SCOUT LAW NUMBER THREE
Now, I can tell you just exactly what Mr. Ellsworth said, because I
remembered it and I wrote it down right afterwards. First I was afraid
Westy would say something and I didn’t want him to, because—well,
you’ll see. So now I’ll copy what Mr. Ellsworth said. Oh, jiminy, you
could hear a pin drop, everyone was so quiet. He said:
“Wesleigh (that’s Westy, you know), I have been asked by your own patrol
to give you this public reproof, and I speak for the whole troop as
well, when I remind you that your action to-day in absenting yourself
and thereby avoiding your share of the work we had undertaken to do, was
unscoutlike and unworthy of you, and unworthy of the patrol whose fine
traditions you were bound to guard and support. You knew that to be
entitled to your share of the pleasure of this purposed cruise, you
would have to do your share of the work. You knew that to-day was set
apart for concerted effort by the whole troop to make this boat ready
for starting next Saturday. You knew that at the urgent request of some
of you boys I arranged to spend the day helping you. You were one of the
boys who asked me to do this. You remember?
“We meet here to-night after a hard day’s work, pleasant as work always
is, but hard nevertheless. You will have the satisfaction of knowing
that you will occupy a bunk which your companions have made ready for
you, and that you did not yourself hammer so much as a single nail.
Arthur Van Arlen and Wigley Weigand, both weary and one lame, after a
frightful experience, were here and helped to make the boat safe and
comfortable for _you_. They were loyal to the Raven Patrol. I hope you
may be moved to appreciate the interest and spirit which they displayed
while you were playing ball.
“When you have an opportunity, Wesleigh, I would like to have you read
the scout laws again and bear in mind particularly your obligation of
loyalty to your scoutmaster, which of course, means to your scout
duties—your troop and your patrol. I kept my word with you to-day and
you did not keep your word with me. The house-boat is ready for our
cruise, and I hope that you, along with all the members of the troop
will find the trip enjoyable. That is all, Wesleigh, unless you have
something to say.”
Oh, gee, you should have heard the silence—I don’t mean _heard_ it—but
there wasn’t a sound.
Then Westy said, “I haven’t got anything to say.” And then he sat down.
I knew that it was time then for me to do what I wanted to do, but I
couldn’t get up because I felt all shaky. I was holding to the pole of
the Silver Fox emblem that was right beside me, and, oh, cracky, I felt
funny. All of a sudden I heard Mr. Ellsworth say that he wouldn’t say
anything to Roy Blakeley because the patrol was going to have an
election and then I heard Will Dawson, of my patrol, say under his
breath, sort of, that there’d be only one fellow to vote for me, and I
knew he meant Westy Martin. Gee, I’m glad I heard him say that because
it gave me a kind of an idea what to say and it made me mad, and when
you’re mad you have courage—you know what I mean, you can get up and
talk. Jiminy, I knew I couldn’t make a speech like Mr. Ellsworth with
all long words, and besides I had to be careful that it didn’t seem as
if I was just answering him back.
So then I grabbed tight hold of the emblem pole because, I don’t know,
it seemed to give me courage kind of, and it was _my_ emblem and _my_
patrol for a few minutes yet, anyway. But oh, didn’t my hand tremble.
Anyway I could see that Mr. Bennett was sort of listening and I wasn’t
so much scared after I got up.
This is what I said, only I didn’t say it as well as it sounds here on
account of being nervous, but I should worry as long as I knew I was
right, hey?
“I heard a fellow in my patrol say just now” that’s the way I began,
“that there is only one Silver Fox would vote for me because I went away
and didn’t come back. I know he meant Westy and he’s the one fellow I’d
want to vote for me, anyway, you can bet. I don’t care what happens, I
don’t, if Westy will only vote for me. Because he’s one real scout and
none of the rest of you know anything about scouting alongside of
him—you don’t. And anyway I don’t care so much if I’m not leader any
more, if I could only be sure you’d elect _him_ leader——”
“He stands a tall chance,” I heard a fellow say.
“About as tall as Pee-wee,” another fellow said. He was trying to be
smart.
“Maybe he’ll have a tall chance, as tall as the Woolworth Building,” I
said; “you’d better keep still. I want to ask Mr. Ellsworth if I can say
something—while I’m still Silver Fox leader, that’s all.”
“Surely you may, Roy,” he said, kind of pleasant.
“Because there’s one more thing I’m going to say for my patrol. I—I
started that patrol and——”
Oh, gee, then I broke right down, not exactly crying, but you know,
there was something in my throat and I just couldn’t talk for a minute.
“Go on, Roy,” Mr. Ellsworth said, and he was awfully nice, I have to
admit that.
So I said how I started that patrol and did the best I could and always
told the fellows to be loyal and how disgrace spills all over just like
Mr. Ellsworth himself told us.
“Anyway, Mr. Ellsworth,” I said, “I can’t say it as good as I’d like to,
because—you know——”
“Take your time, Roy,” he said.
“Anyway, you remember how you spoke about the laws.” I was holding tight
to the Silver Fox standard and it kind of helped me to speak, and I
guess pretty soon my voice didn’t shake. “I know all the laws,” I said,
“and I think more about them than I do about stunts and adventures and
things——”
“How about baseball?” a fellow said, but I didn’t pay any attention to
him, and Mr. Ellsworth frowned at him.
“And only to-night I looked at them,” I said, “and I made marks next to
two of them.” Then I fumbled in my pocket and got out the Handbook, and
I reminded myself of a lawyer. Anyway I could see Mr. Bennett smile at
Mr. Ellsworth. “Gee, I wouldn’t say anything against the laws, that’s
one sure thing,” I said, “because they’re all dandy laws, you can bet.
But maybe a fellow might not know which one to obey because he can’t
obey them all at once, can he?”
Mr. Ellsworth said he didn’t know about that and he looked kind of
surprised. I should worry, I wasn’t scared now. “Suppose he’s on his way
to obey Law 8 and keep his word and be loyal to his troop and his
scoutmaster,” I said. “That’s Law 8, isn’t it?”
Mr. Ellsworth looked surprised and said, “Yes.” And Mr. Bennett was
smiling with an awful funny kind of a smile.
“And suppose while he’s on his way he runs plunk into another law. _Good
night!_ What’s he going to do? Maybe you don’t know which law I mean by
another one. It’s number 3, and I can say it without even looking at the
book. Even if they elect——”
I guess Mr. Ellsworth could see my voice was trembling, because he said,
“Take your time, Roy, you have us interested.”
I have to admit I was feeling bad, but anyway I said the law right off
without looking at the book.
3. A SCOUT IS HELPFUL.
He must be prepared at any time to save life, help injured
persons, and share the home duties. He must _do at least one
good turn to somebody every day_.
“Maybe you never noticed that the part about good turns is printed in
italics. You know what italics mean—you learn that in the Second Grade.
It means that that special thing is emphasized, see?”
Mr. Ellsworth was smiling a little, but anyway he was listening and so
was Mr. Bennett. Gee, I didn’t see anything to smile at.
Now I have to admit that I got kind of excited and I didn’t know much
what I was saying.
Sometimes I had to stop on account of that lump being in my throat. But
anyway, I kept on and I held on tight to my emblem—the Silver Fox
emblem.
“So that’s what I mean,” I said, “and this morning Westy was on his way
to help on the house-boat and he met” (oh, jiminies, I guess I didn’t
know how I was talking now, I was so excited) “and he met Skinny
McCord’s mother and she told him about Skinny being sick on account of a
good turn he did for me—keeping Jake Holden from going to my house—and
she asked him to go up and stay with him and he didn’t think any more
about the house-boat, and I’m glad he didn’t, and I told him that, and
I’m his patrol leader yet, anyway. I tell him that, I do! And he went
home and got his baseball and his catching mit and it cost a dollar and
seventy-five cents, and he took them to Skinny just so as he’d kind of
forgot being sick. Westy saved up to get that mit and I know all about
it. And he stayed all day with Skinny and the doctor says, he says
Skinny has got to die, but anyway Westy stayed all day with him—that’s
what he did. And I’m glad you fellows are going to elect a new leader if
you want him to reprimand Westy, because you’d never get _me_ to do it,
I can tell you that!”
Oh, crinkums, there wasn’t a sound. It had to stop because I was gulping
and all excited, but I started again, you can bet.
“And there’s only one thing more I’ve got to say,” I told them. “I got
on the trail—I mean Skinny’s trail. And it took me to his house in
Barrel Alley. I picked up his trail down at Little Landing and it had
the scout’s pathfinder sign printed in the mud. And I—I’m—I’m a scout,
I am, I don’t care what you say, and I followed it. And maybe, for all
you know, it was put there for me to follow—maybe. It took me to where
a fellow was sick, it did, and it showed me one of my own—one of the
Silver Foxes, doing a good turn to pay Skinny back for the good turn he
did for me. And I stayed there to help and I forgot all about the
house-boat, and I’m glad I did. And I hope that whoever these fellows
elect, he won’t let them chip in for the cruise, but I hope he’ll have
them chip in to send Skinny up to the country—I don’t care what the
doctor says. Once a doctor said that—he said that my father——”
And that’s all I had a chance to say. Gee, I couldn’t tell you what
happened next. All I know is, I heard my Scout Handbook go kerflop on
the floor and Vic Norris of the Ravens grabbed the Silver Fox emblem
right out of my hand and began waving it. All of a sudden I saw Westy
and he didn’t say anything only put his arm around my shoulder and he
started to say something and, oh, I don’t know, he just couldn’t. Then I
heard a fellow asking him what was the matter, because he was husky,
kind of, and his eyes shiny—you know. And he said he had a cold. Oh,
boy!
“He caught cold from drinking out of a damp glass,” Doc Carson shouted.
Honest, you couldn’t hear yourself think. And Pee-wee—g-o-o-d night!
Then Mr. Ellsworth held up his hand and we all quieted down.
“Before we go any further,” he said, “and while our lungs are working
overtime I want every member of the Raven Patrol and every member of the
Elk Patrol to give three cheers for the Silver Foxes, scouts, _real_
scouts, every one of them, and for their leader, Roy Blakeley. After
that you can hold your election.”