CHAPTER X
A NOVEL INITIATION
"Quick girls! Get Nora!"
This was the order given by Pell, who in emergencies assumed leadership.
"Here Nora," called Betta, "just put your hand on my shoulder. We canalmost walk in. Don't be frightened."
But Nora was terribly frightened. That water! And not being able to swima stroke!
"Look!" called out Thistle, who was now standing in the more shallowwater, "it is only up to my shoulders. Just bring Nora out here and shecan wade in," announced the Scotch girl.
The sight of Thistle actually standing on her feet brought to Nora thefirst free breath she had breathed since that awful thing happened. Nowshe had courage to stop choking and do as she had been told.
"Why, you swam that time," puffed Betta to whom Nora had struggled. Didshe really swim? She felt herself buoyed up for a moment somehow, infact she had never gone down.
Before that supporting move had lost its endurance her hand was safelyon Betta's shoulder, and both were moving slowly but securely towardsthe bank.
"That's it," Pell encouraged. "No need for any trouble if you justkeep--cool!"
"Cool enough," grumbled Thistle. "I hate lakes for that," she continuedto call out.
"How's that!" asked Betta when she reached the shallow water from whichpoint all were wading in.
"Wonderful!" exclaimed Nora. Her relief was so great it seemed to herpure joy.
"Your first?" asked Wyn.
"First?" repeated Nora.
"First ducking," added Wyn. "If so it is your official initiation. Youare now a full fledged member of the Chickadees."
It was easy for Nora to laugh--she felt she would never do anything butlaugh, it was so good to be safe within reach of shore once again.
Thistle and Wyn threw their wet heads back and emitted a "coo-hee." Thecall was taken up by the others, and instead of the incident being of analarming nature it was thus turned into a lark.
"Coo-hee! Coo-hee!" sounded along the little lake basin, while shouts oflaughter and expressions of opinion about bobbed heads after anunexpected ducking, were snapped from Scout to Scout as the party wadedin.
So near the edge they were loath to emerge. No possibility of gettingany wetter or spoiling anything more generally, but there was apossibility of more fun.
"Where's that Jimbsy boy?" demanded Pell. "We didn't leave him to thesharks, did we?"
"Look," replied Thistle, pointing to a little slash in the lake'soutline. It was a pocket full of water just about big enough to floatthe upturned boat that Jimmie was pushing in through it.
"Poor boy! And we never asked him what he was out after," reflectedBetta. "Maybe he had an order to bring a boat load of passengers fromthe Ledge."
"We'll take up a collection for him," proposed Pell.
"What'll we collect?" asked Wyn.
"Opinions," replied the first. "They're most plentiful."
Nora was out of water and shaking herself like a poodle. Now that it wasall over, the thrill was unmistakable.
"Look who's coming!" called out one of the girls, and turning aroundNora glimpsed Ted coming down the narrow path.
"Quick, Nora, hide!" exclaimed Wyn. "Then spring out and surprise her."
Obeying, Nora jumped behind a big bush.
Even in the excitement she realized what companionship meant. It was somuch more fun than playing at foolish dressing up and imagination games.Could she have but understood more clearly she would have recognized inthat situation the theory of having girls "do" to learn, and that activesport of the young is one of the standards of Scout teaching.
She listened as the girls greeted Mrs. Manton. No gasps of alarm norexpressions of fear were exchanged, for Cousin Ted was of the Scoutcalibre herself.
"Better hang on the hickory limbs and dry, before your leader sees you,"she cautioned. "Those uniforms won't be fit for parade."
"And mine was all beautifully pressed," whimpered Pell.
"So were all our suits, Mrs. Manton," asserted Thistle, "because we werecalling on you first."
"Really! Did you see my little girl?"
"Oh, yes," drawled Betta.
"I so want her to grow into scouting," continued Mrs. Manton, and atthat Nora felt she could make her presence known. But a quick snap of astick from Betta, as she swished it back of Nora's bush, kept her fromstepping out.
"Does she like the water?" asked Wyn, with a suppressed giggle.
"I am afraid she has had little chance to get acquainted with it,"replied Ted. "Nora has been developed at one angle. This sort ofexperience would probably give her nervous prostration."
That was the cue. Nora jumped out!
"Child!"
"The very same!" pronounced Thistle grandly, waving a dripping arm.
Mrs. Manton was too surprised to do more than look at Nora. Her browneyes were twinkling and her mouth twitching in a broad grin. Presentlyshe jumped past Betta and threw her arms around Nora.
"You darling baby!" she exclaimed, all unmindful of the water she wasblotting up from Nora's new suit. "How ever did you--come here andget--like--this?"
"Chick-chick-chick-Chickadees!" sang out a chorus. "Cluck! Cluck!Cluck!"
If one could look pretty after a ducking in a strange lake, Nora did.Her curls liked nothing better, and her cheeks pinked up prettily, whileher eyes--they were as blue as the violets that listened in theunderbrush.
"You don't mind her initiation, do you, Mrs. Manton?" asked Wyn.
"Why no. In fact, I'm delighted," replied the young woman. "But why thesecret? I have been left out in the cold," she said, genially.
"Only candidates are informed," said Wyn, keeping up the joke.
"Was that really it? Was this a private initiation, and am I intruding?"
"All over," sang out Betta. "The bars are down and the guests welcome."
"Betta be goin' up the hill a bit," suggested Thistle. "This is no placefor dripping chicks."
"The sun _would_ be helpful," agreed Pell. "I don't mind the water whenit's fresh, but I hate to get mildewed."
"Hey!" came a call from somewhere. "Wanta get in again?"
"We certainly do not," yelled back Wyn. "Jimbsy James, you're a fraud.What ails your yacht, anyway?"
"All right, then," called back Jimmie good naturedly. "I'll be goin'. Solong!"
"So long yourself," called back Wyn, "and send your bill toheadquarters."
"Were you--in his boat?" asked Ted, a light beginning to break throughthe girls' perpetual nonsense.
"We were, momentarily," replied Betta. "But we needed exercise so wedecided to walk," she finished. Nora saw how friendly the girls all werewith Ted, and felt a pang, not of jealousy, but of regret. Why had shenever known such companionship?
"I must go back to my trees," said Mrs. Manton, when the girls had founda clear path of sunshine. "I have some important marking to do. Nora,you follow directions and you need not fear earth, sky or water. Theselittle Scouts are impervious to all catastrophes."
And Nora had almost expected to be sent home for a rub down, a hot drinkand all the other coddling!
"Oh, I'm all right," she hurried to reply. "I'll be home----"
"When the ceremonies are over," interrupted Thistle. "We are due at theLedge long ago, and if we don't soon make it I am afraid we will all bekept in tonight."
"In those wet things?" protested Wyn. "Not for me. I'm going back tocamp and change. Come along Nora. We have an extra outfit in our box andwe'll lend it to you. Thistle is a regular fish, she is never happy whendry skinned."
Mrs. Manton had disappeared in the winding path and Nora was secretlyglad of Wyn's invitation. She could not as yet actually enjoy wetclothes. The girls had managed to save their hats and caps, but eventhese still dripped and could not be comfortably worn to keep off thestrong sun's rays that beat down in the clear spots along the lake'sedge.
"We'll have some trouble explaining to the general," remarked Thistle asthey started back to c
amp. "And this was the day we were to finish ourcollection."
"But look, what we did collect," answered Wyn under her breath,referring to Nora. "Did you ever see anyone so pleased as our friend?"
"She looked happy," assented Thistle. "But say, Scoutie; whatever are wegoing to tell the girls about the prince?"
"Let's say we drowned him," suggested Wyn, foolishly. "That will giveAlma a lovely murder mystery to work upon."
Nora overheard the word "prince" and surmised correctly it was meant forher Fauntleroy. She longed to turn back to the Nest rather than meet theother girl who might recognize her.
"It's so near lunch time----" she began.
"Oh, no girlie," protested Betta. "You are the only specimen we havecollected today, and if you don't come back with us we will all getdreadful marks. Come along. Be a sport and help us out."
"Yes, we will be considered life savers, perhaps," added Thistle. "Ofcourse, we won't say we did anything noble----"
"Nor say we didn't," drawled Wyn.
Thus urged, Nora had no choice, so she set off with her new companionstowards Chickadee Camp.