ured him. "I am acting
captain of this troop--the True Tred. I am really only troop leader for
the summer, but the girls call me captain, and I can speak for every one
here, I know, when I say, we will do our utmost to help you, or to
fulfill any trust you may offer."

At this the True Treds arose, and quite seriously gave their salute. So
impressed was old Captain Dave, that he also tilted himself out of his
tip chair, and likewise saluted. No one smiled--they were now engaged in
serious work as True Treds.

"That's fine," he said heartily. "I tell you my boys can't beat that at
drillin'. I just wish I could get a girl's team working some day," he
complimented. "Wouldn't wonder if you could do as well as some boys.

"But back to Kitty," and his pipe was thoroughly emptied on the little
tin plate at his elbow. "You see, the night her poor little mother was
swung in from the Alameda with that youngster in her arms, we were too
busy to do much but try to keep the freezin' folks alive. She had talked
some to the little girl, and she had asked me to look out for the
luggage.

"Well, when Mrs. Schulkill dies on the way to the hospital, and her name
appears in the list of those lost, along comes Kitty's relatives, the
folks they were comin' to live with. I turned over the luggage and all
that sort of stuff we could get off the Alameda before she foundered,
but I just made up my mind I'd keep an eye on Kitty. Also, I'd hold on
to her papers a bit, 'til these folks really proved they were good
friends to the orphan." He shook his head in decision at the memory.

"I've done that," he declared, "and I have the papers. Now, they worry
me some. How do I know what'll happen to me? I'm gettin' old, and the
seas are pretty rough at times."

He paused, and the girls noticed how gray his face looked, and how
haggard and heavily lined.

"This packet of papers was in a tin box," he then explained. "Kitty's
mother was comin' home from Holland, and being a widow, she kept all her
little belongings with her. I have them in the same little box, and as I
have glanced over them I just feel they'll be mighty interestin' when
the girl gets sense enough to understand them.

"Now, I've thought of turnin' them over to a lawyer here, but what would
that mean? A fee; of course, I have no fee, neither has Kitty. Then, if
I trust some one around here, they'll likely go pokin' into them,
curious like; and I don't want to do a thing like that to