after we were all rested, all of a sudden hervey jumped up and started off, the rest of us after him singing follow your leader wherever he goes. for a while he kept singing and we all kept singing. sometimes he would go zigzag on the road and we all did the same. for a little way he held one of his legs in his hand and hopped till he fell on the ground and the rest of us fell all over him. he did all kinds of crazy things and whatever he said we said it after him. pretty soon he turned off the turnpike into another road.
“the wrong way to get there is always the best,” he said.
“the wrong way to get there is always the best,” i said.
all of us said the same sentence. gee whiz, it sounded crazy.
pretty soon we met a farmer and hervey he said, “hey, mister, can you tell us the wrong way to the scout camp?”
i said, “hey, mister, can you tell us the wrong way to the scout camp?”
bert said, “hey, mister, can you tell us the wrong way to the scout camp?”
the others said the same and the man looked at us as if he thought we were lunatics.
“you’re going the wrong way now,” he said.
“thanks very much,” hervey said, and off he started again.
“maybe he’s mistaken, maybe it’s the right way and we’re going all wrong,” i said. “suppose he misdirected us and we get somewhere?”
bert said, “trust to hervey, we won’t get anywhere. he knows where he’s not going.”
“sure, he has a fine sense of misdirection,” garry said.
“we’ll end in maine,” pee-wee said, “that’s where all the maniacs belong. the nearer we get to temple camp the farther off it is.”
“we’ve been everywhere,
but up in the air;
and we haven’t done anything yet.”
warde began singing.
all of a sudden hervey turned around and looked very severe and held his finger to his mouth.
“silence,” i said; “play the game. can’t you keep still? if you can’t keep still, keep quiet.”
so then we followed him not saying a word. it was fine to hear pee-wee not talking.
pretty soon we came to a place that i knew. they call it new corners. it isn’t exactly new, it’s kind of slightly used. it’s a village. there’s a sign that says new corners; that’s so you’ll know it’s there. it’s about as big as new york only smaller.
hervey turned around and said, “let’s buy some gumdrops. intermission; you can all talk.”
we had about fourteen cents altogether and we bought some gumdrops in the post office and divided them. there was a big pole outside the barber shop that locked like a peppermint stick and we wished that we could eat that. when we started off again, hervey held his hat out on the end of a stick (he always carries a stick that fellow does) and threw a gumdrop into his hat.
“follow your leader,” he said.
i threw a gumdrop into my hat the same way, and he said, “no, you don’t, you’re supposed to follow your leader. each one throw a gumdrop into my hat.”
oh boy, you should have seen our young animal cracker go up in the air. he yelled, “what do you think i am?”
“play the game!” hervey shouted. “you’re charged with insubordination.”
“i don’t care what kind of a nation i’m charged with,” pee-wee shouted. “if you throw it into your hat that means i have to throw it into my hat. do you think i’m throwing away gumdrops? i’ll follow my leader, but——”
just then hervey threw a gumdrop into pee-wee’s hat.
“maybe you’re right after all,” the kid said; “you know the rules about the game——”
“now listen,” hervey said. “who’s got a watch that’s right?”
“i’ve got a watch that’s right,” i said, “and it’s the only thing here that is right.”
“that’s because it goes around and around just like we do,” hervey said; “it never gets anywhere but it keeps going. you can depend on a compass because it always points one way, but a watch keeps changing, you can’t depend on it. one minute it says one thing and another minute it says another thing. that’s what i don’t like about a watch.”
“a watch would have to go some to keep up with you,” i said.
“you couldn’t carry a watch,” pee-wee said, “because it would fall out of your pocket. you’re upside down half the time.”
“you’re more like a speedometer,” i said. “what do you want my watch for?”
“can’t you guess?” he said.
“what do you want his watch for?” pee-wee shouted, his mouth all the while full of gumdrops.
“to find out what time it is,” hervey said.
“it’s just exactly four o’clock,” i told him.
“all hold up your hands,” he said. “have the watch hold up its hands too. we’re going to play this game right.”
he said, “not one of us is going to speak another word till we see temple camp. when we see it i will be the first one to speak.”
“i’ll be the next,” pee-wee shouted.
hervey said, “the first one to speak before i do agrees to stand in front of the bulletin board at camp to-morrow with a sign on him saying i am a quitter and a flunker, and if i speak before i see temple camp i’ll do the same. how about it? do you agree?”
“posilutely,” i said. “silence is my favorite outdoor sport.”
“put me down,” warde said; “i’m playing the game.”
“i’ll be just as if i were asleep,” garry said.
“i talk in my sleep,” pee-wee piped up.
“not one word till we see temple camp,” hervey said; “how about it.”
“i’ll die for the cause,” bert said.
hervey said, “all right then; ready——”
“wait a minute,” pee-wee said. “wait till i think if there’s anything i want to say before i shut up.”
“say it and forever after hold your peace,” i said.
“what’s your last word?” garry asked him.
“my last word is that i’m hungry,” the kid shouted.
“all right, shut up, everybody,” hervey said, “and
“don’t ask where you’re headed for nobody knows,
just keep your eyes open and follow your nose;
be careful, don’t trip and go stubbing your toes,
but follow your leader wherever he goes.”
after that you couldn’t hear a sound.
