ow. I have heard all
that a good many times. What we were talking about was the Scout
organizations, yours and mine. I think they are specially good for us;
for you, because you are an only girl and kind of spoiled by pretty
nearly everybody. Good for me because I am a selfish fellow who likes
to be alone unless I can hang around with Don. We get the combination
of freedom and discipline we both need.

"At first this summer I thought the other fellows were not going to
have much use for my queer notions. I thought they stood for me
because Don is very nearly the most popular Scout in camp. I was kind
of pleased when they chose me to come over to camp and extend the
olive branch to you Girl Scouts."

The thin, brown face was now eager and glowing, but Tory remained as
completely mystified.

"Remember the tableaux your troop of Girl Scouts gave in Westhaven
this spring? They were a great success and I, for one, shall never
forget how you looked as Joan of Arc.

"Ever since our Boy Scout Troop has been trying to get up something as
good. This summer we decided would be our best chance with all the
fellows together and our officers and several members of our Scout
Council staying at camp."

"Yes," Tory replied, beginning to be anxious to go back to Kara and
wishing Lance would finish what he was endeavoring to say.

The other Girl Scouts might come back to camp at any moment. She did
not wish to be discovered seated under a beech tree conversing with
Lance McClain, whose presence at their camp was neither invited nor
desired. Later she would be able to explain, but for the moment she
would not enjoy the position.

Lance smiled.

"I appreciate you are in a hurry, Tory, as well as the other things
you are thinking. You need not believe I wish to be discovered here
until you have had a chance to make things clear to Miss Mason and the
Girl Scouts. But I want to put my proposition to you before you have
your outdoor meeting to-night to decide whether you wish to make
friends once more."

Again Tory was puzzled to understand how Lance could know so much of
their daily program. His next suggestion drove all other thoughts from
her mind.

"To get to the point: After a lot of reading and discussion we have
concluded to close our summer holiday with an outdoor pageant. I
suppose one should call it a pageant. We are not going to do exactly
what other people have been doing all summer. We don't intend to
present New Eng