CHAPTER XXXVI—SCOUTS ON THE JOB
So that shows you how this story has a happy ending, only that isn’t the end of it. Oh, boy, the worst is yet to come. A lot of terrible things happen after a war. Now we come to the reconstruction period. And, believe me, Major Grumpy reconstructed his opinion about the scouts. He said that poor little patrol that was just starting could have the grove to build a headquarters in and he gave them some money to build it, too, He said that before we got there he thought that smoke away off on the mountain was just a forest fire, but when he found out that we could make smoke talk, good night, he was for us, all right.
But anyway, he said he liked to hear Pee-wee talk better. I said, “Yes, but it would be nice if he’d go off on a lonely mountain and talk, like the smudge fire.”
We spent the rest of that day at the Veterans’ Reunion, and we saw the Uncle Tom’s Cabin show, too. Only one of the bloodhounds wouldn’t chase Eliza, and Rossie Bent had to give her a frankfurter, so he’d chase her.
Most of the time that we weren’t at the ice cream counter, we were over in the grove with those Grumpy’s Cross-roads scouts. They said they were going to name their patrol the Crows, after Brent Gaylong. Harry said it would be better to name it the Hot Dogs, after Pee-wee.
Once Major Grumpy came over and sat down on a stump and talked with us and asked us a lot of questions about the scouts. He told those little fellows how they ought to build their shack and he said he’d find a scoutmaster for them. Most all the veterans came over and visited us, and we did lots of good turns for them, carrying their luggage and all like that. One of them was overcome by the heat but we fixed him up, all right, with first aid.
Uncle Tom came over, too, and talked to us between the shows. He asked us if we could dress the marks that the ferocious bloodhounds made on Eliza’s arm. Those marks were painted. He was awful funny, Uncle Tom was.
That reunion lasted three days, but we only stayed one day, because we had to get started for home. Anyway, I’m glad all the soldiers in the Civil War didn’t get killed, because you can have a lot of fun at reunions. One thing I’m sorry for and that is that I won’t be a kid when the soldiers who were in the World War are old veterans, I bet there’ll be a lot of lemonade and things then, hey? But anyway there’ll be scouts then, and it will be lucky for them there was a world war. Anyway, reunions are my favorite outdoor sports—reunions and hikes.