The Camp Fire Girls Behind the Lines

by Margaret Vandercook

  CHAPTER V

  Abalone Shells

  After their summer holiday together at the Grand Canyon the Sunrise CampFire girls had been separated during the previous winter, returning totheir own homes. Nevertheless, they kept in touch with one another and,as a matter of fact, among the seven girls only Gerry Williams' historyhad remained a mystery to the others.

  From the moment of her appearance upon the west-bound train with Mrs.Burton, who had introduced her as the new member of their Camp Firegroup, not a word had been spoken concerning Gerry's past. Mrs. Burtonmust have regarded her friendship as a sufficient guarantee, since everafterwards she and Gerry had continued equally reticent, not evenconfiding under what circumstances they originally had learned to knoweach other.

  Naturally such secrecy aroused a certain degree of curiosity, and nowand then one of the Camp Fire girls would ask Gerry a question, thinkingher answer must betray some small fact in her past. But either she wouldevade the question or else politely decline to answer.

  She was poor--no one could continue blind to this actuality--but whetherher parents were living or dead, whether she had any other relatives, noone could find out from Gerry herself or from her Camp Fire guardian.

  In truth, Gerry made no effort to conceal how intensely disagreeable sheconsidered a lack of money, freely announcing that poverty always hadbeen the bane of her past existence and that she asked nothing more fromthe future than to be safely delivered from it.

  Occasionally some one would whisperingly question whether Mrs. Burtonwould continue her bounty to Gerry when the Camp Fire holidays wereover; yet no one had sufficiently bad taste to make this inquiry. Mrs.Webster knew no more than the others. She made no effort to keep up withher Sister Polly's many generosities, which were frequently as erraticas the lady herself. Only to her husband would Mrs. Burton confide theextent of her efforts to help other people. She preferred doing thingsin her own way.

  One circumstance was freely discussed between Mrs. Burton and herprotege. During the past winter Gerry had developed a desire to studyart and Mrs. Burton had arranged for her lessons. Yet Gerry made nopretense of having any especial talent or of being very deeplyinterested in her work. She was also frank in stating that she did notcare a great deal for the outdoor camping life, aside from the fact thatMrs. Burton considered the influence of living with the other Camp Firegirls of value to her. The great attraction in the experience for Gerry,as she freely stated, was the opportunity it offered to be near herfamous friend.

  Nevertheless, after a winter's study at the Art Institute in Chicago,Gerry had learned to make pretty outdoor studies of flowers and othersmall objects. She had a good deal of feeling for color and design,which she declared due to her interest in clothes. Her Camp Fireguardian encouraged her attention to art as much as possible, oftenexcusing Gerry from everyday tasks, that she might give more time to hersketching.

  Just why she should be thus favored the other Camp Fire girls did notunderstand, yet Gerry appreciated the reason.

  Also less was always expected of her, and her weaknesses were morereadily forgiven. The one foolish act of revenge upon Bettina had causedthe only serious difficulty with her Camp Fire guardian, and apparentlyeven this had been forgotten.

  On the morning of their excursion Gerry had announced that she wished tospend the day sketching along the coast and that Sally had been kindenough to agree to accompany her.

  The greater part of the time the two girls were extremely intimate andif now and then a slight coolness arose between them it never continuedlong, as they had too many common bonds of interest.

  Both girls were charmingly pretty and an entire contrast. Sally Ashton'seyes and hair were brown, her lips full with an up-ward curve and herskin, which the sun and wind never seemed to tan, as soft and white as ababy's. She was small and plump and her figure had no angles.

  One might have been deluded by Sally's yielding and feminine appearanceinto the impression that she could be easily influenced by strongernatures than her own. The fact is that Sally was never really influencedexcept when she chose to be.

  Realizing this, Mrs. Burton made no effort to interrupt her friendshipwith Gerry Williams, which was just as well since nothing is moredifficult than to interfere with a friendship between two girls who feela mutual attraction and see each other frequently.

  Gerry Williams' prettiness was of a more unusual character. She had thedelicate fairness which one so rarely sees in its perfection. Her hairwas a pale gold, yet the gold was undeniably there. Her eyes were lightblue and held the clearness, the indelible, transparent blueness ofcertain pieces of rare old china. Her small head was set upon a ratherlong fair throat and as she walked with a peculiar lightness and graceit was almost as if she might at any moment break into dancing steps.About Gerry's nature there were elements which were frankly commonplace,nevertheless her appearance suggested one of the dancing figures upon anancient Greek frieze.

  This morning she and Sally wore their everyday Camp Fire costumes, andbecause it was cool their Navajo sweater coats, Gerry's a bright scarletand Sally's an Oxford blue. They intended being away all day, andbesides Gerry's sketching outfit they carried their luncheon.

  The girls had chosen to go in the direction of the artists' colony onlya few miles away. Over both the water and land there was the haze of theearly hours at the seaside, and yet the mist was only a light one andmore agreeable than the hot sun which would come later in the day.

  The land was gay with flowers. On the hillside there were tall bunchesof cacti, one variety bearing a bright yellow flower like a silkenpoppy. The ordinary jimson weed grew so large that each blossom lookedlike a great white lily.

  On the side toward the beach the tiny beads of water glistening amid therose color of the ice plants shone like tiny fairy jewels.

  Past the groups of houses which presumably sheltered famous artists aswell as amateurs, perhaps with no more ability than Gerry, the two girlswandered on, absorbed in their own conversation.

  They were not especially disappointed at finding no one in theneighborhood of the colony who seemed to be of interest. There werethree or four girls idling in one of the yards who stared curiously asthe Camp Fire girls passed, but Sally and Gerry paid but slightattention to them in return, having previously confessed to each otherthat they were a little tired of so much feminine society.

  A tall old gentleman with a white, closely trimmed beard strode by,carrying a large canvas under his arm. He frowned portentously, as if hewould have the girls appreciate that he was a genius in the grasp of acreative impulse and so must not be disturbed. Neither Sally nor Gerryhad the faintest impulse toward disturbing him, yet his appearancesuggested a train of thought to Sally.

  "I wonder, Gerry, why you decided so suddenly that you wished to studyart?" she said. "Until this summer I have never even heard you mentionthe subject. Do you intend making a business of it some day? You won'tmind my speaking of this, but you have always said you had to dosomething or other to make your own living."

  Instead of replying at once Gerry hummed the first line of a song, alsomoving on so quickly that Sally, who was averse to violent exercise, haddifficulty in keeping up with her.

  "Certainly not, Sally," she answered finally. "Besides, if I ever shoulddevelop such a foolish idea, who do you think would buy my silly littlepictures, except perhaps Mrs. Burton? I do wish she were my real aunt; Iam oftentimes jealous of Peggy. But really I began studying art lastwinter chiefly on her account. She insisted that I should not idle awayall my time, so I concluded that I would prefer being an art student toattending a regular school.

  "Mrs. Burton was delighted, because she thinks it would be a good planfor me to become a dressmaker or a designer. I am so fond of clothes andshe believes the art lessons will be of value to my future work.However, my dear Sally, nothing is further from my own expectations. Youand I for different reasons must make marriage our career. You werecreated for domesticity and I, well, I simply must marry some
one withmoney. I used to hope that Mrs. Burton might do a great deal for me someday, before I knew about her own family and her Camp Fire group. Now Irealize that she only intends helping me to help myself, as the highlymoral phrase goes."

  "But haven't you any people of your own, or any close friends?" Sallydemanded with the persistency which belonged to her disposition. Half adozen times before she had asked this same question without receiving asatisfactory reply.

  Gerry only laughed good naturedly. Sally's curiosity amused her.

  "_No_ people and _no_ friends I care to talk about, my dear. You know Ihave told you this several times before."

  In spite of the fact that by this time the girls had walked for three orfour miles, up until now Gerry had not suggested sitting down to beginher sketching. At this moment she moved over to the edge of a cliff,glancing down at the beach below.

  "Come, Sally, see what a fascinating place I have discovered. Suppose weclimb down to the beach; you must be tired and I may be able to work fora little while. I do want to have something to show Mrs. Burton as aresult of our day."

  On the beach the girls saw a little wooden hut with a huge kettle filledwith boiling water standing before the door. Half a mile or more out inthe ocean two Japanese fishermen were diving for the famous abaloneshells, while on the sands a dozen of the shells, having been thoroughlycleansed, now lay drying in the sun; their inner surfaces ofmother-of-pearl held all the colors of the dawn.