POINTS

Eagle 138-1/2
Fox 146
Wolf 143-1/2

"Tim gets some crazy hunches," Alex said, after a time, "but I don't
think he'll lose any points for us--not any more."

"Let him go fish then," Andy cried. "We should worry. How about it, Don?"

Don shook his head slowly. "I'm patrol leader of the Wolves."

"And he's a Wolf scout," Andy nodded thoughtfully. "I see what you mean.
I guess you're right. What are you going to do?"

"Nothing. Maybe by next Friday he'll be over it."

But next Friday found Tim unchanged. He mingled with the other scouts,
but from his patrol leader he held aloof.

A Fox scout reported late, and the Foxes lost a half-point. The score
read:

PATROL POINTS

Eagle 154-1/2
Fox 161-1/2
Wolf 159-1/2

"Wow!" cried Bobbie. "Only two points behind now."

A gain by the Wolves meant little to Don just now. A belief was slowly
growing in his mind that Tim had the makings of one of the best scouts in
the troop. The right kind of patrol leader, he thought, would have had
Tim where he belonged before this. He felt that he had been a failure.

He longed for advice and the wisdom of an older head. Barbara or his
father would not do tonight; he wanted somebody who knew scouting. When
the meeting was over he went slowly to Mr. Wall with his troubles.

"The little blue bugs surely have you tonight," the Scoutmaster said
cheerily. "Let's reason this out. A month or so ago a frightened scout
told me that some of my boys were off for Danger Mountain. Remember?"

Oh, yes, Don remembered.

"Tim led that expedition. Do you think he'd do a stunt like that now?"

"No, sir."

"Nor I," the Scoutmaster said gravely. "He's swinging around, probably
because he's tied up with fellows who want to be real scouts. Would you
call that failure?"

The boy was silent several minutes. "No, sir," he said at last.

Mr. Wall clapped his shoulder. "Then there's nothing left to worry about,
is there?"

Don was somewhat surprised to find that there was not. The cloud had
vanished. He went home with his mind at peace. He had given Tim his own
head of late, and even Mr. Wall said that Tim was coming around. He'd
give him his head again, and wait for the sulks to wear off.

But it was hard to work with Tim all next day against the Ironside nine,
and to find him, even in the heat of the struggle, stiff and unbending.
And it was harder still to see the days of the next week pass and bring
no ch