The Camp Fire Girls Behind the Lines

by Margaret Vandercook

  CHAPTER VIII

  Felipe

  As soon as Mrs. Burton and his father were out of sight Felipe begansinging:

  "I will make you brooches and toys for your delight Of bird-song at morning and star-shine at night. I will make a palace fit for you and me, Of green days in forests and blue days at sea.

  "I will make my kitchen and you shall keep your room Where white flows the river and bright blows the broom And you shall wash your linen and keep your body white In rainfall at morning and dewfall at night.

  "And this shall be for music when no one else is near, The fine song for singing, the rare song to hear! That only I remember, that only you admire, On the broad road that stretches and the roadside fire."

  Then Felipe's song ended, and yet it seemed to Gerry that she couldstill hear the inflections of his voice.

  "Thank you; that was lovely. I did not know I cared so much for musicbefore," the girl answered simply and without the least touch ofcoquetry which one might have expected of a girl like Gerry in suchsurroundings. "But what an exquisite voice you have and what a beautifulnight it is! I am sure I do not remember another half so lovely."

  Then Gerry leaned forward a little so that she could see more clearlyout into the garden.

  "I don't wonder you feel that you cannot give all this up," shecontinued, with a graceful movement of her hand. "It seems to me wickedthat you should be forced into the war, hating it as you do and perhapsspoiling your future as a singer. I agree with you, one ought to livehis own life. All men are not equally fitted to be soldiers."

  Gerry spoke with an unexpected vehemence which rather surprised her. Forthe past hour Felipe Morris had been pouring forth his side of the warproblem to her, but as he was an entire stranger there was no especialreason why she should be so disturbed over the thought of his beingforced to enter the army.

  "I suppose I understand why you so hate giving up your home and yourlife here on the ranch and your music and all the rest, because I havenever had a home of my own, or any possessions of much value," Gerryended in a quieter voice and manner.

  "You possess nothing of value!" Felipe Morris repeated, and although hesaid nothing more Gerry felt oddly flattered and happy.

  Then Felipe laughed unexpectedly.

  "I wonder if you realize, Miss Williams, that we have seen each otherbefore tonight, probably about ten days or more ago? My friend MertonAnderson and I chanced to be spending the night at San Juan Capistranowhen you and your friends rode into the old mission town. You don't knowhow much curiosity your appearance excited. You gave the old town thegreatest thrill it has had in a long time. You see the little town ismore than half foreign; there are Spaniards and Mexicans and half-breedIndians. You were dressed in a kind of compromise Indian costume, anddown there we had never seen or heard of the Camp Fire. Merton and I hidourselves on one of the verandas and sang a duet for your benefit. Thenlater, when it was too dark for us to see one another distinctly, wefollowed your party about the mission grounds."

  Gerry frowned and then blushed a little from embarrassment.

  "Were you wearing Mexican costumes? I confess Sally and I did becomeinterested in you, but we supposed of course that you were eitherMexicans or Spaniards. Your song was in Spanish so that we could notunderstand it."

  "Shall I sing to you in Spanish now?" Felipe returned. "I speak thelanguage as readily as I do English. You see my mother was of Spanishorigin and she and an old nurse who lives near here always spoke inSpanish to me when I was a kid. You were right about the Mexicancostumes. Anderson and I had been over into Mexico for a few days andwere on our way home. I like to escape over there now and then whenlife at the ranch becomes too slow. I can be mistaken for a Mexican whenI wish and it is sometimes amusing."

  Gerry nodded, preferring to have Felipe talk to her rather than to offerhim confidences. Oddly she was wishing tonight that she had read as manybooks as the other Camp Fire girls and had enjoyed the same advantages.

  "Then you saw all seven of us at Capistrano?" she asked at length;adding, "There are five other girls in our Camp Fire group."

  Felipe laughed. "Yes, I saw all of you, yet it was you alone Iremembered," he murmured with true Spanish gallantry.

  "Thank you for that compliment, although obviously I fished for it,"Gerry returned, smiling. "But won't you tell me, now that the draft hasbeen ordered and your number called, how are you going to manage toescape? Of course I shall not speak to any one else of what you tellme."

  "I am glad enough to tell you," Felipe Morris continued boyishly. "Youcan't imagine how hard it has been to have no one to sympathize withme. I have wished many times since war was declared that my mother wasalive and I could have talked the situation over with her. My father, asI told you, is dead against me. He thinks I am a renegade and a disgraceto him and to his name, and a lot of stuff like that. It seems hisbrothers all fought in the Civil War and were officers and it has beenthe regret of his life he was too young. I wish he had the chanceoffered him now instead of me," he concluded like a surly boy, with allhis gallantry departed.

  "But what are you going to do?" Gerry insisted, her interest in himremaining so far unaffected by his attitude.

  "Oh, I am too plagued healthy, so the doctor won't help me out. I hopedto be released on the score of ill health at first. But later I sent ina claim saying I could not be released for war service because I was thesole support of my parent and had to be left here to look after theranch. I don't see why raising beans cannot be considered war work?Father insists he can run the place himself and I am afraid he won'tstand by me when the exemption board asks him concerning the truth ofmy claim. Pretty tough when a fellow's own father is anxious to get himoff his hands to the extent of possibly being killed."

  Felipe laid his guitar down on the piazza and in spite of the fact thathe must have been at least twenty-two or twenty-three years old, Gerryfound herself with a ridiculous desire to comfort him.

  "It is just a difference of opinion," she said softly. "I don't believeif I were you I would blame my father, and he should have the samerespect for you. I never thought of the question before, but I havedecided tonight I do not believe in the draft. Isn't there anything elseyou can do, if this one exemption claim fails?"

  Felipe Morris rose up, shrugging his shoulders impatiently. He was soforeign in his appearance that the movement seemed natural.

  "Oh, yes, I can slip away into Mexico and remain until the war is over.I have been thinking of it as a possibility. But of course if I amcaught I shall be put into prison as a deserter."

  Then he stood gazing down upon Gerry with a bewildered expression.

  "I wonder why I have entrusted my fate to you in this fashion? Youunderstand that if you should ever tell what I have confided to you,things would be all over with me."

  Gerry also rose. "Shall we walk about your garden for a little?" shesaid. "I am tired of sitting still so long. I expect Mrs. Burton will behere in a little time and think we should go to bed. But you need notworry with regard to my ever mentioning a word of what you have said tome--not under any possible circumstances."

  Then as they wandered about the tiny garden Felipe gathered a bunch ofthe small white and yellow roses.

  "Keep these in your room tonight."

  Afterwards discovering that Mrs. Burton and his father had returned tothe garden and were coming toward them, he added hurriedly:

  "Tell me, please, when and where I can see you again, alone? It hasmeant so much to me to be able to talk to you so freely and I have anidea we are going to be friends."

  "But you have agreed to come over to our camp," Gerry answered, feelingat the same time that she would like selfishly to preserve Felipe'sinterest entirely for herself. Of course when he was introduced to theother Camp Fire girls he would naturally take less pleasure in hersociety.

  "Oh, yes, indeed, I am coming to your camp. Anderson and I would notmiss the opportunity for a good deal. But I want to see y
ou by yourself,not with a dozen other people chattering around. Surely you can manageto make an engagement to see me alone. You would if you liked me half asmuch as I do you."

  Again Felipe spoke like a spoiled boy, but Gerry had no time to reply,for at this instant Mrs. Burton and Mr. Morris reached them.

  Truth to tell, she had a distinct sense of relief as, slipping her arminside her Camp Fire guardian's, together they said their formalgood-nights.

  Already Felipe Morris was demanding more of Gerry than either of themrealized.