“Me mudder sez I dasn’ go swimmin’ widout she leaves me.”

It was strange how Keekie Joe, who had disregarded his poor mother’s wishes on so many occasions, should present her now to his new friends.  He did not have any of the things which they had, bicycles, tents, cooking sets, radio sets; but one thing he had as well as they, a mother.  And so he used her as they used theirs.  He played her as his only card.

“Me mudder sez I dasn’ go swimmin’ widout she leaves me.”

“Good for you, Joe,” said Townsend, “I’ll see your mother next week and fix it. And you do just what she told you to do till then.  You’ve got the right idea, Joe.”  And he hit Joe a good rap on the shoulder in his friendly way . . .

CHAPTER XXXI

A PROMISE

When he had put the racing fans on the Edgemere trolley, Pee-wee, like Jack ashore, betook himself into Bridgeboro to have his fling before returning to the ship.  The habit of sailors home from long voyages is well known, and we need not be surprised to find him bending his steps toward Bennett’s Fresh Confectionery, where he climbed onto one of the stools before the soda fountain.

He had just consumed a raspberry ice cream soda and was considering the question of whether he should have another when he noticed somebody which reminded him of the doom which awaited him on Monday morning.  This was Miss Carlton who taught in the Bridgeboro Public School.  She had just consummated the purchase of a box of candy and such were the cordial relations between herself and Pee-wee (out of school) that she proffered him the box for a choice of its contents.

“I don’t know whether to take a chocolate one or a white one,” Pee-wee said.

“Why not take both?” she suggested.

“I guess maybe that would be safest, hey?” he said.

“And what have you been doing all week?” Miss Carlton asked.

“I’ve been at sea,” Pee-wee said; “I’ve been floating around on a desert island that’s on a scow and this is the first day I came ashore.  I started a new patrol and Keekie Joe is in it.  He’s in your class, isn’t he?”

“He is—­sometimes,” said Miss Carlton ruefully.

“He goes on the hook a lot, doesn’t he?” said Pee-wee.

“Oh, lots and lots,” said Miss Carlton; dubiously.

“But anyway, don’t you care,” said Pee-wee, “because now he’s a scout and he’ll go to school every day, because a scout’s honor has to be trusted.  Do you know what was in that white one?  Kind of lemon like.”

“Won’t you have another?”

“Brown and white are our patrol colors,” said Pee-wee.  “We just started our new patrol.”

“Take a brown one and a white one,” said Miss Carlton.

“I bet you don’t know the name of our new patrol.  It’s the Alligators.”

“I think that’s a good name for Joe McKinny,” said Miss Carlton; “he’s so slow coming to school.”