CHAPTER XXIII

BACK ON THE FARM.

The girls sat on the porch during the entire afternoon. Mr. and Mrs. Quinn were with them.

"It is so comfortable and cheerful out here," Mary Lee remarked.

"It's a wonderful place, isn't it?" added Letty as she looked about.

"Yes, and it will always seem like home to me," Mary Lee replied.

"We had a great summer last year. The farm did very well. This year promises to be much better. I tell you, it's a great place," and Mr. Quinn beamed.

"Mr. Quinn has been waiting for Dr. Anderson to come out. He has saved considerable money and he wants Dr. Anderson to deposit it for him," volunteered Mrs. Quinn.

Letty looked at Mary Lee who in turn looked at her.

"That's a queer coincidence," said the girl. "One reason why we came out was to find out if you and Mr. Quinn didn't want to buy some Liberty Bonds." Mary Lee then went on to explain about them and also told about the investments everyone she knew had made. "It pays fairly well, you see."

"More than that," replied Mr. Quinn, "it's for Uncle Sam. I know something about it, but just hadn't decided that it applied to me. When you get back, Mary Lee," he continued, "will you get Dr. Anderson's consent? I have seven hundred dollars I can put into these bonds."

"I will ask Dr. Anderson to write you about this investment," Mary Lee readily replied. "He'll probably buy yours with his own."

The important business completed, the girls reluctantly disturbed their own comfort to follow the boys about the entire farm. The baby, over three years old now, was awake by this time.

Mary Lee was quite disappointed over the fact that the child did not remember her, but she made friends very quickly with both of them.

When the girls reached home it was close to eight. The next two days were hurried ones.

A telegram came for Mary Lee Monday night. At first she was greatly alarmed.

"It's from Bob, of course," Letty reminded her.

"Why, to be sure." She tore open the envelope as she spoke.

"He is going to buy three bonds," she cried delightedly as she handed the telegram to Letty.

"That gives us $850 over," Mary Lee announced after a few seconds' calculation.

"Some of the other girls may not have enough," Letty remarked. "At any rate, we'll know tomorrow whether we go or not."

The meeting was in the afternoon. Some of the girls had fallen short in the number they sold, but Edith, alone, had sold four thousand dollars' worth. The total amount--the girls held their breath while it was being figured--was nineteen thousand.

"So we can all go?" asked Ruth.

"Yes, you can go," replied Aunt Madge. "And to show you how much faith I had in you, I've gotten everything ready. We shall leave tomorrow morning at ten, from the Grand Central Station."

"Let's not take any more things than we need," said Mary Lee.

"Very well," answered Letty. "We'll use a steamer trunk for both of us. We simply can't use anything smaller, can we?"

"I thought perhaps we could," replied Mary Lee rather meekly. "But we'll compromise on a small trunk, as you say."

The girls were all ready by dinner time. After dinner they visited Ruth, who lived close by.

"I'm so glad you came, for you can help me decide what to take with me."

"Well, if you'll take our advice," said Mary Lee, "you won't take much."

"I don't expect to," replied Ruth.

"You don't?" exclaimed the other two girls in amazement. "Look what you already have laid out and I suppose you'll declare that you haven't half your things," said Mary Lee.

"Here, let's show you," added Letty, who forgot that Mary Lee had earlier in the day urged her to cut down her own luggage.

Despite the excited exclamations of Ruth over things she insisted she must have, the two other girls determinedly had their way.

"Now, isn't this better?" asked Mary Lee, when they were through packing, and her trunk, but half the size of the original, still had room for more things. "You mustn't forget you are only going for a few days."

"Very well," replied Ruth, "I suppose you're right. But please," she begged, "just let me include these shoes--just these."

"Shall we, Letty?" asked Mary Lee, pretending to be stern, but the least bit undecided.

"If it's only these shoes, we will," replied her chum.

"Thank you," Ruth said with mock humility. "Thank you very much."