"I wish I could take all twelve," she concluded; "but I suppose it's more fun because of the competition."
"I'm going to stay up every night, all night!" declared Ruth; "just studying to pass!"
"So long as you don't kidnap any more children, Ruth, you're all right!" tantalized Ada, who could never forget Ruth's vain attempt the previous summer to pass the first-class examination.
Dismissing the subject, Miss Phillips remarked,
"You know, Miss Martin wanted our troop to come over and demonstrate Scouting early in the fall, but I wouldn't go until we had three patrols. Then, on account of the rush of Christmas time, we put it off until after the new year. So—be prepared for a shock—we are going to-morrow afternoon!"
"To-morrow afternoon!" echoed Ethel. "But Captain——"
"I know, Ethel; I realize I am asking a great deal. But listen to my reasons:
"First, the date suits Miss Martin; second, it suits Mr. Remington and the Boy Scouts; and third, it's going to snow."
The girls listened in open-mouthed amazement to these reasons. What could the Boy Scouts, Mr. Remington, and the condition of the weather—especially a stormy one—have to do with a trip to Miss Martin's? But no one uttered a sound; the girls simply waited for an explanation, for they all thought they had not heard their Captain correctly.