u_ got to do with our patrol
anyway? Don't you think we're old enough to take care of our new
members? All because you and Vic were on the outs last summer."

Jingo, that made me mad. "I forgot all about that," I said; "didn't Vic
treat me to a soda only last week? It wasn't a quarrel anyway. I should
worry about who has the stalker's badge in your patrol. I didn't even
know Vic was after it. You know yourself the kid hasn't begun his
second-class tests yet. What chance does _he_ stand if Vic is after it?
I only thought I'd try to do a good turn. Cracky, it's hard enough to
think up anything to do out here on a Sunday afternoon--you know that
yourself. I was waiting all day for somebody to fall overboard, so I
could jump in and save them. You're a lot of old grandmothers in your
patrol. If that's all you've got to complain about, you'd better go and
sweep the wind off the deck."

"You mean to tell me to go and sweep the wind off the deck?" Connie
said, coming right up close to me.

"Sure," I said, "and when you get through with that go and clean the
reflection out of the water. I should worry. Here, take your new
member. If I'd known Vic was after the badge, I wouldn't have said a
word about it, you can bet. You ought to know me well enough to know I
was just giving him a few tips. Did I have any quarrel with you, Vic?"

Honest, would you believe it, none of them said a word except, "Come
ahead, Skinny," and the poor kid followed them out, not knowing what to
think, I guess.

"End of a perfect day," I said.

CHAPTER VII

TELLS ABOUT MY MERIT BADGE

Wasn't that a crazy thing? Just because last summer I put a stalking
sign on one of Vic's trees. How did I know it was his? As soon as he
told me, I marked off my claim the same as any scout would. Maybe I
ought to have remembered that he was out for the stalker's badge, but
believe me, I have enough to remember with the Silver Fox patrol.

Gee whiz, nobody can say that I ever butt in when a patrol is breaking
in a tenderfoot. That's one thing I wouldn't do. I wouldn't even have
bothered to tell you about it at all, except that it had _momentous
consequences_--that's what Pee-wee said.

At supper there was a big round flat piece of wood tied with a rope at
my place and on it was printed "_Sneaker's Badge_." It must have been
cut out of a piece of wood from a grocery box, because I noticed on the
other side of it, it said "_Honey Boy_" I suppose it meant some k