CHAPTER XIX
FLAMES
For the girls during the happy, work-filled, pleasure-filled daysthat followed, only one cloud darkened the horizon. That was thecontinued strange behavior of Will Ford.
About a week after their arrival, Grace had received a letter fromhim, saying that he was coming on for an indefinite stay. Betty foundher friend with the letter clenched tight in one hand, while theother crushed a handkerchief into a hard little ball.
"Why, Grace, what is the matter?" Betty sat down beside her andslipped a sympathetic arm about her shoulders. "Tell me, have you hadbad news?"
"No, I suppose you couldn't exactly call it that," said Gracewearily, folding up the letter and replacing it carefully in itsenvelope. "As a rule I'd think it was mighty good news. Will iscoming to Camp Liberty."
"Oh, has he enlisted, after all?" cried Betty impulsively, and thenext minute could have bitten her tongue out for her thoughtlessness.
The tears had risen to Grace's eyes and she had turned away.
"No," she said, very softly. "He hasn't enlisted."
Betty's brow puckered in bewilderment.
"Did he say why he was coming on?" she asked, not knowing just whatto say.
"He said he was coming on business," Grace replied listlessly, thenadded, with a sudden fierce outburst of emotion: "I wish he'd stay inDeepdale. I wish, if he can't be honorable and live up to his idealslike the other boys, he wouldn't come where they are. If he is mybrother, I'm ashamed----"
"Hush, Grace, hush," cried Betty soothingly, putting a firm hand overher friend's mouth. "You're all excited and worked up now or youwouldn't say such things. Didn't I tell you before that Will has hisreasons? Are you going to let a friend have more faith in him thanhis own sister?"
"Betty Nelson," Grace began angrily, then broke down and began to sobweakly. "I can't help it," she said, as Betty tried to comfort her."I've always loved Will so, and been so proud of him. He's been sucha good brother, too! I simply can't understand it!"
"Never mind," went on Betty soothingly, trying desperately to thinkof something really comforting to say. "Maybe after Will gets herehe'll explain things. Till then, as my mother says, we'll just be'canty wi' thinkin' aboot it.'"
But when the conversation was reported to the other girls, ittroubled them a good deal, and they longed to solve the mystery. Andwhen Will came he refused to be of any help whatever, keeping almostentirely to himself, and answering questions put to him vaguely, ifat all. His actions became more and more mysterious, and it wasabsolutely impossible to make him out.
"Just leave him alone," was Allen's advice, and the girls werereluctantly obliged to follow it.
"But I wish I knew!" sighed Betty.
"Yes," was all Allen answered.
Then something happened that for a time drove the mystery from theirminds. It was after a particularly long and hard day, when the girlshad been entertaining at the Hostess House all morning and part ofthe afternoon.
Then about three or four o'clock in the afternoon, they had gonedowntown to do some very necessary shopping, and had been unable toget back to dinner till seven o'clock; and that evening the boys hadarranged to take them to the theater.
By the time it was all over, and the boys had left them at theHostess House, they were very, very tired and very, very happy.
"I never felt so sleepy in my life," said Grace, sitting down on theedge of the bed and stretching her arms above her head. "And yetwe've had such a good time. If somebody doesn't give me anotherchocolate I won't be able to stay awake long enough to get undressed.Thanks, Amy, you always were a friend of mine."
"Well, I never laughed so much in my life," declared Mollie, pullingoff her slipper and wiggling her toes contentedly. "I think it'sperfectly wonderful to go out with the boys in uniform. They look sosplendid and we feel so very important."
"Goodness, don't you think they feel important, too?" yawned Grace."I know that Teddy Challenger does."
Teddy Challenger was a new-made friend of the boys, whom Allen hadbrought along for Amy, Will having refused to make one of the partyon the plea of having important business to attend to.
"Oh, I don't know," said Betty, thoughtfully running the comb throughher hair. "He seems like a mighty nice fellow to me and the boys alllike him."
"Well, Allen won't, if Teddy doesn't mind his P's and Q's," saidMollie, with a wickedly significant glance at Betty, which causedthat young person to flush prettily.
"I don't even know what you mean," she announced demurely, and theyall laughed at her.
"I wish you people would stop talking," Grace broke in plaintively."I've simply got to get some sleep!"
And they slept the hearty sleep of tired girlhood till about fouro'clock in the morning. Then Amy, in the room next to Betty andMollie, rubbed her eyes, coughed a little, then sat up with a cry ofalarm.
Smoke was curling thickly in around the crack in the door and the airwas hot and suffocating. Somewhere the sound of crackling, snappingwood, the lurid flare of flames----
"Fire! fire!" she gasped, struggling to her feet and feeling blindlyfor her clothes. "Grace, Grace, wake up! Grace----" her voice rose toa scream as she saw that Grace was sleeping on.
"Oh, please, please wake up," she moaned, seizing Grace by theshoulders and shaking her wildly. "You must, you must! Grace, thehouse is on fire!"
Slowly the heavy eyelids opened, then Grace struggled to a sittingposture, supported by Amy's quivering arm, and gazed wildly abouther. Then she sprang to her feet, swaying dizzily, and with Amy's armstill about her, they felt blindly for the door.
They found the knob at last and, after a nightmare moment when theflames roared louder, and the smoke clutched viciously at theirthroats, flung the door open and staggered into the hall.
A blast of heat and smoke sent them reeling back into the room. Amyclosed the door with a little moan.
"The other stairs!" gasped Grace, fairly dragging her friend forward."Maybe--it hasn't reached--them--yet----"
"There's--Mollie and--Betty," cried Amy, clutching at her throat andcoughing spasmodically. In the frantic terror of the moment they hadforgotten everything but their own great danger.
"We must--get--them--out!" gasped Grace, rushing into their chums'room and frantically shaking Betty, while Amy vainly tried to wakenMollie. The girls still slept on in the semblance of ordinary,healthy slumber.
"What can we do?" cried Amy hysterically. "We can't leave them here,and we can't----"
"Come on! We've got to--get some--help!" Grace fumbled for the knoband finally succeeded in getting the door opened.
As they had hoped, the stairway at the rear of the house was stillintact, although the smoke was so dense they had to feel every inchof the way.
Oh, the nightmare of it! Long years afterward the girls would live itover again in their dreams, and wake up drenched in perspiration,quivering and shaking with terror.
When they finally reached the outer air they were smoke begrimed,wild-eyed and the tears were rolling down their faces unnoticed andunchecked.
The fire, which had started inside, and had gained a good footholdbefore any trace of it could be seen from the outside, had beendiscovered by one of the guards, who had immediately sent in analarm. Already the shriek of the fire engine could be heard, soldierswere being hurried out from the barracks to help in the rescue work,and all was noise and confusion.
A group of women who had escaped from the house before the girls, andwho stood huddled together in a terrified group, rushed forward atsight of them, and gathered about them eagerly.
But Grace was not to be detained. She pushed ruthlessly past thewomen, and ran to intercept a group of firemen who were rushing downupon them.
"Two girls," she gasped, catching one of them by the arm and holdingon desperately. "At the head of the stairs--unconscious--get them----"
And then Grace, who had done her gallant best, tumbled down in alittle heap, having fainted.