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Show ji i ! 1 1 1 1 n i ii n i ii i 1 '"1 'J 'J 'J 'J - F0R HER COUNTRY;! By STELLA L. COLE. uiTmTiTmiTiTi i f; (Copyright, 191S, by McClure Newspapui Syndicate.) "Hello, Elsie, I was hoping I would see you." said Helen Sands to her friend, Elsie Day, as they met on the street. "We girls are going on a snow-shoe snow-shoe hike tomorrow afternoon, and of course we want you to go with-us. We are going over through the woods to my camp on W pond, have an oyster stew for supper nnd snowshoe back in the evening." "Oh, Helen, I'd love to, but I haven't any snowshoes ! So I guess I can't go this time !" "Why, that's too bad ! But I thought you had some snowshoes ; you told me the first of the fall that you were going go-ing to have some this winter, and so 1 thought surely you would have them by this time." "Well, I did intend to buy some, but I have changed my mind. I'm sorry not to be able to go, for I know you will have a dandy time, but I really can't." "You just bet that we are going to have a dandy time ! You know what good oyster stews we girls can make, and then the suowshoeiug back by moonlight " "Oh, Helen, I know it will be just wonderful, and I shall be thinking of you every minute. But now I am in a hurry to get home, so I must say good-by." Helen Sands and Elsie Day were "members of the Local Girls' club, a local organization, the purpose of which was to promote social and outdoor out-door life. Snowshoeing was a feature to be specially taken up this winter, and the party on the morrow was the first of a series planned for the sen-son. sen-son. The club was for the most part composed of girls of well-to-do families, fami-lies, though a few working girls belonged, be-longed, Elsie being one of that class. Her position in life made it Impossible for her to take part in all the activities, activi-ties, but being a particularly bright and attractive girl, she had become very popular, and her inability to go cn the morrow was really a great disappointment dis-appointment to Helen. "Well, what do you think, girl-;." said Helen that night, as they were fathered in the clubroom making their final preparations for the party. "Elsie Day isn:t going with us tomorrow. tomor-row. Says she hasn't any snowshoes, which I think is funny, for I know that she has been planning on havii some for a long time." ' "Well, I know, too," spoke up SaT Heed, "that she has been saving money a little every week, and she was telling tell-ing me only the other day that she had enough saved, and that slie guessed she woidr buy the snowshoes soon, She has talked more about snowshoeing" and seemed more enthusir. stic over it than any other one of us, even those who are veterans at snowshoeing. Perhaps Per-haps she is getting stingy." "There, there, Sadie." spoke a third girl. "You're getting altogether too personal. per-sonal. If Elsie Day hasn't bought any snowshoes most likely she has s'ine pood reason for it, and It's none of our business whnt the reason is, either:" "Well, good, bad or Indifferent, si," hasn't any," replied Helen, "and v e , I began to tell what a good time v. e were going to have, she said she was In a hurry to get home, and so rushed off. I really wish she were going tomorrow. to-morrow. It Is too bad for her to miss the fun, and we shall miss her, too she Is such jolly good company." The week of the P.ed r'ros drive had been a busy one and the membership member-ship lists were large. Mr. Sands. Helen's mother, a very popular society lady, always foremost In the activities of the town, was general chairman of the local organiz.'ilion. and on the evening eve-ning of the closing day of the campaign cam-paign she sat In her parlor, somewlial tired from the week's labor. "I'm glad It's over," she said to Helen. "'vi surely had a busy week, and a hard one, too. It's worth It all Ju-t to see the spirit of the people. And v. hat surprised me most was. the le ;i : t i re --wlili --wlili which the laboring !: p :,ot:d ed. There's Elsie Day. for in h.ncc she took a ?." membership, and lb-it'1 doirii' better than many of the weal h people. She must be t-nmU-.v i money or she couldn't afford to that, unless, of course, she has made some great sacrifice." Helen turned abruptly and loo':ed at tier mother, her face glowing. "V.'"P, I cull that splendid of Elsie," she said "She Is a little brick anyway and always al-ways ready to do her part. I wi -li there were more like her." The next evening lit the club II -h n met the girls with a serious face. "Girls," she said, "I know why El.-I" Day bought no snowshoes. She lee deliberately chosen to go without I !n in so that she could give five dollar-; .to the (led 'lO"S. I'll wager that there --urt a girl among us here who h s given that amount, and we woiihhi't ha-.e had to make any -: i ' r-i f i f -' - either. 'mv v. hat are we going to do about I I ?" '1 le- I'irb: Uiol.cd at' m;.o another -lently, tie n al a I ;--!ie 1'.- 'I ' V, ; I aid MOI e . , egrocabio i !; i a : a boo I le l' I iia ll an', e- ' ! o I'" to I. e lo l-c l"e ,.. b I a o'. e. I . ,. 'a: l i: bib pi . ,.l I.' i : . I-:- of o-'. I , ml I a . ! i ! ' . h.- a l ... I., ti . i ' ' ' ... . : . I i o ' ':;! : ";' b ! I 'I:.' b ' c--o |