ery two hours, so if we didn't catch the
eight-ten one, we couldn't go until the ten-ten, and that would make
it very late for the Scouts to go through all the kinds of drills they
had planned for. Some of us had to sprain ankles and make believe to
step on snakes, and then Mamie Sue had to be lost and traced, only she
didn't know it yet; so Tony said that we would have to start very
early. It was about half past seven when he came for me while all the
rest of them waited at the corner for us. We then trooped down to get
Roxanne and Lovelace Peyton; but disaster met us at the door. It was
Lovelace Peyton dancing and yelling like a wild Indian while Roxanne
tried to quiet him and unbutton his white linen dress-up at the same
time.

"Please everybody go on. We can't come," Roxanne called to us at the
gate. "Lovey sat down on one of the hot pies that Uncle Pomp had just
taken out of the stove for me to put in the basket, and it burned him
through his trousers and blouse and all. Uncle Pomp has got a dreadful
fit of asthma, and the pie is all over everything where Lovey ran
around and around. I've got to scrub him and the whole house. Please
go on and don't be late for the train." And as Roxanne looked out at
us over the dancing Lovelace Peyton that was the first time I had ever
seen her face without its dimple on the left side of her chin, or her
head down out of the rosy cloud.

"It always happens just this way, Roxy," said Belle in a reproving
tone of voice. "You promised to begin to get ready last night, so as
not to delay anything or anybody. We're just not going to wait!"

"I did try, Belle," answered Roxanne, with a little sob coming into
her voice that made both Tony and me so mad at one time that it is a
wonder that we didn't both explode together.

"Here, you bubbles," said Tony, jumping the gate as I went through it,
"get busy with this situation. We've got almost a half-hour, so be
doing something, everybody. Belle, you help Roxy skin that kid and get
him into clean clothes while I swab up and light old Pomp's
jimson-weed pipe for him?" And as Tony spoke he started to the rear of
the house.

"No, no. I'm hurted bad, and I won't let anybody but Phyllis touch me.
I'll out off Belle's arm if she comes nigh me," said Lovelace Peyton
in the rudest voice; but it did me good to get hold of him and begin
to peel him while Roxanne stood petrified at the idea of hurrying all
her calamities onto the car in twenty min