“I had a dandy idea,” he said, and oh, gee, then I knew it was Pee-wee; “I fixed a rock so it would get all warm underneath and the coats would keep dry while I heated them. I invented it; it’s dandy.”
I guess I must have been going all to pieces, anyway, I didn’t know what I was doing, but I just put my arms around him and I said, “I don’t care anything about the coats, Pee-wee, as long as you’re alive—I don’t. Honest, I don’t. I don’t care if I get wet——”
“You told me I couldn’t start a fire in the rain,” he said; “I’ve got a special way I do it——”
“Don’t go away; stay right here,” I told him. And I just held onto him.
“They’re coming down, they can see the fire,” he said. “Lie right still. Anyway, I’d like to tell you, because now we’re alone here, and so I’d like to tell you that I’m not really mad when you think——”
All I could say was just, “Don’t, kid; don’t talk like that.” And I held onto him tighter.
And all the while I could see the blaze and I could hear the wet wood on the fire crackling, and the flame made the whole cliff plain. And I could see how quick the rock was drying on account of the heat, and how fire is stronger than water after all, because if you can only start it right it just laughs at rain. And anyway, a scout like Pee-wee is better than both, that’s one sure thing.
Then pretty soon I could hear voices, not up on the cliff, but coming along down below and I could hear Skinny saying, “Will they be dead?”
And I could hear Harry say, “Yes, one of them, I’m afraid, Alf.”
“That’s where they all get left isn’t it?” Pee-wee said. “I’m glad I’m alive just so as to fool them.”