Before he went to school, Mrs. Beaman, a neighbor, came in and said that after long consultation with her husband she had decided to offer three dollars for the Slade possessions, and in the absence of Bill Slade, the estate was settled up in Tom"s interest on that basis. So he went forth feeling he and John Temple were alike in at least one thing-they were both capitalists.
Mr. Ellsworth was somewhat of a stickler for form and organization, and it was a pleasant scene which took place the following Sunday afternoon under the big elm up at Camp Solitaire. The ceremony of investing a Tenderfoot was always held on a Sunday because he believed it made it more impressive, and whenever possible it was held out of doors.
The First Bridgeboro Troop was highly organized and all its ceremonies emphasized the patrol. The two patrols, the Ravens and the Silver Foxes (and later the Elks) partic.i.p.ated in the investing ceremony, but it was the affair particularly of the patrol into which the Tenderfoot was to enter, and this idea was worked out in the ceremony.
Each patrol stood grouped about its flag, and a little apart, near the national colors, stood Mr. Ellsworth and Worry Sage, Troop Scribe, armed with a book and fountain pen. Down near the signal pedestal was Roy"s sister, Esther, in company with her mother and one or two servants from the house. Carl, the gardener, was there, too, to watch the ceremony.
Roy Blakeley, as sponsor for the new member, stepped forward with Tom.
"Whom have you here?" Mr. Ellsworth said, in accordance with their regular form.
"An applicant for membership in our Troop and a voice in our councils,"
answered Roy.
"Is he worthy to be a member of our Troop?"
"I come as his friend and his brother," said Roy, "and to certify that he is as desirable to us as we to him."
"Has he made satisfactory proof of the tests?"
"He has."
"And is he prepared to take the oath?"
"He is prepared."
"Raise your right hand in the Scout Salute," Mr. Ellsworth said to Tom.
Then Worry Sage stepped forward and repeated the oath, Tom following him, line by line:
On my honor I will do my best-- To do my duty to G.o.d and my country, and to obey the scout law; To help other people at all times; To keep myself physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight.
"How say you? Is this applicant familiar with the law?" asked the scoutmaster.
"He is familiar with the law and finds it good."
"Let the law be read."
Worry Sage read the first law, which was the one Tom broke when he stole Mary Temple"s ball.
"You find this law good?" asked the scout-master.
"Yes sir, I do."
Then Worry read the next one, "A Scout is loyal. He is loyal to all to whom loyalty is due; his scout leader, his home and parents and country."
"You find this law good?"
There was a slight pause.
"Do I have to obey that one?" said he. "Do I have ter be loyal ter him?"
Mr. Ellsworth stepped forward amid a tense silence and laid his hand on Tom"s shoulder. "I think you have been loyal to your mother already, Tom," he said in a low tone, "as for your father," he hesitated; "yes, I think you must be loyal to him too. There weren"t any Boy Scouts when he was a boy, Tom. We must remember that."
"All right," said Tom.
"You find this law good?" asked the scoutmaster, resuming the ceremonial form.
"Yes--I do. I"ll be--loyal."
The reading of the law completed, he stepped back with Roy to the Silver Fox emblem.
The Silver Fox patrol leader asked, "Do you promise to stand faithful to this emblem, and to these your brother scouts of the Silver Fox Patrol?"
And then, "Are you familiar with the patrol call which is the voice of the silver fox, and with the patrol sign, which is the head of the silver fox, and do you promise to use this call and this sign and no other so that your name may be honorable in all the Troop, and among all troops?"
And Tom answered, "I promise."
Mr. Ellsworth pinned the Tenderfoot Badge on his breast.
Tom Slade of Barrel Alley had become a Scout. He could not see where the trail led, but that he had hit the right one he felt sure.
CHAPTER VIII
STUNG!
"Got the linen thread?"
"Right here in the tin cup."
"All right, put the tin cup in the pint measure and the pint measure in the coffee-pot; now put the coffee-put in the kettle and the kettle in the duffel-bag. Then put the duffel-bag in the corner."
"Where"ll I put the corner?" laughed Tom.
"There we are," said Roy, "all ready before the Ravens have started to pack. They ought to be called the "Snails.""
They were up at Camp Solitaire, the whole patrol, and the standing of the duffel-bag in the corner of the tent was the last act of a busy day.
"I"ll be sorry to see Camp Solitaire break up," said Tom. "We"ve had some good sport up here."
"There hasn"t been much "solitaire" to it lately," said Eddie Ingram.
"Well, down it comes in the morning," said Roy. "What are we going to catch, the three-thirty?"
"I bet the Ravens won"t be ready," said one of the boys.