Natalie: A Garden Scout

“No, but I shouldn’t be surprised if the radishes that were transplanted from Ames’s garden were big enough to use.”

The two girls went arm-in-arm down the pathway and when they reached the old box hedge that divided the vegetable beds from the back lawns, they stood for a moment listening to the echo of merry laughter coming from the woodland down by the river.

Then Natalie came to the first garden bed.

“Oh, oh! Look, – Janet! What has happened to my beans?” cried she shrilly, as she stood gazing in horror at what she saw.

Janet gazed, too. The tiny green things that had looked so fresh and pert a few days before were out of the ground in many places, and the soil was unevenly scattered in small heaps. From this havoc, Natalie quickly looked over at the lettuce bed.

“Oh, oh! How dreadful! Look at that garden bed! Why, all the lettuce is cropped off close to the ground. What could have done it, Janet?” her eyes filled with tears and her voice threatened an imminent howl.

“Goodness me, Nat! I don’t know what has happened!” said Janet, deeply concerned for her friend.

The two then hastily visited the other beds, and found the radishes and potato plants undisturbed, but the corn was dug up in spots and the remaining blades half-eaten.

Without a thought for the tender green still remaining, Natalie suddenly collapsed upon the corn hills and gave vent to a heart-breaking cry. Once the flood-gates were down, she wept and wailed and would not be comforted. Finally Janet ran to the house and summoned relief.

Mrs. James and Rachel hurried after her to soothe the crying damsel in the corn field; but Rachel understood what had taken place in that garden, even as she raced past the half-destroyed vegetable beds.

She knelt down beside Natalie and tried to pacify her by endearing terms, but the amateur farmer was too sorry for herself to pay any attention to Rachel. All she could gasp forth was: “If I ever find out who did this, I’ll kill them!”

Rachel sent Mrs. James a knowing look, and nodded toward the barnyard. Thus the lady gathered that the hens and chicks had feasted on the tender greens and had dug up the soft rich soil in seeking for earthworms when they had been turned loose that day.

Darkness slowly crept up from the river banks and the four finally turned to go in to supper. As they reached the box hedge, Rachel remembered the boiling potatoes that were almost cooked when she was summoned hastily by Janet.

“Oh, laws! I betcher they am all black as cinders by this time!” cried she, making a leap to escape over the hedge and reach the kitchen in a hurry.

A dense smoke was seen issuing from the open door of the kitchen, and Rachel’s three followers forgot their recent troubles in this new disaster.

Just as they reached the steps of the back porch, Rachel rushed the smoking pot out of the door and ran with it to the grass beside the board-walk.

“Dere ain’t no smell on eart’ ner unner de eart’ to beat dis smell o’ burnin’ pertaters!” growled Rachel angrily, as she planked the blackened cooking pot down upon the ground.

“Oh my! The kitchen is full of smoke!” exclaimed Janet, who had poked her head in at the open door.

“Did you’se ’speck it to be sweet an’ free as hebben?” snapped Rachel scornfully.

Mrs. James said nothing but quickly drew the two girls aside to the other door to permit Rachel to calm her perturbed nerves. Then Natalie remembered her beloved garden.

“Jimmy, who could have been so mean as to do that?”

“Of course, I wasn’t present, Natalie, dear. But I have heard that crows love to dig up corn kernels in a newly-planted field, so that farmers have to use scarecrows to keep them off. Maybe some sort of a bird found the toothsome greens and called to all the family to hurry and feast while there was time.”

Natalie pondered this idea for a time, but it never occurred to her to lay the trouble at the heels of the chickens. But she determined to lose no time in dressing up the most frightful scarecrow that was conceivable.

After the unscorched remainder of the supper was served, Rachel came to the dining-room to make a suggestion.

“Ef we-all git up earlier than us’al to-morrer mornin’ we kin git all dem rooted-up plants back in the groun’ afore sun-up. Mebbe it will rain to-morrer, then no harm’ll come of diggin’ up all dem roots.”

The mere possibility of rain made Natalie jump up from the table and, quickly excusing herself, run out on the porch to study the heavens.

“Not a star out, and the sky looks awfully cloudy,” cried she hopefully, as she returned.

“Then we’ll all get up at dawn and begin work in making amends in the garden,” said Mrs. James consolingly.

The little plants were replanted early in the morning and certain spots where the soil had been scratched away were smoothed out again, so that only a close observer would have seen that there were places here and there where no vegetables grew.

About seven o’clock a fine drizzle began, and Natalie welcomed it with sparkling eyes. “Now the roots can have time to get freshened again before a hot sun comes to dry things up.”

A letter came that morning telling Natalie that Norma, Frances, and Belle would soon be ready to leave the city. By counting from the date of the letter, it was found that they would be at Greenville that very day on the noon train. Probably the letter had been delayed in coming, or had been overlooked in some way.

“We had better send word to Amity, by Mr. Ames, that he is to meet the train they come on,” suggested Mrs. James.

But the girls watched for Mr. Ames in vain that morning, and noon hour came and still no word had been sent to Amity. Janet was out feeding the pigs when she heard a shout from the road. She looked up wonderingly and saw the three girls tramping along in the rain and mud, trying to manage suit-cases and umbrellas at the same time, as they jumped puddles or avoided a stretch of mud.

She ran to the house and called Natalie. In another moment, both girls were out on the side-piazza waiting to take the luggage from the bespattered girls.

“My goodness me! Why don’t you move nearer the railroad station, Nat?” complained Norma.

“That horrid hackman wouldn’t give us a lift, although he was sitting at Tompkins’ store toasting his feet at a stove,” added Belle, angrily.

“At a stove! In summer?” cried Natalie, wonderingly.

“Yes, but there was no fire in the thing. He was tilted back in a wooden chair telling stories to some farmers, and his old horse was standing out in the rain, patiently waiting for a bag of oats,” said Frances.

Mrs. James joined the group now, and overheard the last words of complaint. “I don’t see why he could not drive you here, as long as he was not engaged.”

“That’s exactly what Belle asked him, but he said: ‘Can’t you see I am engaged? I must not interrupt this talk on polerticks. It’s mos’ votin’ time and we-all has to get facks afore we cast a ballot,’” laughed Norma imitating Amity.

“Did you entice him with extra pay?” asked Janet laughingly.

“What was the good? He just ignored us, so we had to walk the rest of the way here,” Frances said. “But I made up my mind to one thing: If that is the way the only cab-man of Greenville treats his trade, I’ll cut him out of it all, if I can manage to have my way.”

They were all in the living-room now, and had removed muddy overshoes and wet coats and hats. Rachel was hastily brewing some hot tea to make everyone feel more cheerful, so the girls sat and talked.

Natalie instantly asked Frances what she meant.

“Well, Daddy and mother are going out to Colorado for the summer, and the machine will be put up in a garage, or I will have it out here to use. Now I’ve been thinking over all Nat said about each one of us earning some money this summer, and I couldn’t think of a single thing I could do. But that cranky old hackman gave me a cue: I’ll use the car out here for the people who wish to travel back and forth, or take a drive to certain places. I ought to be able to save quite a sum before fall,” explained Frances eagerly.

“Frans, that will be fine! We will be your best customers,” laughed Janet, while the other girls all approved the plan.

“That seems like Frances’ golden opportunity, but Norma and I haven’t found a thing to do, yet,” added Belle.

“You will, never fear. Janet found her vocation the first day she was here,” laughed Natalie.

Then Janet had to tell about her stock-raising, and her friends laughed heartily when they heard about the first night the piggies arrived at their new home.

“The chickens are doing fine! I had to keep them shut up in the yard to-day to get them thoroughly acquainted with their surroundings, so they won’t run away,” said Janet, but she did not say that they were kept locked up for fear they might wander over to the garden again and create more trouble.

“I should think you would have a cow and sell milk,” suggested Belle laughingly.

“Cows cost a lot of money. I priced one of Ames’s and when I heard the sum, I lost interest in milk,” replied Janet, causing the girls to laugh at her explanation.

“But I am going to buy some ducks as soon as my new allowance is due. There is plenty of water for them to swim in and ducks look so rural, don’t you know,” added she.

“But they are difficult to raise, Janet,” said Mrs. James.

“Why? If you let them swim about and give them enough feed, what more can they want?”

“I don’t know, but they take certain spells of sickness quicker than any other fowl and, in a day or two, the whole flock droops and dies off. Geese are much easier to rear and bring better prices in the market, too.”

“Oh, then I’ll have geese. But I’ve heard they chase one, if they don’t like you,” said Janet.

“They wouldn’t chase you if you fed them; and should they take it into their geese-heads to run anyone else out of the yard, it will be a warning for others to keep away.”

The drizzle stopped after luncheon, so that the girls put on raincoats and oil-skin caps and started to visit the Scout camp. On the way, they visited Natalie’s garden and extolled her work and patience that had brought forth such results.

Natalie beamed like a full moon at the deserved praise and explained how wonderful the vegetables were before the dastardly birds dug everything up.

“Yes, Nat, I know,” remarked Belle. “It’s almost like the wonderful fish one just missed catching, isn’t it?”

Everyone laughed at this, even Natalie joining in at her own expense. “Well, I don’t care! They would have been much better if they had not been interfered with,” said she.

After leaving the garden, Natalie opened the subject of the Scout Patrol that would be an offshoot of Miss Mason’s first Patrol. This would give both Patrols the opportunity to launch the Troop.

“Fine! How soon can we begin?” said Belle.

“Well talk it over with Miss Mason this afternoon. I haven’t had time, yet, to tell her about the Greenville girls who agreed to join us, as Janet and I have had so much to do since then,” explained Natalie.

The girls were now near enough to the woodland to hear the sound of singing. Mrs. James held up a hand for silence and they stood and listened. It sounded very wonderful from the hillside where they were to hear the blending of soprano and alto voices in the national anthem “Our America.” There was a martial impetus in the singing that spoke well for the patriotism of the Girl Scouts.

“What does Miss Mason call her Patrol, Nat?” asked Norma, as they resumed their way to the river.

“Now that you speak of it, Norma, I must confess that I never asked. Isn’t it funny that I never thought of it?” said Natalie.

“But we will ask now, and find out. Of course we will have to use the same name if Miss Mason has already chosen one for a Troop,” said Janet.

The visitors reached the camp site and found the Scouts holding a council meeting. They had just finished the patriotic song and Miss Mason was opening the meeting by an address. The unexpected guests were invited to sit down on a huge log and hear the Leader’s speech.

“The members of this Patrol know the reason for this council, but I will explain to the newcomers, too,” said Miss Mason, turning to Mrs. James and the girls.

“We have decided to send to Headquarters in New York to ask to be enrolled as a Troop, now that we have had more than a year’s experience with the organization. Because you girls wish to start another Patrol and unite with our Troop, we think it urgent to be registered and chartered by the National Headquarters, and be able to own a flag and choose a title and crest for our use.”

The visiting girls exchanged glances with each other, as the question just asked Natalie was about to be answered now. Miss Mason did not see their looks and proceeded with her explanation.

“We chose a name when first we started our Patrol but we have never registered it, and there was a question whether we would care to change it after a time. We called ourselves the ‘Solomon’s Seal Patrol’ as having so much meaning to the name. We think that the reflected glory of Solomon’s wisdom is better than none. So we have decided, now, to christen our Troop by that name. We will vote on this later. At present I wish to mention a few other points.

“I am now about to speak of a new Patrol, or new members, so it is fortunate that our visitors arrived in time to hear all I have to say.

“I suppose every girl present has a manual: ‘Scouting for Girls’?” Everyone nodded in the affirmative, and Miss Mason continued:

“Then you will read on page 44, that every girl who wishes to enroll as a Scout must be at least ten years old and must have attended meetings for a month, during which time she will have passed her Tenderfoot Test. During the first month she is known as a Candidate. When she knows the meaning of the Promise and the Laws, and is sure she understands the meaning of the oath she is about to take, and comprehends the meaning of ‘Honor,’ she is eligible to be a Tenderfoot.

“My Girl Scouts passed the Tenderfoot class last year, and then took the Second Class Test, which was also passed successfully by them. We are all ready to pass the First Class Scout Test, except that each girl must present a Tenderfoot who has been trained by the candidate. This is our opportunity, as you girls all wish to be Scouts, and my girls can train you, thus giving them the privilege of being First Class Scouts.

“I was going to speak of other things, but since our visitors’ arrival, I wish Mrs. James to tell us how many girls she knows on whom we can count for the new Patrol.” Miss Mason turned to Mrs. James and waited.

“Natalie knows more about the matter than I, Miss Mason, as she and Janet went about the Corners securing the candidates. Let her tell us about it,” replied Mrs. James.

Natalie was called upon to address the audience and so she got up and spoke. “Janet and I called on Nancy Sherman and Hester Tompkins and secured their promise to join our Patrol as soon as we were ready for them. Then we went to Dorothy Ames’s house and got her interested. With these girls” – Natalie waved her hand at the four girls sitting on the log, – “we will have eight applicants. Janet has a younger sister Helene, who is not twelve yet, so we are not sure whether we want her to belong to our Patrol. All of us girls are over twelve and it is more fun when girls are nearer an age. I’ve been thinking that Helene might start a Brownie Troop, a younger Patrol than ours. We might allow them to join us, later on.”

As Natalie sat down, the girls of Solomon’s Seal Patrol showed their delight at the progress made in the enlisting, and Miss Mason commended the two who had visited the girls of Four Corners and had interested them in the proposed plan.

“Mrs. James, have you thought of a Leader and Corporal for Natalie’s new Patrol?” asked Miss Mason.

“I fear I am not well enough versed in scouting to take such a responsibility upon myself. I would prefer having you do it,” responded Mrs. James.

“I’d rather not be any officer, Miss Mason,” exclaimed Natalie, “because they always have to work while the others have a good time. I’ll just be an every-day Scout.”

The girls laughed, as there was more reason than rhyme in the statement. But Miss Mason said: “There’s always one girl in a group who has the knack of directing her companions. Such a girl ought to be an officer.”

“Then, for goodness’ sake, choose Janet for our manager,” exclaimed Natalie. “She always runs us and everything concerned with us.”

The Scouts laughed, and Miss Mason nodded her head. “I always thought as much, but you will confess, Natalie, that she makes a pretty good general, eh?”

Janet blushed with pleasure at the teacher’s praise, and Natalie smiled: “Oh, pretty good!” Then she grinned at her friend.

“Janet, will you act as Patrol Leader for your new Scouts?” asked Miss Mason, turning again to Janet.

“I will, if Natalie will be my Corporal,” returned Janet.

“Seeing that there are only two members in our Patrol as yet, I can’t see how I can get out of being either one or the other,” laughed Natalie.

“Oh, but we will have more members shortly, and this office of Corporal must be considered as binding until a new election,” explained Janet.

“Well then, Jan, if you can bear up under the arduous duties of a Patrol Leader, I reckon I can survive the work of acting as your Corporal,” retorted Natalie.

“All right. Then we’ll enroll our Tenderfoot Scouts in a Patrol before the next official meeting here, and begin training them in the path that they should follow,” agreed irrepressible Janet.

After this, many subjects that interest Girl Scouts were taken up and discussed, and the girls from Green Hill Farmhouse were more deeply impressed with the wonders of scouting than they had dreamed possible. Each girl determined to do everything possible to learn as much that summer as those Girl Scouts of Solomon’s Seal knew.

CHAPTER XI – NORMA AND FRANCES LAUNCH THEMSELVES

Frances lost no time in putting her idea for business into operation, so she wrote her father that night, asking him to let her have the automobile at Green Hill Farm for the summer instead of storing it with some big garage company. She did not say that she wished to start a service route to earn money, but she did say that there was a fine barn on the farm where the car could be kept, and it would give them all such pleasure to be able to drive about the lovely country in Westchester.

No one was shown this letter, but Frances insisted upon walking to the Corners with it that night, to get it out on the first early morning mail to New York.

“Let’s all walk to the store with Frans,” suggested Janet, jumping up to show her readiness to go.

“That will give me the chance to get some slips that Mrs. Tompkins promised us the other day,” added Natalie.

“And we can introduce Norma, Belle, and Frances to Nancy Sherman and Hester Tompkins,” added Janet.

So the girls hastily arranged their hair and started out, with Mrs. James to escort them. The country road was very alluring in the twilight, but there were no gorgeous colors from a flaring sunset that evening, as the grey overcast sky had continued all day.

They tramped along the foot-path that ran beside the road and Norma said jokingly: “When we hiked this from the station we never dreamed we would be retracing our steps so soon.”

“It seems almost as if we had been at Green Hill a month, doesn’t it?” said Frances.

Just at this moment Janet gave a sudden gasp. “Oh me, oh my! I must run right back home, girls!”

“What for? What’s happened?” asked four anxious voices.

“Oh, oh, oh! It isn’t what’s happened, – it’s what I forgot to do!”

“But what? Can’t you confide in us?” urged Natalie.

“I forgot all about those pesky chickens. I never fed them to-night, nor did I give them fresh water. I’ve got to do it before it is too late.”

Everyone laughed, but Mrs. James said: “You’re too late already, Janet. Chickens go to roost before twilight. You will not get them to eat or drink to-night.”

“Dear me! Then they will grow so thin I’ll never be able to enter them in a County Fair!” said Janet whimsically.

“You never hinted that that was your ambition,” laughed Natalie. “You started out to do a thriving business with eggs and broilers.”

“I can do that, too, can’t I? But there is nothing to prevent me from trying for a cash prize in some Poultry Show this fall, either,” explained Janet.

“If I start a business of any kind, you won’t find me neglecting it like that!” bragged Norma.

“Wait until you start one – then talk!” retorted Janet.

“How are your vegetables growing to-night, Nat?” said Belle teasingly. “Almost ready to ship to Washington Market?”

“Instead of laughing at Janet, or my investments, why don’t you do something yourselves?” demanded Natalie scornfully.

“We would love to, but what is there left for us to do?” returned Norma.

“Surely you don’t think vegetables and stock-raising compose all the industries in the world, do you?” laughed Mrs. James.

“No, not in a city; but on a farm, what else can one do?” asked Belle.

“Well, I always thought there was a wonderful opportunity for some ambitious girl to raise flowers and send in bouquets to the city every morning,” suggested Mrs. James.

“Bouquets! Who to?” asked Belle.

The other girls were listening attentively, for they had never thought of such a possibility before.

“Mr. Marvin said the flowers he cut back of the house, the day he came up here, brightened his office for many a day. I am convinced that many hard-working business men downtown would lean back in their swivel chairs and smile at a handful of homely country flowers on their desks, if they but had them. Think of the scores of troubled, rushing men in the financial districts of New York, who would stop a minute in their mad race for success to think of their boyhood home, should a rose give forth its perfume on his desk? Think of the peaceful rural picture a few flowers in a glass on the desk might bring to a jaded man who never takes time to dream of his old home.”

Mrs. James’ words created a vision that was most effective with the girls. After a few moments of silence, Norma said softly: “I’d love to do just that thing, Mrs. James.”

“But you haven’t any flowers to start with,” said Belle.

“Why can’t I start some just as Nat did her vegetables, if I go right at it now?” demanded Norma.

“Norma, Mrs. Tompkins promised me some petunia plants, and asters, and sweet-peas, and other slips, if I wanted to use them in the flower gardens. I really didn’t want them but I hated to refuse her, as she is so fond of flowers she thinks everyone else must be, also. Now, this is your opportunity!” said Mrs. James.

“You take the plants and slips she offers, and by judicious praise you will urge her to talk about her gardens. In this way, you can find out more about raising flowers than if you had a book on the subject. I never saw such gorgeous blossoms as she has,” said Natalie eagerly.

“When she finds she has a really interested florist who intends doing the work properly, she may give Norma more slips than Natalie could draw from her,” suggested Frances.

“At any rate, we need plenty of flowers around the place to make it look attractive, and Norma’s plan will beautify the grounds as well as give her her profession,” said Mrs. James.

When they arrived at the Corners Frances mailed her letter; and Norma, with Mrs. James, stopped in to see Mrs. Tompkins and her flower gardens; but the other girls went to Nancy Sherman’s house to plan about the Patrol meetings.

Mrs. Tompkins was delighted to have visitors who were interested in flowers, and when Norma was ready to join the girls to go home, she carried a huge market basket filled with all sorts of plants, – from a delicate lily to a briar-rose.

As they trudged along the dark road, Norma said: “I suppose it will be too dark when we get home to plant the flowers to-night, Mrs. James?”

“Oh yes; but you can get up before the sun in the morning and have the planting done before the heat of the day,” said Mrs. James.

“Mrs. Tompkins told me to place inverted flower-pots over all the young plants during the middle of the day, until they began to perk up their heads. That would show they had taken new root in the soil to which they had been transplanted. But the rose-bush and lily I must plant in a sheltered spot and shade them with a screen for a week or more. They would always freshen up at night but would droop during the day unless I did this,” explained Norma.