“let’s form a parade with the garage for a float,” bert shouted; “hervey will lead the way, next will come the funny-bone division with all the veterans, next will come the portable garage with willie cook sitting on top, and behind that will march the new troop.”
“only remember that the garage can’t climb up trees,” i said to hervey.
“you leave it to me,” hervey said.
“and darby curren and the scoutmaster and mr. goobenhoff can sit on the driver’s seat,” warde said.
the scoutmaster said, “well, as long as we’ve all joined hands in this doubtful enterprise and agreed to stand and fall together, we may as well know each other. my name is warren and these scouts form the first troop of columbus. columbus is proud of her scouts.”
“columbus was a man,” pee-wee shouted.
“he discovered columbus avenue,” i said. “he used to hang out in columbus circle near central park.”
“don’t you believe him, he’s crazy,” pee-wee shouted.
“you’re all wrong,” garry piped up, “columbus was named after christopher street, he was named after the christopher street ferry. these fellows with me don’t know anything about history.”
“we make a specialty of geography,” i said.
“and law,” pee-wee shouted. “i know a lot about laws. i know a fellow that lives in columbus, his name is smith. did you ever hear of him? once i passed columbus.”
“columbus was lucky,” i said.
“i had lunch there,” pee-wee shouted.
“he has lunch everywhere,” i said. “wherever he goes there’s a food shortage the next day.”
“well what are we going to do?” warde said. “are we going to jolly pee-wee or start a parade?”
“answered in the affirmative,” i said.
by that time all those fellows were laughing and darby curren said to them, “these boys are the moving spirits of camp, they are; especially that willetts youngster.”
“sure, we always keep moving,” i said. “every day is moving day with us. i hope you’ll like us when you don’t know us so well.”
“we like you already,” one of those columbus scouts piped up.
“you mean you like lunatics?” pee-wee shouted at them.
mr. warren said, “oh yes, we like lunatics. suppose we get started as long as we’re in for it. i’m a little anxious to know our fate. we’re trusting to you boys. i’ll feel a little shaky till——”
“that’s because you drink milk shakes,” garry said. “don’t you worry, you’re going to have a roof over your heads and everything will be all right.”
“it’s more fun on top of the roof,” hervey said.
mr. warren said, “are you scouts all one patrol?”
i said, “no, i’ll tell you how it is. we belong to different patrols but we go around together and they call us the vagabond patrol. we’re insane, but we’re harmless. see? my patrol is the silver fox patrol and warde, that’s this fellow, he’s in my patrol. bert winton is in a troop from out west and pee-wee harris is in the raven patrol; that’s in my troop, and this little fellow belongs in that patrol, too. he’s more to be pitied than blamed. that other fellow, garry, he comes from down the hudson and that fellow with a crazy hat, that’s hervey willetts, he belongs in a troop from somewhere or other, i should worry. he’s an eagle scout, that fellow is. maybe you wouldn’t think so to look at him. he drinks nut sundaes and he doesn’t know what he’s doing. he’s the one that put the fun in funny-bone. he’s a regular cook’s tours in himself.”
mr. goobenhoff winked at mr. warren and they both winked at darby curren and then mr. goobenhoff said, “well if i’m to get this garage off my hands we’d better be about it. how far is it to temple camp by the road?”
“we have to go all the way around crampton’s hollow,” i said, “but usually we don’t bother with roads because most of them go to places.”
so then we fixed a rope from the end of the shaft to the front of the jitney bus and darby put his shift into reverse, and the four horses strained as the jitney backed up and pretty soon we were ready to start.
gee whiz, if you want to go on down to catskill landing in that empty bus with darby curren, go ahead, i can’t stop you. but if you want to join the parade all right. i guess you know by this time that wherever we go something happens. it isn’t our fault, it’s the fault of the things. so then we started off along the road.
some procession!
