and bars of gold from Treasure Island. Being a
war horse of Camelot, and, therefore, unused to New York and train
tracks on stilts, he was prancing and rearing under his gay trappings in
wild style when----

Up the stone-paved avenue they came, two and two, two and two, two and
two, and behind those twos still others, all boys of Johnnie's own age,
all dressed just alike, wearing clean khaki uniforms, new flat-brimmed
hats of olive-drab, leggings, and polished brown shoes. What they were
he did not know, though he guessed them to be rich, noting how proud was
their carriage--chins up, backs straight. Beside them walked their
leader, a grown young man, slender, and with a tanned face plentifully
touched with red.

The war horse shrank into his rags. He would have darted out of sight so
as not to be seen; would have hid behind a pillar of the Elevated,
dreading looks of scorn, and laughter, and cat calls, but the sight of
that marching column thrilled and held him. Once before he had seen a
number of boys whom he had envied. They had had on sweaters and caps,
the caps being lettered. They had carried baseball masks, and bats. But
were such--a noisy, clamorous crew--worthy to be compared with _these_
young gods?

Tramp! tramp! tramp! tramp!--they passed him, their look high. But the
eyes of all were kind and friendly as they caught sight of Johnnie.
Yet--could they know who he was? of his friendship with the great
cowboy? Hardly. And still the column did not mock at him. There was not
a taunt, not a hoot!

When they were gone, he stood staring after them, so entranced that he
was in danger of being run down by a surface car, or an automobile.
Presently, however, on being ordered off the rails by an irate truck
driver, he made on homeward slowly, his yellow head lowered
thoughtfully, the box scraping along behind him at the end of a piece of
rope.

"Guess they're some kind of soldiers," he told himself, and reflected
that they were small to have been sent to war.

A hand touched his shoulder, stopping him. He glanced up. And could
scarcely believe his eyes. For here, as surprising as lightning out of a
sunny sky, was that leader, that grown young man. "Say, boy!" he panted,
breathing hard from a run. "I saw you just now as we went by. Would you
like to be a scout?"

"A--a scout?" faltered Johnnie, and did not know whether or not he could
trust his ears; because only recently he had come to know all about
scouts,