Part 10 (2/2)

Louise Gaynor, as Priscilla, recited parts of Longfellow's poem, ”The Courts.h.i.+p of Myles Standish,” with its picturesque account of the most romantic happening of the little town, while as Mistress Fuller, Barbara described Fort Hill and told about Captain Standish and his sixteen valiant men-at-arms who explored the hills and woods of the wilderness.

Kitty Corwin, as another Pilgrim dame, told of the erection of the seven little houses with their thatched roofs, built in a row on First, or Leyden Street, giving a rather exciting account of the many serious accidents that happened to the Common House where the stores and ammunition of the community were stored. And so, in picturesque detail, each feature of the story was brought forth to form in the minds of these twentieth century Pioneers a picture that would last through the years that were to follow, and help them gain an insight into the characters they were representing.

Elizabeth Winslow, the first wife of the first American statesman, one of the first to pa.s.s away in the fatal sickness of that lonely winter; Mrs. Hopkins, who won fame as the mother of the boy Ocea.n.u.s, born on the _Mayflower_; Bridget Fuller, the wife of the genial Dr. Fuller, and others, were all impersonated by some one of the Pioneers.

Even the ghosts, as Grace dubbed them, were heard from: Myles Standish's first wife, known as the beautiful English Rose, who died soon after reaching the new land, and Dorothy Bradford, the young wife of William Bradford, who came to her death by falling overboard while her husband was exploring the sh.o.r.es with Captain Standish and his men.

By the time the story with its variations had been told, the girls, tired of posing with old-time stiffness and ceremony, were all laughing merrily as some one of the band suddenly spied some comical or grotesque aspect of the impersonator, when the Tike screamed shrilly, ”Oh, who is that?” pointing to a black-draped figure standing in the doorway of the hall, with red, perspiring face, hat c.o.c.ked on one side, and a generally bedraggled appearance.

It was the missing Pioneer, Edith, who, after the hubbub had subsided as to her untimely appearance and tardy arrival, pulled off her long black cloak and threw herself on the gra.s.s by the side of Lillie. With gasps and sundry emphasizing shrieks she told what had befallen her on the way to the Rally.

”Father was ill last night, so the first thing this morning I had to go for the doctor. Then as mother was busy attending to Father I had to get the youngsters ready,-they were going to a May picnic, for of course,”

Edith added petulantly, ”no matter what happened to me, Mother would not have the kiddies disappointed.”

Catching Mrs. Morrow's reproving eye, she stammered apologetically, ”Of course, I would not have them disappointed myself-they are dears-but it lost me my morning; and then, just as I was hurrying by the gray house,-oh, girls-” dropping her voice to a tense whisper, ”what do you think I heard?”

CHAPTER VII-THE MAYFLOWER FEAST

The tenseness of Edith's tone, coupled with her mysterious manner, had the desired effect, and the Pioneers all bent forward eagerly with expectant eyes, anxious to hear what she had seen and heard, while some too impetuous one called out, ”Oh, do hurry and tell us what it was!”

”It was the most terrible shriek I ever heard,” answered Edith, with a long-drawn sigh. Having succeeded in getting her audience where she wanted them she was anxious to prolong her triumph. ”Why, my heart jumped into my mouth, and I-”

”Where did the noise come from?” inquired practical Helen impatiently, who never wasted any time in getting wrought up, as she called it, by the Sport's yarns.

”It came from the garden of the gray house,” was the quick retort; and then, crossly, ”I do wish, Helen, you would wait-you'll spoil the whole thing if you don't let me tell it properly.”

Grace, who had been listening intently to the Sport's recital, looked up quickly and encountered a glance from Nathalie's eyes as she suddenly turned from Edith and looked across the circle at Grace to see if she had heard. But Grace, whose memory was still rankling with her adventure at the gray house, was afraid that if the girls knew they would plague her unmercifully for being a runaway, and hastily put her hand on her lips in warning not to tell what had happened to them.

Nathalie nodded loyally and then turned to hear Edith repeat, ”Yes, the noise came from the garden of the gray house, I have always told you there was something queer about that place. At first I started to run away, and then I thought, 'O pshaw! whatever it is, it won't hurt me behind those high walls.' So I walked close up to the wall near one corner to see if I could not manage to climb up in some way and look into the garden. I had just spied a tiny hole in the lower part of the wall-I guess some boys had made it, you know they are always spying about that place, anyway-when I heard loud breathing. I looked up and saw a man creeping stealthily around the corner of the wall, as if dodging some one. Well, I just gave one look at him, he had great black, burning kind of eyes, staring out of a face as white as a corpse. He suddenly spied me, and by the uncanny glare he gave I knew right off he was the one who had been shrieking, he was the crazy man who lives there! Great guns! but I didn't wait to take another look, I took to my heels and flew. Then I heard steps thumping behind me-looked back-oh, girls,” she shrieked hysterically, ”he was chasing me, running after me as hard as he could!”

She gulped, and then with a gasp continued, ”Oh, for a moment I thought I was doomed, but-well-you know I can run, and I did, for my life. I ran every step of the way here-and-oh, I'm so hungry! Have you had the feast yet?”

”What became of the man?” inquired Helen tersely.

”Oh, yes, what became of him?” added one or two others.

”I don't know and I don't care,” a.s.serted Miss Edith carelessly. ”All I know is that he is as crazy as a loon, and that he lives in the gray house.”

”Edith,” exclaimed Mrs. Morrow sharply, ”as long as you did not see the man come from the gray house do not say he lives there; and as for saying he is crazy, that is absurd. That is just an idle report; do not repeat it until you have proof that what you say is correct. He was probably a tramp, and may have been chased from the garden by one of the servants.” Mrs. Morrow's face showed keenly her annoyance and disbelief in Edith's surmise.

”But what could the screams have been?” asked Helen, wonderingly, ”if they really came from the garden?”

”Oh, I am sure they did,” a.s.serted the Sport positively, ”for I have heard other people say that they have heard queer noises coming from that place. But girls,” she exclaimed, as if anxious to dismiss the subject, ”do tell me what you have been doing. Oh, I did so hate to miss all the fun.”

”Yes, kiddie, it is too bad,” consoled Lillie, putting her arm around her friend, ”but we have not had the feast yet, we've just been listening to little stories about the Pilgrims-you know you heard me read my story the other day-” she stopped abruptly, for a sudden rustling in a clump of trees back of the garden had caused every one to turn and peer apprehensively over their shoulders.

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