hings into a suitcase--"

"How long do you suppose it will take us to get there?" asked the Little
Captain, coming to Grace's rescue.

"Why, even in Mollie's car it will take two days," said Grace, turning
to Betty with the relief of one who at last had a sane person to reckon
with. "Mollie and Amy evidently expect to make it in a couple of
hours."

"Oh well, I didn't know it was so far away," murmured Mollie, somewhat
taken aback. "Of course, then, we can't go until to-morrow."

The girls laughed merrily, and Betty hugged her.

"We might," chuckled the latter, "even be forced to wait till day after
to-morrow."

"I won't do it!" cried Mollie, jumping up again. "There's no reason in
the world why we can't start to-morrow."

"But, Mollie dear," insisted Betty mildly, "we haven't even asked our
folks whether we may go or not--"

"As if we didn't know what they will say," broke in Mollie, but Betty
went on without heeding her.

"And we must have a chaperone, you know."

"Oh, I suppose so," sighed Mollie sinking down in her chair resignedly,
"but it's horribly tiresome. I want to go now."

"You sound like Dodo with her candies," remarked Grace, amiably helping
herself to a luscious milk chocolate filled with nuts. "Have one,
Mollie--it may make you feel better."

"It won't, but I will," said Mollie rather enigmatically, reaching out a
hand for the proffered sweet. "Thank you, dear."

"But whom shall we have for a chaperone?" cried Amy impatiently. "I'm
almost as bad as Mollie--I can hardly wait till to-morrow."

"Why," said Grace, nibbling daintily, "I thought maybe you girls
wouldn't mind if I asked mother to go with us."

"Mind!" echoed Betty, while the others looked at her in surprise. "Why
of course we'd love to have her! You know that. But I never imagined she
would care to go, she is so interested in Red Cross work and her
clubs--"

"That's just it," said Grace, sitting up quickly. "She's entirely worn
out with work and worry about Will, and I thought a little vacation with
us girls would help her out wonderfully. I'm not sure she will go--I
haven't asked her yet."

"Well, let's," cried Betty impulsively, jumping to her feet. "She simply
can't refuse if we all ask her at once."

"Now you're saying something!" cried Mollie fervently, albeit slangily,
as she flung her arm about the Little Captain and dragged her down the
steps. "Action is what we need--action, and plenty of it."

The girls fairly