CHAPTER XVIII
THE EVENING GUN
"But wh-what?" stammered Allen, while Mrs. Watson looked on inamazement. "Wh-why didn't you let a fellow know?"
"We wanted to surprise you," said Betty gleefully, noting with pridehow splendid he looked in his uniform. "You don't seem at all glad tosee us. Mrs. Watson," remembering her manners in the nick of time,"this is a friend of ours from Deepdale--Allen Washburn. He didn'tknow we were coming."
"So I see," smiled Mrs. Watson, shaking hands warmly with Allen. "I'mvery glad to know you, Mr. Washburn, and I hope we shall see youoften at the Hostess House."
"It's very good of you," said Allen, still very much in the dark, andtotally unable to keep his eyes from Betty's face. "Did you say theHostess House?"
"Yes. That's what we came down for," said Mollie, who had been quietjust about as long as she could. "To help run it, you know--andeverything."
"Especially 'everything,'" drawled Grace.
"Say, that's great!" cried Allen, beginning to see light. "You meanyou're going to stay here--maybe for weeks--and see that everybodyhas a good time--us included? Gee, what luck!"
"I'm glad you think so," said Betty demurely, while Allen wisheddesperately to have her alone. "What were you in such a hurry about,when you nearly ran into us?" she asked, with interest.
"I was going to look up Frank and Roy, to tell them we'd been grantedour five-day furlough. We were going to make a bee line home toDeepdale. Now," he added, eyes still on Betty's averted face, "we won'thave to!"
Mrs. Watson smiled sympathetically, and, being an ardent matchmaker,looked forward to having even more of an interesting season than shehad expected.
"And it's the greatest luck ever," Allen continued enthusiastically,as they walked slowly across the parade ground, "that we happened toget our furlough just now. What are you girls doing this afternoon?"
"Seeing the sights," said Mollie. "We're taking a half-holiday."
"Gee!" cried Allen, fairly capering in his delight. "This isaltogether too good to be true. Wait till I tell the fellows."
"Oh, but we want to surprise them," said Grace, stopping short andlooking abused. "When we've come all this distance to do it, it isn'tfair for you to have all the fun."
"All right, you stay here then," said Allen, conducting them aroundthe corner of one of the low wooden buildings, which the girlsafterward learned was the mess hall. "I'll look up the fellows, andlead the poor unsuspecting----"
"Goodness, you'd think we were going to murder them," broke in Mollieimpatiently. "I wish you'd do something and not talk so much."
"Anything to oblige--see you later." Allen saluted smartly and wentoff briskly in search of the other boys.
Betty's eyes almost unconsciously followed the fine, stalwart figuretill it disappeared around the corner of one of the buildings, andMollie, who had been watching her closely, suddenly put an arm abouther in a little impulsive hug.
"He _is_ splendid, dear," she whispered, and once more Betty flushedto the roots of her pretty hair.
They had only a few minutes to wait before Allen came striding backto them, with two other khaki-clad figures. The girls shrank fartherback into the shadows of the building. Not until they were almostupon them did the boys catch sight of them. Then Roy and Frank juststood still and gaped, as Allen had done.
"Great jumping jerushaphat!" cried Roy, at last finding his tongue."If it isn't the very people we wanted most to see in this world.Welcome, little strangers! Oh, gee, but you're welcome!"
Then Frank added some equally incoherent phrases, and for a fewmoments confusion reigned, while they shook hands over and overagain, all talked at once to nobody in particular, and generallyenjoyed themselves.
"And the best part of it is," said Roy enthusiastically, "that we canbe free to show you girls about the place. And I tell you, it'ssomething to see!"
Before the girls had been half shown about the place, they more thanagreed with him. It was wonderfully inspiring, to see those hundredsof boys, with their splendidly trained young bodies and theirdetermined young faces, knowing they were devoting their lives freelyand cheerfully to the greatest cause in all history.
The girls peeped into the long, low buildings that were the sleepingquarters of the men, with their cots all in a row and clothes hungneatly along the wall. They saw the guardhouse, where unruly soldierswere confined and forced to a state of reasonableness.
They regarded it with awe, and Amy even backed away from it a little.
"I don't like barred windows," she said. "It always makes me shiver."
"Humph," said Mollie, the irrepressible. "You'd better get used tothem, Amy, dear. Some day we'll be feeding the boys peanuts throughthe bars."
"Gee, isn't she complimentary?" said Roy, as they walked on. "Youdon't know what models of deportment we've been since we came here."
"Yes," put in Grace sweetly, "they say military training does workmiracles!"
"It's too bad you missed guard mount this morning," said Allen, whilethe rest laughed at Roy's discomfiture.
"That's when they change the guard, isn't it?" asked Betty.
"Yes, and they're very formal about it," Allen continued. "It'sreally very impressive, and the band is a joy forever. You must getup bright and early in the morning."
"As if we didn't always," said Betty indignantly.
"Oh, listen to the music," cried Amy, her head on one side like abird. "Isn't it great? I simply can't keep my feet still."
"It's over at the other end of the parade," said Frank, takingGrace's arm and leading her in the direction of the stirring strains."Every nice afternoon they have a concert from three to four. It'smighty fine, too."
"Oh, I'm so glad I came," cried Betty, to whom music was like thewine of life.
"So am I," said Allen, drawing her away from the party and speakingsoftly. "I've seen your face so often in my dreams, Betty, that whenyou suddenly appeared before me I thought for a minute it was justanother of them--more real and vivid, but still a dream. And you area dream, Betty, the most wonderful dream in all the world!"
"Hush, Allen," she begged, though her heart was beating suffocatinglyand she hardly dared to look at him. "Everybody is staring at us."
"At you, you mean." Allen looked about fiercely at his comrades, whoindeed seemed very much attracted by his pretty companion. "I seewhere I'll have to lick the whole camp."
Betty's laugh rippled out merrily, and Allen looked more belligerentthan ever.
"Don't think I could do it, I suppose," he was beginning, when theycame suddenly upon the other members of the party, who were waitingfor them.
"Betty, isn't it wonderful?" cried Mollie, lips parted, eyes shiningas she slipped an arm through Betty's. "Now I want more than ever tobe a soldier."
They enjoyed every minute of that hour's concert, and then feltabused because they could not have more. After that they visited theY.M.C.A. hut, saw the officers' quarters from the outside, andotherwise amused themselves till the boys declared there was nothingmore to be seen.
Then, just as the sun was sinking, the clear notes of the bugle brokein upon the evening stillness, and the girls glanced inquiringly attheir escorts.
"That's retreat," Allen explained. "If you stand here, you can watchit at close quarters. Here come all the fellows. They have to standat parade rest, left knee bent, weight on the right foot, guns heldin front of them, till the old gun goes off."
"Gun?" Amy repeated questioningly, while the girls watched theceremony with beating hearts.
"Yes. At reveille the morning gun goes off; and at retreat, theevening," Allen explained. "When you hear the gun to-night, justclick your heels and stand at attention like all the rest of us."
Boom! The girls jumped but retained presence of mind enough to standat attention as Allen had cautioned them. The boys were standingstiff and straight as ramrods, hands at salute, their young facesgrave and tense.
The band played the "Star-Spangled Banner," and never had
it thrilledthe girls as it thrilled them now. It brought tears to their eyes,yet they wanted to shout with pride and patriotism. Their star-spangledbanner, oh, long might it wave, o'er the land of the freeand the home of the brave!
"Allen, Allen!" cried Betty when it was all over and they had turnedaway, "I'm proud, so proud, just to be--an American!"