Part 29 (2/2)

”All right,” soothed her friend, ”don't you bother about the girls finding out, I'll see to them. But here's Fred, he wants you to vote. By the way, have you heard that the Sport's Stunt has so far the greatest number of votes, and-”

But Helen had been carried off by one of the Scouts, and Nathalie turned to find Fred at her side eagerly demanding her vote.

”Why don't you vote for 'The First American Wash-Day'?” demanded the young man as he saw Nathalie hesitate and swing her pencil, lost in abstraction. ”It will win, I think, and it was a good Stunt, too; well acted out. Edith deserves credit.”

”Do you think so?” flashed Nathalie. She colored angrily. ”I do not agree with you. I think-” She stopped, compressed her lips, and then added coolly, ”I shall vote for Helen, for I consider her Stunt the best one of the evening.” She wrote the name of the Stunt hurriedly, signed her name, and then handed the card to Fred, who was regarding her with a puzzled expression on his face.

He took the card and turned to go, but seeing that the floor had been cleared for dancing he stopped, and swinging about asked Nathalie if he could have the next dance. Nathalie a.s.sented, although she did not feel in the mood for dancing just at that moment.

”You won't mind waiting a moment, will you?” asked Fred. ”I have got to turn in my cards. Then I see this is a square dance, and I want a waltz with you. Are you angry with me?” he asked wonderingly as he saw that Nathalie's eyes still gleamed fire and that her cheeks were bright red.

The girl looked up at him absently and then, suddenly comprehending that she was acting rather rudely towards this new friend, cried laughing, ”Angry with you? Indeed, no! I _am angry_ with-some one,” she added bitterly, her glance suddenly falling on Edith. ”But there, return your cards and then we will dance.”

Five minutes later as Fred swung his partner lightly up and down the hall to waltz time, Nathalie forgot all the unpleasant jars of the evening in the enjoyment of the moment. But later, as they hurried out on the veranda for a breath of fresh air, she remembered how rudely she had acted and felt as if she ought to make some kind of an explanation to Fred for her seeming rudeness. Then it suddenly came to her that perhaps he might think she was jealous of Edith. Oh, no, she was not jealous-she was willing Edith should win the highest number of votes, only it did seem a bit hard to have to give all the glory up to some one else, when it rightfully belonged to her, and then Edith _had been_ mean about it.

”Please don't think I didn't want Edith to win,” she burst forth as they seated themselves in a cozy corner where she could see the dancers in the hall. ”Only-you see it is this way, I-”

But before she could finish, the Tike came rus.h.i.+ng up all of a whirl crying, ”Oh, Nathalie, your Stunt won! I'm awfully glad!” And she danced up and down in her delight at Nathalie's success.

”Oh, 'The First American Wash-Day' was Edith's Stunt,” Nathalie hastened to explain, resolved that she would be a martyr to her wounded pride with a good grace.

”That didn't win the highest vote, but your Stunt did,” retorted Carol jubilantly; ”the one with the old Dutchwoman putting the kiddies to bed.

And that Dutch lullaby-oh, Nathalie, where did you learn it?”

Before Nathalie could answer Carol had skipped away, leaving the girl with a strange expression on her face as she stared at Fred with mystified eyes. ”Do you suppose I really won it?” she demanded after a pause. ”I thought you said Edith's Stunt was the winner.”

”So I heard,” was Fred's reply. ”But then, Miss Nathalie, I am awfully glad your Stunt won. It was a peach, I thought myself, but I heard-”

”Oh, I don't care about that,” cried Nathalie. There was a quiver to her voice. ”I don't deserve it; oh, I have been awfully mean, and yet I have been calling Edith mean-” She stopped abruptly. How queerly it had turned out!

Catching a rather strange look in her companion's eyes she exclaimed, ”Oh, indeed I was willing that Edith should win-I don't care a snap about it myself-only, you see it was this way.” She floundered for a moment and then with a sudden catch in her breath leaned towards Fred crying, ”If I tell you something, will you swear never to reveal it?”

Fred's face brightened; he was delighted to think Nathalie considered him worthy of her confidence, and lost no time in a.s.suring her of this fact. But the girl was thinking of only one thing, and that was that she was going to break her silence in regard to Edith and unburden herself of what had been causing her a good deal of discomfort all the evening.

Nathalie talked rapidly and in a few minutes Fred was in possession of the facts about ”The First American Wash-Day,” and how it had come about that although the idea was Nathalie's, Edith had won the glory of it without the work.

”Say, but you're game!” declared Fred admiringly, as Nathalie finished her story. ”It was a fine thing for you not to tell; I don't blame you for feeling mean about it. But the Sport had no right to use it-”

”Well, never mind now,” cried Nathalie, ”it is all over with and I am glad I didn't tell any one but you, and you won't break your word, will you? The word of a Scout, you know,” added the girl archly.

Fred laughingly a.s.sured her that his word as a gentleman was sufficient and as binding as that of a Scout. Then as they discussed the Scout oath, its pledges, and so forth, Dr. Homer appeared and asked his little hike-mate if he might have the pleasure of a dance with her.

Nathalie smilingly a.s.sured him she would be most happy and then with a good-by to Fred, the quaint little figure in its queer Dutch cap and flowered gown followed the doctor into the hall.

The long antic.i.p.ated fourteenth of June had arrived, and the level stretch of green gra.s.s with its circling hillocks in the rear of the gray house was ablaze with color. Beneath a high arch festooned with the red, white, and blue-the Pioneers' color again-stood a number of merry girls, each one gowned in white with a scarlet sash, and a red liberty cap, and holding in her hand a flag or small banner.

Every eye as well as tongue was on duty, as each girl triumphantly displayed her flag to her comrades, proudly claiming that it was an exact copy of one of the liberty banners used by the colonies preceding or during the Revolution.

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