"One minute to spare," said Mr. Norton, smiling as he put his watch back into his pocket. "That's the way to do it. Be prompt. If you say that you'll be somewhere at a certain time, be there."
"Say, Skinny," said Bill, winking at me and giving the Scout salute, "did you get 'em surrounded?"
Skinny wouldn't answer, or even look at him except to return the salute. He pulled out his own watch, held it a moment; then pounded on the bridge with his hatchet.
"The meetin' will come to order?" said he.
As he spoke, the bell on the woolen mill began to ring and we knew that it was seven o'clock and time to start.
Quite a little crowd had gathered by that time and there was a cheer when the boys started, Skinny and Harry marching south on Center Street, side by side, and Bill and Wallie, north on Park Street.
Pretty soon their ways branched off. They turned and waved to us; then were gone. Once after that we heard some crows cawing in the distance, and a little later I heard Bill yell from somewhere down the river. I knew that he was doing his best, but I hardly could hear him.
It wasn't easy to wait until the next day, with the other boys gone and knowing that we should have to do it, too, in the morning.
Pa said that maybe the time would pass more quickly if I'd hoe in the garden a spell, but it didn't seem to make any difference. My mind was following the boys, especially Skinny, on his long walk over a hilly road to Pumpkin Hook.
"Scout's law says that we must be useful and help others," he had told us, "and, bet your life, I am going to do things."