hand with gentle fingers. "There's no use wastin' time lookin' for him.
He'll make pretty sure that he won't be seen round these parts again--not
for some time, anyway. But you're dear, sweet little ladies," she added,
looking from Betty, whose arm still rested about her shoulders to Grace's
hand in hers and from them to the two girls in front. "You're awfully
sweet little ladies," she repeated, while the quick tears rose to her
eyes. "I don't see why you're bein' so kind to me--"

"But we just love to do anything we can," broke in Betty quickly, for the
Outdoor Girls never liked to be thanked. "And we'd like so much to have
you see our Hostess House. That is, if you'd care to," she added, suddenly
remembering that the old woman might not be so helpless and alone as she
had seemed--might have made some other plans. But the latter quickly
reassured her.

"Oh, I would like to, more than anything else in the world," she replied
eagerly, then, realizing that her fervor might astonish the girls, added
with a little forced laugh. "You see, it's a weakness o' mine. Maybe it's
because I'm getting old--but, the soldier boys--I can't seem to see enough
o' them--"

"I don't think it's got anything to do with getting old," Mollie broke in
irrepressibly, "because I feel just that way about it myself. The more I
see, the more I want to see."

The woman's eyes twinkled again. She was about to make some sort of
comment, but at that moment Mollie swung the car into the street leading
to the Hostess House, and the girls gave a little surprised exclamation at
finding themselves so nearly there.