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 kin............