early, when I met
Skinny's mother. She was going to do her day's washing. And she told me
how she had to leave him sick in bed, and she asked me if I'd go and
stay with him till she got back. I went back and got the ball and mitt
because I thought maybe he'd like them. She said he got a bad cold in
the marshes and he was all excited and kind of crazy from the way he'd
hung onto Jake and begged him not to go up to your house--what did the
fellows think when I didn't show up?"

"You--you should worry," I just blurted out.

"Anyway I don't care so much about the troop
or Mr. Ellsworth either," he said, "and even if I cared about Skinny it
wouldn't do much good, because he's going to die--the doctor says so. But
I care a lot about you and he did you a good turn. I was afraid he might
die before you had a chance to pay him back. So I just sort of tried to
pay him back for you--"

All the while he was talking I could hardly hear what he was saying and
there was one word ringing through my head.

It was the word slacker.

CHAPTER XVII

THE TWO CROSSES

I guess maybe I'd better tell you about Skinny now, so you'll know all
about who he is. Before I was a scout I used to call him Wash-board,
because he was so skinny you could have used his ribs for a wash-board.
I guess I used to think that was funny, but, gee, when you get to be a
scout you find out what real fun is and you don't call names like that.

He always lived down in Barrel Alley and his mother goes out washing.
Once Skinny's father hit him on the head and it made him queer like. But
he got better mostly. Only he was always afraid of people after that. His
father went away and got killed. Sometimes Skinny sold papers at the
station, but he was always scared of people, especially rich fellows.
How should I know he was interested in Scouts? He didn't have much to
eat, I guess. Anyway Jake Holden was a good friend to him and he wasn't
scared of Jake. I guess maybe he had consumption.

He didn't wake up again then, anyway he didn't open his eyes, and as soon
as his mother came home from her work Westy and I went home. I wasn't
thinking anything about the house-boat now. I was only thinking about
Skinny and I had my mind all made up, too. I didn't say anything to
Westy, but on the way home I decided what I was going to do.

It was the scout trail that took me to that tenement house and if you
follow a scout trail you're safe. That scout trail knew what it