or
two for long distance swimming, and we are going to turn you into a
little fish as soon and as painlessly as we can. So that's all of that!
Riding, too. I know you can ride that speck of a pony out there, but you
must have a horse now, a real _horse_. I meant to get each of you one
but I suppose Mrs. Hargrave will think that it is her privilege to get
one for Elise."

"Did you feel as though you wanted to spend as much money as two saddle
horses would cost?"

"I certainly did," said Uncle Robert. "Why?"

"Well, if you do feel like that, wouldn't it be nice if Helen could have
that other one?"

"Rosanna, you have got a brain," said Uncle Robert, patting her hand.
"The very thing! One more thing settled. Now about this Girl Scout
business. What is it, anyway?"

"I can't tell you all about it myself," said Rosanna, "but the daughter
of a friend of grandmother's who is at the head of the troop we hope to
join is coming over soon to tell me all about it."

"Another little girl?" asked Uncle Robert.

"No," said Rosanna, "she is a real grown-up young lady; quite old. About
twenty, I think, but Helen has met her, and she says she is just as nice
as she can be. And grandmother says so too; so it must be so."

"It is if mother says so," said Uncle Robert, smiling. "She is hard to
please in the matter of 'quite old young ladies.' Well, go on."

"There is a book on that table that tells you all about it," said
Rosanna. "Why, they learn to do _every_thing, Uncle Robert! And they
camp out, and have meetings!"

"And passwords and secret signs and all that, I suppose," said Uncle
Robert, laughing.

"You get to know lots and lots of other girls, too," said Rosanna.

"I suppose you do, you poor starved little thing!" said Uncle Robert.
"Well, you are going to be one anyhow, for better or for worse, and we
will run Elise in. She will have a bad time at first getting used to
American children and their ways, but I want to knock off about ninety
years from her score. She is too old for any use. It's awful to see a
kiddie so settled and grown up."

"Mrs. Hargrave is just the one to have her then," said Rosanna, "because
Mrs. Hargrave isn't any age at all, really. She looks old on the
outside, but she is just as young as Helen and me. She actually makes up
things to play! And she can dress paper dolls bea-_u_-ti-fully. Elise
will love her right off. Mrs. Hargrave said she wanted to be a Girl
Scout herself, but she thought