running east and west. We had good luck because our hike straight west
down the hill took us right plunk into Central Avenue.

At the beginning of Central Avenue, where it kind of peters out at the
foot of our hill, we stopped to make sure it went straight west. Because
with a nice, long, straight street like that it's easy to fool yourself
and say it goes straight west when it doesn't, quite. But Central Avenue
did, because away down beyond the other end of it, and away across the
river we could see that big tree up on the ridge. Central Avenue doesn't
go all the way through town but we saw that as far as it did go it went
straight west. We made good and sure. Because a bee-line hike is no good
unless you're strict about it.

After we had gone a couple of blocks we couldn't see the tree any more
on account of being right in the thick part of town. But we checked our
course up with the compass on every corner and everybody crowded around
laughing at us, and we had all the kids at our heels.

After we had gone about five blocks on Central Avenue we came to the
place where it ends. It bunks right into another street that goes across
it. Right across the street from the end of Central Avenue is a big
house. There it was staring us right in the face. And right on the
porch, plunk in front of the front door was a big fat man, staring us
right in the face.

"Foiled!" I said.

"The bee-line goes right through the front door," Westy said. "That's
just our luck. That's the kind of a house that has a hall going right
through it. The bee-line goes right through that hall and in back is
Monument Park."

"Right through the hall?" I said. "What good does that do us? _It goes
right through the man!_"

"Now's the time for strategy," Pee-wee said.

I said, "Don't break your garter now, whatever you do, or all is lost."

"We've got to have a conference," he said.

CHAPTER VI

A PROPOSITION

I said, "Come on across the street and I'll consult with my official
staff."

"That man looks invincible," Pee-wee said.

Westy said, "He looks immovable, that's sure."

I said, "I'm sorry now my official staff didn't bring a couple of
British tanks with him."

That big, fat man just seemed to be saying, "They shall not pass."

Hunt Manners said, "Take a good look at him; does he look good-natured?"

We went across the street and stopped on the sidewalk of Grove Place
right plunk in front of the big house. Then we all g