Tom Slade with the Colors

nd lounged against the railing outside the troop room, l

Mr. Ellsworth, "is to have a littl

-about as big as P

cing at Pee-wee, who was adjusting his belt axe preparatory to begin

ated the scoutmaster, rapping

t in Roy. "All their trouble is cau

t," said Mr

ted Roy. "I ought to have grou

ne off to their several homes, and these three-Tom Slade, Roy Blakeley and Walter Harris (alias Pee-wee)-were lingering on the

was in a hurry to get around to Matty's stationery store to complete his humdrum but p

rd, hey, Dink?" called the irrepressible R

s: let me do your thinking for you-even your patriotic thinking-for

ght for your country

rted the scoutmaste

e and see people drowned b

as you stay here, Tomasso," said Roy mischievous

id Tom; "I ain't going to

go off and enlist in some regiment," said Mr. Ellsworth; "or that Papa Joffre

e's a coward," exclaimed P

oves he isn't a cow

work for old men and young men, for women and girls and boys-and scouts. And being a slacker consists in not doing the work which you

. Ellsworth always called himself a scout), ought to do. They have outlined a program for us. Now if you run off an

ing holes in sti

elp defend Old Glory. And we can't always choose our work for ourselves. I'm going to stay here, for the present, at least, and keep you scouts busy. And I

ters out all around, urging fellers to

ily best for another. These posters are for fellows older than you, as you know perfectly well. I'm talking now of what is best for you-

id I didn't

it so loud that you can't make any mistake. Meanwhile, put aside all that idea and knuckle down and help. Yo

o," said To

he looked at the boy who had been growing up before his eyes in the past two years, he realized as he had not realized before that Tom

unholy mirth of Roy Blakeley and others, Mr. Ellsworth had experienced a jarring realizat

om's place as leader of the Elk Patrol; and he had lived in continual dread lest Tom (who might be counted on for anythi

at, and a new cause of apprehension for Mr. Ellsworth had arisen

without my permission. If you'll say that and obey Rule Sev

dogged, half-hearted manner; "a scout has got

the order of their importance. The men who made the Handbook knew what they were about.

h knew how t

" Tom said

ere is to it. Give

manner relaxed into the usual off-hand way which the sco

e Secretary of War says our little old scout khaki is going to make itself felt. I'd be the last to preach slacking, and when it's time, if the time comes, I'll tell you.... You kn

id Pee-wee soothingl

're not, Tom. Some people don't seem to think there's anything wrong in a boy's lying about

e-e

emple's consent, he being your guardian, unle

atch me in ma

ught you in

l, t

uess we'd all better go home and get some s

t the stars. As they started to move away, Mr. Ell

promise, th

-e

tuck on th

d Tom, mor

ything along that lin

ng till you coun

housand," said

ut in Pee-wee, "if you decide to

"That ought to be enough to

ingly, as he turned an

you?" queried Roy, as he and Pee-wee a

d the scoutmaster.

do you thi

t extremel

about h

thing going on," he said, "and I sometimes think the recruiting people wink at it, or perhaps th

look eightee

was 'going on nineteen,' and so he was-ju

laug

ter. "Heroic duty done for one's country will wipe out a lot of faults.-It's hard to get a line on Tom's thoughts. He asked me the other day what I

ffice yesterday," said Roy, "staring at the posters. Goodness only kn

Mr. Ellsworth

that here-the town is too small," said Ro

tands around listening to the orators and watches the young fellows surging into t

ough in a wal

hing that he thought wrong," he added, after a pause; "but he has a way

ed you, anyway,"

," Mr. Ellsworth said. "A

id Roy, in his usual

shan't do," the sc

u later," Roy called, as he

h Main Street, laboriously hoisting his belt axe up with every other step. It was very heavy and a great nu