TELLS ABOUT MY MERIT BADGE
Wasn't that a crazy thing? Just because last summer I put a stalking
sign on one of Vic's trees. How did I know it was his? As soon as he
told me, I marked off my claim the same as any scout would. Maybe I
ought to have remembered that he was out for the stalker's badge, but
believe me, I have enough to remember with the Silver Fox patrol.
Gee whiz, nobody can say that I ever butt in when a patrol is breaking
in a tenderfoot. That's one thing I wouldn't do. I wouldn't even have
bothered to tell you about it at all, except that it had _momentous
consequences_--that's what Pee-wee said.
At supper there was a big round flat piece of wood tied with a rope at
my place and on it was printed "_Sneaker's Badge_." It must have been
cut out of a piece of wood from a grocery box, because I noticed on the
other side of it, it said "_Honey Boy_" I suppose it meant some kind of
cookies or crackers or soap maybe. So just for the fun of it I stood up
and said.
"Friends and enemies: Ever since about five o'clock this afternoon I've
been hunting for a chance to do a good turn. The first one I tried to
do didn't pan out. So here's my chance to do a good turn and I have to
thank the honorable Elk Patrol for giving me the chance." Then I turned
the big wooden medal over so the other side showed and everybody read
"_Honey Boy_" and began to laugh. Even Vie Norris had to laugh. "If it
wasn't for the Elks I'd have to go to bed without doing a good turn."
Crinkums, you ought to have seen Mr. Ellsworth laugh. All the time he
knew something was wrong, I guess, but he never bothered with things
like that. "Settle your own disputes," that's what he always said. The
only fellow that didn't take it as a joke was Connie Bennett and just
for that reason you'll have to hear more about it.
One thing more happened that day. When it was nearly dark Westy Martin
(he's my special chum) came to me and said, "There's a boat coming this
way and I think it's coming here." I went over to the rail where all of
the fellows were watching and there was a rowboat with two men in it,
headed straight for us. Pretty soon they came alongside and, oh, boy, I
was so shaky that I just held onto the rail with my hand trembling.
Because they had badges on and I knew they were men belonging to the
government.
Good night, I said to myself, it's all up now; they're after Lieutenant
Donnelle. They're going to search the house-boat and ask a lot of
questions and I'll have to tell.
When they got on board one of them said, "We just want to give you the
once over, mate."
Oh, didn't my heart go down to my feet. I thought it would be all right
if I didn't stay around because they couldn't ask me any questions if I
wasn't there. And I was on the side of Lieutenant Donnelle, I didn't
care what. So I went into the galley and began straightening things out
there. After a little while Westy came and stuck his head in through
the window.
"Are they gone?" I asked him.
"Sure," he said.
Then I said, "What did they want?"
"They were only just inspectors," he said; "and they wanted to know if
we had power."
"You mean an engine?" I asked him. "Sure," he said, "because if a boat
has a _fixed engine_, it has to have a license and a certain kind of
whistle and bell and lights and all that."
"A fixed engine?" I said, "if we had one it probably wouldn't be
fixed."
"They meant a stationary engine," he said, "you crazy Indian."
"What else did they say?" I asked, because I was still kind of nervous.
"They told us we should have a life preserver for everybody on board
and a fog horn."
Cracky, wasn't I relieved. "Isn't Pee-wee fog horn enough?" I said.
Just the same it started me thinking about Lieutenant Donnelle again,
and after I went to bed I kept on thinking about him, so I couldn't get
to sleep. One thing, I knew I liked him a lot, that was sure. But now
since I knew about the new law, that a motor boat has to have a
license, I wondered why Jake Holden didn't have one and have the number
on his boat, like everybody has to. Anyway, it was lucky for him that
he didn't have any number on, because now they'd have a hard job
finding him, especially because I knew he didn't give his right name.
And then I began wondering about the adventure that Jake and Lieutenant
Donnelle had. One thing sure, it must be pretty bad to be out on the
ocean like that in a little boat and be almost dead. I was wondering if
there was any more to it than Lieutenant Donnelle told me, maybe.
Anyway, he'd had lots of adventures in his life, that was sure. I was
glad he said we'd go on a hike some day.
After a while, when I couldn't get to sleep, I got up and went out on
the deck and sat in one of the big steamer chairs. Oh, it was fine. It
was all pitch dark and all you could see were the lights on the boats.
All of a sudden I heard a sound and saw a face and the hair round the
face was all hanging down and it gave me a scare, kind of.
Then I saw it was Skinny. He said, "Can I sit down alongside of you?"
I said, "You ought to be in bed," and he said, "I can't go to sleep
because I keep thinking and I want to stay right near you. I ain't mad
at you, anyway. Were you thinking about how they got mad at you?"
All the while he came closer and he took hold of my arm with his hand
and his hand was hot--even through my khaki shirt I could feel it. And
his eyes didn't look like the other fellows' eyes.
I said, "I couldn't sleep because I was thinking about a fellow that's
a hero. He's a big fellow. You know what a hero is?" I said.
"Are you a hero?" that's what he said. That's just what he said.
Anyway, one thing I didn't know then, and that was that Skinny was
going to have more to do with Lieutenant Donnelle than I was. Poor
little kid, he didn't know it either. That was one good thing.