to it that Joe had a voice in
everything. Not that any of them denied Joe these rights, but Joe felt
out of place among these strange boys and the boys sometimes forgot
about him.

It was exactly like Pee-wee to drag poor Joe head over heels into
scouting, and then forget all about him. It was exactly like Townsend
Ripley to take the poor little hoodlum quietly in hand and be his
friend and sponsor. He treated him always as an equal and as a
comrade. What the others forgot, he remembered.

He agreed with Joe, or disagreed with him, as pals will agree and
disagree. He always took him seriously. He allowed Joe to teach him
to play craps and then said he didn't see much fun in it, and such was
his magnetic power over poor Joe that Joe said he didn't see any fun in
it either. And there was an end of it.

So it was with all the wretched hoodlum games and tricks that poor Joe
had known; one by one they failed in the test, and he became ashamed of
them. It is no wonder that Keekie Joe worshipped this keen, easy-going
patrol leader, who seemed to be no leader at all. Even Pee-wee was
sacrificed in the good cause and Townsend made fun of Pee-wee for
Keekie Joe's amusement.

As they sprawled about the fire that Saturday night, the last night but
one of their outlandish vacation, and ate spaghetti from tin platters,
the trend of the talk showed somewhat the effects of the week's outing
upon the poor little derelict of Barrel Alley.

"Seems good sitting here and not eating hunter's stew, doesn't it?"
said Townsend in his funny way. "I never realized how much I enjoyed
not eating hunter's stew. I shall always love hunter's stew for the
pleasure it has given me when I didn't eat it. I suppose the
Discoverer ought to be getting back pretty soon."

"Unless those girls took him to Edgemere," said Brownie.

"I don't think they'd do that, they spoke well of Edgemere," said
Townsend.

"There's no telling where he'll drift to," said Nuts.

"Please don't talk about drifting," said Townsend. "The way I feel
about drifting I don't ever want to look at a snow-drift. I can't even
listen to the drift of a person's conversation. How about _you_, Joe?"

"De Discov'r's all right," said Joe, loyally.

"I wouldn't say he's all right," said Townsend; "but when he's wrong
he's at his best. That's what _I_ think, Joe."

"He's always at his best," said Brownie.

"Except when he's at his worst," said Townsend, "and then he's