"Uncle Jack must be going to have a new uniform," whispered Betty to her
twin as the tailor came up with his tape over his shoulders. But it was
not around their uncle that the tape measure went, it was around Bob!
"Yes, the regulation khaki," Uncle Jack was saying. "Cut and finish it
just like this one," and he handed the tailor a photograph of Sure Pop.
"Your turn next, Betty," said Uncle Jack, and to Betty's great delight
and the tailor's surprise, _she_ was measured for a special Safety Scout
uniform too!
Uncle Jack did not stop there. He bought the twins Safety Scout hats of
fine, light felt, made for hard service, and he was on the point of
buying them leather puttees or leggings, but Bob stopped him.
"Canvas leggings are plenty good enough," he said. "The fellows couldn't
afford leather, most of them, and we want them all to match."
"Canvas it is, then," nodded his uncle, and went on making up the
outfits. Betty sighed happily as they followed him into another store.
It all seemed too good to be true! The first thing she knew, they were
sitting at a glass-topped table.
Uncle Jack mopped his steaming forehead again. "That tailor shop beats
the jungle all hollow for heat!" he exclaimed. "What kind of ice cream
do you want, Scouts?"
Betty thought it was time to object. "Oh, Uncle Jack, we've had enough!
You've done too much for us already!" All the same, she enjoyed the ice
cream just as much as the others did, and when Uncle Jack tucked a box
of chocolates under her arm, her cup of joy was full.
"What are you thinking about, Betty?" asked Uncle Jack as the big red
automobile bore them merrily homeward; for Betty had not said a word for
blocks and blocks.
She patted Uncle Jack's arm--the well one--with a grateful smile. "I was
thinking what a perfectly, perfectly _lovely_ day we've had! And
wishing," she murmured, wistfully, "that Mother had been along too."
"Now that part's all taken care of," said Uncle Jack. "Your mother's
going out for a spin with me tonight after Baby's asleep; she couldn't
leave today, she said. She and I will have a good long ride down the
river front in the moonlight. Be sure you get a good sleep tonight, now,
you two; I want you to be in good trim for a little exploring party I'm
planning for tomorrow."
"We'll be up bright and early, ready for anything," Bob told him. "Whew!
but this has been a whirlwind of a day! Glad you're going to take Mother
out--that's the only way she'd get a cool breeze tonight, all right!"
"But it can't be as nice as the roof garden, even then!" cried his happy
twin, as she lifted out her big box of candy and skipped up the front
steps two at a time.
[Illustration]