mean logic," I told him. "Nobody really knows where he's at. Even
the smartest man in the world doesn't know where he's at. What do _we_
care? Just because the earth is in the Solar System, that doesn't say we
have to tell where the Solar System is, does it? We're in the Brewster's
Centre Railroad Station and the Brewster's Centre Railroad Station is
somewhere in France--I mean somewhere in the Solar System. Secretary
Hines has charge of the railroads--he should worry. Come on, let's get
breakfast."

We only had enough stuff to last for about one meal, so we put all our
money together and counted it up. We had forty-two cents, and an eraser,
and a subway ticket, and a little hunk of icing from a piece of cake,
and a trolley zone ticket, and two animal crackers. I dumped the money
and the hunk of icing and the two animal crackers into Connie's hand
(because he's our troop treasurer anyway). "Here," I told him; "food
will win the war, don't waste it."

I made some coffee and then we fixed two of the seats facing each other
and two of the fellows sat on one seat and two on the other with a piece
of board between them.

There was a red flag on that car and I used it for an apron. Some chef,
hey? The heating stove was in the little ticket office and I just passed
the tin cups out through the window, and each time I called "one coffee"
and slapped it down on the counter. I guess I'll be a waiter in Child's
after I'm not a child any more--that's a joke. Anyway, it was lucky we
had some Uneeda crackers; we needed them enough, believe _me_.

After breakfast, Westy said, "There ought to be a town somewhere around
here."

"Look around and see if you can see it," I told him; "maybe it ran away
when it saw us coming."

He and Connie were just going to start out looking for the town, when a
man came along and went up the steps of the platform in front of the
store. I guess he kept the store. He had a big straw hat on and one
suspender over his left shoulder. He had a little beard like a billy
goat. When he got up on the platform he stood there staring at us.
Pretty soon a couple more men came and they all stood there in front of
the store, staring.

"I think we're pinched," Westy said.

"I wonder how much we can buy for forty-two cents in that store,"
Pee-wee wanted to know.

"About forty-two cents' worth," I told him.

"That won't keep us alive for one day," he said.

"Are you thinking about lunch already?" I asked him