Part 19 (2/2)

And noticing them, Westy said to Vic Norris of the Elks, ”He's a funny fellow, Warde; it always seems as if he thinks more than he speaks”

”He never speaks till he's sure,” Vic said

The late afternoon sun was glinting up the river and bathing the patched roof of their old raold, as they made their way across the field to their quaint headquarters down by the shore in Bridgeboro The tide was full, the unsightly mud banks hidden; it seemed as if their beloved familiar river had donned its best array to rassy shore in a kind of song of welcotree, and a fish flopped out of the glittering water as if to remind them that some of the pleasures of vacation time were left to them

”hello, old car!” said El Sawyer of the Ravens, as he tossed the duffel bag through a broken”I hope we have enough in the treasury to get thatput in”

”We should worry,” said Roy

”There's a lot of fun not having any ht to have plenty of fun then,” said Westy ”This old car has got the County Poorhouse turning green with envy”

”They have a lot of fun in the poorhouse, they whittle things with sticks,” Pee-wee said ”If you always have fun no matter what, that shows you're an optomotrist”

”You mean an optimist,” Doc Carson said

”Let's leave our stuff here and go home,” said Connie ”Then we can start in to-morrow”

”Off with the new love, on with the old,” said Artie

”There's no place like this old car,” said Westy

”Except Temple Camp,” two or three spoke up

”And under Roy's kitchen steps, that's a good place,” said Pee-wee

”Well, here we are anyway,” said Westy

”We're here because we're here,” said Roy with just a glint of his wonted buoyant spirits

”You can't deny that,” Pee-wee challenged

There was no denying that, and the old patched-up car, relic of a bygone age of railroading, seemed to breathe the atmosphere of home to them

Even the dusty odor of its threadbare velvet seats seeht in their homes; there was much to tell their parents Several of them went to see Mr Ellsworth, and they were not disappointed to learn that he believed the authorities were right, that Blythe was Claude Darrell They had expected this The only scout who could draw his ainst the scoutmaster and the whole toas Pee-wee Harris, and he was at ho all thought of gain froain,” he said So they resolved to do that

The next day county detective Ferrett took a hop, skip and a ju Record was the following headliner:

MURDERER FOUND IN SCOUT CAMP SENSATIONAL SEQUEL TO BOY SCOUT ENTERPRISE IN OLD CAMP MERRITT

Claude Darrell, a Canadian fugitive of many aliases, was discovered yesterday by County Detective Slicksby Ferrett in old Ca with a troop of local scouts, tearing down sos of the wartilary and murder

His discovery and prompt identification by Detective Ferrett was due to an alareboro of an accident at the old camp