CASTLES IN THE AIR The lonesomeness of Robinson Crusoe on his desert island was nothing compared to the lonesomeness of Pee-wee on that Saturday morning.

He might have attached himself to any of the three patrols and had a day's pleasure, but his pride had stood in the way.
He had always been something of a free lance in the troop and been regarded as a troop institution.

But there had always been his official place among the Ravens waiting for him whenever it suited his wanton fancy to return like a prodigal to the fold.

Now, in the pleasant springtime with the troop divided for the summer rivalries, he found himself quite isolated.
No one was to blame for this; a scout must be in one patrol or another, and if all patrols are full then he must make himself the nucleus of a new one.

That is what Mr.Ellsworth had told Pee-wee.
"Gee whiz, nucleuses aren't so easy to be, that's one thing," Pee-wee muttered to himself as he bent his aimless way in the direction of Barrel Alley.