Books: Pee Wee Harris

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The people in the nearest house along the now deserted highway
came at Pee-Wee's breathless summons and gazed down silently but
would not touch the figure with outstretched arm and opened hand
that seemed to say, "Step in, you're welcome, here I am."

So they called the coroner and the body of Deadwood Gamely was borne
away and it was soon known that he had died from injuries received
in falling down the embankment which he was scrambling up after
setting fire to one of the supports of the old bridge.

He had not done this horrible thing willfully, at least not
for money to spend. That very day a warrant was issued for his
arrest in Baxter City for embezzlement of funds which he had stolen
from the bank in which he had been employed. But the angel of death
had traveled faster than the law.

That the contractors, or one of them, who wished to benefit the
county with a modern bridge had offered Gamely pay to do this
dreadful deed of arson seemed certain. But it seemed equally certain
that the wretched boy had balked at this frightful enterprise,
putting it off from day to day, until discovery and arrest for his
other crime stared him in the face. He had waited till the very night
before the day on which his petty thefts would be revealed. Then in
frantic desperation he had taken this only means of acquiring a sum
of money quickly. No one could say this for a certainty.

But in a story where we have witnessed so many good turns may we
not dismiss poor Deadwood Gamely and his tragic end from our thoughts
with the hope, nay, even the confidence, that his second crime was not
a deed of willing choice? There was more money misappropriated by Tom,
Dick and Harry, before the new steel bridge was up than ever poor
Deadwood Gamely, with his silly clothes and hat, would have dared
to steal. And so the tax rate went up and Commissioner
Somebody--or--other got a new automobile and County Engineer Grabson
built a big house and so on, and so on, and so on.

But before the new million-dollar bridge was finished the Pepsy
Roadside Rest was flourishing as the only real "monolopy" in Everdoze.

CHAPTER XXXV

EXIT

So it befell that the big black wagon belonging to the brick
orphan home came and turned around and went back again. It got in
the way of all the automobiles that were headed for The Home of Fresh
Doughnuts (a new sign) and was a nuisance generally. The men who drove
it didn't buy so much as a gumdrop.

But what cared the partners? For such a business were they doing
as would make the Standard Oil Company turn green with envy. Their
financial rating was so high that you couldn't see it without a
telescope. Every time there was a strike over at the new bridge the
partners reaped a profit from the delay. Thus labor unconsciously put
business in the way of monopolies.

And so the great enterprise prospered. The advertising department
had now two steady employees--Licorice Stick and Wiggle. Licorice Stick
covered the road up as far as Berryville with a huge placard hung from
his neck. Wiggle proudly flew an inflated balloon from his tail bearing
the appropriate reminder HOT DOGS AT THE PEPSY REST.

One evening, oh, it must have been about six o'clock, the weary
partners were closing up their little shack for the night. Pepsy was
counting the money and Pee-Wee was eating the cookies that were left
over. For he was conscientious and must open shop with a fresh supply
each day. Sometimes he would have a dozen or more to eat, but he did
it bravely--from a sense of duty. A scout is dutiful.

Presently there hove in sight a large figure, walking.

"Oh, it's Mr. Jensen," said Pepsy; "hurry up and finish the
cookies or he'll want them; he always does that."

Mr. Jensen came up mopping his forehead.

"Any lemonade left?" he asked.

"There's about one glass," Pee-Wee said.

In accordance with his invariable daily custom, Mr. Jensen bought
up the remainder of stock, drank several glasses of cider, and chatted
with the partners.

"Ain't heard of any rivals, have you?" he asked. "We've got the whole
detour eating out of our hands," said Pee-Wee, which was literally true.

"Makin' money fast, huh? You takin' good care of this little gal
of mine?"

Pepsy smiled at him and he put his arm around her and kissed her
and said, "If he don't take good care of you, you just come and let
me know ."

Then he winked at Pee-Wee.

When he was gone something reminded Pee-Wee to look into the big
lemonade cooler and make sure that it was empty. It was not quite
empty, there being about ten lemon pits, a slice of rind, and a small
piece of ice left in the bottom of it. But this was worth going after
and Pee-Wee went after it. With all his strength he raised the goodly
cooler to a position above his head and tilted it to his mouth. His
arms trembled under its weight, and his hands slipped upon its cold,
beady sides. The several drops of highly diluted lemonade trickled
down into his mouth but the flavory pits and rind remained at bay at
the bottom of the cooler.

They would not roll but they might fall. Pee-Wee held the cooler
up to a perfectly perpendicular position above his upturned face.
Then, oh, horrors! The wet cooler slipped through his hands and the
curly head of Pee-Wee Harris disappeared within it. If the postman
who found him wrestling valiantly with a banana and clinging with
the other hand, could only have seen him in this new and terrible
predicament!

And thus the curly head and terribly frowning countenance of
Scout Harris disappears out of our story into a new realm of joy. ...

THE END

Other books by Percy Keese Fitzhugh (7 Sep 1876 - 5 Jul 1950). Note
that characters from each series crossover to or are mentioned in the
others.

1 - Pee-Wee Harris - 1922
2 - Pee-Wee Harris On The Trail - 1922
3 - Pee-Wee Harris In Camp - 1922
4 - Pee-Wee Harris In Luck - 1922
5 - Pee-Wee Harris Adrift - 1922
6 - Pee-Wee Harris F.O.B. Bridgeboro - 1923
7 - Pee-Wee Harris: Fixer - 1924
8 - Pee-Wee Harris As Good As His Word - 1925
9 - Pee-Wee Harris: Mayor for a Day - 1926
10 - Pee-Wee Harris and The Sunken Treasure - 1927
11 - Pee-Wee Harris On The Briny Deep - 1928
12 - Pee-Wee Harris In Darkest Africa - 1929
13 - Pee-Wee Harris Turns Detective - 1930

1 - Roy Blakeley - 1920
2 - Roy Blakeley's Adventures in Camp - 1920
3 - Roy Blakeley Pathfinder - 1920
4 - Roy Blakeley's Camp On Wheels - 1920
5 - Roy Blakeley's Silver Fox Patrol - 1920
6 - Roy Blakeley's Motor Caravan - 1921
7 - Roy Blakeley Lost Strayed or Stolen - 1921
8 - Roy Blakeley's Bee-line Hike - 1922
9 - Roy Blakeley at The Haunted Camp - 1922
10 - Roy Blakeley's Funny-Bone Hike - 1923
11 - Roy Blakeley's Tangled Trail - 1924
12 - Roy Blakeley on the Mohawk Trail - 1925
13 - Roy Blakeley's Elastic Hike - 1926
14 - Roy Blakeley's Roundabout Hike - 1927
15 - Roy Blakeley's Happy-Go-Lucky Hike - 1928
16 - Roy Blakeley's Go-As-You Please Hike - 1929

1 - Tom Slade - Boy Scout - 1915
2 - Tom Slade At Temple Camp - 1917
3 - Tom Slade On The River - 1917
4 - Tom Slade With The Colors - 1918
5 - Tom Slade On A Transport - 1918
6 - Tom Slade With The Boys Over There - 1918
7 - Tom Slade' Motor-cycle Dispatch Bearer - 1918
8 - Tom Slade With The Flying Corps - 1919
9 - Tom Slade at Black Lake - 1920
10 - Tom Slade On Mystery Trail - 1921
11 - Tom Slade's Double Dare - 1922
12 - Tom Slade On Overlook Mountain - 1923
13 - Tom Slade Picks a Winner - 1924
14 - Tom Slade At Bear Mountain - 1925
15 - Tom Slade: Forest Ranger - 1926
16 - Tom Slade At Shadow Isle - 1928
17 - Tom Slade In The North Woods - 1927
18 - Tom Slade in the Haunted Cavern - 1929
19 - Tom Slade Parachute Jumper - 1930

1 - Westy Martin - 1924
2 - Westy Martin In The Yellowstone - 1924
3 - Westy Martin In The Rockies - 1925
4 - Westy Martin On The Santa Fe Trail - 1926
5 - Westy Martin On The Old Indian Trail - 1928
6 - Westy Martin In The Land Of The Purple Sage - 1929
7 - Westy Martin On The Mississippi - 1930
8 - Westy Martin In The Sierras - 1931

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