"I'll tell you without any beating around the bush, fellows. The thought
came to me that Stanhope was away behind the times. Other towns not
nearly so big, have one or more troops of Boy Scouts. Why shouldn't we
get up one here?" and Paul waited to hear what the response would be.

The six who sat in a ring looked at each other as though stunned by the
proposal. It was strange, indeed, that no one had up to this time taken
a lead in advancing such a thing.

"Bully idea, Paul!" ejaculated Jack, slapping a hand on his knee
enthusiastically, as though it appealed to him most decidedly.

"Well, I declare, to think that nobody ever mentioned such a grand
movement before. Count me in right from the start!" said Wallace
Carberry--sober Wallace, who usually measured his words as though they
were golden.

"And me too," observed Bobolink.

"Ditto for William!" called out the other Carberry Twin, grinning with
delight.

"G-g-guess I'd make a bully good t-t-tenderfoot!"

"That's the best thing you ever thought up, old chap," came from Nuthin'.

"Hurrah! every county heard from, and not one contrary word. It looks
as if there might be something doing right soon around this region,"
declared Paul, naturally pleased because his proposition had met with