"We are not going to have much, but I thought you boys would enjoy eating together and we should like it, too. We do not often have the honor of sitting down to the table with young gentlemen who have uniforms on." "We'll stay," said Skinny, "if you will let us do something to help. According to Scout law, a Scout must try his best to do somebody a good turn every day. I haven't done it now for 'most two days." "If that is the case," Ma told him, "my woodbox seems to be getting empty." That is the greatest woodbox I ever saw for getting empty. We filled it so full that the wood fell off all over the floor; then started for the hill. "Now is our chance," said Skinny. "We've just got to make them understand this time. We never have had anything much to tell the boys before, but this is important." We climbed to the very top of Bob's Hill and soon had a fire going. When it was well started we threw on some green stuff that made a big smoke. Pretty soon we saw smoke going up across the valley and knew that the other boys were ready. "They are there," I said. "Now we'll tell them." "Wait," said Skinny. "First let's give the danger signal. That'll fetch 'em." "But there ain't any danger," I told him. "What's the use of lying, even with smoke?" "You bet there's danger," said he. "There's danger of losing your mother's supper, ain't there?" So I gave him one end of a wet blanket which I was carrying, and I grabbed hold of the other end. We covered the fire with it, stopping all of the smoke; then took it off and let a big puff go up; then covered it again and sent up a little puff, and kept doing that until I was sure the boys would be most crazy, for that sign means danger. After we had done it a while, we spelled out the word "come." We did that by using the blanket to make a short puff of smoke for a dot and a long puff for a dash, like this: ... C .. O -- M . E We waited and spelled it out twice more to make sure, and then went down the hill to the house. "Shall I set the table for the others?" Ma asked, when she saw us coming. "They will be here in a few minutes," said Skinny, looking at his watch. We were not sure of it, but we hoped they would and, as Skinny said, it wouldn't do any hurt to get the table ready. We were beginning to be afraid that they had not understood and were not coming, when we heard a faint cawing, a long way off somewhere. It seemed from beyond Summer Street. Skinny answered, while I ran into the house to tell the folks that it was all right. Then we went out in front and waited. The first we saw of them was when Bill Wilson turned into Park Street in a cloud of dust and came tearing up the middle of the road on a jump. The other boys were close behind, running to beat the band, and every mother's son of them was carrying a big club.