Читать книгу Pee-Wee Harris Turns Detective - Percy Keese Fitzhugh - Страница 4

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Lefty Leighton was lucky to get into the First Bridgeboro Troop and, from all indications, the troop was lucky to get him as a member. Of the three patrols, now comprising the troop, Ravens, Silver Foxes and Elks, the Raven unit was the one to make the scoop. It had for sometime been lacking two members. Punkin Odell had moved away to disport in pastures new—and Charlie Bulton had gone off to boarding school.

One of the vacancies had been promptly filled by the only original Pee-Wee Harris; he not only filled it, but he overflowed it. His own patrol, the Chipmunks, had evaporated after a stormy career under its despotic leader. But you will be glad to note from the accompanying list that Tasca and Bruno Liventi, Pee-Wee’s greatest discovery, were retained under the Elks’ banner. Lefty Leighton stepped easily and somewhat nonchalantly into the other vacancy in the Ravens.

Since the scouts of this splendid troop are more or less known to friends of Pee-Wee and Roy, it may be well to set forth here the membership as it stood during the time of the memorable episodes in which Lefty Leighton was involved.

RAVENS

Artie Van Arlen, P. L.

Doc Carson

Grove Bronson

Forrest Bronson

Pee-Wee Harris

Wigley (Wig-Wag) Weigand

Elmer Sawyer

Lefferts Leighton

SILVER FOXES

Roy Blakeley, P. L.

Westy Martin

Dorry Benton

Huntley Manners

Will Dawson

Townsend Ripley

Warde Hollister

Stubby Piper

ELKS

Connover Bennett, P. L.

Victor Norris

Ben Maxwell

Alfred (Skinny) McCord

Bert McAlpin

Bruno Liventi

Tasca Liventi

Bob (Trailer) Hilman

From the very start Lefty’s progress was so rapid as to be sensational. The only requirement that he balked at was the one which made it necessary for him to wait a month before claiming his second class badge. He was ready in two weeks. And what he did he appeared to do with easy mastery. He chafed a trifle at the first aid business, for he preferred to be on the go. But he filled every item of these requirements with a kind of cheerful contempt. You have seen a skillful ball player idly raise one arm and leisurely, half interestedly, catch a ball. That was the way that Lefty met the first aid tests. Instead of making a choice of the three signal codes, he learned them all. He tracked a dog half a mile in nineteen minutes. “What am I supposed to do with the other six minutes?” he nonchalantly asked.

He had scout-pace down to perfection, and did a mile in nine minutes. This allowed him three minutes to pause and memorize the contents in the window of YE RIVERSIDE GIFT SHOPPE. This was quite superfluous since he had taken care of test four by his tracking. He gave them good measure. Another boy might have selected the window of a real estate office with about two objects in it. They do such things and get away with them.

He grouped six, seven and eight by chopping wood with a hatchet, starting a fire with one match (he was privileged to use two) and cooking meat and potatoes in the open without utensils. He didn’t seem to understand why they required such things of him, but he did them. He said he did not like housework. He had a quiet, whimsical way about him which amused everybody; he was immensely likable. He had a way of making some of the tests appear ridiculous, which tickled Mr. Ellsworth.

There was one little thing which occurred in connection with his one minute scrutiny of the shop window (a part of test four) which some of his comrades had occasion to recall later. He had enumerated a couple of dozen articles such as book-ends, pictures, objects of brass, etc., the usual miscellaneous junk of a gift shop. He had not been required to do this since he had fulfilled the alternate requirement of that test. That he should do it seemed characteristic of him. But that he should fool his comrades seemed incredible.

Yet that, apparently, was what he did. For when a couple of members of the Elk Patrol, Vic Norris and Bob Hilman, happened to pass the shop later that same day they saw an entirely different display from the one described by Lefty. It was the custom in the troop (save in matters of most vital importance) to repose a good deal of confidence in the word of any aspirant in the performance of his tests and the winning of his honors. And usually, indeed, achievement is self-evident. Where checking up was necessary, these matters were attended to with tactful discretion.

These good scouts did not go to Lefty with their discovery, nor even to the Ravens. But they told Mr. Ellsworth who screwed up his mouth and looked puzzled.

“Well,” he finally said, “he didn’t have to do that stunt, anyway.”

“Then why did he make believe he did?” Vic Norris queried.

Mr. Ellsworth added a thoughtful frown to his pursed lips. “Well, I guess we won’t think about it,” he said.

But somebody thought about it, and shouted about it, and that was Pee-Wee Harris. He overheard this little colloquy which occurred just outside the troop room after Friday night meeting, and paused to listen in accordance with his rule never to miss anything.

“That shows how much you don’t know,” he said, “how you think you’re so smart being detectives and everything. Don’t they clean out windows a lot of times and change everything? Geeeeee whiz!” It was a gee whiz which rang with loyalty.

“There you are,” said Mr. Ellsworth, glad to see a way out of his little dilemma. “You fellows aren’t as smart as you think you are. It takes Scout Harris to tell us where we’re at.”

“You think because you got an Eagle Scout in your patrol that you’re so big and important,” said Pee-Wee. “Even you haven’t got a feller that finished up his first tests in two weeks. Even you haven’t got one that did a mile in nine minutes.”

He was always on the warpath and his thundering partisanship was well known—and hugely enjoyed. So the little matter ended in a laugh. No one ever went to the gift shop to verify his theory by the two aged spinsters who presided there. No one wished to think ill of Lefty, and so the matter rested.