Pee-Wee Harris Adrift   By: Percy Keese Fitzhugh (1876-1950)

by

PERCY KEESE FITZHUGH

Author of

The Tom Slade Books The Roy Blakeley Books The Pee Wee Harris Books

Illustrated by H. S. Barbour

[Frontispiece: Pee wee rowed his customers to Alligator Island.]

Published with the approval of The Boy Scouts of America Grosset & Dunlap Publishers : : New York Made in the United States of America Copyright, 1922, by Grosset & Dunlap

CONTENTS

CHAPTER

I ALONE II SATURDAY MORNING III CASTLES IN THE AIR IV KEEKIE JOE V A QUESTION OF DUTY VI THE MISSIONARY VII APPLE BLOSSOM TIME VIII PEE WEE EXPLORES THE ISLAND IX THE LOOKOUT SEES A SAIL X THE OTHERS ARRIVE XI PLANS XII THE DISCOVERER RETURNS XIII "STOP" XIV "GO" XV LIFE ON THE UNKNOWN SHORE XVI BEFORE THE PARTY XVII THE SCENE IS SET XVIII EVERY WHICH WAY XIX THE EARTHLY PARADISE XX GONE XXI FOILED XXII IN THE GLARE OF THE SEARCH LIGHT XXIII THE DREAM OF KEEKIE JOE XXIV THE MISSIONARY LANDS ON FOREIGN SHORES XXV RETURN OF THE HERO XXVI SHORT AND TO THE POINT XXVII SETTLED AT LAST XXVIII IT PAYS TO ADVERTISE XXIX THE RACE XXX ABSENCE MAKES THE ISLAND QUIET XXXI A PROMISE XXXII VENGEANCE XXXIII KEEKIE JOE, SCOUT XXXIV THE STORY CLOSES AND SCHOOL OPENS

ILLUSTRATIONS

Pee wee rowed his customers to Alligator Island.

Keekie Joe interview Pee wee.

The boys hold the island in spite of old Trimmer's protest.

Pee wee becomes a sandwich man.

PEE WEE HARRIS ADRIFT

CHAPTER I

ALONE

When Pee wee Harris returned from Temple Camp in the fall, he found himself a scout without a patrol. He had indulged in a colossal speculation and lost out.

Forsaking the Raving Ravens, he had set forth to mobilize all the small, unattached boys at camp into the Pollywog Patrol, but the Pollywog Patrol had proved about as substantial as the shifting sand.

Like the beloved Black Lake it had both an inlet and an outlet. As fast as one boy entered it another had to go home, so that conducting the Pollywog Patrol was like pouring water into a leaky pail. Pee wee, with all his flaunted efficiency, could not be at both ends of this patrol at the same time.

As soon as some miniature scout from New York had been duly initiated, some previously initiated scout from Chicago found that his time was up, and Pee wee's time was chiefly occupied in rushing frantically about trying to keep pace with this epidemic of resignations.

At last the epidemic reached an acute stage and the Pollywog Patrol, after a glorious career of nine days, was struck a mortal blow, never to be heard of again except in the pages of history. Its three remaining members were summoned to their several homes simultaneously; one new scout was hastily secured but on learning that he could not be patrol leader he tendered his resignation and was soon called home to attend his sister's wedding. Scout Harris faced a cruel world alone.

Meanwhile, Billy Simpson had been called to Temple Camp from Bridgeboro to fill (if anyone could fill) the enormous space left vacant in the Raven Patrol by the withdrawal of its enterprising genius.

"Never mind," said Mr. Ellsworth, the troop's scoutmaster, "there are plenty of fish in the sea to say nothing of Pollywogs. Bridgeboro is full of permanent material. You have all this winter to round up a new patrol."

"Only don't round up any snow men because they melt," said Roy Blakeley, leader of the Silver Foxes; "and don't bother with shadows because you can't depend on them. And when you get a scout put a paper weight on him so he won't blow away."

"If you'll give me some of the biscuits you make, I'll use them for weights," Pee wee shouted.

"You mean you'll eat them," Roy said. "What are you going to name the new patrol? Why don't you name it the Canned Salmon? Then they can't get away from you."