CHAPTER II
GIVING HER BEST
"As He died to make men holy, let us die to make men free."
Nathalie sat in the big rocker on the veranda, sewing a star on aservice-flag. Yes, as soon as Dick had gone to do his "stunt," as hecalled it, in the great warfare,--gone with all the honors of war, ashis mother had laughingly declared as he kissed them a noisygood-by,--Nathalie had felt that it was incumbent upon her to sustainthe honor of the family, and had run lightly up to the attic. Here, inthe big piece-trunk she found a bundle of Turkey red, a bit of white,and then, after begging a snip of blue from Helen for the star, she hadset to work.
She was sure that star would not come off, for she had double-stitchedinto every angle and on every point. She held up the patriotic square,bordered with red, and sorrowfully stared at that one lone star,although a thrill of pride stirred at her heart and caused her eyes tobeam.
She must hang it up. And then she was busy tacking the little flag to asmall staff, which she had fastened to the roof of the porch so it couldbe seen. Ah, the wind had caught it, and it was waving in a salute toits many mates curling from the neighboring porches, and to the RedCross insignias that starred a window here and there, ofttimesovershadowed by the graceful sweep of the Stars and Stripes.
But Nathalie's heart was still sore, for although she had given up Dickwith as good a grace as she could muster, and had tried to show that shepossessed the true American spirit, yet it did seem as if it was aneedless sacrifice. With a sudden turn on her heel, the girl burst intoa new patriotic air that she had heard somewhere, as if hoping that itwould drive away the rebellious thoughts that jarred her attempt atcheer, and hurried into the kitchen.
As Nathalie stepped to the window and stared carelessly out, her eyeswere caught by the gleam of yellow crocus and purple hyacinth as theypeeped up at her from their beds of green. Somehow their flauntingcolors reminded her of the spring blooms that used to nod so gayly toher from the flower-beds in her beautiful city home in the upper part ofNew York.
She could hardly believe it was a year since her father's death. Thepoignant grief she had suffered then again caused her eyes to fill withtears, and her mind dwelt upon the sorrowful circumstances surroundingher loss, the changes that had followed, in their financial losses, andthe many sacrifices it had entailed.
She again saw the sorrowful farewell to the first and only home she hadever known; she again felt the grief that came to her in the giving upof the many things that had made life so happy,--her schoolmates, hermany enjoyments, and her hope of going to college. She again experiencedthe dolefulness that had assailed her mother, her brother Dick, heryounger sister, Dorothy, and herself, on their coming to the humblecottage home in Westport, the being associated with strangers, and themany people who at first had seemed so different from their cityassociates.
Yes, there was the tree where she had found the nest of bluebirds. Thegirl's eyes gleamed amusedly as she peered down the garden at the oldcedar tree, and remembered that she had called them blue robins, thusgiving Dick an opportunity to nickname her, Blue Robin.
Nathalie attempted to smile, but the thought of Dick's going awayaroused her slumbering grief, and once more the tears flowed silentlydown her cheeks. But she bravely brushed them away and went on with herreminiscences,--the remembrance of spraining her ankle up in the woods,and how it had led to her meeting Helen Dame, her next-door neighbor,and _now_ her dearest friend.
How lovely Grace Tyson had looked that day, and dear old Barbara withher near-sighted eyes, and the girls' favorite, Lillie Bell, with hergracious charm and dramatic poses. The girl smiled again as sheremembered Edith Whiton, the sport, and her harum-scarum oddities. Yes,they were all dear girls. And how glad she was that she had become aPioneer, and a real blue robin, by joining the Blue Bird group.
And what a dear Mrs. Morrow, the Pioneer director, was that day thePioneers called. Oh, that was the day the "Mystic" had passed. Who wouldhave thought she would turn out to be Mrs. Van Vorst, who was so lovely.And that ride with Dr. Morrow to the big gray house, and then shementally saw herself, with that handkerchief over her eyes, talking tothe Princess, Nita, the little hunchbacked girl. And what good friendsthey had become through those history lessons!
The many useful things she had learned from the Pioneer hikes andcrafts, and the joys she had experienced from their many sports andactivities had certainly proved worth while. And the "overcomes" she hadfought for by adopting the Pioneer motto, "I can," had certainly meantsomething in her life.
But they did have gloriously good times at Camp Laff-a-Lot at EagleLake, with the Boy Scouts, Miss Camphelia, Miss Dummy, and all the othergood sports. Then, too, there was the surprise, on her return to learnthe good that had come to Dick through the money so kindly loaned byMrs. Van Vorst. Indeed, that one year had brought many new things intoher life, for--O dear, there was all that silver to be cleaned! For, nowthat her mother kept no maid, this duty, with many other menial tasks,had devolved upon Nathalie. Oh, how she hated that job!
With a resigned air, however, she managed to carry the basket of silverfrom the sideboard to the kitchen table, and then returned to thedining-room for the tea-service. After getting her cleaning cloths, herbrushes, and the scouring-powder, with vigorous determination she beganto rub and polish.
But somehow everything acted aggravatingly mean, for she dropped thepolish, and the powder flew all over; then she knocked the tray and theknives and forks clattered to the floor. O dear! what ailed thingsanyway? And how her arms ached trying to polish those horrid tarnishedstains on the teapot! The tableware had never seemed so obdurate, northe means for making it bright so utterly ineffective.
"Oh, I guess I am the one who is ailing," she exclaimed glumly, as shesuddenly realized that her mind was not on her task, and that theelation of playing at being a patriot had departed, with Dick evidently,leaving her as limp as a rag. Oh, it does seem such a shame that we hadto get into that war--Nathalie bit off her thought like a thread,resolved not to let her mind dwell on that forbidden topic. But howangelic her mother had acted when Dick went. Well, she was a dear,anyway, so brave. But suppose he _never_ _should_ come back after all.Something suddenly seemed to snap in the girl's breast, and down wenther head on the tray, into a heap of powder, while a great sob strangledout of her throat.
O horrors! Nathalie's brown head bobbed up from the tray, not veryserenely either, for she had heard a step on the kitchen porch. Oh,Helen always came in that way! "Where _is_ my handkerchief?" The girlgrabbed desperately at something white lying on the tray, dimly seenthrough a blur of tears, and began to scrub her nose energetically withalas, not her handkerchief, but the powder-cloth with which she had beenpolishing the silver! "Ah chee! Ah chee!" sneezed Nathalie again andagain, while groping frenziedly, but blindly, for her handkerchief. Shemust have dropped it. And then Helen's arms were around her, and she waskissing the flushed cheek.
"What's struck you, honey girl?" she asked in that gentle way of hers."Have you got the influenza? But here's a very necessary article attimes, if that's what you're after," she finished with a laugh, as shestooped and picked up Nathalie's handkerchief from the floor.
"Influenza? No," blurted out Nathalie savagely, tortured to a pitch ofdesperation at her unfortunate predicament. "I've been rubbing my nosewith that dirty old piece of rag I clean the silver with. Serves meright, I suppose, for being such a fool as to cry when I should be 'onmy job,' as Dick says." She shamefacedly tried to hide her red eyes fromher friend's keen gaze.
"Oh, well, it will do you good to cry, Nathalie, dear," advised Helensoftly, as she stroked the brown head caressingly, "for you were quite aheroine when Dick went away, so courageous and cheery. Mrs. Morrow saysyou are the nerviest Pioneer she knows."
"But I'm not," confessed Nathalie honestly, "in fact, I'm beginning tothink that I'm a bluff. But anyway, I'm glad to get a bit of praise,something to warm me up, for I ha
ve felt like a congealed icicle for thelast few days. Yes, I have smiled and smiled like the poor Spartan boy,while the fox of Grief was gnawing a hole into my internals. That soundslike one of Lillie Bell's dramatics, doesn't it?" she smiledpathetically into her friend's kindly eyes.
"But, Helen, you are a dear, anyway," cried Nathalie in a sudden burstof admiration for her tried and trusted friend, who was always such astanch and timely comforter. "And do you know," she added, swingingabout in her chair with the teapot in one hand and the despisedpolishing-cloth in the other, "you grow better-looking every day. Oh, Ithink you are just lovely!"
"_I lovely?_" mocked Helen, opening her eyes in surprise at thisunexpected praise. "Well, Blue Robin, what started you on that trail?You must have been kissing the Blarney Stone, for you are handing me out'the stuff,' as the boys say, for fair. Poor me, with a knob on my nose,a wide mouth, and green eyes--to call me lovely is a libel on the word."
"Oh, Helen, your eyes are just lovely--every one says that, for they areso expressive," retorted her friend loyally; "and as for the knob onyour nose, no one would know it was there if you weren't constantlytelling them about it. But I don't care what you look like anyway," sheadded determinedly, "for I think you are a love of a friend. But when doyou go to France?" she finished abruptly.
"I don't quite know yet," replied the girl; "perhaps not until a monthor so. But mother is brave about letting me go. She says it will be afine experience for me,--as long as I don't have to go 'over the top.'Oh, you finished your service-flag! It's a Jim Dandy!" Helen plungedrecklessly into another topic, again blaming herself for her trick ofalluding to forbidden subjects, for she had seen Nathalie's lips quiveras she said "Over the top."
"Yes, I finished it, and now the neighbors know where _we stand_, evenif _you_ consider me a pacifist," said the girl a little defiantly."Well, perhaps I shall think differently some day," with a quicklyrepressed sigh.
"Yes, and that day is coming very soon, too, Blue Robin," rejoinedHelen; "for I'll bet you a box of candy that you won't be a pacifistafter you hear Mrs. Morrow talk on liberty. Surely you haven't forgottenthat we are to go to a Liberty Tea at her house this afternoon?" sheinquired as she saw her friend's face settle down into an expression ofgloom.
"Oh, I don't think I'll go," retorted Nathalie quickly, "for I don'tfeel a bit Pioneery this morning, and then I have all this silver toclean."
"But, Blue Robin," returned her friend cheerily, "I'm going to help youfinish up that silver, and then I'm going home to dress for thisafternoon. Then I'm coming over here and just make you go to thatLiberty Tea with me. You know, Nathalie, it would be mean for you todesert Mrs. Morrow," she added wisely, "for you are the leader of theband and should help to entertain the girls."
Whereupon, Helen caught up one of Nathalie's kitchen-aprons, and a fewmoments later the two girls were laughing and chatting in the best ofspirits, as they rubbed and polished with youthful ardor, every bone andmuscle keyed to its task.
Yes, it was enlivening to be so warmly welcomed by her hostess, Nathaliedecided, as she greeted her a little later in the afternoon, and herdepression vanished. And how perfectly lovely Mrs. Morrow looked in thatblue gown; yes, it was just the color of her blue-gray eyes. Under thefascination of this lady's charming personality Nathalie was soon flyingabout, showing the girls how to start sweaters, or to purl, as this taskhad been delegated to her by the director, who herself had taughtNathalie.
When the tea was served it was Nathalie who occupied the place of honorat the little tea-table, decorated with the United States flag, and whodispensed the dainty little china cups filled with what waspatriotically called _Liberty Tea_ in honor of the young ladies who hadgiven it its name over a hundred years ago, and who the Pioneers hadimpersonated last year in their entertainment of "Liberty Banners."
After the teacups had been removed, and one or two announcements ofcoming events had been made, Mrs. Morrow, with sudden gravity, said:
"We have gathered here to-day, girls, to commemorate the Spirit ofLiberty, the one great principle that has budded like Aaron's rod, andbrought forth other qualities as splendid and compelling as itself, as,for example, the principles represented in our national emblem. Theprinciple of humanity, which means living the Golden Rule by takingthought for your neighbor; democracy, the equal rights of mankind, whichin turn gives rise to justice, loyalty, and unity,--the principles thathave not only given us that wonderful, mystical something calledAmericanism, but the principles that mean the Christianity of Christ."
After the girls had discussed the meaning of liberty and summed it up asstanding for man's right to self-expression, either by words or actions,and made it clear that it had to be governed by the law of self-control,as too much freedom would mean license or lawlessness, Mrs. Morrowcontinued her little talk.
"Liberty is not something that sprang into being with the coming of thesettlers to America, for it is as old as man himself; but under the ruleof king-ridden states it has been fighting its way through many longcenturies, because the peoples of the Old World failed to grasp itsmeaning.
"Under the stimulus of the Reformation and the Revival of Learning,induced by the printing of the Bible and other books, the early comersto America, as they endeavored to worship God as they thought right, notonly left the intolerant forms and bigoted narrowness of the Old World,but threw the first light on liberty by teaching man his right tofreedom of the soul. The Pilgrims and Puritans were the Pioneers ofliberty, for they not only gave us religious freedom, but, byestablishing a government for and by the people without the aid of kingor bishop, laid the cornerstone of a great commonwealth, and gave usdemocratic liberty.
"If you girls would make a study of the history of the ThirteenColonies," went on their director, "you would learn that not only eachColony contributed to the principles embodied in every stripe, star, andcolor of our spangled banner, but that a universal love of freedom seemsto have animated the settlers. Each individual group, to be sure, hadits own peculiar belief, but, in the working-out of their cherishedideals and aspirations, liberty was the bone and sinew of every colony.
"It was under the influence of these early settlers--the giving of theirbest to mankind in their struggles for freedom--that the ideals andbeliefs of the New World were molded into higher and betterinstitutions, purified and strengthened by a new significance. Theirideals and aspirations were essentially different from anything knownbefore,--ideals peculiar to this soil, which were absolutely American,not only in religious freedom, but in the institutions of localgovernment and the union of all states into one, which gave rise to theUnited States of America.
"Now we have come to the great subject of the hour, the war, and aquestion I have heard several of you girls ask, 'Why are we in thewar?'"
Nathalie felt her face redden, and shifted uneasily in her seat. O dear!she did wish she had not come. Of course the talk was very interesting,but still she didn't want to think of this terrible war.
"I have heard it said," pursued Mrs. Morrow, "that we are in the war toavenge the sinking of the _Lusitania_, and that we must not allow theGermans to break the international law by killing our sailors andseamen. I have heard it said, too, that if they conquered the Alliesthey would come over here and fight us. These are all sufficient reasonsin a sense."
The lady paused, and then, with grave solemnity, said: "And I have heardit put forth that we are in the war to maintain our national honor andintegrity. I think I hear some of you girls say, 'But we haven't doneany wrong: we have kept neutral; our principles are not involved.'"
Nathalie's eyes were aglow as she bent forward, and with parted lipsanxiously awaited Mrs. Morrow's reply to this question.
"Now that we realize the depth and grandeur of the principles given tous by the founders of this nation, and know that every time our flag isunfurled it tells the world that religious and democratic liberty wereborn on these shores of America, are we going back on these principles?Are we going to allow other nations to say t
hat our principles are justin the flying of our colors, that they stand for nothing but self-praiseand the nation's glorification?
"No," cried the lady with grave emphasis, "by our love for our flag, byour love for our birth-land, by our reverence for the men who taught usthese principles we swear to defend every time we hoist our colors, wemust get into this war. We must prove that our flag is in the rightplace, and that we carry it in our hearts. We must strive to show withour soul's might that we are living these principles by being true toourselves and to our nation's honor, and carry our feelings into action.
"We must forget self, our desire for selfish ease and pleasure. We mustalign ourselves with the suffering masses of people across the sea, andhelp them to rid themselves of the iron-shod heel of one-man power. Wemust stand side by side with the Allies for humanity, democracy, andliberty. We must show the world that the so-called divine right of kingsis a worn-out belief of savagery, and prove by the principles back ofour flag, prove by the living of these principles, the sacredness ofGod's heritage to man, the right of the world's people to know, as weknow, the principles that have made us the freest people in the world.
"Each one of you girls must not only do your bit, but must give of yourbest to your brothers and sisters over the sea. And if the best meansthe giving-up of those who are so dear to us, we must prove that we aretrue daughters of liberty, and send them forth cheerfully, to givefreedom and liberty to the world."
There was an impressive silence, and then Mrs. Morrow's voice broke intosong. In another moment the girls had joined their voices with hers, andwere loudly sounding forth the old-time tune and the well-beloved words:
"In the beauty of the lilies Christ was born across the sea, With a glory in his bosom that transfigures you and me; As He died to make men holy, let us die to make men free, While God is marching on.
"He has sounded forth the trumpet that shall never call retreat; He is sifting out the hearts of men before his judgment seat; Oh, be swift, my soul, to answer Him! be jubilant, my feet; Our God is marching on!"
Later in the afternoon, as the girls hurried happily out from the whitehouse on the corner, each one chatting merrily, intent on telling whatshe had done or intended to do for the war, Nathalie alone was silent,weighed down, as it were, by a strange sense of shame. Yes, she had beenblindly selfish, and had failed to realize the momentousness of thegreat questions of the day. When she had been called upon, to give loveand sympathy to her neighbors, the poor suffering masses of people overseas, she had selfishly turned her back to the call--she had failed toshow herself a daughter of liberty. Why, she was not a patriot,--no, noteven an American; and in the spirit, if not in the letter, she haddishonored Dick, yes, and her father, who had always been so steadfastand true to everything that was American.
That night Nathalie could not sleep, but tossed restlessly from side toside, as parts of Mrs. Morrow's speech kept forcing themselves upon hermemory. And just as she had succeeded in driving them away, and also theremorseful thought that she had not given her best, that she had failedto show greatness, the song the girls had sung that afternoon, with theluring, old-time air and the soul-stirring words, flashed with vividdistinctness:
"As He died to make men holy, let us die to make men free, While God is marching on."
The girl sat up in bed, and in a crooning whisper hummed the whole versethrough, repeating again and again,
"As He died to make men holy, let us die to make men free."
The beauty as well as the significance of the words had made theirappeal. Christ had died to make men holy; she must give of her best tomake men free. She must show herself great, but what could _she_ do?
But even as the question came, so flashed the answer, and Nathalie wasagain softly humming,
"Oh, be swift, my soul, to answer Him! be jubilant, my feet; Our God is marching on."
And then suddenly a thought stamped itself upon her mind. The girlcaught her breath. Yes, she had given Dick up because she had beenforced to do so, but now she would make the sacrifice, give the best ofherself; she would stop once and forever all useless repining. She wouldkeep herself cheered by the thought that she was glad--she gritted herteeth determinedly--that she had Dick to give to help make people free.
Yes, but she _must do something_--she must give _her best_; no, it mightnot be anything very great or big, but she must show she was a truedaughter of liberty. Ah, she knew what she could do, and then Nathaliefell back on her pillow, and although she lay very still, her brain wasalert, thinking and planning. Yes, she could get the girls together; shewould begin the very next morning. She would have every one in it, forliberty wouldn't be liberty unless it was free to all. And then onethought and another kept popping into her mind, until finally the tiredbrain went on a strike and refused to register any more thoughts, andNathalie, without a word of protest, tumbled into the land o' dreams.
The next morning she was up betimes, and was soon singing cheerily ather work, every now and then stopping in the midst of some favoredmelody, to repeat softly,
"As He died to make men holy, let us die to make men free."
In such a state of cheerfulness time flew swiftly, and soon Nathalie wasup in the attic writing a note. Yes, it sounded all right, she decidedas she read it over slowly. And then her hand was again flying over thepaper, and another note was written, and then another, and stillanother, until, with a sigh of relief, Nathalie found that she had themall finished. No, she wasn't going to leave any one out. Quicklygathering up the notes the girl was off, running lightly down thestairs, and then flying swiftly across the lawn to see what Helen wouldthink of the thing she had planned in the stillness of the night.