it.
The principal thing to wear is the scout smile, you take it from me.
When you see Mr. Ellsworth to-night you ask him about the belt-axe and
go by what he says. That's the one to go to--your scoutmaster."

"But anyway it's in the book about the axe," he said, and oh, gee, I
could see how he fell for that axe. I don't know, it was something
about it, I supposen "It's all right for a tree to fall for an axe,
but don't you," I said. That was a joke.

"You got to have one when you go chopping trees, haven't you?" he asked
me.

"You forget it," I said, and I decided I'd give Pee-wee a good bawling
out after the meeting. Then I started straightening Skinny's suit and
telling him how swell he looked and how he must always take off his hat
to ladies. He was interested all right, but I could see how the belt-axe
kind of had him, and I suppose it was because it was bright and shiny
and a weapon, sort of. That's the way it is with lots of fellows when
they start being scouts.

We tried to get him to go in the house to supper with us and then go to
the meeting, but he was kind of scared and wouldn't. I guess it was
because I live in a big house and because my father is rich--but anyway,
he never acts that way, that's one sure thing. And, gee, nobody can say
Ruth and Marjorie wouldn't have been nice to him too. So we left him in
the tent and told him to read the Handbook, but to be sure to go home
and get his supper in time to be at the meeting that evening. We made him
the full salute just for fun, and oh, didn't he smile and look proud. I
bet he was proud going up Main Street too.

"I'd like to get my hands on that kid," I said to Westy, as we went
across the lawn; "he makes me sick with his heroes and his noble rags
and his belt-axes. He's got that poor kid's brain full of fancy stuff
before he's even a scout."

"That's just like him," Westy said, "but he'll get over it."

"Emblem of the woods!" I said. "Did you hear that?"

"I guess he told Skinny we were going to chop down some saplings
to-morrow for stanchions on the boat," Westy said.

"Goodness knows what he didn't tell him." I
said, "Skinny will be chopping down all the fence rails in Barrel Alley
if Pee-wee has his way."

Oh, boy, we had huckleberry pie for supper, and didn't Westy and I have
two helpings!

"There's only one thing scouts like about huckleberry pie," my father
said, "and that's the taste of it."

CHAPTER XXI

SOMETHING MISSING