It was Ruth who announced suddenly, late in the afternoon, during a
silence in which each one was thinking how fast the day was going:
"Did you know that we were going to stay over Sunday?"
Cameron's face blazed with joyful light:
"Wonderful!" he said softly, "do you mean it? I've been trying to get
courage all day to suggest it, only I don't know of any place this side
of Washington or Baltimore where you can be comfortable, and I hate to
think of you hunting around a strange city late at night for
accommodations. If I could only get out to go with you----!"
"It isn't necessary," said Ruth quickly, "we have our accommodations all
arranged for. Your mother and I planned it all out before we came. But
are you sure we can get into camp to-morrow?"
"Yes, I'm almost certain we can get you passes by going up to officers'
headquarters and applying. A fellow in our company told me this morning
he had permission for his mother and sister to come in to-morrow. And we
are not likely to leave before Monday now, for this morning our
lieutenant went away and I heard him say he had a three days' leave. They
wouldn't have given him that if they expected to send us before he got
back, at least not unless they recalled him--they might do that."
"Is that the lieutenant that you called a 'mess' the other day?" asked
Ruth with twinkling eyes.
"Yes," said Cameron turning a keen, startled glance at her, and wondering
what she would say if she knew it was Wainwright he meant.
But she answered demurely:
"So he's away, is he? I'm glad. I was hoping he would be."
"Why?" asked Cameron.
"Oh, I thought he might be in the way," she smiled, and changed the
subject, calling attention to the meadow lark who was trilling out his
little ecstasy in the tall tree over their head.
Cameron gave one glance at the bird and then brought his gaze back to the
sweet upturned face beside him, his soul thrilling with the wonder of it
that she should be there with him!
"But you haven't told me where you have arranged to stay. Is it Baltimore
or Washington? I must look up your trains. I hope you will be able to
stay as late as possible. They're not putting people out of camp until
eight o'clock to-night."
"Lovely!" said Ruth with the eagerness of a child. "Then we'll stay till
the very last trolley. We're not going to either Baltimore or Washington.
We're staying right near the camp entrance in that little town at the
station where we landed, I don't remember what you call it. We got
accommodations this morning before we came into camp."
"But where?" asked Cameron anxiously. "Are you sure it's respectable? I'm
afraid there isn't any place there that would do at all."
"Oh, yes there is," said Ruth. "It's the Salvation Army 'Hut,' they
called it, but it looks more like a barracks, and there's the dearest
little woman in charge!"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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