Part 18 (1/2)
”Alayly ”You owe me a box of candy, Allen Washburn”
He looked at her for a aze faltered
There had been so new and forceful about Allen ever since he had come back from the war that had made Betty a little afraid of him But she did not think any the less of hiive you a dozen of the ardently--evidently in reference to the candies
”And if she won't take 'eh
On the way horeat consideration, cantered along in front, leaving Allen and Betty to bring up the rear Allen blessed the fire of co narrative that Allen had no chance to say the things he had wanted to say
Only once as they neared the ranch she paused aplains to the purple tipped mountains in the distance
”Isn't the country beautiful, Allen?” she asked breathlessly ”I've fallen dead in love with it”
”It looks too good to be true,” Allen agreed seriously, then added boyishly, with a glance that took her in, as well as the scenery: ”Just now, I don't care if I never go home!”
CHAPTER XVI
A TIP
For the next few days the girls took possession of Allen, showing hi him with details of their adventures till the poor fellow's head was in a whirl and he could hardly tell whether it was the wolves or the landslide that had frightened the girls into the cave on that irls showed him the cave--at a safe distance fro ladies need a chaperone pretty badly”
”Do you think you're it?” teased Mollie
”Great guns! I should hope not,” said Allen, with a flash of his white teeth ”I would rather face a dugout full of Boches than try to keep tabs on you girls See here,” he added, suddenly serious ”Do you ht in that cave with your horses and nothing to dig your way out with but your hands?”
”And a few sharp stones that we found,” Betty nodded soberly
Allen whistled softly
”No, I should think not,” he said slowly ”It's a wonder that with you and your horses, too, in that small space, you didn't smother before aid could reach you”
”We should have,” spoke up Amy quickly, ”if it hadn't been for Betty
She was the one who kept us at it ere ready to give up”
”Yes, and she was the one that kept at it when the rest of us _had_ given up,” Mollie re until she forced the hole through If it hadn't been for her ould have all given up and just died there, I guess”
Betty, who had been getting redder and redder through this recital of her heroism, found it hard to meet Allen's eyes as he turned to her with all his heart in his own
”The girls give ether too ht when he has his back against the wall And now let's take Allen to see Dan Higgins' y are great friends of ours, Allen, and I know you will love them as much as we do”