by Lilian Garis
CHAPTER XII
A DIVERSION NOBLY EARNED
Ted's pleasure, shown when Nora's transformation was revealed to her ina dripping little "pond lily" on the edge of Mirror Lake, was not to becompared with Jerry's joys when he first beheld his Bobbs in the GirlScout uniform. They were waiting for Nora when she returned at lunchtime.
"Pretty kipper, nifty, all right and no kiddin'." These were some of theexclamations he gave vent to.
"But I thought you didn't like little girls in anything but skirts," Tedreminded him.
"I didn't but I do," he replied Jerry-like. "Now what do you say Bobbie,to a try at horse back ridin'?" He always dropped his g's when perfectlyhappy.
"I'd like to try it," admitted Nora proudly. She might not have realizedit but the trim little service costume had already emancipated her. Shewas no longer the creature of catalogued toilet accessories, "send nomoney" and "we guarantee money's worth or money back," etc. The new Norawas like a butterfly leaving its cocoon--although the drying process hadbeen facilitated by the loan of a new blouse and bloomers from theChickadees' wardrobe.
Vita came out to announce lunch and she stood dumbfounded. Vita was notAmericanized to the point of diplomacy.
"You lose your good clothes? Those t'ings not yours?" she asked blandly.
"I have one like this," replied Nora. She did know how to respond tointerference, and had not yet quite forgiven Vita for the attic episode.
"Don't you like it, Vita?" asked Jerry, his brown eyes twinkling. "Wewere thinking of getting you one like it--for your tramps through thewoods, you know."
The Italian woman scowled. She lacked a sense of humor as well as someother details of Americanization.
"Don't tease her, Jerry," Ted ordered. "He is only fooling, Vita," sheassured the perplexed maid, while visions of the fat woman in a jauntylittle Scout uniform filtered through the brains of both Ted and Nora.
During lunch time conversation ran to the important occurrence of themorning, but Ted did not know all about the ducking in the Lake, andsince Betta had cautioned Nora to keep secrets and if necessary to makethem, it seemed unwise to tell every single detail: thus Nora reasoned.So it happened neither Ted nor Jerry knew whether the first swim wasintentional or accidental, and both respected the "secrets of theorder," as Jerry put it.
"The girls are coming over this afternoon with a manual," the candidatesaid as tea was finished, "and then I'll have to do some studying."
"I see where Cap and I will have to paddle our own canoe hereafter,"lamented Jerry. "That's just the way with you girls. I get you all brokein and you race off and join up with the Indians. Well," he sigheddeeply, "I suppose Ted and I and Cap will have to go on our picnicsalone, in spite of all our plans."
"Oh, Cousin Jerry! Did you have a picnic planned!" eagerly asked Nora,leaving her place at the table to join Jerry on the big couch.
"I did but I haven't," he replied, with pretended disappointment. "Whatgood are picnics for Girl Scouts? They want big game with real guns andelephant meat for supper," he finished pompously.
"Oh, Cousin Jerry!" pouted Nora. "If you really had a picnic plannedcouldn't we have it, and couldn't I invite my Scout friends?"
"'Course you could, Kitten," Jerry gave in. "I'll fix up the finestlittle picnic those Scouts ever heard tell of. Just you wait and see."
"But we are going to celebrate privately this evening, Nora," Ted added."How would you like to go to a picture play?"
"Oh, I'd love it, of course. I do so love motion pictures, and theMisses Baily are so fussy about letting any of us go."
"I'll bet," agreed Jerry. "Want you to see Mother Goose and Little JackHorner----"
"Both of which are each," interrupted Ted. "Guess you had better read upyour nursery rhymes, Jerry."
"Well, I didn't take your college course, Theodora, but I went to SundaySchool a lot--had to," he admitted, shamelessly.
"Then, it's all settled for this evening," continued Ted, quite as ifthere had been no break in the conversation. "We will ride into Lenoxand see the 'movies.' I know it's a good picture this week and it isn'tMother Goose either."
"Glad of that. I hate the old lady myself," scoffed Jerry. "Thisafternoon I must go out to moorlands, Ted," he said next, seriously."Suppose you and Nora take the day off and loaf? You did a lot of hardwork this morning----"
"But I want to finish pegging off the west end," Ted interrupted.
"Oh, could I help you, Cousin Ted?" begged Nora. "I would just love todo some real surveying."
"And I would love to have you, certainly. We will rest for one fullhour, then I'll let you carry the chains and drops, and off we go to theWest End. How's that?"
"Lovely. Will Cap come?"
"Sartin sure," declared Jerry. "I never let the youngsters go out onlocation without the big dog, do I Cap?"
Cap brushed his plumy tail against Jerry's elbow and made eyes at hismaster, agreeing with everything he said, as usual.
Later, when the hour's rest had been taken, Nora and Cousin Ted madetheir way to the grounds that were to be surveyed. Nora carried the"chain" which she wanted to call a tape line until Ted explained thatcarpenters had tape lines and surveyors used "chains," and the termreally meant an exact land measurement. The heavy instruments werealready in position, and when the work of measuring the land with hereye, as Nora declared the process to be, was actually begun, theapprentice was quite fascinated.
"Now, show me the cobweb," she insisted as Ted adjusted the delicate eyepiece.
"There. Do you see that mark outside the little drop of alcohol?" askedTed.
"The very small line like that on Miss Baily's thermometer?"
"Yes, the line that frames the drop," explained Ted, "that's the finestsubstance we can get, and it's cobweb."
Nora peered through the telescope. She was seeing a drop of alcoholshift from level to level as Ted moved the transit, but she was thinkingof the night she discovered the cobwebs in the attic. Somehow atticfancies clung to her, tenaciously, and had she been at all superstitiousshe surely would have called the attic unlucky. Just see the troublethat Fauntleroy acting got her into.
"It wouldn't take many webs to make such tiny marks," she said finally,as Ted moved off to "spot a tree." "I guess I won't have to gather manyfor Cousin Jerry for that little marking."
Ted had moved off and with her small hatchet was hacking a piece out ofthe bark of a tree--spotting it, as she termed it. Then she returned tothe telescope and sought the level.
"What's the little weight on the string?" Nora next asked.
"Oh, that's our plumb-bob," replied the surveyor. "Bob shows us justwhen a line is straight. Now watch."
Over a peg in the ground Ted swung the heavy little pendulum, first toright then to the left, and so on until it fell directly on the mark.
"Now see, that is plumb," said Ted.
Nora gazed intently at the drop. "Everything has to be just exactly,hasn't it?" she queried, wondering why. "First, you strain your alcoholwith cobwebs, then you drop your bob on the little peg straight as thestring----"
"That is just where we get the expression from," her companion assuredher. "Nothing can be straighter."
"And how do you get the mark on the tree?"
"Look through the glass again."
So the first lesson in surveying went on. It was fascinating to Nora,and when Ted decided enough land had been "chained off" Nora wanted tomark a few trees for her own use.
"Couldn't I chop a nick in this one? It is so beautiful, and when wecome another day I can add another nick--just like a calendar."
Mrs. Manton readily agreed, so long as Nora did not use a mark thatmight confuse the surveyors; and so interesting was the work, time flewand the afternoon was soon waning.
While in the woods more than once Nora had reason to be thankful for herpractical Scout uniform, for she climbed trees, sought wild grapes fromhigh limbs, gathered wild columbine and enjoyed the wildwoods as only anovice can. Birds scarcely f
lew from the path, and she marvelled theywere so tame, but Ted explained they had no cause for fear, as the woodswere their own and danger would be a new experience to them.
When finally Cap came back from his rambles and it was decided that nomore surveying nor "play-veying" should be indulged in, instruments weregathered again, and reluctantly Nora followed Mrs. Manton out into thepath, newly beaten down by those who had been following spots, bobs,cobwebs, chains, telescopes, compasses, transits and all the otherskilled implements used.
"Are you really a surveyor?" she asked Ted, just wondering what shewould call herself in Barbara's letter.
"Yes, that or a civil engineer," replied Ted. "That is really what Istudied in the famous college course Jerry is always teasing about."
"It is sort of artist work, isn't it?"
"A wonderful sort. Just see what good times I have out among birds,flowers, wildwoods, and the whole clean, untamed world," said TheodoraManton. "Some women may like indoors, but give me the woods and thefields and all of this," she finished, sweeping her free brown handbefore her with a gesture that encompassed glorious creation.
Nora pondered. How many worlds were there after all? How different thiswas from that which she knew at school? Would she ever enjoy the othernow, after all this? She glanced at her scratched hands and smiled. Whatmanicuring would erase those, and yet how precious they would seem whenCousin Jerry would hear what she had done to help with his wonderfulsurveying?
"And we must fix up and look pretty for tonight," said her companion, asif reading Nora's thoughts. "I so seldom want to go out evenings Ireally have to think what to wear."
"Do we dress up?" queried Nora.
"A little, that is we don't wear these," indicating the khaki. "But allthe Lenox folks are professionals in one line or the other, and you knowdear, they always claim a social code of their own."
Nora was not positive she entirely understood, but she guessed thatprofessionals, if they were anything like her Cousin Ted, would wearjust such clothes as they liked best and felt most comfortable in, andshe wondered how such would look in a theatre.
"Another rest, then an early dinner and we'll be off," announced Mrs.Manton when they reached the Nest. "Nora darling, you have made me veryhappy today," the brown eyes embraced Nora while the hands were stillburdened with instruments. "I will write at once to your mother and askher----"
But a shout of Jerry's interrupted the most interesting clause.