Rather pensively she followed the Winnebagos into Mateka after supper for evening assembly, which had been called by Dr. Grayson.  Usually there was no evening assembly; Morning Sing was the only time the whole camp came together in Mateka with the leaders, when all the announcements for the day were made.  When there was something special to be announced, however, the bugle sometimes sounded another assembly call at sunset.

“I wonder what the special announcement is tonight?” Hinpoha asked, coming up with Sewah and Agony.

“I don’t think it’s an announcement at all,” replied Sahwah.  “I think the professor friend of Dr. Grayson’s is going to make a speech.  Miss Judy said he always did when he came to camp.  He’s a naturalist, or something like that.”

Agony wrinkled her forehead into a slight frown.  “I hope he doesn’t,” she sighed.  “My head still aches and I don’t feel like listening to a speech.  I’d rather go canoeing up the river, as we had first planned.”

She sat down in an inconspicuous corner where she could rest her head upon her drawn up knees, if she wished, without the professor’s seeing her, and hoped that the speech would be a short one, and that there would still be time to go canoeing on the river after he had finished.

The professor, however, seemed to have no intention of making a speech.  He took a chair beside the fireplace and settled himself in it with the air of one who intended to remain there for some time.  It was Dr. Grayson himself who stood up to talk.

“I have called you together,” he began, “to tell you about one of the finest actions that has ever been performed by a girl in this camp.  I heard about it from the storekeeper at Green’s Landing, who was told of it by a man who departed on one of the steamers this morning.  This man, who was staying on a farm on the Atlantis Road, and who is suffering from blood-poison in his foot, was taken into the woods in a wheel chair yesterday afternoon and left by himself under a great pine tree at least a hundred feet high.  In the topmost branches of this tree a mother robin became tangled up in a string which was caught in a twig, and she hung there by one foot, unable to free herself, fluttering herself to death.  At this time two girls came through the path in the woods, took in the situation, and quick as thought one of them climbed the tree, swung herself out on the high branch, and cut the robin loose.

“The man who witnessed the act did not find out the names of the two girls, but the one who climbed the tree wore a Camp Keewaydin hat and a dark green bloomer suit.  The other was dressed in brown.  I don’t think there is anyone who fails to recognize the girl who has done this heroic thing.  There is only one green bloomer suit here in camp.  Mrs. Grayson tells me that she gave Agnes Wing permission to go to Atlantis with Mary Sylvester yesterday afternoon.  Where is she?  Agnes Wing, stand up.”