d grade--I mean in history. There was Pee-wee standing on the
grocery box, his aluminum cooking set all over the ground, shouting
through the old phonograph horn at the top of his voice. A little way
off I could see a cop coming across the green. I guess he was going to
chase us off first, till he heard what Pee-wee was saying.

CHAPTER XXII

INVASION

Pee-wee had the floor; he had the whole green; I guess he had nearly the
whole town. Anyway, he had all the peanut brittle there was left.

"We caught a bandit," he shouted. "He's got footprints. He's up in the
top car of the ferris-wheel in Riverview Park. He's bound with ropes.
Even Detective Pinchem didn't catch him, but we did."

"Who put him up there?" somebody shouted.

"We did!" Pee-wee yelled.

"What's he doing up there?" a man called.

"He's trembling with fear," the kid shouted. "He fired seven hundred
shots and got away with two dollars----"

"You mean seven hundred dollars," I said.

"We _foiled_ him!" the kid shouted.

"He's all wrapped up in tin-foil," I said.

The cop said, "What's all this nonsense, anyway?"

I said, "Are you the police department?"

He said, "Well, I think I am."

"You've got to be sure of it," Pee-wee shouted. "We can't deal with the
civilized population."

"Do you think we're afraid of you?" that girl said, very scornful like.

"Hurrah for Pee-wee Harris," Dorry shouted.

"Do you think we're afraid of a boy named Pee-wee?" she said. "It sounds
like a canary bird."

Pee-wee pointed the big horn right plunk at her and shouted through it,
"_Do you call me a canary bird?_"

I nearly died laughing.

She said, "If I had a name like Pee-wee I wouldn't talk about dealing
with the civilian population."

"That name doesn't belong to me," he yelled.

"He only rents it," Hunt said.

"His right name is Sir Harris, R. R.--Raving Raven," Dorry said.

"What's _your_ name?" Pee-wee hollered at her through the horn.

"It's Dora Dane Daring," she said. "So there, Mr. Smarty. And I'm a
girl scout."

"Girls are afraid of snakes," he shouted.

She said, "Well, they're not afraid of canary birds."

"They're afraid of black men and--and--bandits," he yelled. "Didn't you
ever hear of _wild_ canary birds? That shows how much you know about
botany--I mean zoology."

By that time everybody was screaming. Even the whole police department
was laughing. He said, "Well, now, what's all this about? Have you
youngsters bee