The Outdoor Girls in Army Service | Page 9

do we go from here?'" sang
Roy.
"'Anywhere from Harlem to a Jersey City pier,'" finished Frank,
wickedly splashing some drops of water on Grace's immaculate white
dress.
"That's sensible, isn't it?" retorted the latter, favoring the offender with
a look of cold disdain. "Since we don't happen to be any more than
sixty miles from Harlem or Jersey City, I'm sure Allen appreciated your
suggestion."

"Oof!" said Frank. "I can't open my mouth without putting my foot in
it."
"That's no compliment to your mouth," returned Grace. "Frank, if you
don't stop splashing me with that horrid water, I'm going to get out and
walk."
"That would be jumping from, the frying pan into the fire," returned
Frank with a grin, while Mollie, who was in the next canoe, chuckled
audibly.
"Goodness," said Betty, as Allen shortened his stroke to bring the
canoes abreast. "It's almost impossible to think of there being a war on
a night like this. Everything is so calm and peaceful."
"Yes, we haven't even been touched by it yet," said Allen, his mood
sobering. "The Englishman to-day was telling us that nobody in
England began to realize they were at war, until the boys began to
come back wounded and disabled."
"Oh, I can't bear to think of it," cried Amy, who, in the canoe with Will,
still silent and aloof, had scarcely spoken a word till now. "It seems as
if there ought to be some other way of settling disputes these days."
"That's what every nation thinks, except Germany and her allies,"
returned Frank. "As it is, we've got to fight her as we'd fight a mad
dog--wipe the whole German nation off the map, or at least, bring it to
its knees."
"That reminds me of something one of the recruiting officers told me
the other day," put in Allen, with a whimsical smile. "He said he had
talked to hundreds of American enlisted men, and the great majority of
them were eager to learn German."
"I don't admire their taste," put in Mollie, with spirit. "I hate the very
sound of it."
"Well, the soldier's idea is," explained Alien, "that if he learns the

language he'll be able to flirt with the frauleins when he gets to Berlin.'
"Again I don't admire their taste," remarked Mollie spitefully. "Almost
all the German girls I've ever seen are too stout to suit me.'
"Goodness, I had a German ancestor away back somewhere," remarked
Amy anxiously. "Maybe that's why I'm beginning to gain flesh so fast.
You've got me worried."
The boys laughed, but the girls answered reassuringly.
"It isn't your remote German ancestor that's giving you flesh, Amy,"
said Grace condescendingly. "It's eating three hearty meals a day, and
the sitting still knitting from morning to night. We girls are used to
being on the go all the time."
"What's that you said?" asked Frank, bringing his eyes down from the
stars to the lazy figure in the white dress. "I've never seen you when
you weren't taking life easy."
"What!" said Grace, sitting up straight, the picture of indignation.
"How about our walking tour--didn't I walk just as far, and as much as
the other girls then? And how about swimming?"
"Take it back! take it back!" cried Frank. "If going down on my knees
will help any--"
"Don't be a goose," responded Grace shortly, settling herself once more
in a comfortable position. "Just a little bit of going down on your knees,
and we'll be in the water. Have a chocolate?"
"No, thanks," said Frank absently. His eye had caught a sudden flare of
light, that had flickered for a moment and then disappeared.
"Hey, Allen," he yelled. "Did you see that light--over there, to the
right?"
"Yes," said Allen, looking puzzled. "And I don't remember ever seeing
signs of life over in that direction."

"Isn't that about where the old powder mill stands?" asked Betty, and
Allen turned to her quickly.
"Betty," he said, his eyes shining, "you've got it. The government has
bought that property, and started the old mill to working. By George,
this promises to be interesting."
"There it is again!" cried Frank, while Grace strained her eyes eagerly
toward the point. "What do you say to paddling over there and having a
look?"
"It's up to the girls," replied Allen, watching Betty's face eagerly.
"What they say goes."
"And they say 'go,'" smiled Betty whimsically. "Do you suppose we'd
go back without solving the mystery? Lead on, Macduff--we follow."
So Allen and Frank paddled hard toward the bend in the lake, the other
two canoes, which had fallen somewhat behind, quickening the stroke
to catch up with them, sensing that something unusual was afoot.
As the canoes in the lead rounded the bend, those in them saw that