n and just looked across at
Catskill and the big hills in back. I kind of felt as if I'd like to be
alone with him a little while.

I said, "You did it all, Bert. The whole camp is crazy about you."

"Those campers are bully scouts," he said.

I said, "Yes, but _you_--if it wasn't for _you_--"

"If it wasn't for Pee-wee, Skinny would be on that train," he said.

We listened and could hear the West Shore train coming along and could
see the smoke blowing away into the mountains. It seemed as if that
train didn't care for anything or anybody. Pretty soon it would be in
the hot city and the people on it would go through big gates and across
in ferries and up the streets all filled with people. And everything
would be hot and stuffy.

But Skinny wouldn't be on it.

We saw it stop at the station in Catskill and we heard the bell ring
and saw it start again and go scooting along the shore and far away,
till we couldn't see it any more. Only the smoke.

But anyway, Skinny wasn't on it.

"Kind of, as you might say, Pee-wee can even beat a train--going scout
pace," I said.

"It'll go winding and turning in and out along the shore," Bert said;
"but Pee-wee can beat it on good turns."

"Yop," I said.

After that we didn't say anything for about five minutes.

Then I said, "One thing sure; _you_ ought to get the gold cross."

He didn't say anything, only broke a stick off a bush and began marking
on the grass with it.

"What do I want with the cross?" he said.

"It's a big honor," I told him.

"Sure," he said.

"You deserve it for what you did," I told him; "you ought to _want_
it--you ought to want to have it--on account of your patrol."

"Nice fellows, eh?" he said.

"Well then, why don't you take more interest in it for _their_ sake?"

"Ever notice how blue the Hudson is above Poughkeepsie?" he said.

I didn't say anything, just looked at the river. Then all of a sudden a
thought came to me.

I said, "Bert, you've got the cross already--haven't you? Why didn't
you tell me?"

"Dunno--didn't think of it, I guess," he said.

"Tell me how you won it, Bert," I said; "_please_ tell me."

But he just kept poking around with the stick and wouldn't tell me.

"Look at that worm," he said; and he held one up on his stick. "Good
fishing bait around here, hey? What d'ye say we go back?"

That was just like him--_just exactly like him_.

[Illustration: "LET GO, I'VE GOT HIM!"]

***END OF THE PROJEC