Mary Lee the Red Cross Girl Part 20

"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."

CHAPTER XXIV

BOUND FOR THE CAMP

Spring was late in the year 1917. The trees were just beginning to show in full foliage and the gra.s.s had the freshness and fragrance that only the early mornings of spring can give to it.

Mary Lee, Letty and Ruth had awakened and dressed at four o'clock that morning. Mary Lee had suggested the night before that they do this and the two girls had loyally but sleepily carried out the plan.

The party bound for Mount Hope had left on the seven o'clock Adirondack Express, the night before. When the three girls reached the observation platform, after going through a long line of sleeping coaches, the train was running parallel with Champlain and was nearing Plattsburg.

It was a gorgeous sight and the three stood for several minutes enwrapped in its splendor.

The lake, with the woods running close to its sh.o.r.e, presented a picture of crystal-like clearness. On the other side of it, the White and Green mountains were beginning to show in more definite outline.

The sun, too, began to herald the dawn of the new day, forming a rosy pink in the eastern sky, just over the mountain ranges.

"My," said Letty. "I'm glad we did get up."

"We never really saw the Adirondacks before, did we?" added Ruth.

"If Mary Lee had ever been up here before," Letty further remarked, "I'm sure she never would have missed doing this kind of thing. It _took_ her to get us to do it now; without her, I think we would have come up here again and again and never have summoned sufficient energy to get up so early."

On Mary Lee, the clearing outlines of the towering mountains on both sides of her, the magnificance of the lake, had all made a tremendous impression. Never had sunrise meant so much to her.

The girl had never, from that first day, when she was brought to the city, ever been further away from it than the farm. The beauty of this new environment dazzled her. Her two friends, though not nearly so impressionable, yet found themselves stilled by the majesty of the quiet everywhere.

So engrossed were the girls that they did not notice that Dr. Anderson had stopped just inside the door and was watching them as well as the dawning day.

He stood there for ten minutes, then came out and joined them.

Mary Lee gave him a brilliant smile. The three girls looked very pretty and attractive in their blouses.

"Isn't it perfect?" she offered with a sigh of pure joy in the splendor all about her.

The doctor nodded smilingly.

"It certainly is that," he answered.

A little later the train entered Plattsburg.

"There's a two hour wait here, girls," Dr. Anderson informed them.

"While the sleepy-heads are getting up, let's go up to see the famous Plattsburg camp. Shall we?"

"Splendid," replied Letty enthusiastically, "let's."

"Of course," added the doctor, "we have but little time and so shall not be able to see very much. But even that little should prove interesting. Many of our officers for the war will be turned out here and some of our great men have come here for training."

As the doctor had remarked there was but little time to spend at the camp. The sergeant on guard showed them all that could be seen at that hour. Both Dr. Anderson and Mary Lee were specially interested in the first aid equipment. Although they had to make a hurried departure they were glad to have had this closer view of a camp destined to make history.

It was almost six-thirty when they returned to the train which was scheduled to leave in twenty minutes. They found Mrs. Anderson and one or two of the girls already awake.

"We've had a heavenly morning, Aunt Madge," said Mary Lee.

"And I suppose you called the rest of us sleepy-heads for not being with you?" Aunt Madge answered.