tily:
"I was only going to say--do be a nice little girl."

"As if I were not always that!" retorted Amy, dabbing so liberally at the
unfortunate member that Mollie sneezed, bumped over a rock in the road
and nearly dashed the car against that long-threatening tree.

"Oh, goodness! I was sure we'd never come out of this alive," cried Grace
miserably. "Isn't it enough to have our hearts broken, without our necks
in the bargain?"

"Oh, might as well make a good job of it," returned Mollie cheerfully. "I
don't know that I'd mind very much, anyway."

"Oh, now I know I'm going to cry!" wailed Grace, wiping a starting tear
with her handkerchief. "Just when we're almost at Camp, too, and apt to
meet somebody any minute--"

"Didn't you just hear Betty say," Mollie broke in, with the patient air
one assumes in speaking to little children, "that everybody who is really
worth anything has gone away on that train?"

"Well, I guess I didn't altogether mean that," said Betty thoughtfully.
"Of course there is the medical personnel that is stationed here
indefinitely and very much against its will. And, of course," she added,
after a moment's pause, "there is Sergeant Mullins."

"Goodness! we did forget all about him, didn't we?" agreed Mollie, as
though surprised at herself. "I don't know how we could have done such a
thing!"

"And he's simply desperate at being kept here," added Amy suddenly. "He's
done everything he possibly could to get away, but they say they need him
more here than on the other side, and so, of course, he can't do a thing."

"How did you know?" they asked in chorus, growing gleeful as she colored
under their gaze.

"Why, he--he told me," she stammered.

"Aha! I have you now, woman," cried Mollie, with a deep villain frown.
"Secret meetings on moonlit nights--"

"This one happened to be in the broad daylight, in the glare of noon," Amy
retorted. "And if you can find anything secret or romantic about that,
you're welcome to."

Mollie stared for a minute, then joined in the laugh.

"Strike one," she cried. "But do tell us, Amy clear, about this meeting
with Sergeant Mullins that occurred in the broad light of day. It must
have been interesting--though unforeseen," she added hastily, as Amy
turned a suspicious eye upon her.

"Yes, Amy, I humbly beseech you," added Grace.

"No, sir, I have been insulted enough," declared Amy stoutly, and nothing
they could say seemed to have any effect upon her dec