," added one of the green cottage twins.
"Oh, mercy, boys, that wouldn't do at all! You see, this is to be areal stylish party to-day, and besides that, I don't s'pose half thegirls that are coming ever played Indian. Why, one time, auntie, Geraldand Billy and I had an Indian show, and we hadn't any more than begunwhen the girls were scared and ran home crying.
"I wish you boys would please go now and pick about ten bushels of wildflowers, so we can make the inside of this evergreen fort perfectlybeautiful. See, Aunt Florence, papa made the north wall extra thickand high, so the wind can't get in. Isn't this the sweetest place fora party you ever heard of? Of course, we'll be crowded, and of coursewe can't stay in it all the time, but that won't hurt anything. Mammasays we may bring out all the cushions and put them on the board seats.We'll have the music-box here in the corner."
Soon the boys returned with arms full of wild flowers. "Powder and shotfor the fort," announced Billy, and the mischief shining in his eyesalarmed his sister.
"Now, Billy Grannis," she warned, "don't you dare try any tricks."
"Of course not," replied Billy, though Jimmie and the green cottagetwins tossed their caps into the air and grinned.
"They're planning something, auntie," Betty declared, but when theguests began to arrive she forgot her suspicions.
Alice Swayze came first, dressed in her best white gown. She was fromKalamazoo. Betty seated her beside the music-box. Two little girls fromChicago came next, wearing wide blue sashes just alike. Little BelleLamond from California straightened her pink sash, felt of the bow onher pretty dark curls, and acted so vain and silly, four small boys,who were watching from behind the north wall of the evergreen fort,almost laughed aloud.
"Won't she jump, though?" whispered Billy.
"You bet," replied Jimmie Brown, "and there comes Nellie Thomas.She's from Detroit, and is in my sister's room at school. She'll jumpsky-high."
There was merriment within the evergreen fort, as little girlscontinued to enter and the tiny space became crowded. When Bettystarted the music-box, whispering behind the north wall was no longernecessary.
"It's getting so noisy in there, I'm 'fraid they won't even hear wildIndians," ventured Jimmie Brown at the top of his voice.
"Hush," cautioned Billy, "don't talk too loud. Music-boxes and wind andwaves and talking girls sometimes keep still at the same time."
"Oh, look," exclaimed the twins, "what's coming?"
"Frenchy and Bud and Buzz and Tony and their little 'dopted sisterSamone," Billy declared, as he began motioning for the new-comers tocreep quietly to the fort.
'Phonse took the hint, and soon he and his wondering followers werepeering through the evergreen walls.
"What's going to happen?" demanded 'Phonse, with a grin.
"Well," explained Billy, "it's a game, only the girls don't knowthey're in it. That's a fort, and we're Indians. I'm Minnavavana, thechief, and the rest of you are my braves. You want to play, of course.Samone don't count, though, she's only a papoose."
"But where are your tomahawks, and what's going to happen, I say?"persisted 'Phonse, as he and his brothers crowded around Billy.
"Look," said Jimmie Brown, showing the LeBrinn children a firecracker."These Indians have guns. Can't you give him a gun, Billy? My pocket'sfull of matches."
"Sure," replied Billy; "you give out the matches. Now listen, you thatdon't know the game. We're all Indians, but I'm the chief. You'rejust braves. When I nod my head like this, every brave must give anawful war-whoop. Just screech, boys, yell for all you're worth, and Iwill, too, and that same minute fire off your firecrackers and run.You mustn't even stop to see what the girls do, because then we'll becaught."
"You all cut for the woods," 'Phonse warned his brood.
"Now get in a straight line," commanded Billy, "and look in. I guessthey're all here now, and we mustn't wait long if we expect to haveany fun, because soon's they're all here Betty's going to have themall go and have games on the porch, and they're coming back here for'freshments. Watch out there, Bud, don't lean too hard. What if thestockade should tumble in?"
Unconscious of bright eyes watching, and of the row of grins behind thefort's north wall, the little girls laughed and gaily chatted.
Suddenly, without the least warning, blood-curdling sounds filledthe air, accompanied by what seemed to be cannon shots. At the sameinstant, the evergreens forming the north wall trembled, shook, fellin; while screaming girls, frightened almost out of their senses,struggled to get away.
Billy tried to run but couldn't. "Wait, boys, wait for me!" heshouted, but the boys didn't wait, not even for the little Samone,who cried frantically for help. Billy never heard such an uproar,quickly followed by screams of terror unlike anything he ever dreamedof. Turning, he saw what Betty and her little friends that instantnoticed; saw what made the grown folks, rushing across the lawn, whitewith fear. Little Samone, trying in vain to free herself from theevergreens, was on fire. Billy saw the flames reaching for the raggedsleeve of her calico slip, and knew that he must try to save her.Betty saw what he meant to do, and tried to stop him.
"Wait, Billy, wait!" she screamed. "You're too little! Papa is coming!Wait, oh, Billy, Billy!"
But the north wind wasn't waiting, and Samone was tiny. Quicker thana flash, Billy, usually so slow, leaped upon the evergreens, snatchedSamone, and rolled her down the bank into the water.
When certain braves returned, seeking a lost papoose, they found herplaying with Betty's guests; but the great chief, Minnavavana, whosehands were a trifle burned, w
as still sobbing in his mother's arms.