The Woodcraft Girls in the City Part 38

"Tell us, then, while I write it down," urged Elena, with a pencil and sc.r.a.p of paper ready for use.

"To one-half cup of b.u.t.ter I use one-half cup of lard and one-half cup of sugar. Two eggs, one level tablespoon each of ginger, cinnamon, and soda, with enough flour to roll out the dough easily.

"Cream the b.u.t.ter and lard together first, then add the sugar gradually.

When the eggs are well beaten I add them. The spices and soda are mixed with two cups of flour and sifted into the batter. I use enough flour so the dough will roll out well. Cut them with a biscuit cutter and bake in a quick oven. Last of all, lock safely away in a secret vault where children cannot follow the scent and eat them up before the cook has washed the tins that the cookies were baked in."

The girls laughed at the last part of the recipe and Fred said it was the most important if cookies were to be kept on hand.

After the stolen provender was thoroughly enjoyed by the hosts and guests in camp, the boys entertained the girls with relay races, Deer Hunts, Bat Ball, and a Bear Spearing Contest.

Just as the bear was killed by Fred, the gong sounded from the house calling the people to the Thanksgiving Dinner-the greatest contest of the day, Billy said.

The wide rear verandah of the Remington house was inclosed in gla.s.s in the Winter, and being ten feet wide and extending across the entire back of the house, it afforded an excellent place for the dinner. The table, made of four fifteen-inch-wide planks eighteen feet in length, placed on wooden horses, was covered with two long table-cloths. Benches made of wide planks also resting on boxes provided enough seats for all.

Mose, the family fixture who plays so important a role in the "Woodcraft Boys at Sunset Island" (the island being the Remingtons' Summer resort off the coast of Maine), bossed the serving of the dinner. He had been given charge of Mary, the upstairs girl, and Katy the kitchen maid, and these, with Anna the governess, proved efficient to wait on the hungry horde of children.

Strange, however, that after that dinner not one of the Woodcrafters felt like dancing an Indian War Dance to entertain others!

During the night the temperature grew warmer and the sky clouded over with snow-clouds. Early Friday morning a very light snow began falling, but grew heavier until noon, when great gusts of snow were swept across the valley at every fresh hurricane of wind. All day Friday and most of Friday night, the snow continued falling, but the Woodcrafters cared little about that when they were having such a jolly time indoors. They were entertaining the Black Bears in the Council House, and many a wild shout echoed up through the loft, as a Bear caught a Wako Triber in a war-dance.

Before ten o'clock the boys were summoned to go to camp, and much against their inclinations to leave the cosy fire in the chimney-place of the Council House, they started out in the driving snow to plough over the field to their cold and cheerless camp.

In the early morning, however, the sun sparkled on the glistening snow and the Woodcraft girls were awakened by a fusillade of snow-b.a.l.l.s striking the side of the barn, some of the soft snow falling through the opened windows and scattering over the faces of the sleepy girls.

They were soon up and dressed and out-doors to return the cold welcome given by the Black Bears. The snow-b.a.l.l.s flew back and forth rapidly, until Fred had an idea.

"I say! What's the matter with having a regular fight! Build a fort and choose up sides?"

"Down on the flats by the road-side!" added Billy, pointing to the low-land that fronted the lawns by the private road.

"Just the thing!" exclaimed Fiji.

"Will you girls help?" asked Jack Hubert.

The girls looked at the Guide for approval, and she, seeing the gleam of battle s.h.i.+ning from those many eyes, laughed.

"No ice to be packed in the b.a.l.l.s, remember!" warned the Guide, trying to be severe.

"Of course not!" agreed Bobby Baker.

"And no hard-packed snow, either. Just the soft feathery kind that gets down your back and blinds your eyes," added Miss Miller, knowing well how to disguise her advice and make it sound enticing to the boys.

It took full two hours to complete the great fort and build refuges like pockets in the snow-wall, where daring scouts venturing away from the army could find temporary protection. While the boys were building the fort the girls rolled great piles of snow ammunition for both sides to use when the battle should rage.

Then came the commandeering of the two sides. Fred gallantly offered his services to Wako Tribe, while Fiji Baker undertook to command the boys'

side. As there were but eleven girls and seventeen boys, some of the surplus male contingent had to come over to join the girls' side.

Then began preliminary tactics, followed by an engagement of the main armies. This was followed by the most active fighters running back and forth to plant a well-aimed shot whenever they discovered an unprotected head or body for a target. The battle waged for more than an hour, first one side winning a victory, then the other side, but at last Fiji's side showed signs of defeat, and soon was retreating at full speed. The shots fell so fast and furious at that, that the boys were almost routed when Fiji made a grand rally.

To have it said that a lot of girls were victorious over the Black Bears or Grey Foxes was not to be thought of, so the General spurred his fighters back again to try and win the lost trench, but Fred was a fine general, too, and he was quick to take advantage of the other's mistake in leaving the protection of the fort.

In less than half an hour's time after Fiji rallied his men, the fort was demolished, most of Fiji's men were prisoners, and the girls were triumphant! The captives then had to submit to having their faces well washed in the soft cold snow.

That was a glorious day and one to be remembered, for not only were merry faces as red as Baldwin apples and hands swollen and purple from handling much snow, but the Remington larder suffered from such secret raids that the cook finally stumped up to the library to "give notice."

Mose intercepted her, however, and tried to pacify her with the news that the visitors would soon go home, and "anyway, Thanksgivin' onny comes once a year, Maria!"

"Agh! G'wan! Don't Oi know this fam'ly? It's foriver havin' comp'ny an'

eatin' me out av iverything Oi cook! It's cook, _cook_, _COOK_ aul the toime an' niver a crumb to eat!" declared Maria.

"But just think, Maria, how soon this thing will have to stop. The high cost of livin' and the laws made by the President won't let us eat much anny more, an' you'll have an easy time, then," said Mose, trying to placate the angry cook.

"An' it's good wages an' plenty of my friends to visit me to tay," said Maria, thoughtfully, so Mose knew he had won a different kind of battle than the one fought on the Flats with snow.

After a red-hot luncheon that partly thawed out the half-frozen warriors, Mrs. Remington asked if they would like to take a sleigh-ride in a great farmer's sleigh that afternoon. The man called twice a week to deliver eggs, b.u.t.ter, and chickens from his farm some miles in the country, and would be glad to have the extra fee offered for driving a party of young folks on a joy-ride.

That evening was spent in quiet ways, as everyone felt weary and ready for bed the moment it could reasonably be suggested.

The rest of the visit was devoted to indoor pastimes, as a thaw set in and made the ground too wet and muddy for any games or fun on the lawn.

Then came the time for good-byes and the Woodcrafters were carried away, leaving a sense of loneliness with the family where they had had such a good time.

December came in with much wind and snow so that all hope of week-end camps was at low ebb. But the girls found plenty of work to do and the applicants for the second Band were ready to qualify, and attention had to be paid to this important matter.

Most of the girls applying for members.h.i.+p were so anxious to belong to Wako Tribe that it seemed hard to deny any one of them. But the rules in the Manual were to be followed and some had to be left out. Hence the choosing of the crowd of girls that had asked for admission was to be done by drawing lots.

The names of the girls were written on slips of paper and these were folded up into small cubes, then shaken well in a covered tin. The Guide drew forth the first ten papers and these were the ones drawn to form the second Band-Suwanee, it was called.

The ten girls selected were delighted, but the others half cried with bitter disappointment, so that the Guide agreed to ask Mrs. Baker to start a new Band for them which would eventually grow into a Tribe of its own. And this promise soothed the wounded hearts of the unfortunate ones.

Although the improvement in Eleanor Wilbur had been so slow that none of her daily a.s.sociates had noticed it, still it was constantly going on, so that when Ethel Clifford returned from the Californian trip she exclaimed at the great change in the girl.

"Why, Miss Miller, it doesn't seem possible! Really, can't you see the improvement?" said the girl.

"Now that you mention some small things, I can see where she has been helped, but I almost gave up in despair several times, and I'd rather you would not let her hear of this conversation as she is not 'out of the woods' yet, by any means," said Miss Miller.

Nevertheless, it was as Ethel had said: there was a change for the higher and better life that was making an impression in Eleanor's character and desires, and these in time would overcome her former weaknesses.

That Winter, needle-craft was taken up and many practical as well as beautiful things were made by the girls. The Christmas-tide gave each one plenty to do, as they planned to make all their gifts this year with as little cost in money as possible. And these gifts were all beautiful and artistic, as well as sensible and useful articles.

Not a mother or father of these girls but felt proud to show the gifts made by their daughters that Christmas, and many a parent thanked Miss Miller for the patience and time she had devoted to the Woodcrafters to bring them to this point in their education and improvement of character.

In January the Guide suggested that an entirely new departure be taken up before Spring.

"I didn't think there was anything more on earth that we could learn,"

said May, laughing.

"Now that we have exhausted all the foolishness, maybe we will start on something worth while," said Eleanor.