brought about all those differences in her; he
understood what her grief was about. It was indeed the hair. Yet the
hair was only an outward sign of the hidden tragedy--which was that,
for good and all, for ever and ever, she was to be shut out from all
wonderful, living, thrilling thinks.

"She's gittin' grown-up," he told himself sorrowfully.

CHAPTER XX

THE HANDBOOK

OUT of a hip-pocket one morning Mr. Perkins produced a book--a small,
limp, gray-colored volume upon the cover of which were two bare-kneed
boy scouts, one of whom was waving a pair of flags. Also on that cover,
near its top, were the words, _Boy Scouts of America_. "I wonder if you
wouldn't like to look through this," he observed.

"Oh, gee!" Up from the sagging neckband of the big shirt swept the red
of joy, and out leaped Johnnie's hands. "Does this tell all 'bout 'em,
Mister Perkins? And, my goodness, don't I wish you could leave it here
over night!" For some time he had been feeling that there was a lack of
variety in his long program of preparation to be a scout; but here was
something more definite than just the taking of a bath or the regular
working of his muscles.

"I'm giving it to you," explained Mr. Perkins.

"Oh!" Johnnie pinched the gray book hard. "It's my own? Aw, thank y'!
And ain't I lucky, though! This is seven I got now, countin' the
d'rect'ry! And I'll learn ev'ry word in this one, Mister Perkins!"

To emphasize this determination to be thorough, before they started to
look through the handbook he had to know all there was to tell about the
picture on the front cover. "What's this one kid standin' on?" he asked.
"And what's the scraggly thing behind him? And what's the other boy
holdin' against his eyes? And what country do the flags belong t'?"

When at last Mr. Perkins began to turn the pages, he went too fast to
suit Johnnie, who was anxious not to pass over any scrap of scout
knowledge, hated to skip even a sentence, and wanted full time on each
engrossing picture. They touched on the aim of the scout movement, the
knowledge all scouts should have, their daily good turns (an interesting
subject!), their characteristics, how troops are formed and led, the
scout oath, and the laws. This brought them to merit badges, which
proved so attractive a topic, yet discouraged Johnnie so sadly at the
first, that they got no farther.

Johnnie was cast down because, on looking into the badge question, he
believed he coul