epee. Skinny was smiling all over and I could see the
wrinkles at the ends of his mouth like I always could when he smiled.
That's when you could see how thin he was. I shouted that I thought Mr.
Ellsworth wanted to see him and he started to run, only Connie grabbed
him by the collar, just for fun, and held him back. I heard him say,
"Take your time, we're all in on this."

By that I knew that Skinny expected Mr. Ellsworth was going to give him
the gold cross. I didn't blame _him_ for thinking so, but the others
might have had better sense, because it's usually a week, anyway,
before an honor medal comes.

Anyway, they all came down into the tepee and stood looking around as
if they expected to see the gold cross on the table. Hanged if I don't
think Connie had n idea that Mr. Ellsworth would hand it to _him_, he
looked so important like.

Mr. Ellsworth just went on and finished the letter he was writing, then
he said, "Alfred, our rescued mariner from across the lake can't find a
roll of money he had in his mackinaw. He thinks it may have gone down
in the lake. Don't happen to know anything about it, do you?"

I have to admit that I felt sort of funny and I looked pretty close at
Skinny. He just stood there staring and I could see by his neck that he
was breathing hard and all nervous sort of. Then Mr. Ellsworth asked
him again, very pleasant like he always spoke to him. But Skinny didn't
say a word, only stood there staring and he gulped as if he was trying
to swallow something. Gee, I was all kind of shaky myself now, because
I saw Mr. Ellsworth looked at him in a funny way--like a fellow looks
at the sun--kind of. As if he was studying him--_you_ know.

Then Connie said, "Why in the dickens don't you speak up, Skinny? If
you know anything about it, why don't you say so? Do you want to get us
all in Dutch?"

I could see that Skinny was just trying as hard as he could to speak,
but couldn't on account of that lump in his throat. I know it was none
of my business, but I just couldn't keep still any longer, so I said
right out:

"The reason he doesn't speak is because he _can't_. Haven't you got
sense enough to see that? He thought Mr. Ellsworth was going to hand
him the medal and you were crazy enough to let him think so. That's one
reason he's all rattled. So I'll answer for him and I hope that'll
satisfy you. He hasn't got the money and he never saw it and he never
heard of it. It's down at the bottom of Blac