"All right," Jimmy replied, rising slowly and bringing down the writing
materials from an upper shelf. "Now, fire away; I'm ready."

But the captain hesitated, and was at a loss how to begin. He
scratched his head in perplexity.

"Dang it all!" he muttered. "Oh, jist tell him that we have a little
sick girl here, who will die if she doesn't git to a specialist in New
York, and that I'd like fer him to help out with the expense."

"What are you talking about, dad?" Jimmy asked. "I can't write the
letter until you give me the name of the person you want it sent to."

"Oh, didn't I tell ye? Well, that's queer. It's fer my old master,
Benjamin Dodge, in the city. He's got the money, and he told me that
if I ever needed any help to go to him. I have never bothered him
before, and never intended to do so, but this is different. Whyn's
life's at stake, and that's reason enough. The scouts are to give all
the money they earned fer that prize, but it won't go very far. We
need a great deal more, and at once."

"And did the scouts give that money of their own free will?" Jimmy
asked. "Did you suggest it to them?"

"No. I never thought about it until Rod came over this mornin' and put
the notion into my head."

For some time Jimmy sat toying with the pen he was holding in his hand.