ant little mother that stepped into
the crisis and did the most natural thing in the world:

"John! Oh John! It's really you! We've caught you!" she cried, and the
troubled young soldier peering into the dusk to discover if here was a
vehicle he might presume to commandeer to help him out of his predicament
lifted startled eyes to the two faces in the car and strode forward,
abandoning with a clang the wrench with which he had been working on the
car.

"Mother!" he said, a shade of deep anxiety in his voice. "What is the
matter? How came you to be here?"

"Why, I came after you," she said laughing like a girl. "We're going to
see that you get to camp in time. We've made pretty good time so far.
Jump in quick and we'll tell you the rest on the way. We mustn't waste
time."

Cameron's startled gaze turned on Ruth now, and a great wonder and
delight sprang up in his eyes. It was like the day when he went away on
the train, only more so, and it brought a rich flush into Ruth's cheeks.
As she felt the hot waves she was glad that she was sitting behind the
light.

"What! You?" he breathed wonderingly. "But this is too much! And after
the way I treated you!"

His mother looked wonderingly from one to the other:

"Get in, John, quick. We mustn't lose a minute. Something might delay us
later." It was plain she was deeply impressed with the necessity for the
soldier not to be found wanting.

"Yes, please get in quickly, and let us start. Then we can talk!" said
Ruth, casting an anxious glance toward the other car.

His hand went out to the door to open it, the wonder still shining in his
face, when a low murmur like a growl went up behind him.

Ruth looked up, and there in the full glare of the lights stood two burly
civilians and a big soldier:

"Oh, I say!" drawled the soldier in no very pleasant tone, "you're not
going to desert us that way! Not after Pass came out of his way for us! I
didn't think you had a yellow streak!"

Cameron paused and a troubled look came into his face. He glanced at the
empty back seat with a repression of his disappointment in the necessity.

"There's another fellow here that has to get back at the same time I do,"
he said looking at Ruth hesitatingly.

"Certainly. Ask him, of course." Ruth's voice was hearty and put the
whole car at his disposal.

"There's room for you, too, Chalmers," he said with relief. "And Passmore
will be glad to get rid of us I suspect. He'll be able to get