s inquiries.

"That's where all the scouts come in the summer, isn't it?" he queried.

"I'm all alone," said Tom. "You're lucky to have a home up in the
country to come to. And you're lucky to have a job like that too."

"I told you I was lucky," said Archibald Archer.

They walked on in silence for a little while, carrying the bag between
them.

"You've seen something of the war, all right," commented Tom, "and I'll
bet you're not eighteen yet. You sure are lucky! I don't blame you for
calling Germany the blond beast. I wish _I_ could be in it like you."

"Why don't you enlist?"

"I promised I wouldn't--not till I'm eighteen. I got to talk to my
scoutmaster about it, 'cause I said I would. I wouldn't lie about how
old I am, because he says if a feller lies about one thing he'll lie
about another.... I wonder if you'd call it being with the Colors,
working like you do?" he added.

"If you saw Old Glory flying from the stern and did your work with a
life preserver wrapped around you and spent most of your time piking for
subs and practicing emergency drills, just to let old Blondy know he
can't stop us from coming across--you'd say you were with the Colors! If
you stood where I did and saw that little old periscope topple over like
a ninepin and heard Tommy say, 'Go get me another apple, Archie--we'll
hit 'em again for good luck!'--you'd say you were with the Colors, all
right! You might be in the third-line trenches a whole year an' have
nothing to do with yourself but carry buckets and dig in the dirt. _I_
know."

Tom was fascinated.

"All you got to do is say the word," his companion went on, reading his
thoughts. "The steward'll put you on. They only sign you up for one trip
at a time. If you're over sixteen, it's all right. They're taking up the
shore passes to-day. Nobody knows when we'll sail, or even where we're
going--except the captain. If I say I know you, it'll be all right. You
get a hundred and sixty dollars for the trip, and you'll have about two
weeks shore leave on the other side. The principal thing they'll tell
you is about keepin' your mouth shut. Are you good at that?"

"There's nobody can get anything out of me if I don't want to tell,"
said Tom doggedly; "and I think you _are_ with the Colors. _I_ call it
being in the war, and it's what I'd like to do, that's one sure thing!"

"I could tell you a lot of things," said Archer, "only I'm not supposed
to tell 'em to anybody."

"I got to