Tom Slade on the River Part 20

"Then he gets the gold cross. If he-"

"Lands just outside the jaws," interrupted Roy.

"Shut up!" said Pee-wee. "If he doesn't take quite such a big chance but a _pretty_ big one, then he gets the silver cross. And if he takes a small chance-"

"About the size of Pee-wee," Roy put in.

"Then he gets the bronze cross," Pee-wee finished. "See?"

They were lolling on and about the bench near the tennis court, laughing at each other's nonsense, when Harry Stanton jumped up suddenly. Garry and Ruth watched him keenly, as they always did when he became excited.

"Oh, I've got an idea, a fine idea!" he cried. "I got it from what Pee-wee said--"

"All right, take your time, Stan," said Garry.

"I tried to think of a name-a new name-for the _Rambler_ but I couldn't think of any. I told my mother I'd name it for Tom Slade only that wouldn't be fair to Garry, and it would be the same if I named it for Garry-see? Anyway-anyway-she said a boy's name wouldn't be good, anyway.

But if I name it _Honor Scout_, it will be naming it for both of them-won't it?" he asked anxiously.

"Oh, crink.u.ms, you hit it!" shouted Pee-wee, enthusiastically. "It's an insulation-"

"Inspiration, you mean," corrected Connie.

"What's the difference?" demanded Pee-wee.

"Nothing-only insulation is the covering around a wire and inspiration is a good idea."

"Otherwise they're the same," said Roy.

"Oh, it's one peach of a name!" repeated Pee-wee, undaunted, and pounding the back of the bench. "It's a piperino!"

Harry Stanton was delighted.

"It _is_ a bully name," said Westy Martin.

"And-and _I_ thought of it-didn't I," said Harry, with the touch of childishness that still showed itself at times.

"You sure did," said Garry.

"It's sort of two names in one," said Will Bronson.

"I-I thought of it just this minute," repeated Harry, nervously.

"You're all right, Stan," said Garry. "Sit down and watch the game now-watch your sister trim Roy."

"I wouldn't play with him, he's too silly," said Ruth.

"You're afraid of being beaten," challenged Roy.

"By _you_? You don't even know how to volley."

"I know how to jolly," Roy came back.

They played much to Harry's amus.e.m.e.nt, which was just what Garry wanted, and Roy was ignominiously vanquished.

"Now you're supposed to say 'Deuce'!" Ruth called to him.

"I don't use such language," answered Roy.

"Bat it over there, silly, and then say 'My advantage!'"

"I wouldn't take advantage of a girl," he answered.

It was no wonder he was beaten.

Roy and one or two of the others stayed for supper and Ruth took him into the kitchen (to the consternation of her mother and the colored cook) and taught him to make popovers. Being the troop's chef, he was greatly interested and wore a huge kitchen ap.r.o.n on which he was continually tripping.

Upon Mr. Stanton's return a slight cloud was cast upon the rosy plans for a cruise, partly from his hesitancy to let Harry go with them and partly because of his doubts as to whether his son ought to keep the boat at all. Of these latter misgivings he was cured by an elaborate argument of Pee-wee's. Or, in any event, he surrendered-and Pee-wee took the credit.

"I've got a peach of an argument I'm going to give him," said Pee-wee, as he and Roy and Garry were hiking it to Shady Lawn for a set of tennis.

"It's what the lawyers call a teckinality. Don't you remember he used one last year when he gave us the boat?"

He found Mr. Stanton on the porch, and perched himself upon the railing near him, swinging his legs.

"I don't know," said Mr. Stanton, when Pee-wee broached the subject, "whether I shall let Harry keep the boat or not. Mr. Waring was rather a queer man, and I don't know whether we ought to take his will too seriously. I shouldn't wish you boys to be disappointed," he added, thoughtfully.

"Well, I'll tell you how it is," said Pee-wee. "You're a lawyer, kind of, aren't you?"

"Kind of," Mr. Stanton conceded.

"I thought it all out last night. Now you gave us a boat, didn't you? And I'm not saying that wasn't a dandy thing to do."

"I'm glad you have found pleasure in it."

"Only the trouble was the fellow that owned the boat was alive all the time and so you really didn't have any right to give it to us. That's a teckinality, isn't it?"

Mr. Stanton laughed.

"So if Harry didn't have a boat of his own, why, then, of course, we'd have to give the _Good Turn_ back to him-'cause it's his, see? But, of course, as long as he _has_ a boat of his own, it's all right. Anyway, you couldn't stop us from leaving the _Good Turn_ at Nyack Landing if we wanted to. Even if you were a-a-judge, you couldn't do that, could you?"

"I seem to be at your mercy," said Mr. Stanton.

"And there's another dandy argument, too-a peach!"

"If it's one of your own, I should like to hear it."

"Well, you want Harry to get well, don't you? Maybe you don't know all that Garry Everson did to make him-to help him get better. And then he gave him up so's Tom could have a full patrol. Gee, even _we_ didn't know what kind of a fellow Garry was-we didn't. But we know now, you can bet.

Maybe Harry would get worse again if you took that boat away from him.

He's just thought of a dandy name for it-the _Honor Scout_."