Part 11 (2/2)

After the left-over goodies had been gathered into baskets to be delivered to a poor family, and the place was set in order again, the chivalrous knights and the emulating Pioneers swarmed merrily into the dance hall, where they held high court to the light fantastic as Mrs.

Morrow, the one-piece orchestra, rattled off ragtime harmony for round and square dances.

Nathalie by this time had met a number of the Scouts, and to her surprise found that some of them danced as well as, and in some cases better than her boy friends in the city. The would-be Elder, who had droned the rules from the pocket book, proved not only a good dancer, but most companionable, and finding that Nathalie was sadly ignorant as to the aims and purposes of the Scout organization, he set forth to enlighten her.

He took off his Scout badge, pointed out the eagle, and the stars and s.h.i.+eld, explaining that it was a trefoil badge and represented the three points in the Scout oath. The curl-up at the end of the scroll was a reminder to each Scout that the corners of his mouth should always be turned up in a smile of cheerfulness. The knot in the loop was a ”conscience p.r.i.c.ker,” as he expressed it, that a Scout was pledged to do some one a good turn every day.

The next dance was Fred Tyson's, and when it ended they seated themselves in a corner of the hall to cool off, and as Nathalie fanned herself with a much bedraggled handkerchief, they hit upon a topic that proved most entertaining, and that was-college. Fred stated that he expected to go to Dartmouth in the fall and was therefore looking forward to it with much pleasure.

Nathalie, with sparkling eyes, told how she had dreamed and longed to go to college, and then the golden lights in her eyes shadowed as she said that since the death of her father she had decided to stop dreaming about what was impossible for her, and to do something worth while, so she had become a Pioneer.

”But don't you think it worth while to go to college?” was Fred's puzzled query, ”for surely there is nothing that will help a girl more in life than to have-what is it-the higher education?”

”Yes, I know,” a.s.sented his companion, ”that is all right, but when one finds that they can't have a thing-no matter how big or grand it is, or how much they want it-if it is impossible, it ceases to be worth while; that is, why spend time lamenting, or thinking about something that can't be accomplished?”

”Why, you are a regular little philosopher!” laughed Fred. But Nathalie was not heeding, for suddenly looking across the room she perceived that the dancers had retired from the floor, all but the Pioneers, who were standing in two lines in the center of the room facing one another as if about to dance the Virginia Reel.

”Oh, what are they going to do?” she cried, but before her companion could answer Helen came running up.

”Come on, Nathalie, we are going to dance the Pioneer dance. It's lots of fun.”

”But I don't know it,” objected the girl. ”I am not going to make a show of myself before all these boys.”

”Oh, but you won't,” urged Helen, ”for you can be my partner, and I will tell you as we go along; and then its awfully simple, for we just go through the motions of pioneer handcraft-”

”Pioneer handcraft?” echoed Nathalie more puzzled than before.

”Yes, don't you remember what Mrs. Morrow told us about the handcrafts of the Pioneer women? Well, she made up this dance to make these crafts definite. Oh, come, it is easy!” In a moment, Nathalie's objection being overruled, she bade Fred good-by and was hurried by her partner to join one of the two lines on the floor.

Only a few explanations were necessary, and Nathalie, who was quick to learn, joined her voice to the girlish ones singing:

”Singing, ringing thro' the air Comes the song of Molly fair.

Milking, milking Crumple Horn Down in the barn at early dawn.”

As the song ended, the closed right hand of every Girl Pioneer was held out in front, elbow bent upward. Then came three movements up and down in imitation of the act of churning. This was done three times, as in chorus came:

”Churning, turning, see it splash, This way, that way, with a dash.”

As the next two lines rang out:

”Skimming skimming foamy white, Making the b.u.t.ter golden bright,”

the motions were changed to those of skimming milk, repeated three times as in the previous movement, the girls emphasizing the end of each movement by stamping the feet, using first one and then the other. They ended this last motion by each girl placing her hands on her hips and tripping in line with the others lightly down the room in time with the music and then back to place.

A second of time, and each dancer was making the motion of holding a baby in her encircled arms, and while swaying to and fro these words were softly crooned:

”Golden slumber kiss your eyes, Smiles awake you when you rise.

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