The Girl Scout Pioneers | Page 4

As for me--I'm going."
Sheer contempt now sounded unmistakably in the voice of the girl
called Tessie. She shook herself free from Dagmar, and darted ahead
with determination long delayed, and consequently more forceful.
For a moment the young girl hesitated. She sort of fondled the little
scout badge in her hands, and might have been heard to sigh, if a girl of
her severely disciplined temperament ever indulged in anything so
weakly human as a sigh.
But as the fleeing girl more surely made her tracks to the station, thus
leaving the other alone in the night, Dagmar, too, quickened her steps.
"Tessie," she called finally. "Tessie, wait. I can't go back now."
That was all Tessie wanted. She waited, and when again they took up
tangled threads of their adventure it was scarcely possible either would
allow any further interruptions to delay them.
And Dagmar clutched in her tightly clasped hand the lost scout badge.
CHAPTER II
WOODLAND THRILLS
It was Margaret Slowden who lost the Badge of Merit. The pretty gilt
wreath, with its clover leaf center on a dainty white ribbon hanger, had
been presented to Margaret on such an auspicious occasion, that the
emblem meant much more to the girl scout than its official value of
rank indicated.
The True Tred Troop of Flosston had been organized one month when
Margaret won the medal. Shortly after the holidays, an event of unusual
importance occured in the mill town, when its small company of

service boys returned from "Over There." They were royally welcomed
by the entire town folks, together with the many officials of the silk
industries, from whose ranks the boys had marched away.
With the lads returned was Margaret's brother Tom. He was handsome
and a Marine, and well might Mrs. Slowden and Margaret take pride in
the honor their soldier brought them. On the night of the Great
Welcome Home, the scout girls, then newly organized, assisted with
ushering and attending to the platform needs of the speakers and
honored heroes, each of the latter receiving a special small, gold
military cross, the gift of the silk mill magnates. This insignia was
presented by the most famous authorities of army and navy available,
and Tom Slowden was given the special honor of a real military
presentation of the D. S. C., he being the only member of Flosston
recruits to receive such a notable tribute.
As might have been expected this gave real distinction to the Welcome
Home, and Margaret was suffused with pardonable pride. But when she
took her place in the check room, to attend to the coats and other
belongings of the distinguished visitors--she was forgotten by her troop,
and she remained there all during Tom's presentation. She never heard
a word of major's wonderful speech, when the people fairly roared for
Tom's glory. There she was, downstairs in the dark, lonely cloak room.
"Oh, my dear!" deplored Captain Clark. "I never meant that you should
stay down here at this time."
"But it was my task," returned the melancholy Margaret.
"I would not have had you miss your brother's presentation for the
world! Such a thing can never come again. Why did you not call some
of the girls to relieve you?"
"If Tom did anything like that he could never have received the D. S.
C., and I am a Scout and pledged to honor commands," returned
Margaret nobly.
For that sacrifice she received from the same platform, one week later,

her own badge of merit, and the occasion was a real rally, with officials
from headquarters, and all the neighboring troops participating.
Was it strange then that Margaret should lament her loss?
No other badge could actually take the place of that one, and while
Captain Clark would immediately advise headquarters of the loss, and
order a new one, the brave little scout girl would still feel she had lost
that one vested with the special presentation honors.
On the morning following the loss, the girls of True Tred were seen out
on the road so early, the station master, old Pete, hurried to his window,
and got ready for business, surmising an excursion or at least a local
convention imminent.
But no such occurrence was probable, it was only the troop out looking
for the badge, and inevitably they did not find it. Signs made by
Captain Clark were posted in the station, the post-office, and at
prominent corners, but Margaret was disconsolate. She had called her
badge the "D. S. C." because of its connection with Tom's insignia, and
though the big brother had promised the scout sister all sorts of
valuable substitutes, offering her the little hand carved box he had
brought for "another girl," and which Margaret had openly coveted,
even this did not