CHAPTER XXI
A SURPRISE INDEED
The girls were deliciously excited. Uncovering the mystery of Peg'scabin lent no end of possibilities, not the least of which was thehope of having this girl of the hills unite with their own activitiesat last.
"Will somebody kindly drape that sun dial and hold back on time alittle?" asked Corene. "However are we going to cram things into a fewmeager hours this fateful day?"
"When things crowd to the point of congestion," declared Julia, "theysimply have to be omitted. I move to omit everything omittable."
"And I tally the motion," chirped Grace. "It saves time to tallyinstead of adding to."
"If you will all kindly line up for chow," suggested Louise. "I don'tsee any nor scent any, but some should be about. There goes the twelveo'clock boat."
"Comes, you mean," corrected Isabel. "It's steaming into our dock."
"Company, and on moving day!" exclaimed Julia, dancing around inshameless joy. "There comes the old Hawk soaring in, sure enough."
A couple of toots and a few squawks from the smoke-stack of the Hawk(or thereabouts) and the steamer glided in majestically, unmindful ofthe coming bump.
"Kids, Kidlets, and Kiddies!" exclaimed Cleo, as through the trees thedock could be seen fairly crawling with youngsters.
Miss Mackin had joined the ranks of the spectators. "Looks like ourfresh air camp," she gasped.
"Allow me to do the honors," orated Isabel. "That motley throngreminds me of my last birthday party. They're all broke out inbundles."
"Wait; they may not be coming here," interrupted Julia. "Why couldn'tsome other camp have company?"
"Because it's our last day of surprises," Cleo said, springing to atree stump for a better view of the dock. "That contingent is headedthis way. Let's prepare."
But surprise akin to astonishment was the only preparation noticeable.New gasps and exclamations were plentifully in evidence, and theomissions mentioned as within the rules of too full a day were nowvery definitely settled upon, for even the noon-day meal was fallingin arrears.
"Yep, here they come!" announced Julia solemnly.
"And the leader! Can it be a delegation from some orphanage?" askedHelen.
"It can and perhaps is," remarked Cleo. "They all carry the sameshaped bundles. They're evidently not homemade."
There could be no mistake now; the parade was marching up Comalongpath. Miss Mackin patted her hair and the others made motions at theirear puffs.
"If we only had some grub," whispered Julia.
"There's the cakes of wheat if they haven't grown mossy," repliedCleo. "We'll get Corey to toast them."
"Mossy!" repeated Isabel. "That box has whiskers. I looked at it thismorning."
"Are we right?" came a voice from the advance guard of the procession."Is this Camp Comalong?"
"Yes," replied Miss Mackin with a tempered smile.
"Oh, I'm so glad. The boatman was not sure. And the children hopedthis was the place; the trees looked so beautifully green."
The speaker was leader of the influx; a prim, middle-aged woman whosesincerity of soul shown through two sparkling brown eyes. It was veryobvious this leader loved her task.
An awkward pause followed her remarks. Even Miss Mackin seemed at aloss for a suitable reply.
"You got our message, didn't you?" asked the brown-eyed woman,suddenly. Her charges were breaking ranks at all points.
"Why, no," stammered Mackey. "Was there a message?"
"Oh, you didn't really! Then you were not expecting us?"
Her voice wailed disappointment. All those eager little children andnot expected!
"Messages are uncertain in the camps," spoke Mackey promptly, gettingherself in hand, as it were, and sensing catastrophe unless promptmeasures intervened. "But you are welcomed, I'm sure. These are themembers of Camp Comalong, the Bobolinks," with a wave toward heramazed constituents. "We will do all we can to show you around."
Grace choked on a giggle. Show them around when they were probablyfamished for food!
"I am so sorry," murmured the little woman. "You see we heard you weregiving up camp and going to turn it over to the needy children. We hadplanned an excursion, and the beaches are so rough and crowded, wejust ventured to take a trip up here. The sail was delightful and--ofcourse we have brought our lunches."
The sigh of relief that travelled the rounds of the Bobbies amountedto a secret moan of joy.
They had brought their lunches!
Instantly the girls fell to welcoming the excursionists, but thechildren so quickly melted into the scenery that only by the promptestof efforts were the Bobbies able to reclaim the merest fringe of thedisorganized parade. How those children ran and stumbled and fell overfriendly bushes!
How they called and shouted! Could there really be hidden in the campgrounds all the treasures now being simultaneously announced?
"Look-it! I've got a black-berry!"
"I've got a chestnut!" (It was a last year's acorn.)
"I--found--a--mush--a--room!" This last cry reached the ears of Corene, whoquickly set after the mushroom hunters. There should be no suddendeaths from toad-stool poisoning at Camp Comalong.
Cleo and Grace had captured a girl with her chubby little brother. Onaccount of the brother and his chubbiness they were more easilyovertaken than the others. Louise and Isabel were trying to keep aparty of four from wading in the spring, while Julia waspanic-stricken at the food famine outlook. Miss Mackin talked to thestrange leader, who proved to be Miss Rachel Brooks, of the BeaconMission Settlement.
"I shouldn't have come upon you this way for the world," Miss Brooksinsisted. "But I have been promising my children a picnic all summer,and they have to work so hard--those little girls. Vacation usuallymeans harder work for such as they, for when school is dismissed thehome work begins," she declared, with a show of indignation.
"That's quite true," agreed Miss Mackin, "and I often think it is apity that our child-labor laws do not include a continuous homesurvey. But again: what about the tired mothers these little daughtershelp?"
"True, true; just a circle of trouble for them, no matter how we tryto help. So when I heard that a troop of Girl Scouts were going togive up their camp for city children----"
"How did you hear it?"
"At a conference of case workers the other day. You know we meet twiceweekly to discuss our problems, and to try to keep our families out ofcourt. I managed to get clothes from the Emergency Committee, so thatquite a few children who were promised this trip could come along. Butthey must eat their lunches now. They are surely famished," declaredMiss Brooks. "Will it be all right for me to take them over to thatlittle knoll, and let them open their boxes?"
"We will be glad to fix our camp table for them," offered Miss Mackinwith qualms of conscience, for were not the Bobbies also starving bynow?
"I wouldn't hear of taking your table; thank you just the same,"replied the stranger. "Besides, you know how they feel about eating inthe grass, like gypsies. They have been planning that particular joyfor a long time. Sadie!" she called. "Stella! Margie!" She clapped herhands, we might say skillfully, for every clap echoed itself with aresonance peculiar to actual skilled practice.
The girls called rounded up promptly. What a flock there was of them,and how they grazed like strange cattle in new found, verdantpastures!
And it was remarkable how these youngsters clung to their lunch boxes,and gathered flowers or treasures at the same time.
"You see," Miss Brooks went on, "we have a cooking class. It's a verysmall and humble attempt, but the children love it and we made most ofour supplies for to-day's party. At the suggestion of these oldergirls, I think Stella really proposed it, we made an extra supply andbrought a box to--the Girl Scouts, if they will accept it."
Cleo and Grace were near enough to hear the offer, and that theyconcealed their joy was due as much to good luck as to good manners,for how dreadfully hungry they really were? What a big day this wasgr
owing to be!
"Lovely," said Miss Mackin archly. "Are you sure you can spare allthis?" The girls were offering box after box, and, like fliesattracted to the sweeter things, the Bobbies were hemming in.
"Yes'm," said black-eyed Stella slyly. "And Zenta Nogrow has a big boxof nut cookies."
"Nut cookies!" repeated Corene, unable to comprehend the suddenblessing. "How could you go to all that trouble?"
"'Tweren't any trouble. A lady from up town brought the nuts. Edna,where is Zenta?"
"I'll get her," offered Edna, a blonde with skin like a flower inspite of unfavorable environment.
Miss Brooks was clapping her hands again, and the visitors werefollowing "the big girls" over to the little knoll under the pinetrees. Julia and Isabel were making the Scouts' table ready, whileLouise and Corene went to introduce the spring, and to offer a goodsupply of extra drinking cups.
Miss Mackin was urging Miss Brooks to take her lunch at the tableunder the trees.
"You won't think me ungrateful," replied the visitor, "but you see,the children like to have me with them. They will fairly swamp me withquestions about the woodland beauties. I would love to have you joinus, however," she invited Miss Mackin.
"Then _we_ would be without a leader," put in Cleo, swinging a freearm around Miss Mackin.
"Exactly, I understand. How good it is to be beloved," said theserious little woman with the brown eyes, that sparkled latentpossibilities.
Healthy hunger was driving all the human animals to food now, and the"drive" included the Bobbies, as well as the children from the BeaconSettlement.
Quickly boxes and little bundles were untied and unwrapped, and evenat a distance the excursionists could be seen literally devouring the"basket lunch," only there were really no baskets. True, a littleItalian girl carried her food in a handmade straw bag that might becalled a basket, while a Russian displayed a quaint braided affairfrom the Homelands; but boxes and bags, American in make, were mostlyin evidence.
At the Scout table the overdue meal was being greatly relished.
"How long are they going to stay?" ventured Grace. The question shotrepeaters from all eyes around the festive board, for while the picnicinterruption was all right as far as it went, it would never do tohave those babes interfere with the evening's programme. That was tofeature Peg's story in every last absorbing detail, and they were alleager to hear it.
"Yes," repeated Cleo, looking straight at Miss Mackin. "How long arethey going to stay?"
"I don't know," replied Mackey, evasively.
"Didn't they say, the leader I mean?" pressed Louise, losing a choicebit of cookie in her anxiety.
"No, not a mention of it."
"You don't suppose they expect to camp here to-night!" Corene almostgasped.
"You see, it is known our camp is to be given over, and these cleverlittle people have taken first chance. We have got to be good tothem," insisted Miss Mackin slyly.
Everyone stopped eating and sat up aggressively.
"But our camp wouldn't hold a picnic, at any rate," spoke Gracepertly.
"Oh, these children would be happy under the trees all day andsatisfied to crawl under cover out of storms," Miss Mackin's eyes weredancing now and Cleo caught "their step."
"You're a fraud, Mackey Mackin!" she declared, tossing a bit ofcracker at the leader. "You are just trying to scare us out of our bignight. Why, only the most urgent business has kept Peg away from usall this time, and as for us--we are compelled to wait," this last intragic tones.
"Just look over at those youngsters rolling down hill," interruptedMackey. "If you'll excuse me, girls, I'll go over and be polite."
"Take care you don't get caught in the avalanche. Just look at thetidal wave!" said Julia.
"Rather keep your eyes on this table," ordered Corene. "Don't one ofyou dare bolt for the hill; not even if a couple of kiddies get caughtin the thickets. I know you girls. Here Clee, carry these things tothe kitchen. At least we must leave camp in good order."
"And the time draweth near," moaned Louise. "We know now what thingswill look like when we are gon-n-n-ne!"
"We will be gone for a long, long time!" intoned Julia, and the wartime refrain was promptly executed--all of that!
"Here they come! Mercy on us!" exclaimed Grace. "The children aredescending from the hillsides!" She grabbed up the food fragments fromthe table and hurried to hide them in their tin boxes.
"We must tell them how we enjoyed their cakes," said Corene. "They areafter a report, I'm sure."
"We can't tell them!" gasped Cleo, "for their settlement-made cookiessimply saved our lives." She moaned and groaned at the thought of theperilous escape.
"They were good!" declared Louise, raising her voice as the strangerscame shyly along the little summer-worn path.
"Come and give them a wade," proposed Julia.
"Wade!" almost shrieked Grace. "They would strike right out for theWest shore. As you value their precious lives don't mention it again,Jule." And she didn't.
But there were other joys, many of them for the little party ofsettlement children. They explored the woods, wondered at the big lake(Miss Brooks would not allow one to enter a boat), then there was afinal treat of a good time on the merry-go-round at the Point, andfinally the Hawk tooted its whistle for them to go back to therailroad station.
It was not easy to gather them together for the embarkation, but MissBrooks was so grateful and happy; every Bobolink felt it her specialduty to help the children get aboard the old-fashioned steamer.
And it must be admitted there was a secret motive in the alacrity soevident, for the unexpected picnic had somewhat spoiled theafternoon's plans for the Girl Scouts.
"Let's go around by the big log cabin and tell Peg all about it,"suggested Isabel. "Then we won't have to spoil our plans for to-nightwith the picnic interruption."
"That's a good idea!" chortled Grace. "Come right along and talk itout, every word of it. We did enjoy the youngsters, but oh, boy! forthat final big story!"