CHAPTER XVI
THE HOSTESS HOUSE
Once settled comfortably in the seats, the girls smiled across ateach other unsteadily.
"We didn't deserve it," said Amy, brushing away a tiresome tear thatwould insist upon trickling down her face.
"None of us did, except Betty," said Grace, recovering enough to openthe chocolate box she had thoughtfully purchased at a drug store."She was the one who really thought up all the things, and all we didwas follow where she led."
"That's foolish, and you know it is," said Betty, beginning to getindignant. "I'd like to know how much of it I could have done withoutyou girls! And of course the boys helped wonderfully, too."
"Goodness, what's the use of arguing?" Mollie broke in. "The factremains that we've been cheered by a crowd of our friends, madespeeches to, and presented with bouquets, and I don't care whosefault it was it all happened. I'm too happy."
"Happy," echoed Amy, gazing dreamily out of the window at the flyinglandscape. "I never was so happy in my life before--except for onething." Her face clouded a little and she bit her lip.
"What one thing?" asked Mollie with interest. Grace and Betty turnedto gaze at her inquiringly.
"Oh, n--nothing," stammered Amy, very much confused to find all eyesupon her. "I was just--thinking aloud, I guess."
"Well, do it some more," suggested Grace, passing her the candy."Something tells me it might be interesting."
"Goodness, it is interesting," laughed Betty, changing the subject tosave Amy further embarrassment. "Have any of you girls ever heardGrace talk in her sleep?"
"Now, Betty," Grace turned upon her reproachfully. "You're nevergoing to--"
"Yes, she is," cried Mollie gleefully. "What does she say, Betty? Itought to be good."
"I never say anything that isn't good," put in Grace primly, adding,as she saw the light of mischief in Betty's eye. "If you tell talesout of school, Betty Nelson, I'll never forgive you."
"It's awfully funny," began Betty, bubbling over, while Mollie leanedforward gleefully. "She talks in such a wee small voice, andsometimes she'll even answer questions--if you speak very coaxingly."
"I know, but what does she _say_?" asked Mollie impatiently."Goodness, I've missed a lot."
"Well, I remember one conversation we had," began Betty reflectively.
"Betty," Grace broke in imploringly, "I had a mistaken notion thatyou were a friend of mine."
"I am, dear," answered Betty soothingly. "I won't give away anysecrets--not many, anyway----"
"Betty," cried Grace desperately, "I'll stop you if I have to useforce."
"We'll protect you, Betty," Mollie promised. "Go ahead, tell us aboutthat conversation."
"It was very interesting," complied Betty, with exasperatingdeliberation, and eyes brimming over with fun. "It seems to me wewere discussing some of the boys we knew----"
"Betty," cried poor Grace again, her face flaming, "if you say oneword more, I'll never speak to you again."
"Well, in that case," said Betty, settling back and lookingdisappointed, "I suppose I'll have to let you out."
"That's a nice way to treat us, I should say," cried Molliedisgustedly. "Just get our curiosity aroused and then sit on it. No,you needn't try to make it up by offering me candy, Betty. I'm justpeeved."
"Goodness, I seem to make enemies whatever I do," said Bettyplaintively. "I tell you what I'll do," she added, seized byinspiration.
"Take care," warned Grace, her mouth full of chocolate.
"We'll wait till some night when Grace has eaten a specially largeamount of chocolates and ice cream----"
"We won't have to wait long," murmured Mollie.
"And then I'll invite you all to a seance," finished Betty, sittingback and looking tremendously satisfied with herself. "Then you canquestion Grace for yourselves."
"But does she actually answer you?" asked Amy, still incredulous."I've heard of people talking in their sleep, but I never heard ofanybody's answering questions intelligently."
"Goodness, she doesn't!" said Betty wickedly. "How can you expectpeople to do in their sleep what they can't do when they're awake?"
"Betty Nelson!" cried Grace--and if looks could kill, Betty's momentswould have been numbered--"that's the worst yet. Now I _am_offended."
"Oh, dear," said Betty, while the others giggled merrily. "I alwaysseem to be getting myself in wrong. Will you pass me some candy,Grace?"
"No," said the latter firmly. "I only give candies to them whatdeserves 'em. Mollie, come back with those--come back with them--Itell you--"
But Mollie had whisked them off Grace's lap before she couldinterfere and had handed them around with great ceremony.
And so the journey continued amid a great deal of fun and merrimentuntil the train was nearing Camp Liberty. Then the prospect of seeingthe boys and surprising them made the girls so nervous they couldhardly sit still.
"I did such a foolish thing," said Betty, as they, put on their wrapsin a flurry of haste. "I wrote to Allen yesterday and I'll see himbefore he gets the letter. It would have been better to have broughtit along."
A few minutes later the train drew into the station, and a quartetteof very pretty girls stepped to the platform. So pretty were they, infact, that more than one passerby turned around to look a secondtime.
The girls gave their trunk checks to a negro who came bustling up,stepped into a cab and, almost before they knew it, were beingwhirled along the streets at a reckless pace toward the HostessHouse.
"Oh," gasped Amy, holding on tight to the seat. "I have worse stagefright now than I did on the night we gave the sketch. Everything'sso new and strange."
"Well, what did you expect a strange city to be like?" asked Molliepractically.
In what seemed to them scarcely a second of time they had stoppedbefore a very pretty, homelike house, and a polite chauffeur washolding the door of the cab open for them.
Still feeling as if it were all happening in a dream, they crossedthe sidewalk and ran up the steps of the house. Before they had timeto ring the bell a stout, middle-aged, motherly-looking woman openedthe door and smiled down at them approvingly.
"Well, well," she said, holding the door wide for them, "walk rightin, young ladies, and make yourselves at home."
"We expected you almost an hour sooner," she added, as the girlsfollowed her into a big, cheerful front room. "I was rather afraidthere might have been an accident on the road--there have beenseveral lately."
"No, we were simply delayed," replied Betty with her prettiestsmile--winning the woman's affections then and there. "Part of the waywe could have walked faster than the train moved, I think."
"I'm Mrs. Watson," their hostess introduced herself a few minuteslater, as she led the way upstairs. "Mrs. Barton Ross has no doubttold you I am representing the Y.W.C.A. here in Denton. I hope," sheadded, as the girls took off their coats and hats and "did things" totheir hair, "that we are going to be friends."
"We shall be," chorused the girls, smiling at her happily, "if wehave anything to say about it!"