“No, indeed,” said Mrs. Horton. “I don’t know, you see. I only suspect.”
So Uncle Robert went away, and Gwenny was off at the hospital, and Rosanna and Helen spent all their time drilling Elise in the requirements of the Tenderfoot examination. Elise was quick to learn, but she found more difficulty in learning this because her knowledge of English was of course limited. The girls were anxious to make a brilliant showing with their recruit.
Over and over they drilled her in the Tenderfoot examination, at the last requiring her to write the answers to the examination paper which read as follows:
| TENDERFOOT EXAMINATION, | ||
| WRITTEN | ||
| 1 | a | Give the Scout promise. |
| b | What does the Scout motto mean? | |
| 2 | Give the Scout laws in order. | |
| 3 | a | What is the purpose of the Scout movement? |
| b | What does a Scout’s honor mean? | |
| c | Give the meaning of one law. | |
| d | How and when should the Scout salute be given? | |
| e | Explain the Scout badge. | |
| 4 | a | Who made the American flag? |
| b | Why was a flag needed? | |
| c | In what city was it made? What year? | |
| d | Name the committee appointed to design it. | |
| 5 | a | Quote General Washington’s words about the flag. |
| b | When was the flag officially adopted? | |
| c | Describe the first official flag of the stars and stripes. | |
| 6 | a | What do the stars represent? The stripes? |
| b | For what do the colors, red, white and blue stand? | |
| c | How many stars has the flag now? What day is Flag day? | |
| d | When is a new star added and why? | |
| 7 | Give fully the respect due the flag. | |
| 8 | a | What should Scouts do when the National Anthem is played? |
| b | What should Civilians do at Retreat? Scouts? | |
| 9 | a | What is the United States Government? |
| b | Who is at its head? | |
| c | Name the Commissioners of the District of Columbia. | |
| 10 | a | Write America. |
| b | Write The Star Spangled Banner (omitting 3rd stanza). | |
Then followed the demonstration of knots and knot tying. Over and over they drilled her, and Elise was an apt pupil. Her delicate little fingers seemed to know of themselves what to do.
“I am glad she is to write that examination,” sighed Helen the day before Elise was to go to Captain Hooker and take her examination formally. She was to be examined on Friday afternoon, and at the meeting Saturday night she was to become a Tenderfoot Scout member of their patrol.
“What difference does it make whether she writes the exam, or recites her answers?” returned Rosanna. “She speaks brokenly, of course, but that does not matter.”
“All it matters is that no one could hear her speak of General Washington the way she does in her funny broken English, without wanting to scream. It is so funny.”
Funny or not, Elise went through her examination most successfully and Saturday night accompanied Helen and Rosanna to the meeting at Miss Hooker’s house. Their little Captain had fitted up a room specially for her girls, where they could keep their various documents and where the seats, the neat desk for the secretary, and the standard for the big silk flag did not need to be disturbed in the intervals between meetings.