CHAPTER VIII
THE PEACE PICNIC
This is the story of Molly Sefton's great peace picnic, which was heldon the following Saturday afternoon. It didn't seem funny at the time;in fact, nobody could have been more serious or in earnest than Mollywhen she planned the picnic. But afterward--!
At any rate, here is what happened:
In the first place, the game with Grant City had done one very goodthing, among many others. After seeing Buck stop Grant's trick play,Master Specs changed his mind about not muddying a football suit thatseason. He would not admit, of course, that Buck could compare withBunny; but he began to feel that Buck had some good points, after all.So he was back in the squad, trying hard for an end position and with afair chance of winning the place. That was one difficulty ironed out.
"But here's the reason for the picnic," Molly chattered to Bunny theday before. "First, I want the Black Eagle Patrol to like Rodman Cree;and, second, I want the rest of the school to like you Scouts. Nowif we have a nice, jolly picnic, everybody will get acquainted andunderstand everybody else. You see, they all have wrong ideas abouteach other. For instance, Specs thinks Rodman isn't good for anything."
"Well--I," admitted Bunny cautiously, "he isn't much of a track athleteor football player."
"But he can play baseball. I know he can. I saw him bat the first dayof school, even if he does say he hit the ball accidentally."
Bunny agreed. "All right. We'll take along a bat and ball and a coupleof gloves, and maybe Specs and the others will like him better afterthey see him play."
"Of course." Molly was growing more and more enthusiastic. "As for theothers: Peter Barrett thinks you are a lot of snobs and won't associatewith fellows who happen to have patches on their clothes and that kindof thing; Buck Claxton says that you try to run things, and that ifanybody outside the patrol has a plan, you oppose it, just because youdidn't happen to think of it first; Royal Sheffield thinks you are abunch of sissies, who don't dare walk across the road without askingpermission from your Scout Master; Genevieve Chester says you hate herbecause she was elected president of the student association, and arealways hoping something awful will happen to her; Clarence Prisslerhonestly believes you never think of a thing but athletics, and aren'tinterested in books or education--and you know he is planning to be ateacher." Molly paused to take breath. "Now, I say that if we havea nice, lively, get-acquainted picnic, everybody will find out hismistakes. Don't you think so?"
Whatever Bunny really thought made no difference, because the picnicwas already under way; and at precisely two o'clock Saturday afternoonsome thirty-five boys and girls, accompanied by Mrs. Sefton, boardedthree borrowed launches and crossed the lake to Turkey Point.
And this is how everybody succeeded in misunderstanding everybody else.
_How Specs Found He had been Mistaken in Rodman Cree_
"How about playing a little scrub ball?" proposed Bunny atthree-fifteen that afternoon. "You come in on this, Rodman."
Rodman Cree wrinkled his nose in perplexity. "But I can't playbaseball. You know I can't. I've told you so."
"Oh, rats! You knocked a home run that first day of school, and you cando it again. Come on, Buck; let's choose up."
The game lasted only three innings, for by that time the girls hadstarted a marshmallow roast; but it was quite long enough. In the firstinning, Rodman played third until he had muffed two perfect throws,when Bunny shifted him to the outfield. Here he misjudged an easy flyand strained to correct his error by throwing the ball twenty feetover the head of Bi, who was wildly trying to nip a runner at second.
At bat, in the third inning, with two out, bases full, and Bob Kiproypitching a straight ball, poor Rodman had his last shred of reputationremoved.
Three times Kiproy pitched wide, high balls. Rodman scraped the dusttrying to hit, and lunged two feet across the plate trying to hit, andjumped high in the air trying to hit.
And he never touched the ball.
"I see I was mistaken," observed Specs, as he walked in from third,where he had been stranded high and dry as a runner. "I thought he wassome good at baseball, anyhow, but he's no good at anything."
_How Peter Barrett Observed the Way Scouts Regarded Patched Clothes_
At four o'clock Peter Barrett was walking in a little grove back ofan open field, attempting to memorize a poem for Monday's class.Also, between times, he was endeavoring to be fair to the Black EaglePatrol; for a talk with Molly had convinced him that perhaps he hadmade a mistake in supposing the Scouts to be snobs. At this juncture,he caught sight of Bunny, legs apart, talking defiantly to a raggedyoungster from the nearest farm.
"No, you can't come in here," Bunny was saying shortly. "We have thisplace for the afternoon. You will have to go somewhere else."
"But I won't hurt anything."
Bunny became even sharper. "I've told you already to go home. Run alongnow. We don't want you here, and you know why. Hurry up!"
Reluctantly and sorrowfully, the boy in the ragged clothes turned andslouched back to the farmhouse.
"Exactly!" said Peter Barrett grimly to himself. "Just what I thoughtright along. They're snobs. They haven't any use at all for poor folks."
_How Buck Claxton Tested the Scouts' Willingness to Co-operate withOutsiders_
Five o'clock had come, with the time for serving the lunch broughtby the girls still two hours away, when a bright idea dawned on BuckClaxton.
"What do you say to this?" he began enthusiastically to Roundy. "Abouta quarter of a mile down the road, there is a little store where theysell ice cream. Suppose we all chip in and buy enough for the crowd? Itwould be a nice thing to do."
Roundy's face assumed a wistful expression, and he nodded his head."But I--I'm afraid I can't," he declined.
Buck turned to Nap. "How about you?"
"Waterloo!" said Nap firmly. "Can't think of it!"
"Busted!" added S. S. lamely.
Four other Scouts gave the same answer.
"Oh, all right!" remarked Buck, with a superior smile on his face."I'll see some of the others."
A little later, he came back with ice cream for everybody. But no Scouthad paid for even one little frozen chunk.
_How Royal Sheffield Discovered Whether the Scouts Dared Cross the RoadWithout Asking Permission_
At five-thirty, to the west of the picnic grounds, Royal Sheffield andS. S. observed a husky young farmer blazing away at a tin can with arifle.
"That's my cousin," observed S. S.
"Fine!" exclaimed Sheffield. "We'll borrow the rifle, pay for somecartridges, and have a big shooting match."
S. S. seemed troubled. "I don't think we ought to do that," heobjected. "Horace Hibbs isn't here, and somebody might get hurt."
Sheffield stared in amazement. "We would shoot at a target, of course,"he explained.
S. S. continued stubborn. "There are too many of us. Somebody might getshot."
"Tell you what we will do, then: you and I will slip over there and gethim to give us a couple of shots."
S. S. was more embarrassed than ever. "No, I don't think we ought to dothat, either, Roy. No, we certainly ought not to do that." He turnedtoward the picnic crowd. "Let's get back to the bunch. Maybe they arestarting something. Yes, let's go back."
"All right!" snorted Sheffield contemptuously. "But it's too badHorace Hibbs won't be here when we eat."
"Why?" S. S. asked innocently.
"If he isn't here, how will you know whether you may eat two kinds ofsandwiches and cake, and how hot you may drink your coffee?"
And Royal Sheffield walked away, leaving S. S. without an answer.
_How Marion Genevieve Chester Proved (to Her Own Satisfaction) How Muchthe Scouts Cared for Her_
It was ten minutes past six when Bi and Marion Genevieve Chester, verygay in her new red dress, started over to a little spring to get waterfor the coffee. Bi suggested skirting the rail fence to the lane,instead of cutting across fields.
Marion Ge
nevieve tossed her head. "What's the use of being in thecountry if you can't walk on the grass. You go any way you want to. I'mgoing straight across."
Bi's shoe had become untied, and he was stooping to lace it when wildscreams, mingled with angry bellowing, came from the field into whichMarion Genevieve had ventured. Looking up, he saw the girl dashingtoward the fence, her mouth open and her eyes wide with fright.Meanwhile, the bellowings grew loud and furious.
"Oh, you're all right," he called, as she reached the fence. "You haveplenty of time."
For a bit, due to her frightened exhaustion, it looked as if MarionGenevieve might not be able to climb over the fence. Bi saunteredtoward her.
"Come on," he said. "You're all right."
"If I am all right," snapped Marion Genevieve, once more out of thefield, "it's not your fault. For all you cared, that bull could havetossed me over, and you wouldn't have made a move to help me."
"But--"
"Yes, and I believe you knew the bull was in there all the time, andyou never said a word about it." She pointed her finger at him. "Didn'tyou know the bull was in there?"
"Why, yes," said the hapless Bi. "I did, of course, but--"
"Then don't you ever dare to speak to me again, you hateful boy."
And with this farewell, Marion Genevieve Chester flounced angrily backto the picnickers, leaving Bi and the pail by the side of the fence.
_How Clarence Prissler Interviewed the Scouts to Learn Their Views onEducational Matters_
It was the shouts of laughter that drew Molly to the bit of sandy beachnear the boat landing. Lunch was ready, and she crossed over to let thejolly ones know about the coming meal.
There were three principal actors and two spectators in the group.Specs, Jump and little Prissler stood in line on the sand, while BobKiproy and Jim Collins, stretched at full length, were doing most ofthe laughing. Around Prissler's waist circled a sort of rope harness,with a dangling line on each side. These ends, at the moment when theboy began his somersault in the air, were grasped by Jump and Specs.
"I'm not going to try it again," whined Clarence Prissier. "I'm notgoing to; that's all there is to it."
"Oh, you're coming along in fine style," said Jump comfortably. "Nevermind those fellows. Just try it once more."
"Go on," Specs commanded. "We're waiting."
"Yes, try it again, Prissy," said Kiproy feebly, between shrieks oflaughter.
"I'm not--"
"We're waiting," snapped Specs, giving the rope a tug.
Prissier bent his knees, swung back his arms, and then, with adesperate leap, essayed a back flip through the air. It was notforceful enough, however, and he came down on his hands and knees.Though Specs and Jump kept him from crashing, he landed hard enough tolurch forward into the sand.
Kiproy and Collins rolled over in violent laughter.
"You're getting it," said Jump encouragingly. "You're getting it."
"Sure, you're getting it," agreed Specs.
"But I tell you, I don't want to get it," protested Prissier, rubbingthe sand out of his clothes. "And what's more, I'm not going to do itagain."
Molly interrupted. "Lunch is ready," she said, in a voice so differentfrom her ordinary tones that Specs looked at her in astonishment.
"What's the matter?" he ventured, after Clarence Prissier, still weaklycomplaining, had managed to slip the rope from his waist and waswalking with the others toward the spread tablecloths.
"You know well enough what the matter is," said Molly severely; "and ifyou're not ashamed. I'm ashamed for you." Deliberately, she turned herback on him.
* * * * *
The balance of the evening was not a success. Though the picnic lunchwould have satisfied anybody, the picnickers felt ill at ease. TheScouts were uncomfortable, and Buck, Barrett, Sheffield, Prissier andCompany were more so, to say nothing of Marion Genevieve Chester. Eventhe launch ride around the lake, which ended the picnic, was a dismalfailure, because nobody seemed to want to sing. When the party brokeup, it made about as much noise as so many homeward-bound rabbits.
Almost in tears, Molly Sefton walked home with her mother, accompaniedby Bunny as basket bearer.
"It--it all went wrong." Molly was very near sobbing as she said goodnight. "Oh, why did you do it? I tried so hard, and Specs and Biand--and everybody just went and spoiled everything. I heard all aboutit."
Bunny looked genuinely astonished. "What did we do that was wrong? Youcan't blame me because Rodman can't play ball. I didn't know he wasgoing to pieces like that."
"It wasn't just Rodman. Why did you keep that poor little boy with theragged clothes from coming over to the picnic? We had enough to eat fora dozen more. Peter Barrett said you chased him away. Why did you doit?"
Bunny heaved a sigh of relief. "There was a scarlet fever sign on thehouse. When I found he lived there, I told him to go away and stayaway. I couldn't do anything else, could I?"
"No," admitted Molly. "But why wouldn't any of you help buy the icecream?"
"We spent our last cent paying for gasoline for the three launches. Weborrowed the boats, but we had to pay for the gas. None of us had apenny left."
"S. S. wouldn't borrow his cousin's rifle, even for a single shot."
"S. S. told me about that. He was right to argue against bringing thegun over for any target shooting. There were too many of us; it wouldhave been dangerous. But it would have been more dangerous for RoySheffield if S. S. had taken him over where his cousin was, thoughRoy doesn't know it. You see, about two years ago, this cousin wasdriving in town, and Roy threw a newspaper in front of the rig, whichfrightened the horse so much it nearly ran away. The fellow has had itin for him ever since."
Molly thought for a moment. "Bi let Marion Genevieve Chester get almostkilled by a wild bull. He knew it was in that field, and he saw thatshe had on a red dress."
"There wasn't a bit of danger," Bunny laughed. "The bull was tied upand fenced off from that field. Anyhow, Marion Genevieve was never asclose as fifty yards to the bull. She never even saw it."
"You'll admit that was an awful thing they did to poor little ClarencePrissler."
Bunny grinned. "I was to blame for that. You see, Molly, I thought itbest not to tell the boys about those people who don't like us, becauseI figured that if we just acted natural they would find out that wedon't mean to be snobbish or stingy or anything else low-down. But Idid tell the Scouts about Prissy's thinking we weren't interested inlearning things. So when Clarence went up to Jump and began to askquestions about the circus, and how the acrobats got to be acrobats,and all that, why, Specs insisted that Jump teach Prissy the back flip.Honestly, Molly, I believe Specs thought he was doing the right thing."
Molly and Bunny looked at each other. Then the girl, brushing her handacross her eyes, broke into a laugh, in which the boy joined.
"It is funny," she said. "I didn't see it that way before, but it isfunny. Only everything's in a worse tangle now than it ever was before."
"But we'll fix it," Bunny said. "We'll fix it somehow."
Boy Scouts of Lakeville High Page 9