THE SOUND OF MERRY LAUGHTER (_My Sister Wrote That Heading_) “Now I _know_ you’re crazy!” Pee-wee yelled. “The path back to the main trail is on our _right_,” Brent said. “We must shun it. Our honor is at stake.” “Don’t talk about steaks,” Warde said. “You’re a lot of nuts, that’s what you are!” Pee-wee yelled. “Don’t remind me of nuts,” I said. “Our Cook’s Tour has come to an end within sniffing distance of food. And _you_ are to _blame_!” “Please don’t use the word cook,” Warde said. “It shows where one false step may lead,” Brent said, very solemn-like. “If we turn around that trail is on our left,” the kid shouted. “I never said I wouldn’t turn around, did I?” “We are facing the south,” Brent said. “I’m not!” Pee-wee screamed. “Go your way, Scout Harris,” he said, “but remember that you deserted the left-handed hikers by turning to the right. You are taking your first false step. We follow the path of honor.” “Me for the _seat_ of honor,” I said. “Let’s sit down in the boat.” “How long are we going to stay here?” the kid asked. I noticed that he sat down in the boat with us. He isn’t a quitter, that’s one sure thing. So then we were all sitting in the boat laughing. We all faced the same way, south, and it made us look awful funny. If we could have rocked the boat around so it headed the other way then the trail might have been on our left, but the boat was fastened at both ends so there we were with the lake to the left of us and the trail (if you call it a trail) to the right of us and how could we get away, that was the question. I guess you see how it was; if we hadn’t moved north of the trail and stood facing south, we could have gone back to the main trail and kept going round. But you see Brent caught us when the little trail was on our right and if you don’t see I should worry because I have troubles of my own. Anyway, there we were sitting in the boat all facing the same way like an audience at a show. “My honor comes first,” Brent said. “My appetite comes next,” Pee-wee said. “How long are we going to sit here?” “Till doomsday,” I said. “Till we find some way to turn to the left,” said Brent. “One place is just as good as another, if not better,” I said; “anyway we’re sitting down.” “There goes the dinner horn,” Hervey said. “Let it go,” I said, “that’s more than we can do.” “They’re going to have clam chowder too, to-day,” Pee-wee said. “I hear you calling me,” Brent began singing. “We’re a lot of fools,” Pee-wee said. “All we have to do is get up and hike around to dinner. This left-handed hike is nothing but a lot of nonsense anyway. It’s gone far enough.” “Sure it has,” I said. “I don’t see it going any farther.” So then Hervey began rocking the boat and singing that crazy stuff: “When you go on a hike just you mind what I say, The right way to go is the opposite way.