CHAPTER XIV
THE SPY AGAIN
They watched until the train was only a dot in the far distance, thenturned disconsolately away.
"Well, they're gone," said Amy, when they had walked three wholeblocks in silence.
"Goodness, why don't you tell us something we don't know?" snappedMollie. "Please forgive me, Amy," she added the next moment, as Amy'seyes filled with tears. "I know I'm a beast, but I can't seem tohelp it this morning."
"Only this morning?" asked Grace maliciously, and Mollie made a faceat her--which went far toward making them feel more normal.
"Didn't the boys say Camp Liberty was only a couple of hundred milesfrom here?" asked Betty thoughtfully. Camp Liberty was the cantonmentin which the boys were to receive their initial military training.
"Yes," said Mollie, glancing at her friend sharply. "Now what planhave you got up your sleeve, Betty Nelson? I never in my life saw agirl so full of plans."
"Goodness, this isn't a plan," said Betty, though her eyes brightenedeagerly. "It's just a wild idea, that's all. You've all heard of theHostess Houses they're establishing at the different camps?"
"Yes," they answered, impatient for what was to come.
"Well, Mrs. Barton Ross said that there was a Y.M.C.A. hut at CampLiberty," Betty's face flushed with the daring of this new plan, "butthat there was no Hostess House there, yet."
"Well?" they queried, not quite catching her meaning.
"Of course it's probably absurd," said the Little Captain halfapologetically, "but I thought--I thought--"
"Oh, Betty, for goodness sake, what did you think?" cried Mollie,unable longer to bear the suspense.
"That--that we might work in it," finished Betty, rather expecting tobe laughed at.
"Betty!" gasped Grace, standing stock-still in the middle of thesidewalk and gazing at Betty open-mouthed. "Do you suppose there's achance that we could?"
"Betty Nelson, you're a wonder!" cried Mollie, throwing her arm aboutthe Little Captain in a bear's hug. "I'd never have thought of thatin a thousand years."
"Well, I don't know but what it was mighty foolish to think of it,"said Betty ruefully. "It would be mighty hard to get our hopes allraised for nothing."
"Let's go around and see Mrs. Ross this morning," Amy suggested,adding with sublime confidence: "She'll fix it so we can go."
"I only wish I felt as sure," said Betty, still thinking how foolishshe had been not to speak to Mrs. Ross about it herself before shehad proposed it to the girls. Now she had got them all excited--andit was such a wild idea.
"Oh, Betty, don't be a wet blanket," said Mollie impatiently. "I'drather have my hopes raised just to be disappointed than never tohave any hopes at all."
"It would be lots of fun," Grace went on, her eyes shining at themere thought. "We've heard so much about these Hostess Houses thatI've just been crazy to see one. But to live right there at the camp----"
"We could help to see that the friends and mothers and sweethearts ofthe boys were made comfortable," cried Mollie enthusiastically. "Andif there were too many to be entertained at the Hostess House wecould get families outside to entertain them. Oh, it would be no endof fun."
"Oh, I wish I hadn't said anything," wailed the poor Little Captain."Now if we are disappointed, as we almost certainly shall be, it willbe all my fault."
"I don't know why it would be your fault," said Grace, slipping aloyal arm about her friend. "You've chased the gloom away for onemorning at least, and if nothing comes of this idea, we'll at leasthave had the delights of anticipation."
"There's Mrs. Ross now," cried Mollie suddenly, as a figure emergedfrom one of the cross streets and started on ahead of them. "Let'srun after her and learn our fate right away."
And they did run, with the result that a moment later Mrs. BartonRoss was surrounded by four very much excited, gesticulating andpretty girls, all talking at once and all clamoring for herattention.
She watched them a moment, admiring their flushed cheeks and brighteyes, then laughingly held up her hand.
"One at a time," she begged. "I can play a different air with eachhand on the piano, but I'm not gifted enough to understand fourpeople all talking at once. Now, if you'll just say it all overagain."
"Betty, you tell her," begged Amy, and so, eagerly, Betty put herrequest.
"I know it's probably very foolish," she finished, anxiously watchingMrs. Ross' kindly, interested face. "But we thought, just perhaps, itmight be possible."
"There's no 'just perhaps' about it," said Mrs. Ross decidedly, andthe girls wondered if they could believe the evidence of their ears."In fact," she continued, "I was going to speak to you girls aboutthat very thing this morning. You have been so successful in rousingthe general spirit here, that I thought you would be just the ones tomake a Hostess House at Camp Liberty a success. Why, yes, I think itcan very easily be arranged."
Then the girls forgot dignity and decorum and everything else andjust celebrated. In the exuberance of their joy they hugged Mrs. Rossuntil she gasped for breath, then they danced off down the street onfeet that scarcely touched the ground.
"Oh, it's too good to be true," cried Mollie, when at last theirexcitement had quieted down a little; then, gleefully, "Won't theboys be surprised?"
"Let's not tell them," Grace suggested. "It would be fun not to letthem know a thing about it till we actually got there. I want to seetheir faces."
"Who's that?" cried Mollie, grasping Betty's arm as a man saunteredout from a cross street, glanced at them, then quickly dodged backbehind a house. "It looked like----"
"It was!" finished Betty, running swiftly in the direction the manhad taken.
"The spy!" gasped Amy, who with Grace, as usual, brought up therear. "Oh, Betty, be careful! You don't want to get shot!"
Mollie and Betty, panting, just reached the end of the street in timeto see the man disappearing down another and knew that pursuit wasuseless.
"Oh, dear!" cried Mollie, ready to cry with vexation. "If we wereonly half a dozen men apiece, and could have gotten our hands onhim!"
"Yes, I wouldn't very much mind getting my pearl lavalliere back,"said Grace, as she and Amy joined them.
"And my gold watch," mourned Mollie.
"Look, girls, he dropped something," cried Betty, who had gone on afew steps in advance of them. "And it's--why, I do believe it's----"
"My opal ring!" cried Mollie, staring at it unbelievingly. "Oh, Ican't believe it. Give it to me, Betty; it has my initials on theinside. Yes, that's my ring."
The ring passed from one to the other, and the girls regarded itthoughtfully.
"Which proves beyond the shadow of a doubt," said Betty at last,"that Adolph Hensler was the thief."
"Oh, if we could only have stopped him!" mourned Amy, for perhaps theeleventh time. "It's terrible to be so close and then lose sight ofhim again."
"If it weren't for getting back our stolen things," said Grace with alittle shiver, "I'd be only too glad not to lay eyes on his beauteouscountenance again. Goodness, I know I'll dream of him to-night."
They walked on after that for some time in silence, each one busywith her own absorbing thoughts. Then suddenly Betty spoke.
"Do you know, girls," she said, "I may be foolish--probably I am, butI have a strong conviction that some time we're going to meet thatspy again--and the third time he isn't going to get away from us!"