"You can go on daring all you like," said Betty defiantly. This time she
was blushing--from the fact that she knew she could not, or would not,
tell the girls what Allen had said in his letter. Not for anything in this
world!

"I don't mean what you mean," said Mollie, enjoying her confusion
immensely, while Grace and Amy looked on laughingly. "I just thought that
maybe you would like to be the one to tell us about his promotion."

"His promotion!" cried Amy and Grace together, and Betty looked quite as
bewildered as any of them.

"Mollie, for goodness' sake tell us what you mean," she demanded.

"But didn't he tell you about it, Betty?" Mollie insisted.

"Wait a minute," said the Little Captain as she hastily scanned the pages
of her long letter. Then, down near the end of the last page she found it,
just a little paragraph, put in as though it had been an afterthought.
"Why," cried Betty, her eyes beginning to shine with excitement, "girls,
listen to this. Allen has been promoted. He's an officer now--a
lieutenant! Think of it--leather leggings and all!"

It was too much for the girls. They laughed and cried and hugged each
other and tried to imagine Allen in his new uniform to their hearts'
content, for the young new-made officer was a favorite with them all.

"Goodness," said Amy happily, "I suppose when he gets home he will be
altogether too high-toned to notice common folk like us."