CHAPTER III.
THE day of the picnic was hot, very hot, for June, but that did notdiscourage the younger picnickers at all.
"It will be pretty warm on the river," Mr. Merrithew remarked,tentatively, as they sat at dinner. The dining-room windows were open,and the soft air, sweet with the scent of lilacs, blew the whitecurtains into the room with lazy puffs.
"It will be so lovely when we get to Government House, though," Marjoriecried. "There is always a breeze up there, father, and there are plentyof trees, and three summer-houses, and that big veranda. Oh, I think itwill be perfect."
"Yes, Daddy, I do, too! I think it will be _gorlious_!" said Jackie.
When, after much hurrying about, telephoning to tardy members of theparty, and good-natured discussion as to the arrangement of thecanoe-loads, they were at last afloat on the blue, shining river, theyall agreed with Jack. Dora was charmed with the slender Milicete canoes.She had seen chiefly canvas and wooden ones. Her father, indeed, hadowned a bark canoe, but it was of much heavier and broader build thanthese slim beauties, that glided through the water like fairy craft,impelled this way or that by the slightest turn of the steersman'swrist.
IN THE GOVERNMENT HOUSE GROUNDS]
They landed just back of Government House, the grounds of which slopeddown to the water. The house is a long, stone building, with a broadveranda at the back, and in front nearly covered with Virginia creeper.At the time of the picnic it was empty, and in charge of a caretaker,who lived in a small cottage on the grounds. When a suitable spot hadbeen chosen for tea, and the baskets piled close by, Mrs. Merrithewproposed an excursion through the house, and Mr. Merrithew went withJackie to procure the key. When he returned, they all trooped merrily upthe front steps, and soon were dispersed through the great echoing hallsand lofty rooms. Most of the grown people of the party had danced hereat many a stately ball, for in those days Government House had been keptup in the good old-fashioned way. Marjorie and Jack delighted in hearingtheir mother tell of her "coming out" at one of these balls, and how shehad been so proud of her first train that she had danced without holdingit up, which must have been trying for her partners. Dora was greatlyinterested in seeing the room where King Edward, then the slim youngPrince of Wales, had slept, on the occasion of his visit toFredericton. When the furniture of Government House was auctioned, a fewyears before our story opens, the pieces from this room, which shouldhave been kept together as of historic interest, were scattered aboutamong various private purchasers. Mrs. Merrithew described them to Dora,who wished she could have seen the great bed, so wide that it was almostsquare, with its canopy and drapings of rich crimson, and its gilt"Prince of Wales feathers," and heavy gold cords and tassels.
When they came out of the dim, cool house into the warm air, the elderslooked apprehensively at the heavy black clouds which had gathered inthe west.
"That looks ominous," one of the gentlemen said. "There will certainlybe thunder before night."
Thunder! That was Marjorie's horror! Her round, rosy face grew pale, andshe clung tightly to her mother's arm. The men and matrons held ahurried consultation, and decided that the storm was probably not verynear, and that it would be safe to wait for tea if they hurried things alittle. It would be a terrible disappointment to the children (all, atleast, but Marjorie!) to be hurried away without "the picnic part of thepicnic." So they all bustled about, and in a short time the cloth wasspread, and well covered with good things. The fire behaved well, as ifknowing the need of haste, and the coffee was soon made, and asdelicious as picnic coffee, by some apparent miracle, generally is. Bythe time the repast was over, the clouds had drawn closer, the air wasmore sultry, and even the most optimistic admitted that it was high timeto start for home. The canoes were quickly loaded, the best canoe-mentook the paddles, and soon they were darting swiftly down-river, runninga race with the clouds.
In spite of their best speed, however, the storm broke before theyreached their journey's end. The thunder growled and muttered, a fewbright flashes lit up the sultry sky, and just as they landed atremendous peal caused the most courageous to look grave, while poorMarjorie could scarcely breathe from terror. Then the rain came, and thepretty muslin dresses and flower-trimmed hats looked very dejectedbefore their wearers were safely housed! Still, no one was the worse forthat little wetting, Marjorie recovered from her fright as soon as shecould nestle down in a dark room with her head in her mother's lap, andthey all agreed with Jackie that it _had_ been "a gorlious time."
Before the children went to bed Mrs. Merrithew told them about the planwhich she had mentioned two days before, and to which Mr. Merrithew hadheartily consented. He was to take a whole holiday, on Thursday of thefollowing week, and drive them all up to the Indian Village, aboutthirteen miles above town, to see the Corpus Christi celebrations.
Corpus Christi, a well-known festival in the Roman Catholic Church, isone which has been chosen by the Indians for special celebration. As itcomes in June, and that is such a pleasant time for little excursions,many drive to the Indian Village from Fredericton and from thesurrounding country, to see the Milicetes in their holiday mood.
The day being fresh and lovely, with no clouds but tiny white ones inthe sky, Mr. and Mrs. Merrithew and the three children set off early onThursday morning. They had a roomy two-seated carriage, and two bigbrisk, white horses, plenty of wraps and umbrellas in case historyshould repeat itself with another storm, and an ample basket ofdainties. The road, winding along the river-bank most of the the way,was excellent, and the scenery Dora thought prettier than any she hadseen. The river was smooth as a mirror, reflecting every tree and bushon its banks. Little islands, green and tree-crested, were scattered allalong its shining length.
It was almost time for the service when they reached the picturesquelittle village which went climbing bravely up its hill to the chapel andpriest's house near the top. The horses were taken charge of by a sedateyoung half-breed, evidently proud of his office as the "priest's man,"and our party at once filed into the chapel. A plain enough littlestructure in itself, to-day it was beautiful with green boughs, ferns,and flowers. The congregation consisted chiefly of Indians andhalf-breeds, with a scattering of interested visitors. Most of thenatives were clad in gorgeous finery, some of the older ones havingreally handsome beaded suits and beautifully worked moccasins, whileothers were grotesque in their queer combination of the clothes ofcivilization and savagery. The priest, a tall, good-looking man withpiercing eyes, sang high mass, and then the procession formed. Firstcame an altar-boy carrying a cross, then six boys with lighted tapers,and two walking backward scattering boughs. These were followed by thepriest bearing the host and sheltered by a canopy which four altar-boyscarried. These boys were all Indians, and the mild well-featuredMilicete faces had lost their stolidity, and were lit up with anexpression of half-mystic adoration. After them came the congregation,bare-headed, and singing as they walked. Marjorie and Dora clasped handsas they followed, their eyes shining with excitement. They went down theroad and entered a schoolhouse not far from the church, where the hostwas placed in a little tabernacle of green boughs while the service wascontinued. Then the procession re-formed and went back to the church.
After they had disbanded, the Indians scattered to their houses toprepare for the various other events of the day. Mr. and Mrs. Merrithewand the children were carried off by the priest (whom Mr. Merrithew knewwell) to have dinner with him in his house near the chapel. The childrenstood a little in awe of him at first, but he was so companionable andkind that they were soon quite at their ease. His mother, who kept housefor him, was evidently very proud of her son, and did her best toentertain his visitors worthily. The house was rather bare, but clean aswax and the perfection of neatness, while the repast, spread on thewhitest of linen, was excellent, and not without some rather unusualdainties,--such as candied fruits of many colours for the children, andguava jelly brought out especially in Mrs. Merrithew's honour.
After dinner the good
father offered to show them through the village,and they set out together on a tour of inspection. All the full-grownIndians, the priest told them, were holding a pow-wow in theschoolhouse, for the purpose of electing a chief. "There is no need ofmy being there this afternoon," he said, in answer to Mr. Merrithew'sinquiry; "but this evening, when they have their feast and theirgames,--ah, then I will keep my eye on them!"
Evidently this priest held very parental relations toward his people.The visitors noticed that some boys playing baseball on the greeneagerly referred their disputes to him and accepted his word as final.He took them into several of the little wooden houses, all of which,probably in honour of the day, were in splendid order. In one they foundtwin papooses, brown as autumn beech-leaves, sleeping side by side in abasket of their mother's making. In another a wrinkled old squaw hadmost dainty moccasins to sell, the Milicete slipper-moccasins, withvelvet toe-pieces beautifully beaded. Mr. Merrithew bought a pair foreach of his party (himself excepted), letting them choose their own.Mrs. Merrithew promptly selected a pair with yellow velvet on the toes;Dora's choice had crimson, and Marjorie's blue, while Jackie's tiny pairwas adorned with the same colour as his mother's.
"You see, mother dear," he said quite seriously, "yours are a _little_larger, so we won't be mixing them up!"
Then, being in a gift-making mood, Mr. Merrithew bought them each aquaint and pretty basket, besides a big substantial scrap-basket for hisown study, and handkerchief-cases, gorgeous in pink and green, for Susanand Debby. The small baskets all had broad bands of the fragrant "sweethay" which grows on many islands of the St. John, but which very fewwhite people can find. Dora was much interested in the Milicete women,with their soft voices and kind, quiet faces. She tried to learn some oftheir words, and won their hearts by singing two or three songs inFrench, a language which they all understood, though they spoke it in apeculiar patois of their own.
The bright summer afternoon went all too quickly. Mrs. Merrithew wasanxious to reach home before too late an hour, so at five o'clock, aftertea and cakes, they "reembarked" for the return trip. The horses werefresh, the roads good, the children just pleasantly tired. As they droveon and on through magic sunset light and fragrant summer dusk, Dorathought drowsily that this was a day she would always remember, even ifshe lived to be as old as the dame who ate the innumerable apples.
"I will have such lovely things to write to father and mother about,"she murmured, in sleepy tones,--and those were the last words she saidtill the carriage stopped at the door of "the Big Brick House," and sheand Jackie were tenderly lifted out and half led, half carried up thesteps. Then she opened her eyes very wide and looked about her inwonder.
"Why, I believe I _nearly_ went to sleep for a moment," she said.
And even Jackie woke up enough to laugh at that!