he's dead now, over
in France; but anyway, you know what he said about trails."

"He wanted a motorcycle, too," Dorry said.

"Yes, but you know what he said about trails?

"How if you get thinking about doing something that isn't fair and square,
it just means you're on the wrong trail. And you know yourself how hard it
is to find the right trail if you once get started on the wrong one? Maybe
you don't think much about Tom Slade, these days, but I do. Often when
nobody knows it, I do."

"I don't see anything wrong in it," Dorry said; "_we_ were the first to see
him."

"Then what makes you feel so mean about it?" I asked him. "What makes you
ask me about a little sound like a cricket? It's because you're kind of
rattled and you're not sure, that's why. Once a murderer went and confessed
after hearing a cricket all night. Maybe you don't know that it's in a book
how crickets start your conscience--maybe you don't. Listen!"

He said, "You mean you'll tell and you won't help me?"

"No, I won't tell," I said, "and I _will_ help you. I'll help you to put
the Church Mice on their feet. I'll help you to give that scoutmaster a
good welcome. I'll help you to fix it so those poor little codgers all have
uniforms. I'll help you to fix it so you can look Harry Donnelle in the
face--and Mr. Ellsworth, when you see him. And Tom Slade. And if it's a
case of sneaking, I'll help you with that too. We'll make those fellows
think that _they_ discovered Jib Jab, otherwise satisfactory, you can go
and ask Harry Donnelle they'd never take the reward. And if that isn't if
it's all right for you to get the reward. And if he says yes, I'll say so
too. I bet he has no use for motorcycles anyway."

Dorry didn't say anything, only just stood there.

"What do you say?" I asked him.

He didn't answer me.

"What do you say--Dorry?" I asked him.

"How does a cricket make that sound, anyway?" he asked.

"I should worry about how he makes it," I told him.

He just said, "Funny, isn't it?"

CHAPTER XXVII

WE TAKE HARRY INTO OUR CONFIDENCE

One thing, I wouldn't let anybody talk against Dorry Benton. Even I
wouldn't have told you about that, only he said it was all right. I knew
all the time that he would never cheat those fellows out of their reward.
He didn't say anything more that night, but in the morning he came after me
when I went to get sticks for the fire, and then I knew everything was all
right.

He said, "You and I