TELLS ABOUT SKINNY AND THE ELKS Well, that was the way it was with Skinny and I could see that the Elks were rushing him through, so that he'd get the badge.

That used to be one trouble with the Elks and I don't care if they do know I said it.
They got one good lesson to cure them, that's sure.

The trouble with them was they were making a collection of badges and when you're out for badges, you skip at lot of pages in the Handbook, that's sure.
The next day I said to Connie Bennett--this is just what I said; I said, "I hope you won't get mad at me again if I say something about Skinny, because, anyway, it's none of _my_ business, that's sure.

But as long as you fellows are busy teaching him stunts and things, I don't see that there would be any harm in it, if I read some things in the Handbook to him--some other kind of things, I mean." He said, "What kind of things ?" "Oh, just about the laws and things like that, like about being honest and obedient--you know." "You keep your hands off my patrol," that's just what he said; "and you needn't start hinting that the Elks are dishonest--" "Who's hinting that ?" I said, kind of mad; "you remind me of an airplane, you're always going up in the air." "If any of my patrol are dishonest, they'll be thrown out," he said, "and maybe they'll be welcome in the Silver Foxes." "Sure," I said, "we make a specialty of burglars and pickpockets; we eat 'em alive.

All I was asking you was that you let me teach Skinny some of the 'idea' stuff--you know what I mean." "You're jealous because he's a genius," Connie said; "and you want to fill him up with grandmother stuff.