A year of VLA observations of the radio source 1741-038 show that it exhibits pronounced variability at 1.49, 15, and 22 GHz, and somewhat reduced activity at 4.9 GHz. We interpret the unusually strong 1.49 GHz variability as due to refractive interstellar scintillation, and the high-frequency variability as being intrinsic to the source. Most of the scintillation is caused by a single thin screen within a few hundred parsecs of the sun, probably located in the North Polar Spur. 1741-038 offers a unique opportunity to test the refractive scintillation hypothesis through VLBI observations. 35 references.