moss that formed a veritable carpet--no--it was softer than
carpet, a silken velvet throw, over a natural cedar divan. Even
the suffering heel was forgotten, in the joy of nature study, in
green, with the darker green canopy of cedars, and the music of a
running river at the foot of the sloping hill. Here the scent of
watercress vied with the hemlock and cedar, for its place as
nature's perfume, and only such mingling of wild ferns, trailing
arbutus, budding bush, and leafing vine, could produce the aroma
of incense that just then permeated the woody glen.

"Don't let the girls get too far away from us," cautioned
Madeline. "I wouldn't like to get really lost, even for the joke
of having you find me, Gracie."

"But you would do a little thing like that to help me out on my
personal bravery stunt?" teased her companion. "I wonder why only
the first class girls are permitted to do all those wonderful
things and get all the really high honors?"

"Because they have gone through all the necessary trials and
examinations," replied Madaline sagely. "You and I can get credit
for our deeds, but we must show our full records to get the
highest B. C. That's fair. You can't make a major out of a
private. He has got to go up by degrees."

"Well, maybe it is fair, but I just love the glory of
presentations. I am so sorry for Margaret. I would have dug up the
town today to find that Merit Badge she lost last night."

"I like the way she braved it out, though," added Madaline. "She