The Woodcraft Girls in the City. Roy Lillian Elizabeth

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СКАЧАТЬ you could hang a curtain from a ring at one side of the tent to one at the opposite side. Then Paul could pull or push the muslin to suit himself, and it would not be ruined by rain,” suggested Miss Miller.

      “I’m so glad that we live on the top floor of the house, ’cause it will be an easy matter to run up or down the short flight of stairs going to the roof. When I told mother about it she laughed and said: ‘You always used to grumble about climbing the four flights from the street, but I know how much pleasanter it is to be on top instead of under a noisy family in a flat.’”

      “Your mother is quite right, and then the air is always better the higher one goes, and the rents are lower – the last not a mean consideration, either,” added the Guide.

      Jane Hubert came in just then, and her smile signified good news. “Father never made the slightest objection to the camp idea but he has a still better one for me. He says he will erect Jack’s tent on the lawn under a group of birches that grow near the high brick wall at the back of our place.”

      Then Nita came in. “Miracles will never cease, Miss Miller. Not only is Mama quite reconciled to my camping on the first-story extension roof where there is a concrete flooring and a parapet to three sides, but she is taking an active part in rearranging my bed-room so that I can step in and out of the French windows without falling over cushioned window-seats and gim-cracks standing about.”

      “This is the best news yet, Nita! I felt sure the other girls would have no trouble gaining permission to camp out. Now we only have to hear from Elena, as Zan started in to arrange her tent this noon, I hear.”

      “Oh, Elena told me that she could have her tent on the roof of the side-verandah as planned instead of on the boxed-in porch at the back,” hurriedly informed Jane.

      “Thank goodness we will be able to enjoy the Spirit’s blessing of sweet fresh air that is free for all mankind,” said Miss Miller, earnestly.

      “To say nothing of enjoying a continuation of Woodcraft out-of-doors right in a great city,” added Jane.

      CHAPTER TWO – THE NEW MEMBERS

      Miss Miller had secured permission to use the gymnasium for the weekly Council Meetings of the Woodcrafters, so she was already there when the members of Wickeecheokee Band and the new members appeared to hold Council.

      “Girls, I bought some straw mats at the ten-cent store that I thought we could use about the Council Fire,” said the Guide, as the girls all congregated about her desk.

      “What about those small logs of wood we worked at so hard to bark and smooth down?” asked Nita.

      “I thought we might make them presentable and then cut and paint symbolic totems on them to make them look like genuine Indian seats,” said Miss Miller.

      “Aren’t they quite good enough as they are?” said Eleanor Wilbur, pushing at one of the logs with a slender foot.

      “I thought they were fine when we barked them but now that we are at home and a better idea has been given us I approve of following Miss Miller’s suggestion,” replied Jane.

      “Dad brought home some more of those short fire-place logs when he came back from the farm yesterday. He says we may want these thin logs for some other purpose; and besides, since enrolling our new members we haven’t enough of these present logs for all to use. They ought to be uniform so I say we use the mats until we have the thick logs ready to present the Lodge,” explained Zan.

      “Girls – I have an idea!” cried Elena, the artistic.

      “Hold fast to it or it’ll get away from you,” taunted Hilda, jokingly.

      “S-sh!” said Zan. “Let her go, Lena.”

      “About those thin logs we have on hand: Let’s build an imitation fire-place for our Council Ring to make it look as much as possible like one in a woodland camp!”

      “Couldn’t we place our dish of smoking tinder inside it and make the artifice still better?” asked Jane.

      “Oh I say!” shouted Zan with such emphasis that everyone jumped, and the speaker laughed.

      “Where’s that red tissue paper we had for Decoration Day trimming of the school auditorium?” asked Zan.

      “You’ll find it in the property-room with the other stuff,” replied Elena, who had charge of decorations at school.

      “We’ll line the inside of the logs and when the fire shines through, make it look like a big blaze, eh?” asked Jane.

      “No such thing!” said Zan. “We’ll get the janitor to change that electric bulb from the chandelier and drop it, by wire, down to our fire. Then it will shine as long as we need it.”

      “I’ll run and see if the janitor is around. Will he do it, do you think, Miss Miller?” came from Hilda.

      “I think so, he is very obliging, you know,” replied the Guide.

      “And I’ll get the paper,” remarked Elena.

      “You won’t need to do that, Lena, because I have orange crêpe paper in the closet that I bought when I got the mats. I had much the same idea in mind for those logs,” said Miss Miller, going to the closet while one of the girls ran for the janitor.

      The care-taker of the building not only changed the bulb in a short time but assisted Miss Miller in rolling the logs from the closet to the place where the Council Ring could be arranged. The girls built up a square fire-place with a hollow opening in the middle where the electric bulb soon depended. The paper was fitted inside the square and when the electric current was turned on it looked like a glowing fire.

      This done, four candles were placed at the fire – one at each corner of the square to denote the four corners of the earth.

      “I purchased extra long candles so they would burn two hours, at least. Now that we have the electric bulb we need not waste the extra candles for fire-light but save them for some other occasion,” remarked Miss Miller.

      “Everything ready now for Council?” asked Zan, looking around at the members.

      “Everything we can think of,” responded Jane.

      “Before we open the Council meeting in the usual manner I would like our Chief to read from the Woodcraft Manual for Girls on page 10, where it speaks of initiations and new members,” requested Miss Miller, handing the book to Zan.

      “‘When brought into some new group such as the school or club, one is naturally anxious to begin by making a good impression on the others, by showing what one can do, proving what one is made of, and by making clear one’s seriousness in asking to be enrolled. So also those who form the group: they wish to know whether the new-comer is made of good stuff, and is likely to be a valuable addition to their number. The result is what we call initiation trials, the testing of a new-comer.

      “‘The desire to initiate and be initiated is a very ancient deep-laid impulse. Handled judiciously and under the direction of a competent adult guide, it becomes a powerful force for character building, for inculcating self-control.

      “‘In Woodcraft we carefully select for these try-outs such tests as demonstrate the character and ability of the new-comer, and the initiation becomes a real proof of fortitude, so that the СКАЧАТЬ