re Gerry had been
enthusiastic over change and excitement. One would have supposed that
among all the girls she would have been most interested in the new war
camp and the possibility of seeing and meeting the young American
soldiers.

Mrs. Webster would not consider the trip, feeling that her heart would
only be torn by the sight of so many war preparations, and more if she
should chance to come in contact with an unusually homesick boy. Her
sister could bring back word of whatever she could actually _do_ to be
of service, since often enough she was the pioneer who went forth in
search of new ideas which Mrs. Webster put into execution.

Dan Webster was of course essential to the expedition, as he was
chauffeur. Billy was not only invited, but Mrs. Burton insisted upon his
accompanying them after he had very generously demurred, saying there
was no reason why he should crowd the others when he really was not
interested in war camps. She hoped, however, that the sight of the
cantonment might exert either a mental or a spiritual influence upon
him.

It was possible to manage eight in the car, although ordinarily it held
but seven, yet one was willing to be a little inconvenienced under the
circumstances, so the five girls, Vera Lagerloff, Bettina Graham, Alice
Ashton, Marta Clark and Peggy Webster also accompanied Mrs. Burton.

The first part of the drive followed the now familiar line of the shore.
Yet the outlook was never the same! Now and then one would see a heron
or sand crane standing upon one leg near the water, apparently lost in
immortal thought; sea gulls were dipping in and out, or else riding
serenely on the waves; occasionally a buzzard, grim as Odin, soared
overhead.

Once Marta Clark, who was on the front seat with Dan, gave a cry of
surprise. She had discovered that what she supposed a great bird winging
its flight over their car, was in reality an aeroplane on a long
practice flight from North Island.

Finally leaving the coast, the automobile began a long climb over an
undulating line of hills. The hills were bare except for occasional
bunches of cacti and bushes of bright yellow tar weed. There were acres
and acres of sage brush, sometimes a field of wild buckwheat and once in
a while a small grove of live oak shrubs or of red and blue gum trees.

The mesa upon which the new cantonment was springing up like a magic
city was a great desert of sand and sage. For years the thousands of
acres had