CHAPTER VIII
THE BIG GAME
Betty opened her eyes slowly, and blinked at the sunlight thatflooded the room. She had a vague sort of idea that something unusualwas going to happen, but was too lazy and comfortable to realize justwhat that something was.
Then suddenly it came to her, and she sat up in bed with a start.They were going home! That was the big event; and somehow, she didnot feel as sorry as she usually did at the end of a vacation. Infact, she was almost eager to leave this island, with its powdermills and spies that shot boys you liked, and robbed you in thebargain--quite eager to drop play, and do her bit for the country sheloved.
"Betty, what are you doing awake so early?" queried Grace petulantly."If you can't sleep you might lie still, and let me."
"Have some candy, Gracie," Betty invited, pulling the empty candy boxfrom the table beside the bed, and handing it to her friend. "It mayhelp your disposition."
"Goodness, what it is to have a reputation!" said Grace plaintively."People think they can insult and slight me, and then make it all upby handing me a bon-bon!"
"Not guilty," laughed Betty merrily. "If you'll look a little closer,you'll see there is not a bit of candy in that box! No, don't glareat me like that, Gracie, dear. The only way you could frighten me,would be by getting up early. Then I'd know there was somethingwrong."
"So would I," said Grace, stifling a yawn. "I'm altogether toogood-natured to frighten anybody--even myself."
"Well, you can stay there all day if you want to," said Betty,inserting two determined little feet into two pretty bedroomslippers, and running across to the open window, "but I wouldn't if Iwere you. It's too wonderful a day in the first place, and in thesecond, I can imagine pleasanter things than staying alone on thisisland over night."
"Oh, that's so!" cried Grace, sitting up and staring at Betty. "Iforgot we were going home to-day. Oh, dear, now I will have to getup."
"How awful," mocked Mollie, who had been watching them for some timefrom the bed in the alcove. "It's an outrage, having to get up in themorning. I think we should have been made so we could sleep all thetime."
"Just my idea," Grace was beginning, unmoved, when Mrs. Irving'svoice sounded at the door.
"Seven o'clock," she announced cheerily. "And you know we decided toget an early start."
For the next hour all was hurry and excitement while four girlishtongues clattered unceasingly.
"Have you fully decided to join the Red Cross, Betty?" queried Amy.
"Why, of course. Haven't you?" asked the Little Captain, slipping onthe skirt to her pretty traveling suit and fastening it deftly. "I'mgoing to make dozens and dozens of scarfs, sweaters and socks. Theboys are giving up everything for us, and I'm sure the least we cando is, keep them warm."
"Oh, I can't wait to begin," cried Mollie. "I'm so excited all thetime about the war and everything, I can't sit still--"
"You've got to, if you're going to knit," grumbled Grace. "And youcan't eat candy, either, Mollie Billette."
"Oh, look who's talking," crowed Mollie. "If that's true, and thepoor soldiers had to depend upon you to keep them warm, I'd feelsorry for them, that's all."
"Oh, I don't know," defended Betty, putting an arm about Grace, andstarting for the door. "Grace believes in quality more than quantity.She may not knit as much as the rest of us, but she does it twice aswell."
Grace laughed and hugged her friend as they ran down the stairstogether.
"That's worth my lavalliere, Betty," she said. "If Adolph Henslerhadn't gotten it first, I'd will it to you!"
They flew around to prepare breakfast, and the smell of sizzlingbacon and baking biscuits sent their spirits soaring to the skies.The boys, who had finished their own breakfast, and scoured up thepans, heard the sounds of merriment, and came to inquire the cause.
Betty saw them first and laughingly bade them enter.
"We'd ask you to breakfast," she said, "only this is the lastbiscuit, and I wouldn't give it up to my best friend. Why don't youcome in?" she continued, as they lingered on the threshold. "I neverknew you to be bashful before."
"We're not bashful," denied Allen, as they distributed themselvesabout the room in various and characteristic attitudes, grinninghappily at the girls. "We were so hypnotized by the charming pictureyou made for us we couldn't move, that's all."
"I told you there weren't any more biscuits," said Betty decidedly.
"Goodness, I'm glad somebody else has a bad reputation besides me,"said Grace languidly. "At least you don't have anything to live upto."
"How is the shoulder this morning?" Mrs. Irving inquired of Allen."You haven't taken the bandage off, have you?"
"Not yet," replied Allen, who, although it was scarcely a week sincethe accident, had almost completely recovered from his wound. "Thedoctor said he'd be around early this morning, and if it looked allright, would take it off."
"Gee, but I feel funny this morning," announced Roy, apropos ofnothing in particular.
"You look it," murmured Mollie, pouring herself another cup ofcoffee.
"What do you mean--funny?" queried Frank with interest, while Royfavored Mollie with a hurt look.
"Oh, I don't know how to explain it," said Roy, blushing, as all eyeswere turned upon him. "Just sort of excited and--er--queer."
"Yes, we heard you the first time," said Mollie patiently, while Roylooked about for help.
"I know what you mean," said Allen, coming to his rescue. "You'rethinking that we're likely to be called almost any time now, and itgives you stage fright to think about it. It's a great big task we'vetaken hold of, and we can't quite grasp it yet, that's all."
"Th-that's the way I feel," said Betty, her eyes shining and hercheeks flushed, stammering in her eagerness. "I feel somehow as if wewere acting in a great big play, where there are all actors and noaudience, and everybody's sort of flustered and excited and not surejust where they belong but terribly anxious to get into itsomewhere."
"Well, we're all in it," cried Frank, his eyes fired with enthusiasm."Thank heaven, there's not one among us we can call a slacker. We'veall enlisted without waiting to be hauled into it by the scruff ofthe neck--we--we----," his eyes happened to fall upon Will as he satregarding him steadily from a chair near the window, and as though ata signal, his enthusiasm died and he stammered incoherently.
"Well, we know what _we're_ going to do," said Betty, hurriedlychanging the subject. "As soon as we reach town we're going to huntup the nearest Red Cross headquarters and join."
"Bully!" cried Roy admiringly. "I heard a fellow saying the other daythat it was wonderful the way the American women have come up to thescratch--pardon the slang, ladies, but that's what he said. He saidthe Red Cross was turning out bushels of woolen wear, and that atthis rate there wouldn't be a man in the United States army or navy,that wouldn't be kept warm and comfortable during the big fight. Itell you it makes you feel good, to think that mothers and sistersand sweet girl friends are backing you up like that. It takes awayold Fritz's last shadow of a chance."
"Oh, it's wonderful to hear you talk like that," said Mollie, eyesbright and cheeks glowing. "Ever since war was declared I've beendying to put on a uniform and get into the thick of it myself. But ifwe can't, it's the next best thing to be able to encourage our boys,and make them as comfortable and happy as we can. Oh, I think they'rewonderful--and I love them all, every one of them!"
"Hold on, hold on!" cried Roy, while the other boys looked delighted."It's all right for you to love me, but why take the whole army intoit? It would be much more exclusive the other way."
"I love them all," said Mollie stubbornly. "And I'll keep on lovingthem till this awful war is over. Then I'll consent to be exclusive."
"Is that a promise?" cried Roy, while the others laughed delightedly.
"But I didn't mean what you mean," protested Mollie, flushingvividly. "Oh, dear, why does everybody have to be so foolish?"
"I call upon the others to witness," said Roy,
jumping to his feetand bringing his fist down upon the table, with a force that madethem jump. "Mollie has consented to be exclusive when the war's over,and you all know what that means."
"Better get it in writing," Allen suggested. "That's the only safeway."
"And that isn't," said Mollie, recovering.
"Well, we'll see what we shall see," said Roy, sitting down again,rebuffed but undaunted.
"Gee, it'll be up to Roy to end the war in a hurry now," grinnedFrank. "If we don't look out, he'll be starting some peace trip, andgetting his name in all the papers."
"Nothing doing," said Roy decidedly. "When I deal with old Fritz, itwill be with a gun!"
"So say we all of us," cried Allen, his eyes kindling, "I tell you,it won't take us long, when we really begin to get our troops overthere. I'm crazy to get into it."
"So am I," cried Betty, getting up energetically and beginning toclear away the dishes. "And the first thing to do is to get back totown where we can really start something. Goodness, I wish thesedishes were washed."
"If all your wishes were granted so quickly," smiled Mrs. Irving, asthe other girls went at the task with equal vigor, "you wouldn't haveanything to worry about."
Two hours later the campers were standing on the deck of theridiculous little ferryboat, that still plied between Pine Island andthe mainland, looking with mingled emotions toward the spot wherethey had spent so many pleasant hours.
"Do you remember," Amy said thoughtfully, as the girls stood in agroup in the bow of the boat, "how sorry we were to leave the islandthat other summer? And now--"
"We're almost glad," finished Grace.
"We're glad because we're going to do our share in the biggest thingthat ever happened to this world," said Betty tensely. "We're gladbecause we've got the greatest country in the world, and are going todo our best to keep it the greatest country in the world. We're glad,most of all, because--we're Americans!"
The Outdoor Girls in Army Service; Or, Doing Their Bit for the Soldier Boys Page 8