n should step in and
exterminate them all, as he often does just for the sake of a few
dollars."

This sort of talk roused the enthusiasm of the boys, and when after a
while Mr. Witherspoon put the question as to how many of them felt like
immediately signing the roster roll so as to start the first patrol of
the intended troop, there was a good deal of excitement shown.

First of all Tom Chesney signed, and immediately after him came Carl,
Felix, Josh and George. By the time these five names had appeared Josh
had slipped his arm through that of Walter Douglass and brought him up
to the table to place his signature on the list.

"We need two more to make up the first patrol," announced Mr.
Witherspoon. "Unless eight are secured we cannot hope to get our
charter from scout headquarters, because that is the minimum number of
a troop. I sincerely hope we may be able to make so much progress
to-night at this meeting that I can write to-morrow to obtain the
necessary authority for acting as your scout master."

At that another boy who had been anxiously conferring with his father
walked forward.

"Good for you, Billy Button!" called out Josh. "That makes seven, and
we only need one more name. Horace, are you going to see this grand
scheme fall through for lack of just a single name? Your sig would look
mighty good to the rest of us at the end of that list." Then he ended
with an air of assumed dignity, "Horace, your country calls you; will
it call in vain?"

Horace Herkimer Crapsey was the boy who had been spoken of as a dainty
dude, who hated to soil his white hands. Tom had expressed it as his
opinion that if only Horace could be coaxed to join the troop it would
prove to be the finest thing in the world for him. He had the making of
a good scout only for those faults which other boys derided as silly
and girlish. He was neat to a painful degree, and that is always looked
on as a sort of crime by the average boy.

Horace evidently had been greatly taken by the combined talk of the
scout master and the old hermit-naturalist. To the great delight of
Josh, as well as most of the other boys, he now stepped forward and
placed his name on the list.

"That makes eight, and enough for the first patrol," announced Mr.
Witherspoon, with a pleased look; "we can count on an organization now
as a certainty. All of you will have to start in as tenderfeet, because
so far you have had no experience as scouts; but unless I miss m