That's the best place to be if you've got any troubles and you want to think.
And I kind of didn't want to think about Westy, so I thought about Skinny just to keep everything else out of my head.

Because I knew it wouldn't ever be just the same again with Westy and I didn't want to think about it.

In the troop it would be all right, and maybe in the patrol too, but it wouldn't ever be just the same again with Westy and me.
I was glad that I'd be interested in Skinny and now I could see he was different from all of us kind of wonderful-I don't know how to tell you.
His eyes were so big, and wild, and starey.

And he said things in such a funny way and he got so excited.

Up at Temple Camp, afterwards, Mr.
Ellsworth told Jeb Rushmore that Skinny was inspired, but I don't know just what he meant.