see anything to smile at.

Now I have to admit that I got kind of excited and I didn't know much
what I was saying.

Sometimes I had to stop on account of that lump being in my throat. But
anyway, I kept on and I held on tight to my emblem--the Silver Fox
emblem.

"So that's what I mean," I said, "and, this morning Westy was on his way
to help on the house-boat and he met" (oh, jiminies, I guess I didn't
know how I was talking now, I was so excited) "and he met Skinny
McCord's mother and she told him about Skinny being sick on account of
a good turn he did for me--keeping Jake Holden from going to my
house--and she asked him to go up and stay with him and he didn't think
any more about the house-boat, and I'm glad he didn't, and I told him
that, and I'm his patrol leader yet, anyway. I tell him that, I do! And
he went home and got his baseball and his catching mitt and it cost a
dollar and seventy-five cents, and he took them to Skinny just so as
he'd kind of forgot being sick. Westy saved up to get that mitt and I
know all about it. And he stayed all day with Skinny and the doctor
says, he says Skinny has got to die, but anyway Westy stayed all day
with him--that's what he did. And I'm glad you fellows are going to
elect a new leader if you want him to reprimand Westy, be cause you'd
never get me to do it, I can tell you that!"

Oh, crinkums, there wasn't a sound. It had to stop because I was
gulping and all excited, but I started again, you can bet.

"And there's only one thing more I've got to say," I told them. "I got
on the trail--I mean Skinny's trail. And it took me to his house in
Barrel Alley. I picked up his trail down at Little Landing and it had
the scout's pathfinder sign printed in the mud. And I--I'm--I'm a scout,
I am, I don't care what you say, and I followed it. And maybe, for all
you know, it was put there, for me to follow-maybe. It took me to where
a fellow was sick, it did, and it showed me one of my own--one of the
Silver Foxes, doing a good turn to pay Skinny back for the good turn
he did for me. And I stayed there to help and I forgot all about the
house-boat, and I'm glad I did. And I hope that whoever these fellows
elect, he won't let them chip in for the cruise, but I hope he'll have
them chip in to send Skinny up to the country--I don't care what the
doctor says. Once a doctor said that--he said that my father--"

And that's all I had a chance to say. Gee, I couldn't tell you what
ha