Vic Norris said, "This'll be the end of Camp McCord. Mr. E. is going to take Skinny to Bridgeboro this morning." "Oh, is that so?" I said; "Skinny is with the Gold Dust Twins, and they have nothing to do with Temple Camp." "Skinny is in Mr. Ellsworth's care," Hunt Ward said. "Pretty soon he'll be in the Reformatory's care," Vic blurted out. "Yes," I said, "and all because you had his head all turned with swimming, before he's even passed his second class tests. You were glad enough to use him. You were glad enough to see his poor little skinny legs kicking in the water, just so as you could get something out of it. Now you throw him down. Those Gold Dust Twins are better scouts than you are--they are. You're not fit to stay in the same camp with Bert Winton; you're in my own troop, but I tell you that. You leave Mr. Ellsworth out of it." "Who says so?" Vic shouted. "I say so," I told him. "You don't hear Mr. Ellsworth around saying mean things about Skinny, do you? You leave Mr. Ellsworth out of it It's none of your business what he does. Even if Skinny does go back, the least you can do is keep still about it. You don't hear those tigers around talking, do you? I guess not. Or my patrol either. You keep your mouths shut about Skinny!" Then I went over to Administration Shack to wait for the mail to be sorted. The reason I didn't say more to Vic and Hunt was just because I was getting discouraged, and in my heart I thought maybe Skinny would have to go. I knew that Camp McCord was no use if Mr. Ellsworth said he must go back. I was glad I didn't say any more, because anyway, there was no letter there. CHAPTER XXXIX TELLS ABOUT HOW CAMP MC CORD DIDN'T STRIKE ITS COLORS There were a lot of us hanging around Administration Shack, and I heard a couple of fellows say that Mr. Ellsworth was going down in the bus to catch the eleven-ten train. They said he was going to stop at Camp McCord for Skinny. "He's likely to get a home-made doughnut thrown at his head," one of them said, and they all laughed. I just couldn't listen to them. After the mail was distributed and I saw there wasn't anything for me, I just went in and said to Slaty, I said, "Are you _sure_ there isn't anything? Would you mind looking again?" I knew it wasn't any use and I guess he did too, but anyway, he looked and said no.