not be there! Perhaps, oh _perhaps_ he might be able to
persuade her and his mother to stay over Sunday! He hardly dared to hope,
however, for Ruth Macdonald might think it presumptuous in him to suggest
it, and again she might wish to go home to meet Wainwright. And, too,
where could they sleep if they did stay. It was hopeless, of course. They
would have to go back to Baltimore or to Washington for the night and
that would be a hard jaunt.

However, Ruth Macdonald had thought of such a possibility herself, and
when she and Mrs. Cameron stepped down from the Philadelphia train at the
small country station that had suddenly become an important point because
of the great camp that had sprung up within a stone's throw of it, she
looked around enquiringly at the little cottage homes in sight and said
to her companion:

"Would it be very dreadful in us to discover if there is some place here
where we could stay over night in case John's company does not go just
yet and we find we would be allowed to see him again on Sunday?"

She knew by the sudden lighting of the mother's wistful face that she had
read aright the sighs half stifled that she had heard on the train when
the mother had thought she was not noticing.

"Oh, do you suppose we could stay?" The voice was full of yearning.

"Well, we can find out, at least. Anyhow, I'm going in here to see
whether they would take us in case we could. It looks like a nice neat
place."

Ruth pulled open the gate, ran up the steps of the pleasant porch shaded
with climbing roses, and knocked timidly at the open door.

A broad, somewhat frowsy woman appeared and surveyed her coolly with that
apprising glance that a native often gives to a stranger; took in the
elegant simplicity of her quiet expensive gown and hat, lingering with a
jealous glance on the exquisite hand bag she carried, then replied
apathetically to Ruth's question:

"No, we're all full. We ain't got any room. You might try down to the
Salvation Army Hut. They got a few rooms down there. It's just been
built. They might take you in. It's down the road a piece, that green
building to the right. You can't miss it. You'll see the sign."

Ruth caught her breath, thanked her and hastened back to her companion.
Salvation Army! That was eccentric, queer, but it would be perfectly
respectable! Or would it? Would Aunt Rhoda disapprove very much? Somehow
the Salvation Army was associated in her mind with slums and drunkar