s as he looked at the Little
Captain and remarked:

"What lucky people those Y.W.C.A. officials were to get you girls down
here for this Hostess House! But come, Betty, the others are beckoning to
us."

CHAPTER VI

PLANNING CAPTURE

The spot they had chosen for the picnic was quite a distance away from
Camp Liberty, and by the time the party finally reached it, both boys and
girls were wondering if the generous contents of the hampers would serve
even to take the edge off their appetites.

"I don't see why we didn't take your car, Mollie," Grace complained, as
they covered the last stretch of dusty road. "We would have been on the
picnic grounds and had our lunch eaten by this time."

"But just think what's in store for us," Betty reminded her cheerily. "We
need a good appetite to eat up all this lunch."

"Well, I don't know," Grace grumbled back. "It seems to me I had a good
enough appetite for two lunches, each twice as big as this, when we
started."

"Heavens!" cried Frank Haley, who was walking in front with Mollie, "I
see my chances of a square meal dwindling."

"I'm beginning to agree with Grace," grinned Roy Anderson, "that we made a
big mistake in not taking the car."

"Oh, you're all just lazy," was Mollie's accusation. "We haven't been
walking more than an hour and there's the spot, just around that turn in
the road."

"Say," and Will, who had not yet spoken, turned suddenly to Betty, "isn't
this the road where the accident happened that introduced that nice little
old woman--what's her name--"

"Mrs. Sanderson," Betty supplied.

"Yes, that's it. Isn't this about the place where you found her?"

"Goodness, no," put in Amy. "It was on this road, but we were miles out of
town."

"Will, I'd love you all the rest of my life if you'd only find that
motorcyclist and have him punished," said Betty fervently. "It makes me
wild when I think how easily he got away from us--"

"Never mind that," interrupted Will, his eyes twinkling. "All I want is to
have you repeat the first part of your speech. What was that about loving
me all the rest of my life?"

"Say, what's the idea?" demanded Allen suddenly, having been engrossed in
a little dream all his own. "What kind of rash promises are you asking
Betty to make?"

"Well, I would," contended Betty stoutly, adding with a twinkle: "Like a
sister."

"Oh," said Will, turning disappointedly away. "If that's all you have to
offer me--"

"But I'