That was the long way around to Temple Camp, but we couldn’t help it, because we had to follow the road. “That’s better than following a crazy leader,” Pee-wee said.
Mr. Warren said, “The last turn is a good turn.”
“Every kind of a turn is a good one,” Hervey called back.
“They’re all better than each other, only some are more so,” I said. “We’ll take you on some hikes all right. That’s one things I like about Columbus, Ohio, he didn’t turn back, not till he saw the Statue of Liberty.”
“Columbus saw the Statue of Liberty?” Pee-wee screamed.
“Listen to the mocking bird,” I said. “I never said he saw the Statue of Liberty; I said he didn’t turn back till he saw it, and he never turned back, did he? That shows how much you know about botany.”
“Jolly him some more,” one of those Columbus scouts said, kind of bashful like.
“I can’t now,” I told him, “we’re coming to Stillman’s Hollow and we have to be very still there because the natives are all asleep. We have to go on tiptoe through the village. Shh!”
So then Hervey started going on tiptoe, holding one finger up to his mouth, awful funny. All of those Columbus scouts did the same and their scoutmaster laughed, but just the same he seemed kind of thoughtful like. I guess he wasn’t sure how the management at camp would take it about his coming back, but it didn’t bother us any, because we were bringing a shack back for that troop, and anyway we have Uncle jeb (he’s camp manager) eating out of our hands. Whatever we say at Temple Camp goes. I don’t say where it goes to, but it goes.
We tiptoed through Main Street in Stillman’s Hollow and some summer boarders stared at us and laughed and a lot of people on the porch of the post office laughed. I guess we must have looked pretty funny.
Pretty soon we came to the end of the village and Hervey said, “All right, you can all talk at once now.”
“I’ll all talk at once first,” Pee-wee piped up; “I’ve got something to say.”
“Begin at the end, then you won’t have so far to go,” I said.
“Let&............