"Is there any business to come before this 'ere meetin'?" he asked. "Mr. President," I said, jumping up. "The gentleman from Park Street," said Skinny, as big as life, just as Pa had taught us to do at meetings in our barn. "We have with us this evening our Scoutmaster, who, I think, has something to say." "'Tis well," said Skinny. "We'll harken unto his words of wisdom." "Before I speak the words of wisdom which our patrol leader has so kindly mentioned," laughed Mr. Norton, "I will ask Mrs. Norton to refresh and fortify us with some lemonade." Benny reached the door almost as soon as she did. "Let me do it, Mrs. Norton," he said. He grabbed the pitcher and tray and poured out a glass for her; then went around the circle. It tasted fine on a warm night. "Mr. Chairman," said Mr. Norton, after we had emptied the pitcher. "I want to call up the question of our camping trip. Have you boys thought about the matter?" "We haven't thought of much else," Hank told him. "Well, how about it? Shall we camp out above Peck's Falls? What do you say, William?" "It's too near home," said Bill. "Ma would get scared the first night and call me back." "That certainly would be serious. What do you say, Mr. Secretary?" "I say so, too," I told him. "It's fine up there and wild and all that, but let's go where we never have been before." "How about it, Mr. President?" "It's me for the hike," said Skinny. The other boys all said the same. "It seems to be unanimous," said Mr. Norton. "I thought that probably you would feel that way. Well, this is what I have in mind, in case you decide to take the trip, instead of remaining near home. What do you say to hiking straight east over Florida Mountain, as far as Deerfield and the Connecticut River? We can get a horse and carry our camping outfit and supplies in a wagon. We can take turns driving. It will rest us, and if anybody should give out the wagon will come in handy. We can take as long a time as we want on the way, camping out each night." Mr. Norton stopped and looked at us to see how we liked the plan. Say, it didn't take him long to find out. Every boy jumped to his feet and shouted. Skinny forgot that he was chairman and started to march around the room, shooting and striking at the enemy, and we all fell in line after him except Bill. He stood on his hands, kicked his feet in the air, and whistled through his teeth. Mr. Norton looked pleased. "Mr. Chairman," he said, as soon as we had taken our places again. "I hardly think it necessary to put that to a vote except, perhaps, as a matter of form. The next question is, will your folks let you go? Sometimes fathers and mothers have very decided notions about what they want their boys to do and more especially what they don't want them to do." I told him what Pa had said about being willing to have us go anywhere with him, and the other boys said that their folks felt the same way.