Finally he imparted the surprising information that he had secured work
as a day laborer at the war camp, Mr. Jefferson Simpson having vouched
for him. Moreover, Billy declared that he had given his aunt's name as a
security for his trustworthiness and that Captain Mason had remembered
his original visit to camp with Mrs. Burton's party.

Of Billy's value as a day laborer his family and friends felt extremely
uncertain. But Billy explained that he was only expected to stand around
and to hand the carpenters who were at work the tools they happened to
need at the moment. He also carried buckets of water back and forth and
in short did whatever chores he was ordered to do.

Mrs. Webster and Peggy were touched by Billy's unexpected display of
patriotism, knowing how abhorrent labor of this kind had always been to
him. Never, except under absolute coercion, had Billy ever performed the
slightest manual work upon their own farm!

Mrs. Burton, Dan Webster and even the usually trustful Vera were not so
enthusiastic over Billy's latest departure. Without confessing the fact,
they suffered vague discomfort.

What possible plan had Billy in mind? If one only could believe he had
chosen this method of "doing his bit!" But this would have been a
commonplace attitude, and Billy was never commonplace.

There were moments when Mrs. Burton wondered if Billy were intent upon
preaching his childish ideas upon pacifism and had chosen the one place
where they would be most troublesome and dangerous! However, she was too
deeply absorbed in making a success of the play which she and the Camp
Fire girls had undertaken to allow much time to the consideration of her
nephew.

The Camp Fire girls were learning to know their guardian in a new light.
Under ordinary circumstances she was extremely lenient and more than
willing to allow them to do as they liked.

But now they were to see her not in a holiday mood, but as an artist at
work at her task. Since they had insisted upon the production of "As You
Like It," the penalty rested upon them. Therefore she would suffer no
idleness and accept no excuses for delay or carelessness.

At one of the rehearsals, Peggy having appeared uncertain of her lines,
was publicly lectured and sent back to her tent with the suggestion that
if she were unwilling to do her duty, some one else had best take her
place.

CHAPTER XIII

Human Psychology

Billy Webster, who had difficulty in living pe