pittance--so that they could send some home to their dad and feel that
they had stopped being a drag upon him. He used to tell me," Frank went
on, for the spell of those old thrilling times was strong upon him again,
"with tears in his eyes--and I'll tell you there was no braver man in all
the American army than Arnold Dempsey; he was good for two Boches any day
--that it would be the happiest moment of his life when he got back to the
old country and announced to his proud and admiring pater that he had come
home to turn the tables; that Jimmy and he were going to make the old
fellow take a rest and do the work themselves for a change. And he asked
me, in case anything did happen to him and Jimmy, to be kind to his dad
and try to make up to him as much as I could. I gave him my promise that
night." Frank looked about the intent group of faces soberly. "In case the
boys had been killed, I would have regarded it as a sacred trust."

Something swelled in the girls' hearts and for; a moment they could not
speak. Then,

"I guess we all love you for that, Frank," said Betty simply. With a
little nod of her head toward the slip of paper he still held, she added:
"What about that--now?"

Frank looked down at the slip of paper for a moment uncomprehendingly, for
his thoughts had been far away.

"Oh, the note," he said. "Why, that was only to be given to his father in
case anything happened, you know. But now that the boys are coming back to
him themselves, I suppose the thing is worthless." He made a motion as
though to tear the note up, but Grace stopped him with a quick
exclamation.