Roy Blakeley, Lost, Strayed or Stolen

Table of Contents LAW AND THINGS MORE THINGS (I DON’T KNOW WHAT TO CALL IT) PEE-WEE STARTS THE BALL ROLLING WE TRY DIPLOMACY WE GO OVER THE GROUND SCOUT STRATEGY THE INVITATION RECONNOITERING NAPOLEON AND WATERLOO MINERVA SKYBROW TAKES COMMAND WE FIND A WAY THE GRAND DRIVE BEGINS AFTER THE BATTLE SOMETHING MISSING A SCOUT TWO—SEVEN! SUSPENSE MR. ELLSWORTH CALLS SERVICE A PROMISE FOOTPRINTS IN THE SHACK ADVENTURES OF CIGARETTE SAM THE THREE OF US THE TALK OF THE TOWN IN THE DARK ON OUR WAY “FINDINGS, KEEPINGS” THE STANDING ARMY SITTING DOWN PEE-WEE IN ACTION SLIGHT MOMENTUM BZZZZZZ WE SEPARATE ONE ENDING CEDAR THE OTHER ENDING CHAPTER I—LAW AND THINGS One thing, anyway, I wouldn’t say anything against the scout laws because they are good laws, that’s one sure thing. Even fellows that disobey them have to admit that they are good. If there weren’t any we couldn’t even disobey them, so gee whiz, I’m glad they are in the Handbook. That’s what they are for. I don’t mean we want to disobey them. But anyway, this is what I mean, that even fellows that disobey them ought to be glad they are there, because if they weren’t there they couldn’t disobey them. That’s what Pee-wee Harris calls logic. He says he knows a lot about logic, because his uncle has a friend whose brother is a lawyer. There are twelve of those laws, and the one I like best is law number eight, because it says a scout has to be cheerful and smile a lot. I always smile except when I’m asleep, and I’m not asleep much, because a scout is supposed to be wide awake. When I’m asleep I never disobey any of those laws. I’ll tell you some more about the scout laws, too, only this isn’t going to be a law book, you can bet. A scout is always supposed to do a given task. His dinner is a given task. He’s supposed to do a good turn every day. Maybe you think those are hard, but they are easy. If a scout in my patrol had some gumdrops and I ate half of them so he wouldn’t get sick, that would be a good turn. See? A scout is supposed to save life, too. Once I saved Wig Weigand’s life. He nearly died laughing at Pee-wee Harris, and I got there just in time to push the kid off the springboard into the water so he had to stop talking. That’s one thing I’m crazy about. I don’t mean talking, I mean swimming. Especially a scout is supposed to be observant. That’s one thing about the scouts my sister doesn’t like. She’s crazy about tennis, my sister is; tennis and strawberries. She’s crazy about Harry Donnelle, too; he’s a big fellow. That’s why she doesn’t like it about scouts being observant—I should worry.