"What's a scout," asked Golam.

"A scout," Ms. A told him, "is a tradeswoman who tries to conduct business without the aid, or encumberments, of booths of junk. Rather, she deals with EVERYTHING, acting as a go-betwen for the needs of many. If someone is looking for something particular but doesn't have the time to look or the desire to haggle or, in many cases, the money to pay for the goods immediately, then the scout finds the desired object, haggles, and gets credit for the purchase. I would get the vendors to front me the goods and then I'd bring them back to whoever requested them. It usually worked out okay as long as those who owed me money paid me in reasonable time!"