get another 'whack at the
Hun.'"

"Shall we go and see if we can cheer up Amy?" she asked after an
interval filled with gloomy meditation. "She is so brave and quiet about
everything that you never have a chance to guess how hard she is taking
her trouble. Poor girl!"

"I do feel awfully sorry for her," agreed Mollie, shifting unhappily,
"but I must say I don't feel very capable of cheering anybody up myself.
I never felt so horribly discouraged in my life."

"Well, it doesn't do any good to think about it," said Betty. "Maybe if
we try to make poor Amy feel better we'll help ourselves at the same
time."

"I suppose it won't do any harm to try," agreed Mollie, rising wearily.
"But I wish somebody would lend me a smile for a little while till I get
mine back again. I might be able to play the role of merry little
sunshine better."

She gave Betty a wry little smile, and arm in arm they started down the
hall to Amy's room.

The found the door shut, and tapped lightly upon it. When there was no
response they rapped again, then tried the knob and found the door was
locked.

"Whatever in the world--" Mollie was beginning apprehensively, when a
plaintive voice in the room behind the closed door interrupted her.

"Who is it?"

"It's we, Dear--Mollie and Betty," answered Betty quickly. "Can't you
let us in?"

"I--I'd rather not," replied the voice falteringly. "I'm all right, and
I'll be out in a minute. Please don't worry about me. You ought to be
used to my making a goose of myself by this time." This last accompanied
by a pitiful little attempt at a laugh.

"All right, Honey," Betty spoke sympathetically, for she had often seen
the time when even her best friend would have been in the way. "We only
wanted to help, that's all. When you want us we'll be in my room."

Amy murmured something in reply, and they slipped back again into the
other room and closed the door.

"I guess she feels it even worse than we thought she did," said Mollie
pityingly. "When Amy cries she is pretty well cut up."

"Well, I guess all we can do now is just sit still and wait till
somebody wants us," said Betty, sitting down irresolutely and folding
her hands. It was this last action that reminded her of the letter from
Joe Barnes which she had not yet read. Although she had been holding it
in her hand all the while, she had completely forgotten there was such a
person as the writer.

At her exclamation Mollie looked up rather lis