ok hands with a warmth
that was most unusual. When Martha kissed her father a curious lump
arose in her throat, and her eyes grew misty.

"I suppose it's all right, Dad," she whispered in his ear. "But, oh! I
do hope you'll come back all right." And she clung to him in a way
that spoke volumes.

"Of course I'll come back all right, Martha," said Dick Rover
confidently. "And for all you know, your dad will come back a major or
a colonel, or maybe a brigadier general."

"Oh, I don't care about that! All I want is for you to come back safe
and sound!"

"Your father will be up in a little while," announced Dick Rover to
the twins. "He had a meeting to attend in reference to the next
Liberty Loan. He's a tremendously busy man these days."

"But Uncle Dick! he wanted to go to the front just as well as you did,
didn't he?" questioned Randy eagerly.

"Of course he wanted to go," was the ready response. "But we couldn't
all go, you know. Somebody had to stay behind to look after our
business interests in Wall Street."

"But--but couldn't you hire somebody else to run the business for
you?" questioned Andy. Now that he and his brother were face to face
with the fact that their Uncle Dick and their Uncle Sam were going
into the army, it did not look right at all to them to have their
father left behind.

"We thought something of that, but we really couldn't see how it could
be done. You see, we have a great many important deals under way, and
if those transactions are not looked after carefully, we might stand
to lose a great deal of money."

"I don't care--if dad wanted to go to the front, he should have had
the chance to go!" burst out Randy.

"I declare, Randy, you'll be as hard to manage in this affair as your
father was," said Dick Rover, with a faint smile.

"Was he really hard to manage?" queried Andy eagerly.

"He sure was! We had to talk to him for several days before he would
agree to remain behind. He told us once that the whole business could
go to pot."

"Hurrah for dad! That's the way I knew he'd act!" burst out the boy.

"If I was him I'd let the business go to pot!" declared Randy. "What
good will your old business be if those Germans win this war and start
in to rule everything? For all you know, they'll come right over to
New York and take your whole business away from you."

"Well, that might possibly happen," put in Sam Rover seriously.
"Although I don't think it is very probable."

Knowin