“Have you told him your secret?” Rod inquired.

“Not yet.  I want to surprise him.  You see,” here she lowered her voice, and glanced toward the door, “I am going to write a story.”

“Oh!” Rod’s eyes grew suddenly big.

“Yes, a real story, which has been in my mind for some time.  I am going to change it now and bring you into it.  There were some parts I could not work out, but now I know.  I shall make you a boy scout, a patrol leader, who rescues a cripple girl from the river.”

“What’s a boy scout?” Rod queried.

“Didn’t you ever hear of the scouts?” and Whyn looked her surprise.

“No.  Never heard of them before.”

“Well, isn’t that funny, and you a boy, too.”

“Guess they can’t be much,” Rod replied, somewhat nettled.  “Grandad and Captain Josh know about most everything, and if they haven’t heard of them they can’t be of much account.”

“But they are,” Whyn insisted.  “Douglas was a patrol leader, and he told me what they did.  They met in the school-room of our church, and had such a great time.  They had a supper, too; every month, and when that was over they sang songs and played games.”

“Is that all they did?”

“Oh, no.  They had to work hard, for they had to learn so many things.  To get the tenderfoot badge, they had to know the scout law, how to tie knots, and a whole lot about the flag.”

“H’m, I guess I know about knots,” and Rod gave his head a superior toss.  “Captain Josh taught me about them.”

“But did he teach you how to help people who cut themselves, or break their arms, or if some one falls into the water, how to bring him back to life?”

“Why, no!  Can the scouts do that?”

“Sure they can.  I know of a scout who jumped off a wharf, and rescued a little girl.  When he had her out of the water he brought her back to life, when everybody else thought that she was dead.”

“Gee!” It was all that Rod could say, for he was becoming deeply interested now.

“And they learn more than that,” Whyn continued.  “They talk with flags.”

“Talk with flags!  I never heard of flags talking, and I don’t believe it.”

“Oh, I don’t mean that flags talk,” and Whyn laughed outright.  “The scouts use flags for talking to one another when they are some distance apart; it is called ‘signalling.’”

“How do they do it?”

“Well, one boy will stand, say on a hill, while another is somewhere else, and each has two little flags.  They wave these and whichever way a flag is waved it means a letter.  I did know all the letters myself once, for Douglas taught me.  In that way the scouts can talk with one another as far as they can see.  Soldiers send messages that way, so I understand, and they can warn one another when an enemy is near.”

“My, I would like to know that,” and Rod gave a deep sigh.  “I wonder if Captain Josh knows anything about it.  I am going to ask him, anyway.”