“Well! Now aren’t you proud?” she asked.
He did not know whether he was proud or not. But he knew that the crazy world was upside down. He had sent Chesty to denounce the Scouts and Chesty had remained and joined. And the Scouts had sent five dollars and called him a missionary.
“A missionary! Think of that!” said Mrs. Walton.
“It’s not so bad being a missionary,” said Hervey. “That isn’t calling names. Bimbo, they go to Africa and Labrador—it’s not so bad being called one.”
“Well, you’d better take your hat off and go to bed now,” said his stepmother.
“You don’t think I’d let ’em call me names, do you?” Hervey demanded. “That’s one thing.”
“I don’t see how you can hit them,” laughed Mrs. Walton, “they seem to have such a long reach. It’s hard to get away from them.”
It certainly was a knockout.
CHAPTER XX
OMINOUS
“Well, that’s a pretty good joke,” said Mr. Walton at the breakfast table. “You take my advice and save it for next summer up at camp, Herve. I think after this we’ll call you the missionary, eh mother? Shall we call him the missionary? The scout worker! Toiler in the scout vineyard!” Contrary to his custom, Mr. Walton leaned back and laughed.