"No, I don't take back what I said." There was a pause and Skinny tremblingly knocked on the door. It was opened by a tall scout whom he had seen before. "Does Helmer Clarkson live here!" he asked, his voice shaking a little. He had quickly decided that he would not mention the affair of the white pennant. "Sure, you're welcome to him," said a boy from within. "We give six coupons free to anybody who'll take him." "Cut that out," said another boy. "Here, put him in your pocket and take him home," said still another as he pushed a rather small boy through the open door. It was evident that the victim of this hearty eviction was the Rockefeller of Temple Camp, Helmer Clarkson. He was an effeminate looking boy; rather sissified, Skinny thought. It was easy to believe that he was of a sort to be the recipient of dainties from home. Skinny, in his simplicity, went straight to the point. "Do you want to buy a canoe!" he asked. "What canoe?" asked a boy from inside. "The Hiawatha Prize canoe," said Skinny, addressing Clarkson, as they all gathered about the doorway staring and listening. "I heard you wanted to buy a canoe and I'll sell you that one for as much--I mean--only fifteen dollars." He was too simple to place the price at a little more than Danny needed. The canoe was actually worth seventy dollars. "What's the big idea?" somebody asked. "_You!_" laughed another. "What are _you_ doing with the prize canoe? You mean that one in the headquarters building?" "I won it by swimming across the lake," said Skinny, blushing to the roots of his hair, "and I don't want it because--because it's my own business why I don't want it. So do you want to buy it for fifteen dollars? I heard you wanted one." "I'm leaving this camp and I don't want it," said Helmer Clarkson. "He hasn't got the price," a boy taunted. For answer Helmer Clarkson displayed the contents of a neat wallet which almost staggered poor Skinny. "I've had enough of this camp," he said, "and I'm going home on the noon train from Catskill." "It's only fifteen dollars," poor Skinny said. "Maybe I'd take ten." "If you gave me the canoe for nothing I wouldn't stay here," said Helmer Clarkson in a very mincing manner. "If you'd come around two or three days ago--even yesterday--I might have given you twenty-five dollars for it. I can spend fifty dollars for one if I want to. But I've had enough of this crowd, thank you. I'm going home." Poor Skinny's hopes were dashed. He cast a forlorn look at the scouts, who were laughing heartily. They were not laughing at him; for once he was not the victim. They were laughing (and that with a kind of tolerant contempt) at Helmer Clarkson. "Yes, we got no canoes to-day," one boy sang. "I don't want to play in your yard," sang another. "Tell him why you're going home, Ellie," a third shouted.