CHAPTER XIII RANDALL'S ISLAND
"I can't help it, it simply won't roll!" exclaimed Katherine in despair."I've tugged and tugged until my fingernails are all broken, and it justnaturally won't turn over!" And Katherine sat down with a discouragedthud and fanned herself with a hair-brush.
"Well, we'll 'just naturally' have to stop and see what's the matter withit," said Nyoda soothingly. The Winnebagos were having a contest inponcho rolling to be in practice for the coming summer's camping trips.The aim of each one just now was to accomplish this in two minutes. Twominutes to spread out a poncho, two blankets and enough clothes for anovernight trip, roll it up into a neat stove-pipe, bend it into a tidyhorseshoe and fasten the ends together with a rope tied in square knots.
The record was held by Medmangi, quiet, neat Medmangi, who, while theothers were working like mad, had serenely completed her task in a minuteand three-quarters.
"She's a regular phenomenay, that woman," said Sahwah, who had thoughtshe was doing wonders when she straightened up at the end of two minutesexactly. "She must have four hands, or else she packed with her feet. Butwhat else could you expect of a girl who's going to be a doctor?"
Poor Katherine, alas, made no time at all that could be recorded inNyoda's book. It was only her second attempt at poncho rolling, but it isdoubtful whether it would have been any different if it had been herhundred and second. She simply was not built for order and speediness. Atthe end of ten minutes she still sat beside her pile of belongings, theponcho askew, the blankets askew on it and hanging over the edge, theextra middy bundled up into a wrinkled lump and the small articlessliding off on all sides. She had begun to roll it from the wrong end,and after one or two turns it absolutely refused to go any farther, inspite of forceful attempts.
"Here, spread your things out properly, and then it will go," said Nyodapatiently, picking up the blankets. Out rolled the object which hadobstructed the wheels of progress--an umbrella, which had been tuckedunder the blankets lengthwise of the roll. "No wonder it wouldn't roll!"exclaimed Nyoda, laughing aloud. "Did you expect the umbrella to bendround and round like a hose? Whatever would you want an umbrella for,anyway?"
"For rain," answered Katherine with touching simplicity. Nyoda and theother Winnebagos doubled up in silent mirth. Katherine's inspirationsinvariably left them without power of comment.
"Katherine, you're _positively_ hopeless," sighed Gladys affectionately."The only safe way is to divide your things up among the other ponchos;yours would never arrive at a journey's end, anyhow."
"Oh, if I had only been born neat instead of handsome!" said Katherineplaintively, and then joined heartily in the irresistible laughter thatfollowed.
"Hush, girls!" said Nyoda. "There's somebody down at the door. Don't youhear somebody rapping?"
Hinpoha, who was nearest the window, peeped down. "It's a whole bunch ofgirls," she reported in an excited whisper. "All strangers. I don't knowany of them. What can they want?"
"Want to see us, probably," said matter-of-fact Sahwah. "Isn't somebodygoing down to let them in?"
"The way this place looks!" sighed Nyoda, looking at the floor strewnwith the contents of Katherine's poncho. "Gladys, you and Hinpoha go downand let them in and detain them downstairs until the rest of us can putthis room in order. It's a disgrace to the Winnebagos."
Gladys and Hinpoha descended the ladder and threw open the door."Welcome," they cried, "whoever you are! Welcome to the House of the OpenDoor!"
The six strange girls came in. One who was tall and thin and had hairalmost as red as Hinpoha's, stepped forward. "We are members of theSan-Clu Camp Fire," she said. "We have heard quite a bit about youWinnebagos and thought we would come and call. Is this your famousLodge?"
"It certainly is," said Gladys hospitably. "We are delighted to becomeacquainted with you. Make yourselves at home. This gymnasium outfitbelongs to a club of boys who share our Lodge, and over there isSandhelo's stall. Sandhelo is our pet donkey; you must see him rightaway." She led the girls to the stall and kept them there telling aboutSandhelo's exploits until she was sure from the sounds above that theroom was in order. Then she invited them to ascend the ladder.
"The San-Clu Camp Fire have come visiting," she announced, as she steppedout on the floor.
"All Hail to the San-Clu Camp Fire from the Winnebagos," chanted thehostess ceremoniously, and seven pairs of hands performed the fire sign.
"San-Clu returns All Hail," responded the guests with no less ceremony.
The newcomers were shown the beauties of the Winnebago Lodge, and itseemed they would never get done exclaiming over the rugs and skins andpottery, and most of all, the beds.
"They aren't so terribly hard to make," the Winnebagos assured themmodestly, but at the same time glowing with a feeling of superiority. TheSan-Clu girls were plainly older than the Winnebagos; they all woredresses down to their ankles and seemed quite grown up, almost enough tobe guardians themselves; yet they did not appear to have won nearly somany honors as the younger Winnebagos.
During the tour of inspection Nyoda and Gladys held a whisperedconsultation in one end of the room. "Nothing here to make a spreadwith," said Gladys. "I'll have to hurry out and get something."
"Do," said Nyoda. Gladys nudged Hinpoha and drew her down the ladder andtogether they sped after canned shrimp and condensed milk.
"Now, if you'll excuse us a minute," said Nyoda to the San-Clus, "we'llretire behind our curtains and prepare to do the stunt with which wealways inflict company. Come, girls," she added in a whisper, "the Battleof Blenheim." And the players retired to array themselves in thenecessary sheets.
Five minutes later the curtains were shoved aside, and the players stoodbefore the audience. They looked in bewilderment. For seated where theyhad left the San-Clu Camp Fire Girls were the Captain, Bottomless Pitt,the Monkey, Dan Porter, Peter Jenkins and Harry Raymond. The girls hadvanished.
"Why, when did you come in, boys?" asked Nyoda in surprise. "And whereare the girls?"
"What girls?" asked the Captain.
"Why, the San-Clu Camp Fire girls," said Nyoda, "who were visiting us."
"Here they are," said the six boys, rising and speaking together. "We arethe 'San-Clu' Camp Fire Girls. 'San-Clu'--short for Sandwich Club!Ho-ho-ho, Katherine! You'd know us in a minute with girls' clothes on,would you!" And from under the rugs and furniture they drew the dresses,hats, gloves and wigs which the late San-Clus had worn a-calling."Oh-h-h, Katherine, we do this to each other!"
The girls sat staring, speechless for a minute, unable to believe thatthere really had been no girls there. But the evidence was before theireyes and it could not be doubted. And they were far too game not to seethat the joke was on them, and laughed just as heartily over it as theboys did.
"We'll have to have the spread, anyhow, for your benefit," said Nyoda,taking up the cans of supplies that Hinpoha and Gladys had just broughtin. "You carried that off too splendidly not to be rewarded. Wecongratulate you on your ability to act, and confess that we werecompletely taken in. Where's Slim?"
"We left him behind the fence," said the Captain, with a start ofrecollection. "We didn't dare let him come in with us, because you'd haverecognized him right away."
"Figures never lie, especially stout ones," laughed Nyoda. "Go and bringhim to the spread."
"Are you folks going on a trip?" inquired the Monkey, with his mouth fullof Shrimp Wiggle and his eyes on the ponchos piled in the corner.
"We are, next Saturday," answered Sahwah. "We were just practicingrolling the ponchos today. Saturday we're going to take the steameracross the lake to Rock Island. Some friends of Nyoda's have a cottagethere, but they haven't gone up yet and they said we might stay in it allnight if we wanted to. We're coming home on the boat Sunday night."
"Are you going by yourselves?" asked Slim, leaning across the table andlistening to the conversation. He was fishing for an invitation for theSandwiches.
/> "We certainly are going by ourselves," said Sahwah, to hisdisappointment. "We haven't been off by ourselves for a long time. We'regoing in a lonely place and have a Ceremonial Meeting on the shore of thelake and tell secrets and do stunts and have a beautiful time. It'sstrictly a Winnebago affair--a hen party, you'd call it."
Slim sighed and consoled himself with five pieces of fudge and an apple.He was one of those boys who like to be around girls all the time. Toofat to enjoy the more strenuous society of the boys, he preferred to sitwith his gentler friends and dip his hand into the dishes of candy thatthey usually had standing around. The fact that they made no end of funof him and never took him seriously only increased his desire for them.And, like the Captain, he delighted to look upon the hair when it wasred. He admired Hinpoha with all his corpulent soul.
The winter and spring months had flown by with swifter wings than thewhite-tailed swallow, and the clock of the year was once more strikingJune. Saturday found the Winnebagos skimming over the blue waters of thelake in the big daily excursion boat bound for Rock Island. Nakwisi, ofcourse, had her spy glass and was carefully scrutinizing the emptyhorizon. "Has Katherine come into your range of vision yet?" asked Nyoda,a trifle anxiously. Katherine had boarded the boat with them safelyenough, for she had been personally conducted from home by the whole six,but had disappeared within ten minutes after the boat started.
Nakwisi lowered her glass and laughed. "No, I don't see her in the sky,"she said, "though I shouldn't be very greatly surprised if I did."
And they began a thorough search of the boat from top to bottom andfinally found her hanging over the rail of a gangway, trying to touch thesnowy foam flying in the swirling wake of the paddle wheel. It was thefirst time she had ever been on a lake, and she took a perfectly childishdelight in the racing water. Pulled back to safety by Nyoda, she gave ananimated account of her adventures since seeing them last, in the courseof which she had nearsightedly walked into the pilot house and caughthold of the wheel to steady herself when the boat gave a lurch, and hadbeen summarily put out by an angry first mate. "I've been everywhere onthe boat except down the smokestack," she concluded triumphantly.
Soon Rock Island appeared as a speck on the horizon in Nakwisi's glass,then as a long black streak which they could all see, and finally grew byleaps and bounds into a beautiful wooded island with trees and lawns andbeautiful summer cottages shining in the sunlight. Shouldering theirponchos, they went ashore, and walked around the point of the island tothe cottage where they were to spend the night. It was close to thewater, where a curving indentation of the shore line made a lovely littlebeach. If Sahwah did not make the record at poncho rolling, she left themall behind in getting into her bathing suit, and five minutes after thedoor was unlocked her hands clove the water in a flying dive from the endof the pier.
Katherine splashed about courageously, trying to swim, and finallysucceeded in propelling herself through the water by a series of jerksand splashes unlike any stroke ever invented by the mind of man. "This istoo hard on my dellyket constitooshun," she remarked at last, clamberingout and draping her ungainly length around a rock, thereby disclosing thefact that her bathing suit was minus one sleeve. Katherine regarded theyawning armhole with mild vexation. "Broke my needle when my suit was alldone but putting in the one sleeve," she remarked serenely, "and therewasn't time to go out and buy one--I finished the suit at eleven o'clocklast night--so I just pasted that sleeve in with adhesive tape, and itdidn't show a bit. But it must have let go in the water," she finishedplaintively. Nyoda looked at the girls, and the girls looked at Nyoda,and once more they were dumb.
Tired of swimming, they dressed and explored the island and then sat downon the big boat dock and dangled their feet over the edge. Soon a tugcame up alongside the pier and the sailor who ran it chanced to be a manwhom Nyoda had met the previous summer on the island. "Hello, CaptainMcMichael," she called.
The sunburnt sailor looked up. "Hello, hello," he answered. "What are youdoing up here so early in the season?" When Nyoda had explained that shehad brought the girls up on a sightseeing trip, Captain McMichaelpromptly offered to take them for a ride in the tug. "Got to go over toJackson's Island and get a lighter of limestone," he said. "I'd have toset you ashore on Randall's Island while I went over to Jackson's to getthe lighter," he continued, "because you'd get all covered with lime dustif you stayed in the tug while they were loading, and it's no place forladies to go ashore. But Randall's is all right. The quarries therearen't worked any more and there are only a few summer cottages. Butthere are excellent wild strawberries," he finished with a twinkle in hiseye. "I'll call for you on the way back and get you here before dark.Will you come?"
"Oh, Nyoda, may we?" cried the girls, delighted at the prospect.
"Why, yes," answered Nyoda. "I think that will be a delightful way tospend the afternoon. I have always wanted to explore Randall's Island; itlooks so interesting from the steamer. We accept your invitation withpleasure, Captain McMichael."
"Glad to have you," responded the tug master heartily, as he set thepowerful engine throbbing.
"Don't fall overboard," he yelled above the steam exhaust a minute lateras Katherine hung over the stern and trailed her hands in the water.Nyoda clung to her dress and the rest sang in chorus:
"Sailing, sailing, Over to Randall's I, And dear Sister K would fall into the bay If Nyoda weren't nigh!"
The run to Randall's Island took just fifteen minutes and Katherinemanaged to get there without accident, other than upsetting an oil caninto her lap. The wild strawberries were as abundant and as delicious asCaptain McMichael had promised, and it was with sighs of regret that theyfinally admitted they could hold no more. Then they scrambled around inthe abandoned limestone quarries until Nyoda, coming face to face withKatherine, announced it was time to play something else. Katherine hadtorn her dress on sharp points until it was nearly a wreck; she hadstepped into a puddle up to her shoetops, her hat brim hung down in adiscouraged loop and her hands and face were scratched with briers.
"If one more thing happens to you, Katherine Adams," said Nyoda sternly,"you'll have to spend the rest of your life on this island, for you won'tbe respectable enough to take home."
"Then I'll be Miss Robinson Crusoe," said Katherine, "and eat up all thestrawberries on the island, and not have to write the class paper. Ibelieve I'll consider your offer. Our literary member, Migwan, can writea book about it--_Living on Limestone_, or _The Queen of the Quarry_.Wouldn't that be a fine sounding title!"
"What is that long stone building way over there?" asked Hinpoha, as theypromenaded decorously over the island beyond the quarries, two of themarm-in-arm with Katherine, to keep her in the straight and narrow path.
"Looks like a fort," said Sahwah, with immediate interest. "Is it a fort,Nyoda?"
"I doubt it very much," answered Nyoda. "I never heard of a fort on anyof these islands. Let's go over and investigate."
Katherine hung back, screwing up her face and rolling her eyes like anold negress. "Don' lead dis child into temptation," she begged. "Feel lakde climbin' debbil would get into mah feet agin foh sartin sure, ef ahwent near dat pile of stone, an' den good-bye, dress! Only safe way's tokeep dis child far away!"
Her veiled, husky voice made her imitation indescribably droll, and thegirls shouted with laughter. "Never fear, my weak sister," said Gladys,"we'll all keep you out of danger."
"I can't imagine what this could have been," said Hinpoha, when they hadreached the ruin. "It looks more like a mill than a fort."
"Mill!" exclaimed Sahwah scornfully. "There isn't any wheel, and thereisn't a sign of a stream. Mills are always on streams."
"Maybe this was a windmill," suggested Katherine. "It's windy enough toset any kind of machinery going," and she started in pursuit of her hat,which that moment had been whirled from her head by a mischievous zephyr.
The ruin which the girls had found that afternoon was the remains of anold wine cellar which had been used
for storing great quantities of grapewine in the old days when Randall's Island had been in the heart of thegrape region, before quarrying became the chief industry. Nothing wasleft now to tell what valuable stores it had once sheltered, only stonesand crumbling brick walls, overgrown with high weeds and wild vines.
"It's an enchanted castle," said Hinpoha. "A beautiful princess used tolive here, only she got married and moved to--to the big hotel on RockIsland, and when she left the bad imps came and knocked out the mortarwith their little hammers and it all fell to pieces."
"Oh, wonderful," drawled Katherine. "Let's poke about a bit in the ruinsand see if we can find any of the solid gold toothpicks the princes usedto strew around after a meal."
The ruined wine cellar proved utterly fascinating. They could still seewhere it had been divided into rooms; and here and there a thick wallstill stood higher than their heads.
"Hi, what's this?" asked Katherine, as they stood before a doorwaypartially filled with debris, behind which a black hole yawned.
"It's a cave," said Sahwah, poking her head forward into the hole like aturtle. "Let's explore it," she continued, stepping carefully over thepile of bricks. "Come on," she called over her shoulder; "it's perfectlywonderful. It's a room, but it's under the hill. Come on in."
"Are there any bats?" asked Gladys, hanging back.
"Nothing but brickbats," came Sahwah's cheerful voice from within.
Gladys and Hinpoha crawled through the opening, and Katherine, with aresigned, "Goodbye, dress," followed with Nyoda and Nakwisi and Medmangi.The room was nothing more than an extension of the cellar, built into theside of the hill, but to them it was filled with romantic possibilities.
"What do you suppose it was?" asked Hinpoha, straining her eyes in thesemi-darkness.
"The dungeon, of course," answered Katherine promptly. "Here's where yourbeautiful princess confined the lovers that didn't suit herfancy--light-haired ones and fat ones, especially. She chained them tothe wall and the rats nibbled their toes."
"Oh-oh-oh!" shrieked Hinpoha, stopping her ears. "Don't say such dreadfulthings. I can feel the rats nibbling at my toes this minute."
The walls of this cellar were badly crumbled, and at the farther side thegirls discovered another cave-like opening. This was entirely dark andthey hesitated before going in. Then Nyoda took her pocket flash andGladys found hers, and by the combined glimmer of the two the girls foundtheir way into the farther cave. At first they had to keep the light onthe ground to see where to put their feet and they were all inside beforeNyoda turned her flash on the walls. Then a great cry of amazement burstfrom every girl, ending in a breathless gasp. The walls and roof of thecave seemed to be made of precious stones--pearls, sapphires, emeralds,amethysts and diamonds. They caught the gleam from the pocket flashes andtwinkled and reflected in a hundred points of dancing light. Great massesof crystal, faceted like diamonds, hung suspended from the roof almosttouching their heads, seemingly held up by magic.
"Am I dreaming," cried Hinpoha, "or is this Alladin's cave? What is it,Nyoda? Where are we?"
Nyoda laughed at their open mouths and staring eyes. "Only in one ofNature's treasure vaults," she said. "This is one of the famous crystalcaves that are found throughout these islands. It's a form of rockcrystal, strontia, I believe some people call it, and I don't doubt butwhat it's related to the limestone in the quarries. Take a good look atit, for some of these crystals are simply marvellous."
Their voices echoed and re-echoed weirdly, as they called to each other,the sound seeming to roll along the low ceiling. "Look at this mass overhere," cried Sahwah, penetrating deeper into the cave, "it looks like aman standing against the wall."
"And this one looks like a dog lying down," said Hinpoha, pointing toanother.
Laughing, shouting, exclaiming, they explored the wonders of the caveuntil a heavy shock as of something falling, accompanied by a deafeningcrash, rooted them to the ground with fright. "What is it? What hashappened?" they asked one another, and made their way back to theentrance. But the entrance was no longer there. Where it had been therewas a solid wall of stone. Their climbing around among the ruined wallshad sent some of the bricks sliding and these had released a large rockwhich had rolled down directly over the opening into the crystal cave.With desperate force they pushed against the rock, but their sevenfoldstrength made no more impression than a fly brushing its wings againstit. With white faces they turned to each other when they realized thetruth. They were imprisoned in the cave!
"The other direction!" cried Sahwah, shaking off her terror and settingher wits to work. "We may be able to get out the other way." Taking theflashlight from Gladys, whose trembling fingers threatened to drop it,she led the way into the gloomy recesses of the cave, whose depths theyhad penetrated only a short distance before. They shuddered at the iciclelike crystals, which now seemed like long fingers reaching down to catcha hold of them, and shrank back from the crystal masses that took theforms of men and animals. These now seemed like ghosts of creatures thathad been trapped in the cave as they were. For trapped they were. In afew moments their progress was barred by impassable masses of crystal.Back again they went to the rock-blocked entrance and beat upon it andpushed with all their might. All in vain. The rock stood firm asGibraltar. They shouted and called and screamed until the echoes clamoredhideously, but no answering call came from the outside. From somewhere,far in the distance, came the dismal sound of falling water, chilling theblood in their veins.
Helplessly the girls all turned to Nyoda, asking, "What shall we do?"
Nyoda stood still and tried to face the situation calmly. She held herflashlight close to the rock and looked carefully all around the edge. Atone side there was a tiny fissure, not more than half an inch wide andabout six inches long, caused by the irregular shape of the rock. Nyodaregarded this minute opening thoughtfully. "If we could put somethingthrough that opening which would act as a signal, we might attractsomebody's attention who wouldn't be able to hear us calling," she saidat length. "Our voices are so muffled in here they can't carry very faroutside."
"Is there anybody on the island to see it?" asked Gladys doubtfully.
"There are some people here," answered Nyoda, "because the fishermen stayall the year round. You remember those houses we passed on the other sideof the quarry, where the nets were hanging in the yard?"
"What shall we use for a signal of distress?" asked Gladys. "Not one ofus has a tie or a ribbon on today."
"Use my dress skirt," said Katherine generously. "It's so torn anywaythat it'll never feel the same again, even if it recovers from thistrip." Which was perfectly true. So they tore the wide hem from herdress, which made a pennant about six feet long. Then Sahwah had afurther inspiration, and, dipping her finger into a dark puddle formed onthe floor by a thin stream of moisture trickling down the wall, she wrotethe word HELP on the strip. Nyoda poked the end through the opening andshoved the rest out after it, keeping the other end in her hand, and shecould feel by the tugging at the strip that the high wind had caught theportion outside and was whipping it about.
"Now shout for all you're worth," commanded Nyoda.
Early that Saturday morning the Captain had aroused Slim from hispeaceful slumbers unceremoniously. "Hurry up and come over," he said, inresponse to Slim's protesting grunt. "Uncle Theodore's here with hisautomobile and he's going to take a run over to Freeport this morning andhe said he would take all the fellows along that were ready at nineo'clock. Hurry."
Slim needed no second invitation and roused himself immediately, whilethe Captain sped to collect the remainder of the Sandwiches, which wasaccomplished in short order, as none of the other invitations involvedresurrection. Nine o'clock found them all on the curbstone before theCaptain's house, standing beside Uncle Theodore's big car, waiting forthe word to pile in. The ride to Freeport was accomplished in a fewhours' time and after dinner Uncle Theodore turned the boys loose to seethe town by themselves while he transacted the business which had t
akenhim thither. Freeport had no attraction outside of its harbor, andthither the boys betook themselves without delay. Passenger steamers leftevery half hour for the various islands nearby; lime boats, tugs andscows crowded the mouth of the river, and the whole atmosphere breathedof ships. The boys stood and watched a while and then pined for somethingto do.
"Let's hire a launch," suggested the Captain, who felt that it was up tohim to furnish the amusement, inasmuch as he had invited them to comealong, "and go out on the lake."
Launches were readily to be had and soon they were curving around ingreat circles through the waves, drenched with the spray, and enjoying itas only boys can enjoy the sensation of riding in a speed boat.
"Let's go to Rock Island," said Slim, who had not forgotten who else hadplanned to go there that day.
"What for?" asked the Captain.
"Oh, nothing," answered Slim, "except that there's a pretty nice aquariumthere, and--and the girls said they were going to be there."
"But we were politely invited to stay home, if I remember rightly," saidBottomless Pitt. "They're going to have a pow-wow, or something likethat."
"But if we should run into them accidentally they would probably be gladto see us," persisted Slim. Slim was fond of picnics gotten up by girlson account of the superior quality of the "grub"; he was especially fondof Winnebago picnics, because the Winnebagos treated him better than anyother girls he knew, and as mentioned before, he had a decided weaknessfor red hair. Hence his ingenuous desire to go to Rock Island. TheCaptain, knowing Slim like a book, laughed. But he, too, wished he hadbeen invited to the picnic, and his reasons coincided in their last itemwith Slim's.
"All right," he said, and turned the boat's head toward the green outlineof Rock Island. Half of the distance across the bay the launch wheezedand stopped dead.
"Pshaw," said Slim disgustedly, when the Captain announced that they hadrun out of gasoline. They had come to a stop just off a small rockyisland and with the aid of the one oar the launch boasted the Captainproceeded to paddle in to shore, in the hope that he could obtaingasoline there.
"Regular desert island," grunted Slim, as they walked and met no one."None of the cottages seem to be occupied."
"Cheer up; we'll find someone," said the Captain. "The fishermen live onthese islands all winter. Look at the limestone quarries over there."
"And the ruined something or other behind them," said the BottomlessPitt.
"Let's cut across here," said Slim, who was ever on the lookout for shortcuts. "I see some houses over there."
"And break our necks crawling over those stones," said Monkey. "Notmuch."
So they started to follow the path that led around the curve of theshore. "Wonder if it wouldn't have been better to cut across, anyway,"said the Captain, when they had gone some distance. "These bloominglittle stones are worse to walk on than spikes. Those rocks couldn't havebeen much worse." And he stood still and looked thoughtfully back at theruined cellar.
"Hi!" he exclaimed suddenly. "What's that?"
"What's what?" asked Slim.
"That white rag flying from the rock over there. It surely wasn't there aminute ago."
"Probably was, only you didn't see it," said Slim, impatient to go on.
"I'm positive it wasn't," said the Captain. "I'm going over to have alook at it. When rags start out of rocks there's something in the wind."And he walked briskly toward it, the rest following. As they drew neartheir startled eyes fell on the black letters of the word HELP, traced inwobbly lines.
"Yay!" shouted the boys at the top of their lungs. "Where are you andwhat's the matter?"
Apparently from inside the rock came the feeble echo of a shout: "We'rein the cave! The rock covered the doorway!"
"Wait a minute!" called the Captain in answer, and boylike tried to movethe rock himself. "Lend a hand, fellows," he said, after one shoveagainst its solid side. They lent all the hands they had, but could notbudge it. "Pull the bricks out from around it," commanded the Captain,taking charge of the affair like a general, "and look out for your feetwhen she lunges over!" They set to work, dislodging the bricks that heldit in, and before long it moved, tottered, grated and finally, with agreat crash, lunged over and rolled down a little slope.
Pale and shaken, the Winnebagos emerged into the light of day. Had theghosts of their great grandmothers appeared before them the boys couldnot have been more surprised. Questions and answers flew back and forththick and fast until the tale of their finding the cave was told.
"And I'll never, never, explore anything again!" finished Hinpoha, in anemphatic tone.
"Oh, yes, you will," said Gladys; "and so will we all, but the next timewe'll have a company of guides fore and aft."
"Wouldn't it be a better plan," suggested the Captain mildly, "to take usalong with you wherever you go? I notice we generally have to come to therescue, anyway."
And the Winnebagos promised to consider the matter.
CHAPTER XIV KINDLING THE TORCH
Hinpoha and Sahwah were patiently teaching Katherine hand signs oneSaturday afternoon when Gladys burst in with a tragic face.
"Girls," she cried, with extravagant emphasis, "have you heard the_news_?" Then, without waiting for reply, she continued: "Nyoda's goingto be _married_!"
"We know she is," answered Hinpoha, "a year from this summer."
"No, not a year from this summer," said Gladys, swelling with theimportance of the announcement she was about to make, "_this_ summer.This very month!"
An incredulous exclamation burst from the three.
"It's true," continued Gladys. "Sherry's going to be sent away on a longtrip and he wants to take her with him, so they're going to be marriedright away."
All four sat stricken, trying to realize that the evil day which they haddreaded so and which they had thought far in the future was actually uponthem. Only two more weeks and their idolized Guardian, who for threeyears had been a part of nearly everything they did, would be gone fromthem. It seemed that the world was coming to an end.
In the days that followed gloom hung thick over the House of the OpenDoor. Now that Nyoda was to be in it no longer the Winnebagos lost alljoy in its possession. Each article of furniture that she had helped tomake, each sketch of hers on the wall telling in clever littlepictographs the tale of some adventure or frolic, gripped them with afresh pang. Plans for summer excursions and activities were dropped.
"And we were all going ca-camping togu-gether!" wailed Hinpoha, and dampweather prevailed for many minutes.
But this was the end of their Senior year in high school, crowded to thelimit with all the bustle and excitement and festivity of Commencementtime, and the Winnebagos were so busy with examinations and essays andclothes and songs and parties that there was no time to fold their handsand grieve. Katherine, as editor of the class paper, was the starperformer on Class Night, although Miss Snively, who trained thespeakers, had tried to sandpaper her speech of everything clever.Katherine agreed to every change she suggested with suspicious readiness,and then when the night arrived calmly read her original paper, while thechandeliers dripped giggles and Miss Snively made sarcastic remarks aboutthe cracked-voice orator. Somehow the story of Miss Snively's attempt tomake a hero out of her fiance had gotten out, although Katherine alwayslooked preoccupied whenever the subject was mentioned, and of late MissSnively had found the seats in her recitation room occupied by rows ofwise grins, which somewhat disturbed her lofty dignity. It was well thatthis was to be her last year of teaching.
One of the big events of the last week was the interscholastic track meetand athletic contest, to be held on the Washington High athletic field,in which ten big schools took part. The field was thronged withspectators, the grand stand was crowded, school colors floated from treeand pole, cheers burst from groups of students every few minutes and theair was electric with suppressed excitement.
First came the track events, and in these Washing
ton High was tied withCarnegie Mechanic for second place. The Winnebagos were glad it was so,because now the Sandwiches could not crow over them. The Captain finishedfirst in one of the hundred-yard dashes right in front of Hinpoha, whereshe sat in the grandstand, and he looked over the heads of the cheeringboys straight at her. Hinpoha dared not applaud him, because he belongedto Washington's bitterest rival, but she smiled brightly, and he droppedhis eyes, flushing suddenly.
The girls' events opened with a game of volley ball between WashingtonHigh and Carnegie Mechanic. Much to the surprise of the Winnebagos, theysaw Katherine come in with the Washington players. Katherine was not onthe team. But just before the game opened the girl's gymnasium directorhad spied Katherine sitting at one side of the field, unconcernedlyshaking a pebble out of her shoe in full view of the grandstand, andhurried over to her. "Will you fill in this game?" she askedbreathlessly. "One of our team can't come and we're short a girl."
"But I've never played volley ball," protested Katherine.
"Oh," said the gymnasium teacher disappointedly. Then she added in a kindof desperation, "Well, I don't know as it makes any difference. I don'tseem to be able to find a girl who has played. Just stay in thebackground and strike at the ball with the palms of your hands every timeit comes near you. Let the girls in front get it over the net."
Katherine uncurled her length from the ground and followed the gymnasiumteacher obligingly. She was not in the least sensitive about being askedat the eleventh hour to "fill in," when she had not been asked to be onthe team before. Washington's volley ball team was not a very strong one,and went all to pieces against the concentrated team work of the CarnegieMechanicals. The score rolled up against Washington steadily. Thedeafening yells from the grandstand bewildered them, and they couldneither volley the ball over the net nor return the Mechanicals' volleys.They were helpless from stage fright.
Katherine dutifully stayed in the background, sending the ball to thegirls at the net, her brow drawing into anxious puckers, as they fumbledit time after time. She began to comprehend the rules of the game and was"getting the hang of it." The Mechanicals, with fifteen points to theircredit, had just lost the ball by sending it out of bounds. It was timeto do something. Katherine had noticed that most of the Washington girlshad been trying to volley the ball across the net from the back line,instead of passing it on, as she had been doing, and had been fallingshort nearly every time. With a commanding gesture, she claimed theattention of her team.
"Get back on the volley line in a row," she ordered. They obeyed her likesheep. Then she took her place half-way between the volley line and thenet, facing the girls. "Now," she said crisply, "whosoever's turn it isto volley, shoot the ball to me and not an inch farther. I'll get it overthe net. The first one that shoots it over my head is going to get duckedin the swimming pool!"
In their surprise at this sudden rising up of a leader, they forgot theracket around them, and the triumphantly clamoring team on the other sideof the net, and calmed down. The girl with the ball sent it straighttoward Katherine, and with a windmill motion of her powerful arms, shehit it a sounding whack and sent it over the net like a meteor. There wasno returning such a volley.
"One!" cried the scorekeeper, and the Washington corner of the grandstandgave its first yell of triumph.
"Now, everyone of you do just the same thing, one after another,"commanded Katherine to the volley line. Her utter lack of excitement wasbringing them out of their confusion. The next girl made an equally goodthrow and another loud whack announced that Katherine was volleying.Backing the net, she could not see where it was going, but a squeal toldher that the girl who should be returning the ball was fleeing it. Thenthe machine started to work. As long as one side scored it was privilegedto keep the volley.
When in operation the machine sounded like this: "Next!" Whack! Bump!That was all. Katherine's command to the server; the impact of her palmson the ball; and the thump of the ball on the ground on the Mechanicalside of the net. Up went the Washington score.
Two! Three! Four! Five! Six! Seven! Eight! Nine! Ten! Eleven! Twelve!
"Washington Rah! Washington Rah! Katherine Adams, Rah! Rah! Rah!"
The atmosphere was rent with the yell.
Thirteen! Fourteen! Fifteen!
"Next!" Whack! Bump!
SIXTEEN SEVENTEEN! EIGHTEEN! NINETEEN! TWENTY!
"WASHINGTON RAH! KATHERINE RAH! KATHERINE AD----"
TWENTY-ONE!
The umpire ran along the net, holding up her hands, and the teams brokeranks.
"Washington High winner in the volley ball game!" shouted the scorekeeperthrough her megaphone. "Score, twenty-one to fifteen!"
And the grandstand thundered at Katherine, who suddenly got stage frightwhen it was all over and stood pigeon-toed with her head hanging down.Then she noticed for the first time that her middy was on hind sidebefore and the long collar was down in front. Her horrified expressionthrew the spectators into convulsions. They had been laughing at it allthrough the game, but her amazing performance had made it a secondaryconsideration.
A few moments later she strolled nonchalantly into the grandstand and satdown among the Winnebagos. "That certainly is a strenuous game for aperson with a dellyket constitooshun like mine," she remarked ruefully,rubbing her swollen knuckles. Three fingers were sprained as a result ofdoing all the volleying for twelve girls, but she didn't think it worthwhile to mention the matter.
Thus passed the days, filled to overflowing with fun and excitement.Katherine, thoroughly uncomfortable in a crisp new white dress and bluesash, tripped blithely along the elm-shaded avenue in the glow of thelate June sunset. It was the night of the class banquet, and her mind wasintent on the speech she was to make. Thus absorbed, she did not watchwhere she was going, and a sprawling root from a big tree tripped herunexpectedly and brought her to her knees on the soft lawn. Brought intosuch close contact with the ground, she spied something lying at the footof the giant oak beside which she had fallen. It was a black leather billfold, with a heavy elastic band around it.
"Daggers and dirks!" said Katherine, borrowing the Captain's favoriteexpression. "What's this?" She slipped off the elastic band and openedthe bill fold. Across the inner flap there was a name printed in goldletters. Katherine squinted at the name and explored the inner recessesof the wallet. She took one look and hastily bound the wallet togetheragain with its elastic and dropped it gingerly into her hand bag, as ifit were red hot. Then she proceeded on her way, more absorbed than ever,but the thing her brain was intent on now was not her banquet speech.
Crossing the little park-like square, which lay on the way to school, shecame upon Veronica walking slowly up and down the sidewalk, intentlysearching for something on the ground. She was very pale and showed signsof great agitation. It was the first time Katherine had met her face toface since she had left the group.
"Have you lost something?" asked Katherine abruptly.
"No," said Veronica, straightening up and flushing deeply, "that is,nothing much, I--I just dropped a--something out of my purse along heresomewhere."
"What was it?" asked Katherine.
Veronica gave a last frantic look along the walk.
"It was a--" She hesitated, and then burst out:
"Oh, Katherine, it was my bill fold, and it had five hundred dollars init!"
"Five hundred dollars!" echoed Katherine faintly.
Veronica ran back and forth along the walk, looking desperately intoevery crack and crevice. Every few minutes she held up her hand andlooked at her wrist watch; then she would return to the search with moreenergy than before. Katherine also looked at her watch.
"I'll help you hunt," she said, taking the other side of the walk. "Areyou sure you lost it along here?" she asked.
"Pretty sure," answered Veronica. "I know I had it when I was back on ElmStreet, because I looked to make sure."
"The last time you saw it was back on Elm Street," mused Katherine."That's two blocks behind us. We'l
l have to go all the way back."
"By the way," said Katherine, a few minutes later, "it's none of mybusiness, I suppose, but what on earth were you doing with five hundreddollars in your bag?"
Veronica started and looked confused for a minute. But she answerednaturally enough. "I drew it from the bank this afternoon to give myuncle to pay for some investment he is making for me, and I was to takeit over to his studio, but I was detained and he had gone when I gotthere, so I was just bringing it home when I lost it." She stared up theroad with widening eyes, not toward Elm Street, where the purse mightlie, but toward the big avenue in the other direction, where thestreetcars clanged townward. Katherine stared thoughtfully at thesuitcase Veronica had with her.
"Have you been away?" she asked casually.
"No," said Veronica, with a start. Then, as her eyes followedKatherine's, she added: "I've just been carrying some--things in there."
Katherine looked at her watch again. "What did your bill fold look like?"she asked.
"It was a small black one," answered Veronica, "with an elastic bandaround it. It had my name in gold letters across the inner flap."
"Hadn't we better go home and tell your uncle," suggested Katherine, "andget him to help us find it?"
"No, no!" cried Veronica, shrinking back in alarm. "Don't tell him! Iwouldn't have him know for worlds that I've lost it."
"But if you don't find it he'll know about it, anyway," said Katherinepractically.
Veronica's face went white again and she returned to the search withdesperate haste. "I must find it! I must find it!" she was saying overand over again under her breath.
Katherine was just as diligent in her search. She pawed through thebushes with her white gloves and sank on her knees in the soft grass,accumulating more and more grass stains all the while. The last streak ofdaylight faded and the big arc lights began to blaze among the talltrees, and still they searched--Katherine in a patient, systematic way,Veronica hysterically. The few people who crossed the square were closelyquestioned as to whether or not they had found anything, but the samedisappointing answer came from all of them. Veronica looked at her watchwith ever-increasing anxiety; Katherine looked at her furtively almost asoften.
After two hours of nerve-wracking search a steeple clock nearby boomedout nine strokes; slowly, deliberately, its clamor shattered the summernight's stillness. Veronica sank down on a stone which bordered the walkand covered her face with her hands. Katherine straightened up and stoodfor a moment looking thoughtfully at Veronica; then she went on searchingmethodically. Veronica sat huddled on the stone for fully five minutes;then, with an expression which was strangely like relief, she rose up andfollowed Katherine's example. Fifteen minutes more went by with scarcelya word from either girl. Then the steeple clock chimed the quarter hour.A moment later came the sound of a train whistle, far off, but borneclearly on the still air, followed by the faint rumble of distant carsgoing over a culvert.
Katherine stood still until the sound had died away, then she went up toVeronica, led her to an iron bench nearby, and shoved her into it. Thenshe opened her handbag and took out a small black wallet fastened roundwith an elastic band, and laid it on Veronica's knee without a word.
Veronica looked at it and uttered an incredulous scream of joy. "Wheredid you find it?" she gasped.
"Back on Elm Street, before I met you," said Katherine quietly.
"Back on Elm Street, before you met me?" repeated Veronica wonderingly."You had it all this while?" Katherine nodded. "Then why did you keep itall this while?" demanded Veronica. "Why didn't you give it to me at onceand save all this agony?"
Katherine looked at her narrowly. "I didn't dare give it to you _beforenine o'clock_," she said significantly.
Veronica started and clutched Katherine's arm nervously. "What do youmean?" she asked faintly.
Katherine put her arm around Veronica and drew her toward her so shecould look into her face. The light from the swinging arc was directlyupon her. "You were going to run away on that nine o'clock train, weren'tyou?" she asked quietly.
Veronica jerked away and turned dreadfully pale. "How--how did you know?"she faltered.
"I didn't, for sure," said Katherine. "But I made a pretty good guess.You see, when I found that wallet, I naturally looked inside. There I sawyour name, five hundred dollars in bills, and a note which read:
"'Take the New York Central Flyer at nine o'clock Wednesday night.' Itwas signed with the initials A. T., which I suppose stand for that friendof yours with the plush whiskers, Alex Toboggan."
"Alex Tobin," corrected Veronica under her breath.
"That looked suspicious to me," continued Katherine. "I've seen himaround with you a good deal, and I don't like his looks, not a littlebit. Then a minute later I came upon you with a suitcase, hunting yourwallet and looking at your watch as if you were crazy. So I came to theconclusion that you were planning to run away on that nine o'clock train,and decided to hold you up by keeping the money until the train was gone.Am I right?"
Veronica's eyes dropped and her face was crimson. "You are right," shesaid unsteadily. "I was planning to run away on that train. After Idropped out of the Camp Fire Group I had no girl friends and becamelonelier and lonelier all the while. The only interest I had was mymusic, and the only place to which I went was to hear the SymphonyOrchestra rehearse. There, Alex Tobin, who is really a fine violinist,was always very friendly to me and kept telling me I should go to NewYork and study with Martini, who is the best teacher in the country.Uncle would not let me go because he said I was too young and he couldnot go with me. But Alex Tobin kept telling me that uncle was jealous ofmy talent and was trying to keep me back on purpose, and if I had anymoney in my own right I should take it and go anyhow. Uncle quarreledwith Alex Tobin and after that he forbade me to have anything to do withhim, but he used to meet me outside, and always he talked about mytalent, and what a shame it was I could not study with Martini, andthings like that, until I began to think I was abused. I was very lonely,you know, and had nothing else to think about.
"Well, this week was the end of the Symphony Orchestra rehearsals, andAlex Tobin was going home to New York. He promised me that if I wouldplay in a restaurant there in which he is interested he would see mesafely there and introduce me to Martini. He talked so much about it thatI finally yielded and said I would go. I had money in the bank, but couldnot draw it out without uncle's consent. However, just this week hewanted to invest five hundred dollars for me and gave me his signature soI could get it. You know how easy uncle is about money matters, and hethought it was perfectly all right to send me to the bank alone. I havegone about by myself so much, you know. But instead of going to hisstudio with it, as I was supposed to, I kept it with me and did not gohome at all.
"I was to meet Mr. Tobin in the station at a quarter before nine. If Iwas not there when the train went he was going without me. I was soexcited all day I did not have time to stop and think what I was doing,and how terrible it was to run away from uncle and aunt, when they hadbeen so kind to me, even to study with Martini. I looked upon Alex Tobinas my friend and benefactor, instead of a horrid, scheming man, as I seehe is now. He just wanted me to play in that restaurant of his fornothing, and draw crowds, and beyond that he really didn't care whatbecame of me.
"When I lost the money I was nearly frantic, because I was afraid I wouldmiss the train. But when the clock struck nine and I knew the train wasgone, I suddenly felt glad, glad, although I had been so anxious to go.For I had come to myself and felt sick at the thought of what I hadalmost done. Oh, Katherine, how can I ever thank you for keeping me fromdoing it?"
"Don't try," said Katherine cheerfully, rubbing away at a grass stain onher skirt with the wreck of a white silk glove.
For the first time Veronica noticed Katherine's white dress. "Oh,Katherine," she exclaimed in distress, "tonight is your class banquet! Iheard some of the other girls talking about it. And you have missed itfor my sake!"
"Why, so
it is," said Katherine, with a well-feigned start ofrecollection. "I had forgotten all about it."
"No, you didn't forget it," persisted Veronica; "you deliberately spentthe time here with me."
"Well, never mind about that," said Katherine soothingly. "It was worthit."
"Worth it? Oh, Katherine, after the way I have treated you! I once calledyou a peasant, but you are noble--you are a princess! It is I who am notfit to associate with you!"
"O Glory!" exclaimed Katherine in an embarrassed way. Katherine was likea fish out of water when anyone began to express emotion. "Forget aboutthe whole business," she said, "and come back into the group. You need tohave something on your mind."
"They will never take me back now," said Veronica sadly, "after thisdreadful thing I did."
"But you didn't do it," maintained Katherine, "you came to your senses intime. We all have done some pretty foolish things, I guess, if theyweren't quite so startling as the one you planned. But anyway, they'llnever know a thing about it, so they can't have the laugh on you."
"You mean you'll never tell anyone?" cried Veronica unbelievingly.
"Not a soul," said Katherine earnestly. "Not any of the Winnebagos, noryour uncle, nor your aunt, nor even Nyoda. Never a word, on my honor asa--a peasant! If I had intended telling anyone I'd have taken your walletto your uncle right away, with the note in it, instead of keeping youback in the way I did. But I knew you'd come to yourself presently, andthere was no use making a fuss. I'll keep your secret, never fear. Iwon't even have to explain my absence from the class banquet. They allknow how absent-minded I am, and they will simply think I forgot. That'sthe advantage of having a reputation!" And Veronica, looking intoKatherine's homely, honest face, knew that her word would stand againstflood and earthquake.
"Do you really think the Winnebagos will take me back?" she askedtimidly.
For answer Katherine picked up Veronica's suitcase, linked her armthrough hers, and started homeward at a lively pace. "You _are_ back,"she said simply. "You never were really 'put out,' you know. You left ofyour own accord and we have missed you very much and were just waitingfor you to say the word. Oh, I'm so glad!" And her feet began to shuffleback and forth in a lively manner, and she began to hum in sprightlytones the tune, "When Johnny Comes Marching Home." Thus it was that theTorch, carried by Katherine, drew Veronica to the Fire after all,although Katherine did not even know that she held the Torch in her hand.
The last meeting of the Winnebagos with Nyoda came, oh, much too soon!The boys were warned to stay away, for not even these dear friends wereto be allowed to disturb the sacredness of that gathering. They cookedsupper for the last time, trying to be riotously cheerful, with the tearsdripping off the ends of their noses into the dishes. All the favoriteWinnebago messes were cooked, because Nyoda couldn't decide which one shewanted most. There was Shrimp Wiggle and Slumgullion and scones and icecream with Wohelo Special Sauce, which was a heavenly mixture of maplesyrup, chocolate and chopped nuts.
The feast was soon spread, and they gathered around the table to sing theCamp Fire blessing,
"If we have earned the right to eat this bread,"
and most of the voices quavered before they came to the end.
That supper remained in their memories many years afterward. Katherinehad to deliver all her familiar speeches over and over again; Migwan, whohad come home from college in time to attend the farewell meeting, gave afine history of the group from its beginning; Gladys danced her bestdances; and all the favorite stunts were gone through and the favoritesongs sung. And Nyoda looked upon and listened to it all with a smilingface and tear-dimmed eyes. The Winnebagos had formed a large part of herlife for the past three years. Veronica, who was at the supper, and hadbeen welcomed back into the group with open arms upon her humble apology,wept disconsolately most of the time. To have been restored to the goodgraces of this wonderful young woman, only to lose her again immediatelyafterward! She bitterly regretted her withdrawing from the group duringthe winter and thus losing her last opportunity of comradeship withNyoda.
Supper over they wandered out into the warm June twilight to watch forthe evening stars before beginning the ceremonial meeting. "We'll havethe same stars as you do, anyhow," said Hinpoha, "and when they come outwe'll think of each other, will you, Nyoda?"
"Indeed I will," said Nyoda, heartily.
"And when Cassiopea comes out the W will stand for Winnebago," addedGladys.
"And that long scraggly constellation will remind you of me," saidKatherine, and they all had to laugh in spite of their sadness.
By and by they wandered back to the House of the Open Door and Nyoda wentup alone and left them standing before the door. Then pretty soon thesignal bird calls floated up and Nyoda's voice called down from above,saying, "Who's there?" and they answered with the foolish passwords andcountersigns that they loved because they were so foolish. One by onethey climbed the ladder and took their places in the circle, their eyeson Nyoda, as she twirled the drill with the bow, kindling their lastCouncil Fire. The spark came immediately and leapt into flame and kindledthe fagots piled on the hearth. Feeling the spell of it as they never hadbefore, they sang "Burn, Fire, Burn."
Then came the last roll call. Nyoda's voice lingered lovingly on eachname: "Hinpoha; Sahwah; Geyahi (Gladys); Iagoonah; Medmangi; Nakwisi;Waban (Veronica)."
Migwan read the Count, written in her inimitable lilting metre, whichtouched on the many happy times they had had together, and ended,
"All too brief that Moon of Gladness, Long shall be the years of parting!"
Then Hinpoha put her head on her knee with a stifled sob, and at thatthey all broke down and cried together, with their arms around Nyoda.
"Come girls, be good," said Nyoda, after a minute, sitting up and wipingher eyes. "Stand up and take your honors like men!"
And she proceeded to raise all the girls who had not already taken thathonor, to the rank of Torchbearer, excepting, of course, Veronica. As sheawarded the pins she spoke a few words to each girl, telling in what wayshe had become worthy of this highest rank. When she came to Katherine,she laid her hand on her shoulder. "Good wine needs no bush," she saidwith a whimsical smile. "And Katherine needs no advocate. Her actionsspeak for themselves. Her masterly handling of that volley ball game theother day gives the keynote to her character. The ability to snatchvictory from seeming defeat is a gift which will carry one far in theworld. And do not forget that Katherine went into that game as a humblefiller-in, simply to oblige the team, and without a thought of gainingany glory thereby. That is what I meant by losing one's self in thecommon cause which is a necessary qualification for a Torchbearer.Katherine would go to any trouble to help somebody else get glory forthemselves, or to help them out of trouble." And Veronica almost burstwith the desire to tell of the last great service Katherine had done her.
Katherine blushed at Nyoda's words and winked back the tears and droppedthe pin, and murmured brokenly that she would try to be a worthyTorchbearer, and would do her best to stop being so absent-minded. Andthen all the Torchbearers, new and old, joined hands in a circle andrepeated their desire:
"The light that has been given to me I desire to pass undimmed unto others."
"And now a word about the future," said Nyoda, putting wood on the fireand sending the flames roaring up the chimney. "You girls declare you donot want another Guardian. I heartily agree with you in this. That doesnot mean that I would be jealous of a possible successor. But I think thetime has come when you no longer need a Guardian. For three years youhave been bound together by ties stronger than sisterhood, and have hadall the fun that it is possible for girls to have, working always as aunit. You have stood in a close circle, always facing inward. Now youmust turn around and face outward. You have been leaders from thebeginning, and I have trained you as leaders. And a leader must standalone. Each one of you will have a different way of passing on the light.The time has come to begin. The old order has passed when you did everything under
my direction. You must kindle new Camp Fires now and teach toothers the things you have learned."
"Oh, Nyoda," cried Gladys sorrowfully, "do you mean that all our goodtimes together are over? That this is the end of it all?"
"No, dear, this is not the end," said Nyoda cheerfully, "this is the'beginning of it all.' I do not mean for a moment that you girls are notto meet and frolic together any more; but that must not be the mainthing. You must begin leading groups of younger girls and teaching themto have a good time as you have learned to. What wonderful Guardians youwill make in time!" she said musingly.
"Besides," she added, after a moment's silence, while the girlsthoughtfully pondered the new idea she had given them, "you had come tothe parting of the ways, although you didn't seem to realize it. You havegraduated from school, and next year Hinpoha and Gladys and Katherine aregoing away to college, each one to a different city, and Nakwisi is totravel with her aunt, and Veronica will be going to New York to studymusic sooner or later. That leaves only Sahwah and Medmangi here in thecity. You couldn't go on as you have in the past, even if I were notgoing away. But come," she cried in an animated tone, "enough of solemntalk! We've had three years together, and nobody can take them away fromus, never. And we're all together now. Let the future take care ofitself; this is today! Come, come, a song!"
And once more the rafters rang:
"O we are Winnebagos and we're loyal friends and true, We always work in harmony in everything we do, We always think the weather's fine, in sunshine or in snow, We're happy all the time because we're maids of Wohelo!"
The echoes died away and then sprang into life again.
"For we are Winnebagos, For we are Winnebagos, For we are Winnebagos, And that's why we're so spry!"
"A toast!" cried Nyoda, "a toast to the future!" And they drank it in theremains of the cocoa. Their eyes met as they clinked the cups, andoverflowed. "Oh, my girls," cried Nyoda, trying to get her arms aroundall of them at once, "there never _was_ such a group! And there never_will_ be such a group! I just can't leave you!" Then she pulled herselfup again. The time was passing and she must hasten, for she was leavingon the train late that night. Her marriage was to take place in the East."Come, girls, 'Mystic Fire.'" And once again their voices rose in musicalchant:
"With hand uplifted we claim thy power, Guide and keep us as we go, True to Wohelo. Thy law is our law from this hour, Thy mystic spirit's flame will show Us the way to go."
And so on to the end.
But when they stood in the close circle with which the song ends, Nyodastooped to the hearth, and, plucking forth a burning brand, held it aloftas a torch, and the girls passed in front of her, each carrying a tinytorch in her hand, which she lit from the big one. Then the circle stoodcomplete once more, a ring of shining light. Silence fell on all. Themoment of parting had come.
"Don't say good-bye," begged Nyoda. "Act as if I were a guest justleaving for a short time."
And bravely, with voices that did not falter to the end, they sang thefamiliar guest song:
"Our guest, may she come again soon----"
and followed it with a fervent cheer:
"O Nyoda, here's to you, Our hearts will e'er be true, We will never find your equal Though we search the whole world through!"
Then the circle turned resolutely and faced outward. A moment more theylingered, and then they went forth into the night, carrying their torcheswith them.
THE END
Transcriber's Notes
--Silently corrected palpable typos in spelling and punctuation
--Adjusted front matter to give a complete list of the series
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