THE EVENING GUN
"But wh-what?" stammered Allen, while Mrs. Watson looked on in
amazement. "Wh-why didn't you let a fellow know?"
"We wanted to surprise you," said Betty gleefully, noting with pride
how splendid he looked in his uniform. "You don't seem at all glad to
see us. Mrs. Watson," remembering her manners in the nick of time,
"this is a friend of ours from Deepdale--Allen Washburn. He didn't
know we were coming."
"So I see," smiled Mrs. Watson, shaking hands warmly with Allen. "I'm
very glad to know you, Mr. Washburn, and I hope we shall see you
often at the Hostess House."
"It's very good of you," said Allen, still very much in the dark, and
totally unable to keep his eyes from Betty's face. "Did you say the
Hostess House?"
"Yes. That's what we came down for," said Mollie, who had been quiet
just about as long as she could. "To help run it, you know--and
everything."
"Especially 'everything,'" drawled Grace.
"Say, that's great!" cried Allen, beginning to see light. "You mean
you're going to stay here--maybe for weeks--and see that everybody
has a good time--us included? Gee, what luck!"
"I'm glad you think so," said Betty demurely, while Allen wished
desperately to have her alone. "What were you in such a hurry about,
when you nearly ran into us?" she asked, with interest.
"I was going to look up Frank and Roy, to tell them we'd been granted
our five-day furlough. We were going to make a bee line home to
Deepdale. Now," he added, eyes still on Betty's averted face, "we won't
have to!"
Mrs. Watson smiled sympathetically, and, being an ardent matchmaker,
looked forward to having even more of an interesting season than she
had expected.
"And it's the greatest luck ever," Allen continued enthusiastically,
as they walked slowly across the parade ground, "that we happened to
get our furlough just now. What are you girls doing this afternoon?"
"Seeing the sights," said Mollie. "We're taking a half-holiday."
"Gee!" cried Allen, fairly capering in his delight. "This is
altogether too good to be true. Wait till I tell the fellows."
"Oh, but we want to surprise them," said Grace, stopping short and
looking abused. "When we've come all this distance to do it, it isn't
fair for you to have all the fun."
"All right, you stay here then," said Allen, conducting them around
the corner of one of the low wooden buildings, which the girls
afterward learned was the mess hall. "I'll look up the fellows, and
lead the poor unsuspecting----"
"Goodness, you'd think we were going to murder them," broke in Mollie
impatiently. "I wish you'd do something and not talk so much."
"Anything to oblige--see you later." Allen saluted smartly and went
off briskly in search of the other boys.
Betty's eyes almost unconsciously followed the fine, stalwart figure
till it disappeared around the corner of one of the buildings, and
Mollie, who had been watching her closely, suddenly put an arm about
her in a little impulsive hug.
"He _is_ splendid, dear," she whispered, and once more Betty flushed
to the roots of her pretty hair.
They had only a few minutes to wait before Allen came striding back
to them, with two other khaki-clad figures. The girls shrank farther
back into the shadows of the building. Not until they were almost
upon them did the boys catch sight of them. Then Roy and Frank just
stood still and gaped, as Allen had done.
"Great jumping jerushaphat!" cried Roy, at last finding his tongue.
"If it isn't the very people we wanted most to see in this world.
Welcome, little strangers! Oh, gee, but you're welcome!"
Then Frank added some equally incoherent phrases, and for a few
moments confusion reigned, while they shook hands over and over
again, all talked at once to nobody in particular, and generally
enjoyed themselves.
"And the best part of it is," said Roy enthusiastically, "that we can
be free to show you girls about the place. And I tell you, it's
something to see!"
Before the girls had been half shown about the place, they more than
agreed with him. It was wonderfully inspiring, to see those hundreds
of boys, with their splendidly trained young bodies and their
determined young faces, knowing they were devoting their lives freely
and cheerfully to the greatest cause in all history.
The girls peeped into the long, low buildings that were the sleeping
quarters of the men, with their cots all in a row and clothes hung
neatly along the wall. They saw the guardhouse, where unruly soldiers
were confined and forced to a state of reasonableness.
They regarded it with awe, and Amy even backed away from it a little.
"I don't like barred windows," she said. "It always makes me shiver."
"Humph," said Mollie, the irrepressible. "You'd better get used to
them, Amy, dear. Some day we'll be feeding the boys peanuts through
the bars."
"Gee, isn't she complimentary?" said Roy, as they walked on. "You
don't know what models of deportment we've been since we came here."
"Yes," put in Grace sweetly, "they say military training does work
miracles!"
"It's too bad you missed guard mount this morning," said Allen, while
the rest laughed at Roy's discomfiture.
"That's when they change the guard, isn't it?" asked Betty.
"Yes, and they're very formal about it," Allen continued. "It's
really very impressive, and the band is a joy forever. You must get
up bright and early in the morning."
"As if we didn't always," said Betty indignantly.
"Oh, listen to the music," cried Amy, her head on one side like a
bird. "Isn't it great? I simply can't keep my feet still."
"It's over at the other end of the parade," said Frank, taking
Grace's arm and leading her in the direction of the stirring strains.
"Every nice afternoon they have a concert from three to four. It's
mighty fine, too."
"Oh, I'm so glad I came," cried Betty, to whom music was like the
wine of life.
"So am I," said Allen, drawing her away from the party and speaking
softly. "I've seen your face so often in my dreams, Betty, that when
you suddenly appeared before me I thought for a minute it was just
another of them--more real and vivid, but still a dream. And you are
a dream, Betty, the most wonderful dream in all the world!"
"Hush, Allen," she begged, though her heart was beating suffocatingly
and she hardly dared to look at him. "Everybody is staring at us."
"At you, you mean." Allen looked about fiercely at his comrades, who
indeed seemed very much attracted by his pretty companion. "I see
where I'll have to lick the whole camp."
Betty's laugh rippled out merrily, and Allen looked more belligerent
than ever.
"Don't think I could do it, I suppose," he was beginning, when they
came suddenly upon the other members of the party, who were waiting
for them.
"Betty, isn't it wonderful?" cried Mollie, lips parted, eyes shining
as she slipped an arm through Betty's. "Now I want more than ever to
be a soldier."
They enjoyed every minute of that hour's concert, and then felt
abused because they could not have more. After that they visited the
Y.M.C.A. hut, saw the officers' quarters from the outside, and
otherwise amused themselves till the boys declared there was nothing
more to be seen.
Then, just as the sun was sinking, the clear notes of the bugle broke
in upon the evening stillness, and the girls glanced inquiringly at
their escorts.
"That's retreat," Allen explained. "If you stand here, you can watch
it at close quarters. Here come all the fellows. They have to stand
at parade rest, left knee bent, weight on the right foot, guns held
in front of them, till the old gun goes off."
"Gun?" Amy repeated questioningly, while the girls watched the
ceremony with beating hearts.
"Yes. At reveille the morning gun goes off; and at retreat, the
evening," Allen explained. "When you hear the gun to-night, just
click your heels and stand at attention like all the rest of us."
Boom! The girls jumped but retained presence of mind enough to stand
at attention as Allen had cautioned them. The boys were standing
stiff and straight as ramrods, hands at salute, their young faces
grave and tense.
The band played the "Star-Spangled Banner," and never had it thrilled
the girls as it thrilled them now. It brought tears to their eyes,
yet they wanted to shout with pride and patriotism. Their star-spangled
banner, oh, long might it wave, o'er the land of the free
and the home of the brave!
"Allen, Allen!" cried Betty when it was all over and they had turned
away, "I'm proud, so proud, just to be--an American!"