“Don’t you worry,” I told him, “I know that fellow in the picture and he hasn’t got one on.”

“One of your scout fellows says you have to have one,” he said, kind of timid.

“Good night!” I said to Westy, “Pee-wee’s been at it.”

“He knows, too,” Skinny said.

“You mean that little fellow?” I said.  “Has he been talking to you?”

“Yes,” he said.

“Forget it,” I told him!  “If that kid had his picture taken he’d stand with his back to the camera so as to show his belt-axe.  If he had the Gold Cross he’d pin it on the end of his nose so everybody’d see it.  The principal thing to wear is the scout smile, you take it from me.  When you see Mr. Ellsworth to-night you ask him about the belt-axe and go by what he says.  That’s the one to go to—­your scoutmaster.”

“But anyway it’s in the book about the axe,” he said, and oh, gee, I could see how he fell for that axe.  I don’t know, it was something about it, I supposen “It’s all right for a tree to fall for an axe, but don’t you,” I said.  That was a joke.

“You got to have one when you go chopping trees, haven’t you?” he asked me.

“You forget it,” I said, and I decided I’d give Pee-wee a good bawling out after the meeting.  Then I started straightening Skinny’s suit and telling him how swell he looked and how he must always take off his hat to ladies.  He was interested all right, but I could see how the belt-axe kind of had him, and I suppose it was because it was bright and shiny and a weapon, sort of.  That’s the way it is with lots of fellows when they start being scouts.

We tried to get him to go in the house to supper with us and then go to the meeting, but he was kind of scared and wouldn’t.  I guess it was because I live in a big house and because my father is rich—­but anyway, he never acts that way, that’s one sure thing.  And, gee, nobody can say Ruth and Marjorie wouldn’t have been nice to him too.  So we left him in the tent and told him to read the Handbook, but to be sure to go home and get his supper in time to be at the meeting that evening.  We made him the full salute just for fun, and oh, didn’t he smile and look proud.  I bet he was proud going up Main Street too.

“I’d like to get my hands on that kid,” I said to Westy, as we went across the lawn; “he makes me sick with his heroes and his noble rags and his belt-axes.  He’s got that poor kid’s brain full of fancy stuff before he’s even a scout.”

“That’s just like him,” Westy said, “but he’ll get over it.”

“Emblem of the woods!” I said.  “Did you hear that?”

“I guess he told Skinny we were going to chop down some saplings to-morrow for stanchions on the boat,” Westy said.

“Goodness knows what he didn’t tell him.”  I said, “Skinny will be chopping down all the fence rails in Barrel Alley if Pee-wee has his way.”

Oh, boy, we had huckleberry pie for supper, and didn’t Westy and I have two helpings!