"Yes, I know what you mean."
"He isn't mean. You're the mean one," interjected Stacy Brown, otherwise known among his fellows as Chunky, the Fat Boy.
"Chunky, remember we are at home in Chillicothe now and are supposed to set examples to our less fortunate fellow citizens. Any fellow who can get into the village paper the way you have done ought to hold his head pretty high," chuckled Rector.
Stacy threw out his chest.
"You mean that lion-catching article?"
Ned nodded.
"Yes, that was a pretty swell article. They think I'm the original wonder here in Chillicothe."
"You are. There can be no doubt of that," laughed Tad.
"I'm glad you've come, Tad," continued Ned, turning to young Butler. "We are planning for the new trip to the Maine Woods. I shall be glad to get east. I've never been far east. Any of the rest of you been east?"
"Well, I have been out to Skinner's farm. That's east of the village," declared Stacy Brown.