Roy Blakeley's Adventures in Camp/Chapter XXXIX

There were a lot of us hanging around Administration Shack, and I heard a couple of fellows say that Mr. Ellsworth was going down in the bus to catch the eleven-ten train. They said he was going to stop at Camp McCord for Skinny. "He's likely to get a home-made doughnut thrown at his head," one of them said, and they all laughed. I just couldn't listen to them.

After the mail was distributed and I saw there wasn't anything for me, I just went in and said to Slaty, I said, "Are you sure there isn't anything? Would you mind looking again?" I knew it wasn't any use and I guess he did too, but anyway, he looked and said no.

Then I started back to Silver Fox Cabin. I guess I never felt worse than I did then. First I thought I'd just go and beg Mr. Ellsworth not to take Skinny away from Camp McCord, anyway, ​even if he couldn't have the cross. I was hanging my head and just kind of wandering along and wondering what I'd say to Bert and the twins. I could just sort of see that new flag with Camp McCord on it, and I could hear Bert saying, "Camp McCord doesn't strike its colors as easily as all that." Anyway, what more could I do. I knew Mr. Ellsworth would be nice to me, but that he wouldn't do anything just because I wanted him to. I said to myself, 'It's all up; nobody can do anything now. Skinny was born unlucky—poor little kid—"

All of a sudden I stumbled plunk into Pee-wee as he came pell-mell around the corner of the big pavilion.

"What in—" I began.

"I've got it for you! I've got it for you!" he shouted; "forty-nine minutes, scout pace! I beat my record! I thought maybe it wouldn't come in the reg—in the reg—in the reg—" He was so out of breath he couldn't talk.

"There's a sec—there's a sec—there's a second train; here—"

And then he handed me a letter.

"There—there are—two," he said: "this— one's—for you."

​My hand trembled so I could hardly open the envelope. And, honest, I could hardly speak to him. I just blurted out, "Pee-wee, you're the bulliest little scout in this camp—you and your scout pacing! You're just the best little scout that ever was. Give me your hand, you bully little raving Raven. Talk about good turns! Oh, Peewee, you're just—"

Honest, I couldn't finish. And I stood there with my eyes all sort of wet, and watched him start up again scout pace.

"See you later," he called back; "I want to make Administration Shack in fifty minutes.'

That was him all over.

This was the letter and, oh, boy, you bet I'll always keep it, because that was my lucky day. Even since then, Wednesday has been my lucky day. When I get a good stalking snapshot it's always on a Wednesday.

Believe me, I read that letter about seven times, But even then I wouldn't go to see Mr. Ellsworth, because I wanted to wait till the other letter was sent over to him from the shack. I guess I waited about half an hour, because I wanted to give him a chance to read his seven times too. Then I went to his tent where I knew he'd be getting ready to start away.

I just said kind of sober like, "Can I take your grip over to the bus for you, Mr. Ellsworth?"

Oh, boy, you ought to have seen him.

"Guess you'll have to root around and find another good turn for to-day, Roy," he said; "something has happened."

I just said very sober like (because I'm not afraid of him), "Did Skinny take any more money?"

He said, "Here, read this, you little Silver Fox, and then clear out and give me a chance to get my wits together. You're right and I'm wrong as you ​usually are—I mean as I usually am—I don't know what I mean. Here, read this and then let's see your scout smile—you little rascal!"

This is how the letter read:

Oh, boy, I wish I could tell you about everything. I don't know what Mr. Ellsworth told the Elks. I should worry about that. He knew how to handle them, you can bet. Oh, bibbie, but he's ​one peachy scoutmaster! Pretty soon everybody in camp was talking, but I didn't pay any attention. A fellow from Virginia came up and told me they were going to have the spring-board fixed. What do you know about that? I said, "Get out from under and don't bother me; I have something else to think about."

I didn't eat much dinner; maybe you won't believe it, but I didn't. Right afterward I started down to the Hudson. I saw a woodchuck's tracks, but I didn't bother with them. I should worry about woodchucks. I didn't even stop in the village to have a soda. I got some ice cream in a paper, so I. could eat it going along. And, oh, boy, when I saw that new flag in among the trees, didn't I just shout! Camp McCord, it said, in big red letters. Oh, they were dandy fellows, those Gold Dust Twins. Then I thought of what Bert said about Camp McCord not striking its colors. I noticed they didn't have their door to the south, but anyway, that didn't matter. The north is all right—sometimes.

I just went running in there pell mell.

"Hurrah for Camp McCord," I shouted. "You were right about not striking your colors, but I'll strike you, all right, you old Bengal Tiger!" And ​I gave Bert Winton a thump that nearly knocked him over. Good night!

"Don't you know enough to have your door open to the south or east or west—what's the difference?" I just yelled. "Hurrah! Lieutenant Donnelle is coming to get his two hundred and I'm going to make him stay till Skin—I mean Alfred—gets the cross. Three cheers for the Gold Dust Twins! And anybody who says—"

"Just a minute," Bert said; "calm down. You're talking in chunks."

"Why shouldn't I talk in chunks, I'd like to know?" I said,

Then I told them all about it.

"It's going to be just as you said," I told them; "we're going to make the Elks come down here and give him the cross—when it comes. Mr. Ellsworth says all right. Oh, but he was fine about it, He said it's only fair. Isn't he some scoutmaster? But you don't have to be in the scouts—"

The fellow they called Reggie just came over and put his hand over my shoulder, awful nice. "Yes, you do," he said; "you have to be in the scouts. We won't hear any talk against the scouts here."

Oh, but he was one fine fellow; I don't care if ​he didn't know anything about digging a drain ditch and all that. But anyway, I just can't tell you all we said.

And one thing, you should have seen Skinny, That's all I've got to say—you ought to have seen him,

After a little while, when the rumpus was over, Bert and I walked over to the shore of the river and sat down and just looked across at Catskill and the big hills in back. I kind of felt as if I'd like to be alone with him a little while.

I said, "You did it all, Bert. The whole camp is crazy about you."

"Those campers are bully scouts," he said.

I said, "Yes, but you—if it wasn't for you—"

"If it wasn't for Pee-wee, Skinny would be on that train," he said,

We listened and could hear the West Shore train coming along and could see the smoke blowing away into the mountains. It seemed as if that train didn't care for anything or anybody. Pretty soon it would be in the hot city and the people on it would go through big gates and across in ferries and up the streets all filled with people. And everything would be hot and stuffy.

​But Skinny wouldn't be on it.

We saw it stop at the station in Catskill and we heard the bell ring and saw it start again and go scooting along the shore and far away, till we couldn't see it any more. Only the smoke.

But anyway, Skinny wasn't on it.

"Kind of, as you might say, Pee-wee can even beat a train—going scout pace," I said.

"It'll go winding and turning in and out along the shore," Bert said; "but Pee-wee can beat it on good turns."

"Yop," I said.

After that we didn't say anything for about five minutes,

Then I said, "One thing sure; you ought to get the gold cross,"

He didn't say anything, only broke a stick off a bush and began marking on the grass with it.

"What do I want with the cross?" he said.

"It's a big honor," I told him,

"Sure," he said,

"You deserve it for what you did," I told him; "you ought to want it—you ought to want to have it—on account of your patrol."

"Nice fellows, eh?" he said.

​"Well then, why don't you take more interest in it for their sake?"

"Ever notice how blue the Hudson is above Poughkeepsie?" he said.

I didn't say anything, just looked at the river. Then all of a sudden a thought came to me.

I said, "Bert, you've got the cross already—haven't you? 'Why didn't you tell me?"

"Dunno—didn't think of it, I guess," he said.

"Tell me how you won it, Bert," I said; "please tell me."

But he just kept poking around with the stick and wouldn't tell me.

"Look at that worm," he said; and he held one up on his stick. "Good fishing bait around here, hey? What d'ye say we go back?"

That was just like him—just exactly like him.