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And then he closed the book and for a long time stared straight ahead. Friday brought a busy day bird-houses all morning, baseball practice in the afternoon, and a troop meeting at night. During the morning, as Don planed, and sawed, and hammered, he whistled a gay air. But after dinner, as the time for baseball practice approached, the whistle became subdued and at last stopped.
Next morning the news was all over the village. Don heard it when he went on an errand for his father. Afterward he worked on his bird-houses and tried to brush aside the worried thoughts that plagued him. Andy Ford came to the yard, and was followed by Bobbie Brown and Wally Woods. The three boys looked at Don, and looked at each other, and looked away. "Was Tim chased?" Andy asked at last.
The patrol leader, he thought, should be a fellow who was heart and soul in scouting a fellow who could encourage, and urge, and lend a willing hand; not a fellow who wanted to drive and show authority. If Tim, with his temper and his eagerness to come to blows, should take command Don shook his head. Why did Phil Morris have to move away? All next morning he built bird-houses.
The branches seem to pat the house lovingly and to protect the children when the sun is too hot or the rain comes down too fast. They are fine for swings and bird-houses, these trees, and some throw down acorns and others cones and soft pine needles for the children to play with.
While he ate he told himself that there was no sense in worrying about Tim. Tim might get over his disappointment and not make a bit of trouble. Next morning, while he built bird-houses, his mind was busy with eager plans for his patrol. The first-aid contest would really be a test of skill. With the exception of Bobbie Brown and Wally Woods, every member of the Wolves was a first-class scout.
He had not planned to go to the baseball field until Tuesday. But his business with Tim was too important to wait. Monday afternoon he put away his tools and his bird-houses, and went off to the village green. "Hello!" called Ted Carter. "What are you doing around here on a Monday?" "I want to see Tim," Don answered. He took the catcher off to one side. "We're making some changes," he said.
Tim and Ritter and Wally were talking to Andy. Bobbie rode faster. Presently he came in sight of a house with a white-washed fence in front and a sign rising above the lawn grass: ROBERT STRONG & SON CARPENTERS AND JOINERS WINDOW SCREENS AND SCREEN DOORS BIRD-HOUSES A boy who whistled as he worked was tacking wire to a door frame. Bobbie opened the gate and pushed through with his bicycle.
"Right the first time, and I'm just sort of collecting some of my junk." "That's one thing about me, I'm good at guessing," Pee-wee said. "I kinder knew you were that. Manual training, that's my favorite study because it isn't a study at all. I made a bird-house, I did, in manual training, a dandy big one." "Bird-houses is a good thing to make," said the manual training teacher.
In front of these huts was a ledge or balcony. They looked like overgrown bird-houses on stilts. One fisherman waited in a boat to pick up the dead ducks, and the other hurled stones from a sling. It was the same kind of a sling as the one with which David slew Goliath. In Athens I saw small boys using it to throw stones at an electric-light pole.
Bartlett that you helped me, and gee whiz, they'll thank, you a lot. Maybe you know about scouts because manual training teachers know a lot about scouts on account of scouts making bird-houses and all things like that, and so maybe you know about good turns. That'll be a peach of a good turn. And if I tell about it you'll get a kind of a medal from our troop with your name on it.
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