Natalie: A Garden Scout

“Wall, yuh see, Ma’am, I brung him on the baggidge car tied to a rope, an’ when we got off at the Statchun he was that glad to see the green grass and fresh air that he galavanted ’round like a crazy thing. He tuk it inter his head to chase a bird what flied low along the road, and I laffed as I follered after him. But I lost sight of him, down the road, until I got to the Corners. I diden know what way to take there, so I went the most travelled one.

“That’s where I made my mistake. I should hev asked the storekeeper the way to Green Hill. I whistled and called fer a mile, er more, but Grip never showed up. Then I got afraid he was really lost. I turned back and asked the man at the Corners ef he saw’d a dog run by, an’ he said, ‘Yeh, the mutt was chasin’ down the road to Green Hill Farm.’

“I got mad at him fer callin’ Grip a mutt, but I hurried along the road he pointed out. I kep’ on goin’ and callin’, an’ went right by this place widdout knowin’ it. When I came to a farm owned by a man called Ames – a mile down the road, – he tol’ me I was too far. So I come back again. But I hain’t seen no sound of Grip sence.” A heavy sigh escaped Sam and he drew his sleeve across his wet eyes.

Perhaps the sound of the voice reached Grit – or Grip – in the kitchen, or perhaps his canine instinct told him his master was there, – whatever it was, he came bounding out of the house and leaped upon Sam with such force that the little fellow was rolled over backward upon the soft grass.

Grip pawed and rolled over again in his joy at seeing his master again, and the girls stood and shouted aloud with amusement at the scene. When Grip’s violent expression of welcome had somewhat quieted down, Mrs. James said:

“This certainly is a good ending to our adventure.”

Then she proceeded to tell Sam how the girls found Grip on the road, and how fortunate it was that no other tourists had taken him in.

Rachel heard a familiar voice and now came hurrying from her kitchen. “Wall, of all things! Ef it ain’t Sambo! How’de, my son?” exclaimed she, enfolding the little man in her capacious arms.

“You talk as ef you hadn’t looked fer me?” grinned Sam, endeavoring to free himself from the close embrace.

“I’m that glad to see yoh, Chile! I felt sort o’ fearsome ’bout leavin’ yoh all alone in a wicked city widdout me near to advise yoh dis summer,” returned Rachel, beaming joyously upon her kin.

Sam laughed, and then the story of Grip was told in a most graphic manner, the girls interrupting to add some forgotten item.

“Laws’ee! Ain’t dat a plain case o’ Providence fer us? An’ to think how Natalie called the dawg Grit, too!”

“Now that all this excitement is ended, suppose you business girls go and attend to your work,” suggested Mrs. James. “While you were away I walked over to the vegetable garden and was horrified to find so many weeds growing taller than the plants we are trying to coax along. And Janet’s investment has escaped from the pen and given Rachel and me the race of our lives. After half an hour’s heated chase we captured the pigs, but the chickens are still at large, scratching Norma’s flower slips out of the ground. I have shouted at them, and driven them away repeatedly, but I see they are back there again.”

No more needed to be said then, and in a minute’s time three excited girls were wildly racing to their various places of work to repair the damages made in their investments.

Then Sam was shown his room in the attic, where he could unpack his fabrikoid suit-case and don his farm-clothes. It was plainly evident that he liked the idea of living in the country and driving a car when called upon, and Mrs. James considered the girls were most fortunate to have Rachel’s own relative – to say nothing of the dog – on the place that summer.

Mr. Ames drove by before noon and left the crate with the guinea-hens and pigeons, and Janet eagerly began work on a separate coop for the hens. Sam offered to help build the pigeon-coop on the gable end of the carriage-house, where the birds could alight without molestation.

But the story of Janet’s stock-farm and how she succeeded is told in another book and can be given no extra room in this story. Suffice it to say, she certainly had troubles of her own in trying to raise a barnyard full of different domestic animals; and had it not been for Sam’s ever-willing help in catching the runaways or repairing the demolished fences, the result would not have been quite so good.

That evening, as they all sat on the side steps of the piazza watching the far-reaching fingers of red that shot up from the western sky, Belle spoke plaintively:

“I feel like a laggard, with you girls all working so hard at some business. Nat with her garden, Janet with the barnyard, Norma with the flowers, and Frans with her jitney – what is there for me to do? I hate dirt and animals, and I haven’t any car, – so what is left for me?” she sighed.

“Why don’t you turn your attention to Scout study?” asked Natalie, feeling that they had neglected Solomon’s Seal Camp lately.

“I don’t want that kind of work, – I want a real business, like you girls have, – but what is there to do?”

“You’ll just have to pray and wait for an answer,” suggested Norma, the devout one of the group.

“Is that what you did before the flowers came your way from Mrs. Tompkins?” asked Belle.

“No, but you see, I always pray and hope for an answer, so I don’t have to lose time when something comes to me. It is always coming at the right moment, so I never have to ask especially for any one thing,” explained Norma seriously.

Belle laughed softly. “I wish you’d do it for me, Norma.”

“Why, Belle! You know how to ask for yourself! You’ll get it all the sooner if you stop laughing and try my plan,” rebuked Norma.

The talk suddenly changed at this point, and no one thought more of Norma’s advice to Belle. But the latter was duly impressed by Norma’s faith, and determined to try secretly a prayer or two in her own behalf. So that evening after she had retired, she earnestly asked that a way might be shown her to occupy herself that summer even as her friends were doing.

The following morning Sam suggested that the car meet the three daily trains from the city, to carry any passengers to their destinations. As it took but a short time to drive to the station and back, this plan was agreed upon. Frances would act as conductor of the fares and direct Sam the way to go when taking a passenger home.

On the morning trip they would bring back the mail and any orders that might be needed for the house or the Scout camp. In the afternoon the trip would be made for passenger service only, and at evening the mail would be brought back, or any purchases needed at Tompkins’ store.

The initial trip was made that morning at nine-thirty, the girls wishing Frances all success in her new venture. As the car disappeared down the road Natalie hurried to her garden to go to work on the weeding.

Janet went to the farmyard to begin building some sort of shelter for a calf she purposed buying from Mr. Ames. And Norma began to plant seeds in her flower beds. Mrs. James went in to help Rachel, and Belle was left alone on the porch to plan various things to interest herself, also.

As she rocked nervously, trying to think of something agreeable to do, she heard Natalie cry loudly from the garden. She sprang from the porch and ran down the path to render any help possible to the friend in distress, and saw Natalie jumping up and down, with skirts held high and close about her form.

“Oh, oh! Belle, – bring a rock! Get a gun – anything – quick!” yelled Natalie.

“What for – what’s the matter?” shouted Belle, looking anxiously about for a stone or a big stick.

“A snake! A great big snake ran out of the ground and tried to get me!” screamed Natalie, still jumping up and down.

Belle caught up a heavy stone and tried to carry it quickly to her friend, but she had to drop it after running a short distance, as it was too heavy for her. Then she found a smaller stone and ran with that to demolish utterly the awful thing!

“Where is it? Where did it go?” cried Belle excitedly, as she reached the vegetable beds.

“Oh, oh – it came out of that hole in the corn-hill, and ran that way!” gasped Natalie, breathless with her violent exercise.

“Out of that hole! Why, that is only as big as my small finger! How could a great snake come from there?”

“All the same it did! Oh, oh, OH! Look, Belle! There it is, – under that corn-spear!” shouted Natalie, bending and pointing at the terrifying (?) object.

Belle had to look hard to be able to detect the little frightened snake. There, curled up under the tiny spear of green, was a young grass snake about three inches long. It held up its pretty striped head and watched fearfully for the huge rock to fall upon its innocent body.

Belle stood upright and gave vent to a loud laugh. “Oh, Nat! That is only a dear little worker in your garden. Why would you kill a creature that will gobble up your troubles?”

“What do you mean?” demanded Natalie, ashamed of her groundless fears.

“Why, I’ve read in school that grass snakes, garter snakes, and even black snakes, are the farmers’ best friends. They eat cut-worms, clean off all grubs from plants, and even keep out moles, beetles, and other pests, that ruin vegetables.”

Natalie bravely turned her back upon the grass snake at this and wagged her head prophetically: “All the same, where a young snake like that can be found there must be a big parent, too.”

“Doubtless, but the parent snake can kill off ten times as many pests as a baby snake, so don’t go and kill it when it hurries to your cornfield to catch a field-mouse,” laughed Belle.

As Belle started back for the rocking-chair to continue her mental planning, she saw Frances’ car approach swiftly from the Corners.

“Oh, goody! She has a passenger!” shouted Belle to Norma as she ran past the flower beds.

Norma dropped her trowel and fork and raced after Belle to the gate to watch the private jitney go past. But Sam stopped in front of the gate and Frances beckoned to the girls.

As Belle ran out to see what was wanted of them, a well-dressed lady, seated in the tonneau, smiled and said:

“I alighted at Greenville by mistake. I was directed to a country place beyond White Plains, where I hear I can buy some antiques. I am in the business in New York, but I haven’t time now to wait for another train and go on to visit this lady. Your young friend here thought the one named Belle might possibly undertake this commission for me, as she was at liberty to sell her time. Which of you is Belle?”

Belle immediately signified that she was the one, and the lady continued: “I believe you know something of antique furniture and china?”

“Something – because I started a little collection of my own at home. I have read many books to be had at the Library on the subject and can tell a Wedgewood jug or bowl or a Staffordshire plate, as readily as anyone. I also know the different Colonial period furniture when I see any.”

“Splendid! Then you can act as my agent up here, if you will. I must get back to keep an appointment in New York at two o’clock, but you can hunt up this old farmhouse for me that is somewhere west of Pleasantville, on a road that is described accurately on this map,” said the stranger, as she unfolded a paper and glanced at it to see that it was the right one. This was handed to Belle, and the lady continued:

“If you find anything there – or at any place in this section of the country – such as brasses, dishes, furniture, or pictures, telephone me at my business address and I will make an appointment to meet you wherever it is. Will you consider it?”

“I should like nothing better, if you think I can do it for you,” returned Belle, delighted at the prospect.

“I think you can, and for this service I will pay you for the time you actually give to the pursuit. Also I will pay for the hire of the car, as I explained to this young lady here.

“If you can possibly find time to go to this house to-day, it will please me greatly, as I want information about the four-poster canopied bed I hear is there for sale. Telephone me full particulars after you come back, will you?”

Belle agreed eagerly to the proposition, and the lady then mentioned the salary she would pay, by the hour, for this service of Belle’s. Also Frances mentioned her charge for the use of the car, which was agreed to without demur.

“Now I wish your man would drive me to the railway station at the nearest point where a train can be taken without losing more time. I do not care which town it is, as long as I can get back to the city before two o’clock.”

Belle was left standing speechless on the footpath as the car drove rapidly away, and Norma smiled happily. “Did you pray as I told you to, Belle?” asked she.

“Uh-huh!” was all the reply Norma got, but she understood Belle’s ways and ran back to her flowers without another word. Belle walked slowly toward the house to get her hat and handbag so as to start on the new venture as soon as Frances returned from the White Plains railroad station.