“There’s only one thing scouts like about huckleberry pie,” my father said, “and that’s the taste of it.”

CHAPTER XXI

SOMETHING MISSING

After supper Westy and I started for troop meeting.  It was getting dark fast and we went scout-pace down the hill, because after all that had happened you bet we didn’t want to be late.  No, siree.

All the while we were talking about just what I ought to say when I presented Skinny to the Elks, because that’s what we were going to do that night.  And I was the one to do it, because I was patrol leader.  Westy had a blue ribbon, because that’s the Elks’ color, and he was going to pin it on Skinny with an express tag that he got that day.  He had it all written nice and neat on the tag.

        From the Silver Foxes to the Elks. 
                Handle with Care.

I told him to put prepaid on it, too, and then he said it would be a good idea to put some thrift stamps on Skinny’s face.  Jiminy, that fellow Westy has some crazy ideas.

“Believe me, it’ll be great,” he said.

“The Elks will have some training to do, that’s one thing,” I said.

“He’ll learn soon enough, all right,” Westy answered.

“I guess it would be a good stunt to have a flag sticking up out of his collar,” I said; “he won’t mind, he’ll just smile.  He doesn’t get mad, that’s one good thing about him.”

“I like to see that smile, don’t you?” Westy said, “it’s kind of bashful like.”

“He’s going to pan out all right,” I said, “you take it from me.”

Then we said how it might be good to put him in a barrel and mark it “A gift from Barrel Alley,” but we decided not to because it might make him feel so kind of bashful and scared—­you know what I mean.

All the while I knew what I was going to say, and this was it: 

Scouts of the Elk Patrol, we present you with this testimonial (my sister said that was a good word to use) of our steam—­I mean esteem.  You get fifty green trading stamps besides.  This youth is positively guaranteed to grow, if kept in the sun and to win the pathfinder’s badge before the summer is out.  He is made of fast colors and will not run—­except when he’s tracking.  He should be kept away from explosives such as Pee-wee Harris.

With love and kisses from the Silver Foxes.

“Oh, it will be great!” Westy said, “we’ll do it before Mr, Ellsworth takes up the collection for the cruise, hey?”

“G—­o—­o—­d night!” I said and I stopped short.

“What’s the matter ?” Westy said.

“I’m glad you said that,” I told him; “I forgot my two bucks.”

“I’ll go back,” Westy said; “you wait here.”  There wasn’t any time to stop him and anyway, he can beat me running, I have to admit that.

“Where did you leave it?” he called back.