"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."

"I can prove you're wrong about him," said Pee-wee, "because alligators
don't go to school and----"

"Won't you have another, Walter?"

"One f