"Allen," cried Betty impulsively, and he turned as though shot, a deep
flush staining his face.
They came over then, those four, to the girls they were leaving
indefinitely--perhaps forever. Their young faces were very grave, their
jaws grim and set, and the girls realized suddenly that these were not the
boys who had so joyously left Deepdale in the service of their country.
These were no longer careless, irresponsible boys, but men with a great
and glorious duty to perform, and their hearts thrilled with a new pride.
And while eloquent things were being said, not only with lips, but with
eyes and clasping hands, Allen bent nearer to Betty's little, upturned
face.
[Illustration: "IT MAY BE A LONG TIME, BUT--I'M COMING BACK." _The Outdoor
Girls at the Hostess House. page 145_]
"It may be a long, long time, little girl," he whispered, gravely,
"but--I'm coming back. And, Betty, I have your picture--that little
snapshot you gave me, the laughing one, you remember?"
Betty nodded, smiling bravely while she choked back something deep down in
her throat.
"And--" his eyes had grown very wistful, "and--I'm counting on some
letters from you, Betty?"
"Oh, Allen," she cried breathlessly, "I'll write you all the time, dear,
every day--"
But he had caught both her hands in his and was drawing her irresistibly
toward him.
"'Dear,'" he was repeating dizzily, incredulously. "Did you call me that,
Betty? Did you say 'dear'?"
"Y-yes," she nodded, breathless, a little frightened, yet adorably brave.
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