"Robert A. Heinlein - A tenderfoot in space (original version)" - читать интересную книгу автора (Heinlein Robert A)

by a party at which Nixie became comfortably stuffed with hot dogs
and pop. Scoutmaster McIntosh presented Charlie with a letter of
withdrawal, certifying his status and merit badges and asking his
admission into any troop on Venus. Nixie joined happily in the
applause, trying to outbark the clapping.
Then the Scoutmaster said, ‘Okay, Rip.”
Rip was senior patrol leader. He got up and said, “Quiet, fellows.
Hold it, you crazy savages! Charlie, I don’t have to tell •you that we’re
all sorry to see you go. . . but we hope you have a swell time on
Venus and now and then send a postcard to Troop Twenty-Eight and
tell us about it—we’ll post ‘em on the bulletin board. Anyhow, we
wanted to get you a going-away present. But Mr. McIntosh pointed
out that you were on a very strict weight allowance and practically
anything would either cost you more to take with you than we had
paid for it, or maybe you couldn’t take it at all, which wouldn’t be
much of a present.
“But it finally occurred to us that we could do one thing. Nixie—”
Nixie’s ears pricked. Charlie said softly, “Steady, boy.”
“Nixie has been with us almost as long as you have. He’s been
around, poking his cold nose into things, longer than any of the
tenderfeet, and longer even than some of the second class. So we
decided he ought to have his own letter of withdrawal, so that the
troop you join on Venus will know that Nixie is a Scout in good
standing. Give it to him, Kenny.”
The scribe passed over the letter. It was phrased like Charlie’s letter,
save that it named “Nixie Vaughn, Tenderfoot Scout” and
diplomatically omitted the subject of merit badges. It was signed by
the scribe, the scoutmaster, and the patrol leaders and countersigned
by every member of the troop. Charlie showed it to Nixie, who sniffed
it. Everybody applauded, so Nixie joined happily in applauding
himself.



10
“One more thing,” added Rip. “Now that Nixie is officially a Scout, he
has to have his badge. So send him front and center.”
Charlie did so. They had worked their way through the Dog Care
merit badge together while Nixie was a pup, all feet and floppy ears; it
had made Nixie a much more acceptable member of the Vaughn
family. But the rudimentary dog training required for the merit badge
had
stirred Charlie’s interest; they had gone on to Dog Obedience School
together and Nixie had progressed from easy spoken commands to
more difficult silent hand signals.
Charlie used them now. At his signal Nixie trotted forward, sat stiffly
at attention, front paws neatly drooped in front of his chest, while Rip
fastened the tenderfoot badge to his collar, then Nixie raised his right
paw in salute and gave one short bark, all to hand signals.
The applause was loud and Nixie trembled with eagerness to join it.