explorers were eating their hunter's
stew in this strange land and sprawling beneath their tree in the
gathering twilight surrounded by unknown perils, the gay Silver Fox
Patrol returned from New York after a day spent in shopping and
sightseeing.

They proceeded at once to their railroad car down by the river where they
found the Ravens, who had just returned from a hike. Soon the Elks,
returning from an auto ride, joined their comrades and a lively
discussion occurred. It pertained to the lawn party to be given that
evening at the home of Miss Minerva Skybrow of the Camp-fire Girls.

"What time do you have supper at your house?" Doc Carson asked Roy
Blakeley.

"We have it about eight o'clock on Saturdays," said Roy. "My father's
playing golf."

"Same here," said Artie Van Arlen; "my father has to stay late so as to
beat your father."

"If he stays at the links long enough to do that you'll never see him
again," said Roy. "What time is this racket supposed to be, anyway?"

"Eight sharp," said Grove Bronson.

"Are we going to go all separated together or all separated at once?" Roy
asked.

"Positively," said Warde Hollister.

"Positively what?" asked Connie Bennett.

"It's all the same to me, only different," said Roy. "Only this is what
I was thinking. We all have supper at different times except Pee-wee and
he has supper all the time. As Abraham Lincoln said at the battle of
Marne, 'Some people are half hungry all the time, some people are all
hungry half the time, but Pee-wee is _all_ hungry _all_ the time.' I
wonder where he is anyway?"

"Down in Bennett's having a soda, I guess," said Westy Martin.

"Is he going to the party?" Tom Warner asked.

"Search me," said Westy. "I guess not, he doesn't dance. I heard
somebody say he was with some fellows up the river."

"Starting a new bunch of patrols, I suppose," said Roy.

"Bentley's gardener saw him somewhere," said Wig Weigand.

"It's just possible he was somewhere," said Roy. "I've often known him
to go there. Let's talk of something pleasant. What do you say we get a
light supper down here. Anybody that wants to go home and dress can do
it only he has to hustle. She wants us to wear our scout suits anyway,
she said so. I say let's get a few eats down here and then wash up and
all hike it up there together. United we stand----"

"What are we going to eat?" Grove Bronson asked. "I don't see anything
here but some fishhooks and a