TELLS ABOUT SKINNY AND THE ELKS
Well, that was the way it was with Skinny and I could see that the Elks
were rushing him through, so that he'd get the badge. That used to be
one trouble with the Elks and I don't care if they do know I said it.
They got one good lesson to cure them, that's sure. The trouble with
them was they were making a collection of badges and when you're out
for badges, you skip at lot of pages in the Handbook, that's sure.
The next day I said to Connie Bennett--this is just what I said; I
said, "I hope you won't get mad at me again if I say something about
Skinny, because, anyway, it's none of _my_ business, that's sure. But
as long as you fellows are busy teaching him stunts and things, I don't
see that there would be any harm in it, if I read some things in the
Handbook to him--some other kind of things, I mean."
He said, "What kind of things?"
"Oh, just about the laws and things like that, like about being honest
and obedient--you know."
"You keep your hands off my patrol," that's just what he said; "and you
needn't start hinting that the Elks are dishonest--"
"Who's hinting that?" I said, kind of mad; "you remind me of an
airplane, you're always going up in the air."
"If any of my patrol are dishonest, they'll be thrown out," he said,
"and maybe they'll be welcome in the Silver Foxes."
"Sure," I said, "we make a specialty of burglars and pickpockets; we
eat 'em alive. All I was asking you was that you let me teach Skinny
some of the 'idea' stuff--you know what I mean."
"You're jealous because he's a genius," Connie said; "and you want to
fill him up with grandmother stuff. Why don't you let the kid alone?
We'll take care of him."
"All right," I said; "I should worry. Only there's no use getting mad;
we're all one troop."
"Yes, but we're three separate patrols," he said.
"United we stand, divided we sprawl," I said. Then he walked away.
That was the second day at Poughkeepsie and most all day the Elks were
busy turning Skinny into a fish. Some of the rest of us went up to
Metzger's Candy Store to get some jaw-breakers. Did you ever eat those?
Pee-wee was quiet for an hour munching one. The licorice ones are best.
In the afternoon we sat along the cabin roof watching Skinny and the
Elks. Good night, you should have seen that kid! Every time the fellows
in the boat had to row after him, because he'd go swimming away on his
own hook. He never paid any attention to what they told him.
"Throw him a jaw-breaker," Grove Bronson said; "just for fun."
"Nix," I said; "you don't catch me interfering with the buzz-saw. Twice
was enough. When I try any polishing, I'll polish up the Silver Foxes."
"Go ahead, throw him one," Grove said to Pee-wee. But I guess Pee-wee
didn't have any jawbreakers to spare. His cheeks were sticking out and
there was licorice all over his lips, and he said--this is the way it
sounded: "I--ooo--go--to--goo--to--are--" something like that, honest.
"Go in and wash your face," Doc said; "you look like a minstrel actor
in a rainstorm."
"Yu--sht--p--m--nd--r--n--business." Pee-wee blurted out. Crackey, I
thought I'd die.
Pretty soon Doc Carson (he's a Raven) threw a jaw-breaker out into the
water and Skinny got it before it went down.
"What do you know about that little water snake," El Sawyer said. Then
he shouted, "Bully for you, Skinny!"
I said, "You'd better look out, you'll get yourself in trouble."
"What do I care for the Elks?" he said.
"That's all right," I said; "Connie's got Skinny copyrighted, all
rights reserved."
Then, all of a sudden, Wig Weigand shouted, "Look at that, will you?
Look!"
We could just see Hunt Ward reach out of the skiff for Skinny, when all
of a sudden he disappeared and came up about twenty feet from the
skiff. Everybody began laughing and I guess the Elks were mad, because
they thought we were just sitting up there kidding them.
Right then I heard Mr. Ellsworth calling out from just in back of us,
"Take him in the skiff and bring him aboard, Huntley."
"Now--e--ng--t--gt--cld--down," Pee-wee said, munching away on a jaw
breaker.
"You look as if you'd been gargling a bottle of ink," I told him.
"Don't talk, you can't do two things at once."
Pretty soon Skinny came up the ladder to the cabin roof where we were
all sitting. His wet bathing suit stuck to him and it made him look
terribly thin, and his hair was all streaked and the water was dripping
from his face. But anyway, his eyes were bright and all excited--I
never saw another fellow that had eyes like that. He had the piece of
candy in his hand and it was all melting from the water and his hand
was black and sticky. Jiminy, he looked awful small and skinny
alongside of Mr. Ellsworth, and I had to feel sorry for him as soon as
Mr. Ellsworth began to speak.
Skinny looked up at him and said, "I got it--I dived and got it--see--I
saved it--I didn't eat it. I can swim under the water. Now can I have
the badge?" Cracky, the way he stared, if I'd had the badge, I'd have
torn it off my arm and handed it to him, honest I would.
Mr. Ellsworth just looked at him and said, "No, you may not have the
badge. Before you can have the badge for swimming you must be a better
scout. You must learn to be obedient. You heard one of your patrol tell
you not to go under water. You heard your patrol leader tell you to get
into the skiff. Do you think you know better than they do, what is best
for you?"
Even still he didn't pay any attention, he was so excited. "Now am I a
hero?" he said.
"No, you are not a hero," Mr. Ellsworth told him; "and you will go
inside and get your uniform on. The first duty of a scout is to obey
his leader, and you have failed to do that. You are very much mistaken
as to the meaning of heroism, and it wasn't necessary to bring us any
proof that you got the candy or whatever that is. Scouts are not in the
habit of lying and deceiving. We expect always to believe you without
proof. Throw that away and go inside and get your clothes on."
Gee, maybe he was right, but anyway, I felt mighty sorry for Skinny.
His eyes were all full of tears and he went over to the rail and threw
the sticky jaw-breaker out into the water. I I could see by his neck
that he was gulping and trying not to cry and, oh, boy, it made me feel
bad. It seemed as if it was always that way with him--that he had to be
disappointed and that things never came out right with him. Anyway, I
said to myself, it's Connie's fault, and all the rest of the Elks are
to blame, too. Why didn't they tell him in the beginning about those
other things. All they cared about was showing their new member off to
the rest of the troop, and you see how it ended.
First I thought I'd go in and talk to Skinny and tell him he was a
wonder, for that was just what he was, and Mr. Ellsworth knew it, too.
Then I decided that I'd better not on account of Connie. And anyway, I
wouldn't have any right to go in and spoil what our scoutmaster said,
would I?