said
Roy. "There's one good thing about the Elks and that is that they're
not Ravens, and there's one good thing about the Ravens and that is
that they're not Elks. They both have everything to be thankful for if
not more so. They're in luck."

"Do you call that logic?" Pee-wee demanded in the tones of an
earthquake. "If one thing is better than another thing how can that
other thing be better than the other thing? You're crazy!"

"Goodness gracious, look who's here?" said Hunt Manners, who was
sorting out some fish-hooks. "The whole Canned Salmon Patrol."

Pee-wee stood outside the tent, breathing hard after his long tramp up
the hill to the Blakeley place.

"Don't you know this is private land?" Warde Hollister said, rather
heedless of the possible effect of his remark.

"I didn't come in the tent, did I?" Pee-wee retorted wistfully.

"Come ahead in, Kid," said Roy. "Are you hungry? Here's some
fish-hooks."

"No, I'm not hungry," Pee-wee said. He had been so touched by Warde's
thoughtless remark that he held himself aloof from Roy's hospitality.
"I only came up to tell you that the thunderstorm up the river did a
lot of damage; a house was struck by lightning in North Bridgeboro and
a lot of trees were blown down." This was not what he had come up for,
though indeed the news was true, but his pride was touched by that
remark of Warde's and he would not now admit that he had tramped up
there just to visit them.

"Gee whiz, do you think I don't know that eight's a company, nine's a
crowd with patrols?" he said. "Do you think I don't know that?
Anyway, if I wanted to go and hang out with any patrol I'd go with the
Ravens, wouldn't I? I only came up to tell you that, because I thought
you'd like to know. Do you think I'm trying to find out your secrets?
Gee whiz!"

"Come ahead in, Kid," said Roy; "Warde didn't mean that."

"I will not."

"What's the matter with you anyway?" Will Dawson asked.

"I'm not in your patrol," Pee-wee said.

"What's the big idea?" Westy Martin asked. "You weren't in it when you
went on the bee-line hike with us either, were you?"

"That's different," Pee-wee said. "Anyway I was a scout then, because
I was in the Ravens and anyway I've got to go to the store."

Before they realized it he was gone.

"What the dickens did you want to say that for?" Roy asked Warde.

"Oh, it just jumped out of my mouth," Warde said; "I didn't think he'd
be so touchy. Wait, I'll