PEE-WEE ON THE JOB
“Yes, they’re back,” said Mrs. Martin, “and Pee-wee was here last
evening and talked steadily for two hours. He told me to tell you to
come to scout meeting to-morrow and vote——”
“Vote? What for?”
“I don’t know, it’s something about an award,” said Westy’s mother. “The
Rotary Club has offered some kind of an award for scouts, that’s all I
know. He told me to tell you to be sure to come and vote. He said it’s a
special meeting at Roy’s house and they’re going to have refreshments.”
“They won’t have any when he gets through,” said Westy wistfully.
“I’m so glad,” said his mother, rising, “that you can plunge right into
your scout work and forget all about this dreadful summer. At the
seashore we were very much disappointed, the gnats were terrible. I’m
glad we’re all home and that it’s over. Doris did nothing but dance and
she’s lost eight pounds instead of gaining.”
“All right, mom,” said Westy, letting his mother kiss him good night.
“I’m glad I’m home too; I’ll be glad to see the troop. It makes me feel
good just to hear you mention Pee-wee.”
“I’m sure he’ll cheer you up,” said Mrs. Martin. “I don’t know what to
think about what he says— I’m sure he always tells the truth.”
“Oh, yes, but sometimes he stands on his head and tells it so it’s
upside down,” laughed Westy; “that’s what Roy says.”
“He says that Warde Hollister found some sort of a job for a woman up
near camp so that the woman won’t have to send her little child to the
orphan asylum. He ran five miles through a swamp, Walter says. I hope to
goodness he had his rubbers on.”
“Was it a boy or a girl—the child, I mean?” Westy asked.
“I’m sure I don’t know, but I think the father is in jail. Anyway, the
boys want you to vote for Warde. Now will you promise me you’ll go to
sleep?”
Westy promised, and kept his promise that time at all events. If he had
known all there was to know about these matters perhaps he would not
have fallen asleep so easily.
He did not have to wait until the following evening, for the next
morning Pee-wee Harris (Raven and mascot) arrived like a thunder-storm
and opened fire at once upon Westy.
“Now you see what you get for going somewhere else and I’m glad I’m not
sorry for you, but anyway I’m sorry you weren’t there because we had
more fun at Temple Camp this summer than ever before and we’re going to
have the biggest hero scout in our troop and his picture is going to be
in _Boys’ Life_ and his name is going to be in the newspapers and I bet
you don’t know who it is, I bet you don’t!”
“Is it you?”
“Why?”
“Because you said the _biggest_.”
“Listen, you have to be sure to come to scout meeting to-night—they’re
going to have refreshments, but that isn’t the reason, but anyway you
have to be sure to come and I’ll tell you why—listen. You know good
turns? Listen! The Rotary Club—my father’s a member of it—listen!—they
offered a prize to the scout that did the biggest good turn involving
resources and powers—I mean prowess, that’s what it said, during this
summer. Only the scout has to be in a troop in this county, that’s the
only rule.
“Every troop in the county has a right to vote who did the biggest good
turn in the troop and then they send the name of that scout to the
Rotary Club and those men have a committee to read the reports sent from
all the different troops and then they decide which scout out of all
those scouts did the biggest good turn. All the good turns are big ones
because if they’re not they don’t get to the league and they decide
which is the biggest of all the big ones and then—listen! _Listen! The
scout that gets elected by those men gets a free trip to Yellowstone
Park next summer and all his expenses are paid, candy and sodas and
everything._ And after they elect him they’re going to have a banquet.
And do you know who’s going to the Yellowstone? Warde Hollister.”
“You mean they’ve voted already?” Westy asked.
“No, not till next Saturday night, but anyway we’re going to elect him
and send his name in and when you hear what he did you’ll vote for him
all right and I bet you’ll be proud he’s in your patrol. You needn’t ask
me what he did because you have to come and find out and there’s going
to be ice cream, too. So will you be there?”
“You bet,” said Westy, smiling, “but how about other troops all over the
county? They haven’t been asleep all summer.”
“Gee whiz, what do we care?” said Pee-wee.
“You’d better not be too sure,” Westy laughed.
“I bet you—I bet you a soda Warde’s the one to go,” vociferated Pee-wee.
“All right,” said Westy.
“Do you bet he won’t?” Pee-wee demanded incredulously. “_A feller in
your own patrol?_”
“They’ve got some pretty good scouts over in Little Valley,” said Westy.
“What do we care? You just wait. Will you surely be there—up at Roy’s?”
“You bet,” said Westy.