The Woodcraft Girls in the City Part 15

"Will you help me unpack these hampers, while the other girls gather fire-wood? Zan, suppose Jane and you keep the signal fires burning on that cliff's edge. The boys will see the smoke if they are near here."

Eleanor walked slowly over to Miss Miller, frowning as she went. But the Guide failed to notice it as she was busy with the camp dishes and pans.

"Will you put these bags of groceries over in the box that stands in my tent?" asked the Guide, holding up the paper bags.

"Why must I play kitchen-mechanic while all the other girls are having a good time in the woods?" complained Eleanor.

At the words and tone, the Guide looked up amazed.

"Good gracious, I thought you would prefer to do this to stooping and collecting old wood," said she, vexed at the girl.

"You take particular pains to make me do the unpleasant things, I notice. Now, when I was trying to prepare Zan and Jane for the worst, you called me to get me away from them. Don't I know?" sneered Eleanor, loftily.

"Woodcrafters never prepare for the worst! It is our rule to always wait for the best and let the worst take care of itself!" declared Miss Miller, wondering what under the sun she was to do with this undesirable character.

"Oh! you are so preachy! One never takes a turn but you have a lecture ready-generally on this Woodcraft!" cried Eleanor impatiently. "The other girls flatter you by calling it 'poesy' and artistic temperament, but I call 'a spade a spade'!"

"Do you?" queried Miss Miller, suddenly making up her mind what to do.

"Then you won't object if I 'take the bull by the horns'-another old saying!"

"You may take anything by his horns if you choose, it won't concern me in the least!" said Eleanor, disdainfully, as well as significantly.

"Then sit down right where you are!" ordered Miss Miller with a determined manner that made Eleanor glance at her in wonderment.

"Sit down, I said!"

"Why should I obey you?" questioned Eleanor, stubbornly.

"Because I am in command of this camp and what I say goes without questioning. Either do as I bid you or take your bag and start for home at once!"

"Wh-h-y! You couldn't do that!" gasped Eleanor.

"We can oust you from camp and send you away but it is up to you whether you return home or hang about the woods."

Eleanor had never camped before and it was a new experience she had looked forward to because of the joys claimed by the other Woodcrafters.

But to wander in the woods alone in the dark was quite a foreign plan to the one she had antic.i.p.ated. She was hungry, too, and being sent away at once meant going without supper. She glanced from the corners of her eyes to see just how far Miss Miller might carry out her threat, but the Guide was watching her with a stern expression.

Eleanor, not knowing what to do at the moment, sat down to gain time.

Miss Miller, who feared she might weaken in her sudden and unprecedented manner of severity, immediately spoke.

"I have watched you most carefully for the past two weeks and I have seen things you never dreamed of! Now, I am going to have it out with you!"

At this, Eleanor went white and trembled. She cowered as if she expected a blow, but she refused to look at the Guide.

"You will remember a threat you made to May Randall the day you stopped to see how the girls were progressing with their work?" asked Miss Miller, referring to the lack of interest the girl displayed in carpentry and the unkind words she used to May.

"Oh for goodness' sake don't say a word about that old chest! I wish to goodness I had never seen May Randall and her Woodcraft box!" cried Eleanor, as if driven to desperation.

Miss Miller was as surprised now as the girl had been a few moments before, but she rallied much quicker than the guilty one. The truth flashed over her quick mind and she changed her query accordingly.

"It is a pity that you ever gave in to temptation. You certainly can't blame your covert acts on May or any other being. The evil we do is absolutely our own fault, for every man is a free agent to choose what he will do. Sometimes it is fear or cowardice that drives one to do an evil deed but it is the downright criminal that obeys an evil idea or plan, knowing he is doing a thing that condemns him to the world and in his own estimation, too."

"Well, what do you want to do about it? Did you call me over here to tell me what you thought of me? Why didn't you do it before to-day, then I wouldn't have come?" cried Eleanor, still defiantly.

"I hadn't the least idea of speaking to you about May's chest until you brought it upon yourself. I was going to mention something entirely different until you compelled me to say what I did just now."

"And you kept this secret all to yourself this week?" cried Eleanor, looking at Miss Miller with a kindlier expression.

"Eleanor," said the Guide, catching at that tiny hope of softening the stubborn girl, "I do not think another member in the Band dreams that you had anything to do with the missing chest, and I do not think anyone but you and I suspects the truth."

"And you let me come with the Tribe knowing this about me?" Eleanor's gaze dropped to the ground and she sat thinking.

According to Miss Miller's code, when one began to think earnestly over anything, or tried introspection of one's self, it was a symptom of recovery, even though there might be a long siege of diseased conditions before perfect health was attained. So she remained silent waiting for Eleanor to think some more.

"You're either mighty fair to me or you're keeping this thing quiet for fear others will hear of it and so belittle your influence with the girls," finally declared Eleanor.

"Don't you think you are judging unfairly, after you just said 'I was fair'? Why should I hesitate to make you resign from our Tribe for doing a dastardly trick with May's box? No one but you and I would ever know the truth about it, and I'm sure you wouldn't mention it to anyone, because you are heartily ashamed of the deed. If I was afraid of others'

opinions about my Band of Girls, I would make you resign before any other tricks were perpetrated by you. But I _am_ fair and I want to see you make good, now that you have this Woodcraft opportunity, hence I am talking to you instead of sending you away."

"Then, all I can say, is, that you're all right!" declared Eleanor. But in another second she felt suspicious again.

"I suppose, now that I've admitted the deed, you'll have me up for a public reprimand. It goes with a teacher's ideals of training!"

The Guide could not but admire the girl's quick mental powers and thought what a wonderful woman she would make if her character and mind were but trained properly instead of along the lines of this present example.

"I thought we might arrange it this way, if I had your word of honour that you would work hard to destroy the 'little foxes that destroy the vines'; you can replace the chest by leaving it at my home, or send it by messenger to the gymnasium Monday noon. I will put it in the closet and send a note to May saying that the box was found but the conditions for return were that no questions were to be asked. At the same time I expect you to volunteer the information, thus clearing the school children."

Eleanor sat glowering at the Guide for full three minutes as if to read her true reasons for this leniency, but Miss Miller understood enough of psychology to realise that this was the great crisis. In that interchange of heart-readings, Eleanor saw only truth and loving sympathy s.h.i.+ne from the woman's eyes, and Miss Miller saw the adamant of wilfulness break ever so little.

The Guide knew that just so much love and forbearance as she really felt in her innermost heart for this misled girl, just so much could she influence and lift her at this crucial time. So she prayed, oh, so fervently, to the Great Spirit for help and light to do exactly the right thing. And that silent prayer must have been the glorified light that shone from her eyes for it led Eleanor to melt as she had never melted before. She leaned her head over on the gra.s.s and wept bitterly.

Miss Miller rose and left the repentant girl alone, while she noisily busied herself with the pots and pans. She knew that not words or pity but silent calling upon Omnipotence for strength and faith would be the balm that would help and heal this weak reed swayed by evil's suggestions.

As the Guide washed some potatoes she said to herself in a low murmur: "Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil-for Thine is the Power!"

Then: "Miss Miller," sounded a weak little voice at her side, "shall I wipe the dishes with a clean towel?"

"Yes, dear, I wish you would."

And that was all.

"Guess what we found, Miss Miller?" called a chorus of voices, as the fire-gatherers returned with armfuls of dry wood.

"Mushrooms?"

"Wh-hy, who told you?" cried the girls, looking about for the messenger.

"That little bird just flew by and whispered it in my ear," laughed Miss Miller, pointing to a great sea-gull that hovered over their heads.