but she--and Amy too--act as if
he were dead."

"I know," said Betty softly, then added, looking a little quizzically at
Mollie; "But you know I don't blame them so much when I try putting
myself in their place. Of course we love Will, but suppose it had been
Allen, for instance, or Frank."

Mollie started and uttered a little cry of protest.

"Oh, but that would be different," she said weakly, then catching
Betty's eye, added soberly: "I see what you mean, of course. I suppose
I would act just the same, under different circumstances."

However, having had their cry out and feeling better and much more
cheerful in consequence, Grace and Amy called to them and they crossed
the room quickly.

"We've decided," said Amy then, "that, since we can't find out any more
until Mr. Ford hears from Washington, we might as well make the best of
it."

"And we want to talk about our trip," Grace added.

"Our trip?" echoed Mollie. "Why I thought of course we would give that
up."

"I did too," explained Grace. "But when I spoke of it to Dad, he said we
were to do nothing of the kind. He said we couldn't do poor Will"--in
spite of all her resolution her voice broke on the name--"any good by
staying at home and moping, and that he would let us know as soon as he
had any authentic word from Washington. And he insists on mother's going
too."

And so it happened that a few hours later a very sober group of Outdoor
Girls started on what should have been a joyful trip, with heavy hearts
and gloomy foreboding. Even the new racer did not serve to liven the
party.

The only time they laughed was when they found Dodo and Paul, the
incorrigible twins, hidden away under some raincoats in Mollie's car.

"Oh, but we want to go 'long," Dodo protested vehemently when
discovered.

"We just got to go 'long," Paul had added.

"No, you mustn't 'got to,'" Mollie contradicted them, while the others
looked on amused. "Come, Dodo, honey, be a good girl for sister and come
down. You too, Paul. We're in an awful hurry."

"But we not goin' to come down," Dodo insisted.

"'Less," Paul added diplomatically, "we get tandies."

"Lots of tandies," Dodo supplemented.

"Here, take these," Grace offered, holding out a box of sweets which,
despite all her trouble, she had not forgotten.

"Don't give them the box--just take out a few," Mollie suggested, but
Grace insisted, while her face clouded again.

"I don't want them, anyway. I don't know why