Tom Slade with the Colors

id," said Tom; "I was k

was crazy," said Roscoe.

dropped his belt-axe on it around camp-fire, and he thought he must have

nd Tom, after sleeping fairly well in the one rough bunk in the shack, was sitting up a

y claimed he got a splinter from my head. He's awful funny, Roy is.... If I'd 'a' known in time," he added i

the brook?" Roscoe asked. "A

er-from that brook; and every scout promised he wouldn't

most expressionless face w

t back yesterday-before the places closed up. Maybe we've got to kind of know each other, s

ent said

Tom. "They'll let you.-It ain't none of my business what you tell

I just ran away," s

n you get it over with, it'll be all right," he added. "I know how it was-you just got rattled.... The first

ld, didn't I?

hat I had anything to

?" Roscoe ask

ill me before I'd

rowning face and the big, tight-set

he asked. "What

' of that. If you always do what you know is right, you need

sly. He served the coffee and some crackers and dry breakfast food of which he had brought

thout bacon-and egg powder. There's about twenty different things you can

camper," adm

'd have been up against it here pretty soon. You'd have had to go to

ing to leave you here,"

ll right,"

say to them whe

er any questions. I'll say I had to

ad," Roscoe sai

r, anyway, and they'll just say I had a freak. You can see for yourself," he added,

n't it?" Roscoe

that's different from being spra

, looking troubled and unconvinc

July, anyway," said Tom. "I always meant to do that. I'll call

ronically; "for a broken head and a lame ankle and miss

" said Tom. "I hit

m being-no, I'm o

mple Camp. That'll be to-morrow-or sure day after to-morrow. I'm going to look around the camp and see if everything is all right, and then I'll h

foot'll be all ri

of yours, and maybe I'll ca

rd impulsively and

my coffee," sai

er realized what sort of a chap you were-when I used to make fun of you and jolly you. Le

d it, and I'll break the

ly, "and-you saved me from ... I d

There might have been other reasons, but that's the main one. If I only kne

e feel like a-like a criminal. Me! What am I? You tell Margaret Ellison about how you can break a cord around your a

aimed I did

with a sudden return to that gay impulsiveness which was

Tom, unmoved. "'Cause it don't keep long after you

try to change the subject. Here, I'm

s, if you want," said Tom. "Do y

nything-except how

cond it strained, seeming to have withstood the full expanse of his muscle.

rebellious shock of hair. "Wouldn't it be goo

be eighteen," said Tom. "Maybe I'

lled-- Do you know the most famous

ook hi

old berg of Somewhere in France. W

on the way home, I'll stop in the postoffice and you can send me a note to say you r

aid Rocsoe, becoming suddenly s

ain't that. But I'd just

" he added ruefully. "But I don'

tter. You got to be careful not to mention my name. It's none of my business what you tell 'em about not being there yesterday. I ain't advising anybody

you," said Roscoe sober

hour and a half to catc

of much else while