to live too near
the river. Some people are crazy. The houses down that way are not so
big and they're not so close together.

The only thing that stood in our way in the park was the big wooden
fence, sort of, with all the soldiers' names on it. It wasn't so very
long and we might have gone around it only I decided that our path was
right about through the middle of it. So we crawled under it.

Then right ahead of us was River Road, crossing our path. We stopped and
took a squint and used our compass and decided that our path was between
two houses.

Tom Gilligan said, "I think it's right through that house on the left."

I said, "No, sir, it's right across the lawn between the two houses. You
just want us to get into some trouble so you can show the whole of the
United States and Canada. I know you."

He said, "You kids take another look at that tree. Your bee-line is
just--exactly--precisely--across the side porch of that house with the
brown shingles. Now you see."

I said, "You're right. I've got to send my official staff to that house
for permission to cross neutral territory."

But when I looked around for my official staff, there he was standing
stark still about ten yards behind us.

I said, "Come ahead, official staff. What's the matter with you?"

He said, "Do you know whose house that is? I didn't know because I never
came toward it this way before. It's Warde Hollister's house. I can tell
by the bay window."

"That suits me," I said.

"You'll--you'll have to use diplomacy," Pee-wee said. "I know that
fellow."

"Believe me," I said, "I've got the diploma for diplomacy. You fellows
camp right here and leave that fellow to me. Here's where we not only
cross neutral porches, but here's where we take a prisoner, too. In
about ten minutes I'll have the enemy eating out of my hand."

"What?" Pee-wee just blurted out.

"Eating out of my hand," I said. "You know what eating means, don't
you?"

"S----sure I do," the kid said.

CHAPTER IX

DIPLOMACY

I left the fellows where they were and went across the street, keeping
straight west. Away over on the ridge, beyond the river and beyond
Little Valley, I could see the big tree good and clear against the sky.
It seemed sort of lonely up there. I said to myself, "You wait, old
tree, we're coming straight along." Gee whiz, I was kind of glad that
our destination was a tree and not some building or other. You'll never
catch me planting the