Natalie: A Garden Scout

In Short

Set against the backdrop of post-World War I rural America, this story follows young Natalie as she moves from city life to the ancestral Green Hill Farm. Facing financial uncertainty, she and a small group of friends form a Girl Scout patrol, transforming their summer into a series of practical, entrepreneurial, and character-building adventures. By learning to garden, raise livestock, and operate a small-scale transport service, the girls exchange their "tomboy" labels for a sense of purpose. It remains a charming, period-specific look at the early Girl Scout movement and the romanticized virtues of country living.

The Story

Natalie is a city girl who views the prospect of moving to the remote Green Hill Farm as a devastating loss of social standing and comfort. Her guardian, Mrs. James, is worried about the family’s finances, but a mentor figure named Miss Mason steps in to offer guidance. Miss Mason, an enthusiastic proponent of the Girl Scouts, suggests that the girls use the summer at the farm to sustain themselves through productive labor. Reluctantly, Natalie arrives at the estate, only to be immediately charmed by the historic beauty of the old Colonial house.

Once settled, the girls—Natalie, Janet, Norma, Frances, and Belle—decide to embrace the challenge of country life. Natalie takes on the role of a "Farmerette," carefully planting seeds and learning the basics of vegetable cultivation from a local neighbor, Mr. Ames. Janet, inspired by Natalie’s initiative, decides to become a stock farmer, tackling the responsibilities of raising chickens and pigs. Frances finds her niche in the "service business," utilizing her family’s automobile to provide transport, while Norma looks to cultivate flowers for sale to city-dwellers.

The path is not without its setbacks. Natalie’s garden suffers from hungry chickens and encroaching weeds, while the girls frequently grapple with the physical realities of farm life, such as repairing fences and battling potato beetles. However, through these trials, they develop a profound sense of self-reliance. They immerse themselves in the Scouting for Girls manual, learning the laws and slogans of the organization. As their confidence grows, the local scout group, the "Solomon’s Seal Patrol," officially forms.

By the end of the summer, the girls have successfully transitioned from naive city dwellers to capable young women. Natalie’s garden is flourishing, Janet is planning her next agricultural expansion, and the group has secured their status as an official troop. The summer concludes with the realization that their financial fears were largely unfounded and that the work they performed has fostered a lasting bond. While they initially worried that their social status had vanished, they find that the true wealth lies in the skills they have acquired and the community they have built. They leave the summer behind not as girls who were forced into a rustic exile, but as young scouts who have discovered the value of grit, labor, and friendship.

How It Unfolds

The transition to the country Natalie reluctantly leaves her city life behind to move into the dilapidated, yet charming, Green Hill Farm. Mrs. James and Miss Mason guide her toward the realization that rural work can provide a path to financial stability.

Establishing the ventures The girls divide their labor, with Natalie focusing on a vegetable patch, Janet on livestock, and Frances on a transport service. They rely on the advice of a local farmer, Mr. Ames, to navigate the complexities of planting and animal husbandry.

The scout initiation The group turns to the official Girl Scout manual to provide structure and discipline to their daily efforts. By studying the scout laws and performing tests, they prepare to join the national organization as a formal troop.

Overcoming the setbacks From ruined bean plants to runaway pigs, the girls face a series of small, domestic disasters that test their resolve. They learn to use agricultural powders and build better enclosures, demonstrating their growing maturity and problem-solving abilities.

The arrival of success As the summer draws to a close, the garden begins to produce, and the girls’ businesses show promise. They successfully register as a troop, proving that their initial fear of poverty was replaced by the pride of self-sufficiency.

The People

Natalie is the central figure, a girl who begins the story mourning her lost city life. She is precocious, occasionally stubborn, and prone to dramatic shifts in outlook, but she eventually channels her energy into becoming a diligent gardener. Mrs. James serves as the steady, pragmatic guardian who acts as the bridge between the girls’ youthful idealism and the reality of adult responsibilities.

Miss Mason is the catalyst for the story’s development; she is a proactive mentor who believes in the transformative power of Scouting and the dignity of labor. Janet serves as the group’s "general," a natural leader with a practical mind who eventually finds her calling in the chaotic world of stock farming. Frances is the enterprising one, identifying a market for an "auto-bus" service, while Norma provides the idealistic, almost philosophical, perspective on their work. Rachel, the household help, provides a grounding presence and humorous advice that cuts through the girls' lack of experience. Together, these characters shift from being passive dependents to active, industrious participants in their own future.

In Its Own Voice

"I did not live on a farm such as Natalie's, however, nor was my father a farmer. He liked to 'putter' around the acre of ground after business hours, simply because he enjoyed such recreation."

The author reflects on her own childhood, grounding the story's themes of gardening and self-sufficiency in personal experience.

"Natalie seems to think she is giving up all that is worth living for, by going to live at Green Hill Farm."

Miss Mason describes Natalie's initial, dramatic reluctance to embrace the life-changing move to the country.

"Since I find myself thrown on the mercy of the world, I begin to see how unfounded is one's faith in money or position. One day it is yours and the next it is gone!"

Natalie undergoes a significant shift in perspective, realizing that her true security comes from her actions rather than her status.

What It's Really About

This book explores the transition from adolescence to adulthood through the lens of productive labor and communal service. It argues that character is built not in the parlors of the city, but through the tangible, messy work of the earth. The narrative posits that independence is earned rather than inherited, and that the "scout" philosophy—a mix of discipline, outdoor education, and social cooperation—provides a framework for young women to define their own worth. Underlying the plot is the question of how to reconcile the romanticism of country life with the practical, often difficult, realities of running a household and a business.

Why Read It Today

Readers who enjoy historical depictions of youth movements and the "back to the land" aesthetic will find much to admire here. The book captures the distinct energy of the early 20th-century Girl Scout movement, which emphasizes self-reliance and civic duty in a way that feels earnest and foundational. It offers a warm, low-stakes look at domestic life that feels like a quiet escape into a simpler era.

However, modern readers should be prepared for the period-typical language and attitudes embedded in the text. The dialect used for certain characters, particularly the housekeeper Rachel, reflects the racial and social conventions of 1921, which may feel jarring or insensitive to contemporary audiences. Additionally, the narrative style is didactic, with much of the book focusing on the minutiae of gardening and scouting manuals. While the dialogue can be overly formal and the plot occasionally relies on the convenience of "knowing someone" to solve a problem, the core spirit of the book—the empowerment of young women through their own ingenuity—remains clear. It is best read as a nostalgic artifact of a time when the "Scout" identity was synonymous with personal transformation and the pride of a job well done.