in civilized
life. But what about the thousands you kill and the millions you wound
every year? More than you killed and wounded, remember, in the whole
Civil War. What about that? Does that sound so very civilized?

"You want adventure. Good! You shall have it--early and often. And you
won't have to go to any other country to find it, either."

"Well," said Bob, "here's hoping. What comes first?"

"First, we must get our eyes and ears open. That's the first thing for
any Scout to learn, and he isn't good for much until he gets the habit
of noticing things. Scout-craft means reading signs in everything you
come across and acting on little silent hints that most folks wouldn't
notice.

"Now, to begin with, here are three practical rules for you to bear in
mind--three things we found out in our first year of Borderland Safety
Scouting: First, a true Scout is always on the alert. Second, a Scout
always keeps cool. Third, a Scout does one thing at a time. Do you
suppose you can remember these three things?"

"That's easy," said Betty.

"Easy as anything," said Bob. "Keep wide awake, keep cool, and keep your
mind on one thing at a time. Three 'keeps'--anybody can remember them!"

"Think so?" Sure Pop's voice sounded surprisingly far away. "All right,
we'll see!" And before the twins' very eyes he faded away into thin air!

_A true Scout is always on the alert._--SURE POP

[Illustration]

ADVENTURE NUMBER FIVE

THE MAGIC BUTTON'S WARNING

"He's gone!" Bob and Betty stared at each other. For a moment the whole
thing seemed like a dream, and they hated to think of waking up.

"But it _was_ real!" Bob turned the magic button over and over in his
hand, glad to have something left to prove the reality of their new
friend, something they could still see and touch.

"We can't wear that button, though," Betty reminded him. "We've got to
earn it first. What shall we do with it?"

Bob stuck it into his deepest pocket. "I'll hang on to it till Sure Pop
comes back--if he does come back. Oh, hello, Joe!"

Joe Schmidt, a wiry boy of Bob's own age, but fully half a head shorter,
turned around and gazed up at the Daltons' porch.

"Why, hello, Bob! What are you doing?"

"Nothing." Bob ran down the steps and began talking with Joe. In fact,
the two lads were so busy talking that they did not see George Gibson
till he purposely bumped into Joe's back with a sudden "Hey, there! Get
off the walk!"