CHAPTER XVII
HELPING UNCLE SAM
After dinner, the girls were taken over their new domain, and wereenthusiastic about it. There were three big parlors where the boyscould entertain their friends and relatives, also bedrooms enough toaccommodate some score of people over night.
"Of course, as you see, we're not nearly in shape yet," Mrs. Watsonapologized, as they came back to the big front room. "There are stillpictures to be hung, some draperies and odds and ends to be boughtthat will change the looks of the place entirely. It is with thosethings you girls can help me immensely, if you will."
"That's what we came for," replied Betty quickly, while the othergirls looked eager. "And besides, I think it will be a lark. Somehow,nothing seems half hard or strenuous enough to do for the boys thatare giving up so much for us."
"That's the spirit we like to see," said Mrs. Watson, looking at thegirl's flushed face and shining eyes approvingly. "And it's thespirit," she added slowly, "that we see among nine-tenths of ourgirls and women these days. It's wonderful what we areaccomplishing."
"It's nothing to what our boys are going to accomplish when they getinto the fight," broke in Mollie, her eyes big and dark. "My oneregret is that I can't put on a uniform, and fight side by side withthem."
"But we can fight side by side with them," said Mrs. Watson, leaningforward very seriously. "Don't you suppose the thought of us and thecertainty that we are backing them up with all our might, will bewith the boys every minute while they're in the trenches, helpingthem to fight the Hun as they never would be able to alone?"
"Yes," said Mollie, impressed but still unconvinced. "But I shouldthink it would help them ever so much more if we were really there inperson. Women have proved themselves just as good fighters as men,you know."
"That might be all right," said Amy quietly. "But then who would stayat home to knit sweaters for them, and who would do the nursing work?We couldn't do that, and be in the trenches at the same time."
"That's the way I look at it," said Mrs. Watson, turning to the quietgirl and regarding her thoughtfully. "It seems to me we are doing farmore good here at home where we've had experience, than we couldpossibly do in the actual fighting. But it's getting pretty late,"she interrupted herself, "and you girls must be tired after your longjourney. Suppose we get to bed right away, so that in the morning wecan start bright and early to get things in shape."
They assented unanimously, for, although their desire for informationwas as unsatisfied as ever, their eyelids were heavy with sleep, andthe thought of bed lured them irresistibly.
"Oh, I can't wait for the morning to come," sighed Betty, as sheslipped in between the cool sheets. "It seems wicked to waste time insleep."
"In the morning we'll work," said Mollie, her voice eager withanticipation; "and in the afternoon--"
"We'll go over and surprise the boys," finished Grace. "I can almostsee their faces when we burst in upon them."
"There'll be no bursting," said Betty primly. "We've got to behavelike perfectly proper young ladies."
"Oh, impossible," murmured Mollie; and five minutes later, they wereall asleep.
Morning, and the sun shining brightly in the window, challenging themto action.
"Awake?" queried Mollie, leaning over and poking Bettyexperimentally.
"If I'm not I soon will be," said Betty, sitting up and regardingMollie indignantly. "Goodness, that's a nice thing to do to a person.Couldn't you see I was asleep?"
"I was just asking you," said Mollie twinkling. "You looked so sweetand peaceful----"
"That you needs must spoil it all," said Betty plaintively. "My, butI'd hate to have that kind of a disposition."'
"Won't you let me be your little alarm clock?" begged Mollie, leaningforward to administer another poke, which Betty skillfully dodged.
"No, I won't," she answered, adding, as she squinted out at the sun:"We don't need one in this room. We're facing directly east."
Mollie chuckled.
"Mrs. Watson made a mistake," she said, "when she put Grace and Amyin the other room. She should have put them in this one, so the suncould take our place and wake them up every morning. Betty, it's aglorious day."
"Don't you suppose I know it?" asked Betty, shaking herselfimpatiently, as the tang of the air and the brilliant sunshine gotinto her blood, making her eager for action. "And it's only sixo'clock," she added, appealing to her little wrist watch. "We'llnever be able to get Grace and Amy up this early."
"Won't you, though?" chuckled a voice from the doorway, and theylooked up quickly to find Grace standing there, with Amy laughing atthem over her shoulder. And what was still more wonderful andstartling--they were dressed!
Betty and Mollie stared unbelievingly for a moment, mouths and eyeswide open, then jumped out of bed and made a rush for theconspirators.
"I don't see how you did it," gasped Mollie a few minutes later, whenthey stopped for lack of breath. "There wasn't a sound----"
"Yes, there were, lots of them," said Grace, stopping before a mirrorto tuck in a stray lock that had come loose in the general confusion."Only you and Betty were talking so hard and fast, you didn't hearus. Goodness, but I'm hungry."
As this was the case with them all, and as the savory odor of baconand eggs was wafted up to them at the moment from below stairs, theywasted scant time in making their way to it.
And after breakfast what a busy morning they spent! Never in alltheir active lives could they remember anything to equal it. Downtownfirst of all to shop under Mrs. Watson's guidance, in stores thatwere so different from those in Deepdale, that they were in greatdanger of becoming hopelessly confused.
However, they eventually "got their bearings," as the boys would havesaid, and came home at last laden with parcels, and very muchsatisfied with themselves.
After luncheon, which was extremely well-cooked and tasted, oh, sogood! Mrs. Watson proposed the one thing they wanted most to do.
"Suppose," she suggested, as they rose from the table, "that we callthis a day and spend the afternoon in getting acquainted with thecantonment. It's extremely interesting, especially for those who havenever been through one before. What do you say?"
What they said was enough to convince her she could not have struckupon a happier plan. Half an hour later, all talking at once andtremendously excited, they set out upon their tour of inspection.
Betty drew Grace a little apart from the others and they held awhispered consultation.
"What shall we do?" asked the former nervously. "Shall we send theorderly to hunt up the boys and bring them to us, or shall we justwait until we meet them by chance?"
"We might be here a week without doing that," said Grace, lookingabout at the scores of olive drab figures. "And in the meantime,they'd think it was very strange we didn't write to them."
"I suppose you're right," said Betty reluctantly, "but the other waywould be so much more fun."
At this moment Mrs. Watson and the two other girls beckoned to themto hurry, and they had no chance for further conversation.
Then, just as Betty was about to broach the subject of the boys toMrs. Watson, the unexpected happened.
A khaki-clad figure, cutting across their path at a dead run, almostcollided with them, paused to gasp an apology, stopped still andstared. It was Allen!
"Betty!" he cried, with eyes for only one of them. "Wh--what are youdoing here?"
"Just what you're doing," said Betty with spirit, though she wasblushing furiously. "Helping Uncle Sam!"