Читать книгу Pee-wee Harris and the Sunken Treasure - Percy Keese Fitzhugh - Страница 8

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It seemed rather a big enterprise for the head Chipmunk and three Girl Scouts. Perhaps Pee-wee would have been a little relieved if his expeditionary force had wavered at the appalling word murderer. But they did not waver. And Pee-wee was in for it. He found some comfort in the thought that the first move in their adventure was a call at the Gardiner mansion. He did not exactly know why he wanted to go there first, but he was quite agreeable to this peaceful mission as preliminary to the more hazardous invasion of his secret cove. He even became heroic.

“I tell you what let’s do,” he said. “Gee whiz, you got to be not scared no matter what happens.”

“I don’t see why we should be scared,” said Dora. “We’re not going to fight them. We’re just going to find out if they’re there; then if they are, we’ll come home and tell the police, that’s all. We can just paddle past the place and we ought to be able to tell if anybody has gone in through the bushes. We’re scouts, aren’t we?”

“I know ways to tell,” said Pee-wee. “Scouts have to know things like that. A scout—I can tell even if a leaf is moved, I can. You got to know how to do that. You got to be observant. I bet you’re glad you met me now, I bet you are, because I’m going to show you how scouts do. Didn’t I tell you about a dandy mystery?”

“Oh, it’s going to be just thrilling!” said Winifred. “And I’m not a single bit afraid. We’re going to do something real. And we won’t say a word about it till we can tell the stupid detectives just where to go. Because if that launch didn’t go back down the river it certainly must be somewhere. That is a peachy argument.”

“I invented it,” said Pee-wee.

“What I’m thinking of first of all,” said the earnest Minerva, “is to go and see Eleanor Gardiner and make her promise that if we’re instruments in recovering that money, she’ll join our troop——”

“We’ll be instrumentable.”

“And then,” said Minerva, “if she’s lonesome or needs any service——”

“Suuuure!” said Pee-wee with masterful conclusiveness. “We’ll hike down there this afternoon. Gee whiz, it’s only about three miles—you can walk that, can’t you?”

“I’ll say we can,” said Dora.

“I’ll show you the way scouts do,” Pee-wee said. “And anyway, that shows how observant I was how I saw the newspaper all wet on the ground where the fire was.” He did not say how he had been so observant as not to see the ladder he had tripped on. “That’s the way scouts have to be,” he added. “They got to know all about nature and they got to never miss anything. So now aren’t you glad?”

Minerva Skybrow was naturally a serious girl, and of generous impulse. Her eyes were sober with the thought of service with a touch of real adventure following it. She threw her arms around Pee-wee in an impulse of gratitude which sent his scout hat to the ground, exposing his curly hair. And she kissed him with a kiss of unconcealed enthusiasm and admiration. It was to be hoped that the robbers would not subject him to such an impetuous assault.

“Walter Harris,” said she, “you’re just the wonderfulest little scout that ever lived. And you do know all about things, and you are observant, and you know lots and lots and lots about nature. And we’re all four of us going to do a perfectly splendid good turn. And the Girl Scouts are going to do something really and truly big, thanks to you!”

Pee-wee rallied under the attack. “But anyway, you’re scared of snakes, that’s one thing,” he said.

“Well we’re not afraid now,” said Winnie, “that’s one thing too. And we’ll show you if we’re good for anything more than gathering wild flowers.”

“Does one of you know how to paddle?” the doughty leader asked.

“We all know how to paddle and we all know how to swim,” said Winifred. “So you needn’t be afraid.”

“Can you keep still and not say a word?” the hero demanded.

“Of course we can, silly!” said Dora.

Minerva was sober. Perhaps she was thinking more about her troop and about helpfulness than she was about the more adventurous phase of their enterprise. She had a finer sensibility than her two companions and perhaps her mind dwelt on the lonely girl in that big mansion; perhaps she pictured her a scout in khaki, a girl scout, recruited in a fine enterprise of adventure and helpfulness—thanks to Pee-wee.

“Let’s hike down there first,” she said, “and see her and ask all about the burglary, so we’ll know all there is. Maybe there is more than came out in the paper. Then let’s hike on down to the bridge and ask that man, whatever his name is, if he’s perfectly, absolutely sure that boat didn’t go down the river again. Then if we’re perfectly sure it’s up the river, we’ll——”

“We’ll find it!” shouted Pee-wee.

“Shh,” said Winifred. “We don’t have to let the whole neighborhood know about it.”