Scout Law Talks.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIV, Issue 114, 17 May 1933, Page 18

Scout Law Talks.

(ByRATA.)

A Scout Smiles and Whistles Under All Difficulties. It was just about 9.15 p.m. on Friday, the time that Frank wae expected home from scouts, and mother and <lad were expecting to hear his happy whistle as he came round the house, for, like a good scout, Frank's smile and happy song were much, in evidence, and one thing he had certainly acquired through scouting wae the fact that he did do his best to keep the eighth law; but to-night things must have gone wrong, for the ueual happy greeting to mum and dad was forgotten as a moody Frank stalked into his room. His parents, wise in the. ways of boys, smiled at each other as soon as he had disappeared from view arid dad's remarks were accompanied by a humoroue smile as he said: "Got a pain, hasn't he? I suppose the patrol let him down in a competition to-night," and knowing their boy so well, waited for the explanation of his gloom. Frank soon appeared with a piece of rope in his hand and forthwith started to tie a series of knote, at the same time watching the clock to time hie activities. "Bust it, why couldn't I have done that to-night," and then the whole of the story of woe was related, how all the patrol in a knotting relay race had gone to bits, and he, the leader, had "tied a rotten granny and missed on the clove-hitch, as well ae mucking up several other knots." • "Never mind. Cheer up, for you will do better next week. - Off to bed and forget all about it," and with a motherly pat, Frank went off to bed. But somehow, even when he got off to sleep, he seemed to toss and twist and at the same time was conscious of the most hilarious laughter, and opening his eyes he was surprised to find himself back in the den again, or- somehow or other the den had come to his room and all the ropes had got out of the patrol box, and wonder of wonders, were eimply twisting and turning with sustained mirth, all laughing and talking at the same time.

Prank's next surprise was to see the knots on the knotting board chuckling away in a most indecent way until Mr. Reef banged his loose ends on the board and called for order. "Well, well, we have had a nigfit of it, the troop were funny, and from the way we on this board of honour were pulled about, I should think that the art of using us seems to have been forgotten." "Oh, Mr. Reef, you should have eeen them," said Frank's own piece of rope. "You had a bad spin to-night, for grannies were the order of the day, and as for you Mr. Sheepshank, well, you looked as bad as Mr. Sheetbend in the lands of my lot," and again all the knots started to laugh and laugh again. Just at that moment, Mr. Hawser, the troop's Wggest rope, came elowly_ crawling out of the store room, and being the strongest and wisest of the ropes, the remainder all looked at him for his opinion. "They seemed to have forgotten how to emile," he said, "and I could not help thinking of that verse I heard at the last camp fire I wae at down at the West Coaet:

It's easy enough to look pleasant When life goes along like a song, But the scout worth while Is the scout who can smile When everytßlng goes dead wrong. "But never mind, they will soon forget their worries, though I bet you that our fellow ropes at their homes will have a lot of work before next meeting," and with that all the ropes seemed to fade away and the next thing Frank was conscious of was dad calling him to breakfast. "Well, wasn't I a mutt," said Frank to thimself, "if I had only whistled instead of getting excited, we would have done a lot "better and I would not have put the rest of the patrol off tl eir job with my silly temper," and from the knotting relay Frank learned that a good scout gets further and does better if he smiles and Thistles all the wMteu