hat's all, except that we've been
going since five this morning on nothing but a cake of chocolate that
Polly found in her coat pocket and a few lumps of sugar."

"If I were going back to Chicago to live I believe I'd start soup kitchens
for hungry people," declared Polly, suddenly. "It's the worst thing in the
world--being hungry."

"If you was----" Mrs. Van Zandt started suddenly and stopped equally so.
Polly blushed. Scott came to the rescue.

"We may as well tell 'em while we're telling our other troubles," he
suggested, and Polly told them.

"I'm going home because he won't marry me unless Father consents," she
said, "and he doesn't seem to think a consent by wire is legal. But I'm
coming back."

"Well, I wish you good luck, I'm sure." Mrs. Van Zandt leaned over and
kissed Polly impulsively. "He'll browbeat you a bit but he'll stick by
you. Guess I'll make some more coffee," and she bounced into the kitchen.

"Gracious! Would you call that a congratulation?" gasped Polly.

"Here's a bona-fide one, my dear," said Clara, gently. "I am sure you'll
be happy."

The others laughed and joked while Clara and Hard kept their secret to
themselves. Scott followed Mrs. Van Zandt into the kitchen with some empty
cups and their voices could be heard talking earnestly.

"Well," said the latter, as she returned, "I'll say I think Mr. Scott's
idea a good one." By a psychological process quite her own and quite
unconsciously followed, Mrs. Van had promoted Scott to the dignity of the
prefix upon hearing that he was engaged to the superintendent's sister.
"He's hired Mendoza and that junk-pile of his to take you all to the
border so's you can get a train East without traveling on the Mexican
railroads."

"It's like this," Scott explained. "Tom says they told him at Conejo that
the revolutionary government had taken over all the railroads, both
Mexican and American, and is operating them. Now, we might make the trip
all right--they say lots of refugees are coming North; but what's the use?
I'll run over to Conejo and get them to let us keep Mendoza for a few days
and perhaps we can get some sort of a safe conduct for the road from that
military guy over there.

"I'd rather have old Villa's safe conduct than any of the rest of them; I
think it cuts more ice with the population at large. But perhaps this chap
can do something for us. We'll try to hit the border at Chula Vista--the
roads that way are pretty fair. Now, Hard,