t showed our generous little hero handing
him a nice piece of candy. After that the fellow said he'd like to join
the scouts because they had such a lot of fun. And so he joined and they
all lived happily forever and forever.

After Tom Gilligan had taken the pictures just the way he wanted them
Warde Hollister threw the piece of rock at a tree and missed it because
he wasn't a scout--because scouts always aim straight, only they don't
throw rocks, but if they did they wouldn't miss.

"Now you're in the movies," I said, "and you're satisfied because that's
just what you wanted. And we thank you a lot."

He said, "Where are you going now?"

"Oh, just across the porch if you'll let us," I told him, "and then
across the river in a bee-line. Some job, hey? Then straight for that
big tree on the ridge. You look up there late this evening and see if
there's a fire burning. Then you'll know we're roasting potatoes. Do you
know what I think? I think the bee-line takes us right through the
haunted house across the river. I bet you're glad you're only a scout in
the movies. Pity the poor scouts, hey?"

He said, kind of hesitating, "I'm not afraid of haunted houses."

"Are you afraid of snakes?" Pee-wee piped up.

He said, "No, I'm not. I--like roasted potatoes, though."

"How many do you like?" the kid asked him.

"As many as I can get," Warde said. "And I'd like to go with you fellows
if you'll let me."

Westy said, "Do you mean you'd like to join the scouts?"

He said, "Yes, I do."

Tom Gilligan was standing there with his camera over his shoulder and
his big leather bag in his hand, all ready to go away. I guess he was
going back to the station and I was sorry because I liked that fellow.

He said to Warde, "You're a wise young fellow, you are. Go in for the
real thing and don't bother with imitations. What's the use of jumping
off a cliff made of pasteboard when you've got real roofs to climb over?
What's the use of doing stunts in a studio when you can go on a
bee-line hike across the country? You're a wise young fellow, you are.
You stick to the boy scouts; they'll keep you moving."

Then he said, "Well, so long, kids." And away he went.

I said, "Come over here right close to us and keep near us, Warde. We're
keeping this bee-line as narrow as we can."

He jumped up on the porch rail right beside us. The others were all
right there, squatting on the porch or sitting on the rail. We could see
across the r