CHAPTER XXI
ALLEN A HERO
"Gee, Allen, but you're a lucky boy!"
It was Sunday afternoon, and the young folks had hired twoautomobiles for a trip out into the country. It was more than twoweeks since the fire, and all but Allen had completely recovered fromit. He, however, still felt a little "wabbly," so the boys and girlshad conferred together, deciding that an automobile trip was justwhat he needed to complete his recovery.
Now at Roy's rather vague remark about his luck, he turned to himinquiringly.
"In just what way?" he asked. "I rather thought I was running out ofit lately."
"Gee," said Roy, waxing excited, "do you call it hard luck to get achance at being a hero, twice in three months, and have all the girlsfalling down and worshiping you, and all the old ladies patting youon the back----"
"I imagine that wouldn't have been particularly soothing,"interrupted Grace, reaching, as always, for the ever-present candybox, "especially with poor Allen's back in the condition it was."
"Yes," said Allen with a grimace, "if anybody'd started to patting meat that time, I'd have returned pat for pat--only mine wouldn't havebeen gentle. Two cents for your thoughts, Betty. You haven't said aword all the way."
"Goodness, has the price of thoughts gone up with everything else?"queried Mollie, snatching a candy from under Grace's very nose."Nobody ever offered me more than a penny for mine."
"Probably they weren't worth it," said Roy, to be promptly subdued bya look from Mollie's black eyes. "As I was saying," he continued,hastily changing the subject. "I'd consider myself in luck if I'drescued two beautiful damsels----"
"They'd be the lucky ones," interrupted Mollie, with a smile.
"From a burning building," he continued, undaunted. "It certainly wasdramatic, Allen, old chap--we have to hand it to you."
"I felt anything but dramatic at the time," said Allen ruefully. "Thefunny part of it is that I've always had a secret longing to dosomething of the sort--just to get the sensation. That," he pauseddramatically, "cured me!"
"I should think it would cure most anybody," said Mollie with agrimace. "Neither Betty or I are particularly light weights. I don'tsee how you managed it, Allen--in the heat and the smoke andeverything."
"Managed it," scoffed Roy. "Why, it isn't every fellow has the chanceto hold two beauteous maidens in his arms----"
"Still I might have picked out a more appropriate place," said Allenwhimsically.
"Tell me something, Frank," said Grace, taking another piece of candyand looking her prettiest at him.
"Anything," he answered promptly.
"Under the same conditions, would you have rushed into a burninghouse--to save me?"
"Would I?" he replied with a fervor that made Grace jump and the restlaugh. "You just give me a chance; that's all. I'll show you!"
"Goodness!" exclaimed Betty, twinkling. "I'll be afraid to sleep withGrace any more. She's apt to set the place on fire just to see whathappens."
"Good-bye, I'm going away from here," said Mollie, making a pretenseof clambering out of the machine. "One fire is just about enough forme. Let me go, Roy Anderson--don't you dare to hold me."
"Couldn't do anything pleasanter," said Roy cheerfully, at whichGrace held up her hands in pretended horror.
"Heavens, everybody's getting sentimental," she cried. "If we don'tstop it, we'll just ruin everything, that's all. Look out for thatdog, Frank!"
"That's another thing we almost ruined," grinned Frank, as the wheeljust grazed the hind leg of the cur. "Dogs are the curse of tourists,anyway. If I had my way, they'd all be shot."
Amy screamed and clapped her hand to her ears.
"Frank, how can you say such things?" she cried, adding plaintively,"I never saw such people, anyway. You can't talk for five minuteswithout saying something about people being shot."
"But we were speaking of animals," said Frank politely.
"Same thing," murmured Mollie.
"Speak for yourself, please," he retorted amiably, swerving the carat a perilous angle about a turn in the road. "Say, this is prettycountry along here, isn't it?"
They all agreed that it was, and for a few minutes sat in silentenjoyment of it.
While the Hostess House was in process of repair some friendlyfamilies living in the vicinity had opened their doors wide to thegirls and the other visitors at the Hostess House. The fire had donea great deal of damage, but the house had been amply insured, and thework of rebuilding was proceeding as fast as possible. Meanwhile, thegirls were going on with their work as usual, though eagerly lookingforward to the time when they should be installed in their properquarters again.
The fire had temporarily put the subject of Will and his mysteriousdoings out of their minds, but during the last few days their wonderand curiosity had returned.
To-day he had consented to accompany them, and during the early partof the ride had seemed in hilarious spirits. Now, for the lastfifteen minutes or so, he had appeared gloomy and preoccupied, but asthey neared the spot where they had decided to eat their lunch, hisspirits seemed to revive somewhat, and he became talkative again.
"Say, I'm hungry," he announced, more like the old Will than he hadbeen for weeks. "What are you girls going to give us, anyway?"
"Chicken," announced Betty, "and honey and biscuits, and peach cakeand jelly, and hot coffee from the thermos bottle, some hamsandwiches and deviled eggs----"
"Stop her," pleaded Roy piteously. "Stop her, some one, before Iforget myself and decamp with the hamper----"
"You'd be forgetting us too, if you tried it," said Frank grimly. "Doyou suppose with three ravenous wolves at your back you'd have achance of getting away with any of that kind of stuff?"
"Gee, it's awful the appetite camp life gives you," said Roymournfully. "I wrote home the other day and told the folks that if Iate like a wolf before, I eat like a flock of 'em, now."
"Whoever heard of a flock of wolves?" asked Mollie scornfully. "Youmust have been thinking of geese."
"No," retorted Roy soberly. "I wasn't speaking of you."
"Strike one for our side," chuckled Allen, while the others laughedat Mollie's look of surprise. "That was a good one, Roy--right fromthe shoulder."
"Now I _know_ I'm going home," said Mollie forlornly. "Everybody'sagin me."
"I'm not," said Betty, putting an arm about her. "The more they tryto down you, the more I love you."
"If that's the way you feel," put in Allen whimsically, "won'teverybody please jump on me at once?"
"Yes, I always had a weakness for the under dog," Betty was beginningwickedly when Mollie drew sharply away from her, and the others beganto laugh.
"Betty Nelson," said Mollie reproachfully, "I never expected it ofyou. Under dog, indeed----"
"Oh, I didn't mean you!" said Betty hurriedly, thereby increasing thegeneral mirth.
"Oh, well, what does it matter, anyway?" said Frank philosophically,as he swung the car around a curve, and brought it to a standstill."I won't mind being an under dog or anything else as long as I get myshare of the eats. Don't you think this is rather a pretty spot tohave lunch?"
"I know a better spot to _put_ it, though," said Roy jocularly, asthey sprang out upon the soft grass by the roadside. "And if I havemy way it won't be long getting there."
Instinctively, Betty held out a hand to Allen, as he descended moreslowly than the rest--she was very anxious about his "wabbliness."
Allen took the little hand eagerly, but it is doubtful if he gainedmuch physical support from it.
"How are you feeling?" asked Betty as they followed the others up thegrassy slope to a sort of ledge--just the kind of place for a picniclunch. She did not look at him. Somehow, it was almost impossible tolook at Allen, these days.
"Happy," he answered, in reply to her question. "Just being near you,Betty, makes me the happiest fellow on earth!"