Miss Dodge and Mrs. Marriott conferred together for a few minutes, then Miss Dodge spoke again. “I am glad that it will be Mrs. Marriott’s first privilege, as captain, to bestow the honor of Golden Eaglet on two of the troop, Winifred Merryman and Joanne Selden.”
The two girls went up to receive their badges, Joanne’s heart beating high as Mrs. Marriott, looking down at her with very loving eyes, pinned on her badge of honor.
When the meeting was over Joanne could scarcely wait to fly to her “Muvvie,” though she did linger long enough to give Winnie a little shake and cry, “Oh, Win, you never told me.”
“Told you what?”
“That you had taken all your tests and would become a Golden Eaglet when I did.”
Winnie laughed. “I wanted to surprise you, but I got the surprise of my life when I learned who the new captain was to be.”
“Aren’t you glad?”
“Of course I am. If we had to have a new captain I think we are mighty lucky to have her.”
Then, while the other girls were crowding around Miss Dodge to make their farewells, she went to give her dear friend welcome. “It is so wonderful, so wonderful!” she murmured. “Like a dream. I can’t believe that you and Bob are to be right here in Washington. Tell me how it happened and why I have not known it before.”
“It happened very suddenly. My husband found that business interests would take him down this way, and that probably we must be here for some years, so we decided to settle it at once. I wrote to Mrs. Barry and by good fortune found we could get a house near her if we took it immediately, so we took it ‘on sight unseen’ and here we are. In the meantime Mrs. Barry had been talking to Miss Dodge, who is a great friend of hers, and both of them so besought me to take Miss Dodge’s place as captain of your troop, that I finally consented to do so, for a time at least, so there you are.”