But we hadn’t time for them because Miss Macy went on, “You see, I’d really like to take them out soonish. The weather’s so fine and they’re out of school but will be back in school during the summer when we’d usually go. Would that be okay? Could I just come over now and then with a trial tyke when I get a second and do a little preliminary scouting?”

Two things occurred to me here. First, what did Miss Macy mean by “when I get a second”? As far as I knew, all she ever did was hang out at Brookman’s and go for endless walks on our property. Did she mean take a break from her coffee breaks? Take time out from her long walks for a long walk? Second, it was amazing that anyone would entrust their daughter to her, especially to go on potentially dangerous hikes or overnight camping trips. But then again, I knew from bitter experience that no one ever wanted to be a Brownie leader. Our school had tried to get a Brownie troop going when I was seven, and no one, but no one, would come forward. Of course there was a war on. Women were having to take men’s jobs as the men were shipped off to fight, so there were few left to tend the home fires let alone lead Brownies. And when they did get home from some job or other they had taken over for a man and had made dinner, helped with homework, done the laundry etc., the last thing they wanted to do was head out to the school gym to lead a bunch of seven-year-old girls in campfire songs and lecture them on the virtue of cookie sales. But apparently now they had Miss Macy. Maybe they were so grateful that if they lost a Brownie or two in the process they figured what the heck.

“Yes, that would be fine. I’ll let Old Tom know,” said Sina in a distracted tone, and then she got our mail. There was a letter to Zebediah there and when Sina put the mail down on the truck floor by my feet, my hand slid toward it but her hand automatically shot out and moved the mail to her side of the truck without her even losing her distracted expression. Sina’s reflexes were stellar.