Roy Blakeley's Adventures in Camp Part 28

"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:

Mr. E. C Ellsworth, Temple Camp.

Dear Sir:--

May I ask you to go to the trouble of forcing open the second locker in my father's house-boat and rescuing a sum of money which I carelessly left there? I think you will find it in an old pair of trousers belonging to me. The amount is a little over two hundred dollars. I would greatly appreciate it if you will hold this in safe keeping till I have a chance to visit your camp. I hope you will not consider that I am presuming upon a very slight acquaintance, in asking you to do me this service.

Sincerely yours,

Lieutenant Harry C. Donnelle. Stationed at Camp Dix, Wrightstown, N. J.

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 sh.o.r.e 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 Sh.o.r.e 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 sh.o.r.e 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 sh.o.r.e," 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 gra.s.s 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 fis.h.i.+ng bait around here, hey? What d'ye say we go back?"