Even if it was only a little thing that he was interested in, he got all excited about it, and his eyes got all bright and if he grabbed you by the arm you could feel that his hand was trembling--he'd be so excited.
We made a lot of allowance for him, because he was sick and came out of the slums, but anyway, one trouble with him was, that Mr.Ellsworth couldn't make him study up scouting the way other fellows do.

All of a sudden he'd go crazy for the gold medal or the eagle badge and you couldn't tell him that a fellow has to get to be a first class scout, before he can be an eagle scout.

"He wants what he wants when he wants it," that's what Mr.Ellsworth said, and he only just laughed and said, "He'll hammer into shape all right, let him enjoy the trip." And it was just like him--I mean about that French coin.

He was always coming to me, too, as if I was scoutmaster and everything else.

He began clutching me by the arm and saying, "I got it for keeping my eyes open, didn't I?
I got it for being honest and asking all the scout guys, didn't I ?" I had to just pull his hand off my arm, he was holding so fast to it.
Cracky, I didn't know what to tell him.