ou every day, and
so do all the rest of the scouts." Mrs. Royal smiled at these words
when Rod showed her the letter he had written. It was true in a way
that Whyn was really a scout, in fact, a very vital part of the patrol.

The letter which Rod wrote to his mother was very different from that
to the singer. It was brief, and not bubbling over with information as
was the other. He found it hard to tell her about the things which
interested him, and he did not ask her to come soon. He was too much
afraid that she would arrive and take him away.

A woman far away smiled sadly as she read these two letters, with
different addresses on the envelopes. She could see at a glance the
boy's interest in the singer, and what a pleasure it was for him to
write that letter. But the other, to his mother, was a task, a mere
duty, the sooner done, the better. But then, she knew that it was only
natural, and she longed for the time to come when letters would not be
needed, and Rod would know the truth.

No one in the whole parish of Hillcrest was more interested in what had
taken place than Whyn. She was never tired of talking about the
capture, and the winning the reward. It was a great letter which she
wrote to Douglas, telling him all that had recently happened in the
little Hillcrest world. Whenever the scouts gathered in her room, she
discussed plans with them, and listened to their various experiences.
These latter were now confined to drill, studying for the new badges,
and sailing with the captain on the river.

By this time the scouts had one hundred and fifty dollars in the bank,
which to them seemed a great sum. Several were quite satisfied with
the amount. But Whyn was of a different opinion. "We must make it two
hundred, at least," she told them. "It is time to get to work and
raise that other fifty, for it will not do to stop when we have made
such a good start."

Summer passed, and fall came in with the long evenings, and still the
scouts had not hit upon any plan of increasing their bank account.
They had all kinds of suggestions, but after they had been thoroughly
discussed, they were found to be of little value. Some were too
foolish, while others were beyond their power.

It was Whyn who at last solved the problem. In reality, it was her
mother who made the suggestion to her during her recent visit. The
invalid was delighted, and could hardly wait for the scouts to come to
see her.

"I kno