Whyn greeted the boys with a smile, and after they had seated themselves upon chairs and the floor, she plunged at once into the subject of special interest.

“Let’s give a concert,” she abruptly began.

“A what?” the boys exclaimed.

“A concert and a tea.  Don’t you understand?  I have been talking it over with the captain and Mrs. Britt, and they think it a good idea.  The plan is this:  We shall invite all the people in the place to come early before it gets dark.  They can gather in front of the house so I can see what is going on.  We will ask Parson Dan to give a speech, and then you scouts will show what you can do.  You will give a talk on the flag, tie the knots, say the scout law, and do some signalling.  After that the captain will march you up and down before the people, and you will do the staff-drill which he is going to teach you.  Then you will sell ice-cream and candy.  Each scout is to bring something, and Mrs. Britt will make the candy.  Perhaps other people will assist, too.  Oh, it will be grand!”

“How much do you think we will make, Whyn?” one of the boys asked.  “Can’t we have something bigger than that?  It will take a long time to earn much money that way.”

“It will be a beginning, though,” was the quiet reply.  “We must not expect to raise all the money at once.  After we are through with this we can try something else.  We might get fifty people to come, and if we sell tickets at ten cents each that will bring us in five dollars.  I am sure the summer people will come, and we may have more than fifty.  Then, we should make five dollars from the refreshments, and that will be ten dollars in all, which will not be too bad for a start.”

The scouts finally agreed to what Whyn said, and they spent considerable time talking over the whole affair, and arranging their plans.  The interest now became very keen, and when the tickets had been made each boy undertook to sell as many as he could.  In a week’s time all the tickets were sold, and more had to be made by Mrs. Britt and Whyn.

The scouts practised hard for the important event, and Captain Josh spared no pains in his efforts to drill them as thoroughly as possible.  Each one had now passed the tenderfoot tests, and were ready for their badges.  They had also earned the money for their suits, and it was a great day when all appeared before Whyn dressed in their complete uniforms.  The girl was delighted, and her eyes sparkled with joy as the captain marched them up and down outside her window.

The big affair was to take place Thursday evening, and when the scouts visited Whyn on Monday afternoon they were in fine spirits.  Everything had been arranged, many tickets had been sold, and it looked as if the concert would be a great success.  They found the invalid girl quieter than they had ever seen her before, though she greeted them with her usual smile and listened to them for several minutes as they talked about scout matters.