e, and the slippery steps took him by
surprise. For a moment he stood rubbing his head, with his merry little
face puckered up into a comical sort of bowknot. Then he picked his way
slowly up the steps into the house.

"A minute or two and out he came again with a bag of salt and sprinkled
the steps with it. Though he was in just as big a hurry as our friend
the wizard, the Safety First idea had got him, and he plainly had made
up his mind to begin right then and there.

"'Well, I declare!' I said to myself. 'I've a notion to muster him into
the scouting service--but what would the King say to my enrolling a
pigmy?' Just as I was wondering about it, down he went again, flat on
his little back!

"This time it was on the sidewalk in front of his house. Some careless
youngster had thrown a banana skin on the walk. Poor little pigmy, what
a bump he did get that time! But again he picked himself up, and this
time he didn't wait a moment--just poked the banana skin off into the
gutter where it could do no more harm.

"Such persistence was too much for me! I told him the King wanted him
for the royal army of Safety Scouts, and that he was to have the honor
of being the first one enrolled. His eyes fairly popped out of his head
as he listened, and before you could say 'Jack Robinson,' he had
scampered off to help me raise an army--with one of these buttons in the
lapel of his leather jerkin."

[Illustration: Universal Safety]

Sure Pop pulled a sparkling button out of his pocket and laid it before
the twins.

"There, that's the Safety Scouts' badge of honor, and no Scout can wear
one till he earns the right. The King himself designed it."

"My! I wish--!" The twins remembered their manners and stopped short,
but Sure Pop understood. He threw back that wise little head and how he
did laugh!

"You wish--eh? That's what they all say, the minute they lay eyes on
that button! You see, that's a magic button, so it's no wonder everybody
wants one. Friends, that button can _talk_!"

Bob stared at the button as if he couldn't believe his ears. Betty,
taking Sure Pop at his word, grabbed the button and laid it to her ear.
She gave a squeal of delight.

"It does! It does talk--doesn't it?" she cried.

"Sure pop it does!" laughed the Safety Scout. "That's all it can say,
just four words at a time--but those four are enough to save thousands
of lives every year."

"What four words?" yelled Bob, clapping the magic button to