Roy Blakeley in the Haunted CampFitzhugh, Percy Keese
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Roy Blakeley in the Haunted Camp
Fitzhugh, Percy Keese
Boy Scouts of America -- Juvenile fiction
"I suppose we could get the money for our work, maybe," Westy said.
"We don't want any money," said Hunt Ward of the Elks. "All I want is to
get back to our old car down by the river. We don't want any rewards and
we don't want any pay and we don't want any merits or rank badges or
anything on account of being here."
"It seems kind of like a dream now," Artie said.
"You never can tell how some dreams will come out," said Pee-wee. "Once
I had a dream that I was a murderer and when I woke up I found I wasn't
a murderer at all."
"That's one thing we like about you," said Roy with a poor attempt at
his old bantering spirit.
"What's that?" Pee-wee asked.
"That you're not a murderer."
"I always said you were not," Westy added.
"No friend of ours is a murderer," Pee-wee said.
"I guess we'll have to go back to raising mushrooms now," Will Dawson
observed. "Anyway, I'm glad we've got our old car to go to."
"Same here," said Vic Norris of the Elks.
They walked along for a little in silence.
"Will they hang him, I wonder?" Doc Carson asked.
"He must have been out of his head when he did it," one answered.
"He was out of his head when he _didn't_ do it, you mean," insisted
Pee-wee. "Do you think the Silver Foxes commit murders just because
they're out of their heads? That's no good of an argument. Do you mean
to tell me," he shouted, turning suddenly upon Roy; "do you mean to tell
me that the fellow who saved your life like that would kill people?"
"Just because I like you, that doesn't prove that I'm out of my head,
does it?" Roy asked with a kind of wistful humor.
"Sure it does," said Pee-wee, "because you say a friend of yours kills
people. If it wasn't for him you wouldn't be limping now, so that proves
the kind of a fellow he is. I don't mean he made you limp, but he made
you stay alive so you could limp, and he doesn't even know that you
thank him for it either--"
"Don't, Kid--" Roy began; he could hardly speak. "I do--"
"All right then," Pee-wee concluded. "Didn't I tell you I was going to
find that girl, and didn't I find her? Didn't I send that letter? Didn't
I say that scout up at Temple Camp would get well? Couldn't I always
tell when we were going to have apple dumplings? And you go and believe
an old picture and a lot of specific vacations or whatever you call
them. You'd better read Law Two in the handbook about being
loyal--you're such a fine patrol leader--you act more like a patrol
wagon!"
"What do you mean I can't be loyal?" Roy demanded, his eyes glistening.
"The fellows--"
"I don't care about the troop," Pee-wee interrupted. "I'm talking about
you and the fellow that saved your life." He paused in the road and
stood facing Roy; a funny little round-faced figure he was, with eyes
blazing. "You've got to say, is he a murderer or not? You've got to say
it. Yes or no? And these fellows--your own patrol--they can prove what
you say--"
Roy was almost sobbing. Pee-wee certainly held the floor--or the road.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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