e for our
camp.

"Perhaps he could have managed better. What I should have done in his
place I don't know; but he was a little chap up against a pretty big
proposition. He did not know how to get the news to camp unless he told
some one out here what was about to take place. He was trying to slip
into camp with his news when one of our sentries shot him. He was just
able to tell the soldier who picked him up what his business was
and--well, we found the infernal machine where he told us to look for
it. And God only knows how many lives Billy has saved!"

"But my son will live?" Mrs. Webster inquired, with the quiet fortitude
which comes now and then to some of us in the really great moments of
our lives.

"I don't know, Mrs. Webster," Lieutenant Carson answered honestly. "I
was only ordered to bring you to camp as quickly as possible."

Then the young officer took charge of the car, as he was more familiar
with the road than Dan.

The southern dawn which Billy had learned to love in these past weeks
was breaking into pale lavender and rose when the army automobile
arrived at camp.

A good many of the soldiers were walking about, not caring to go back to
sleep after what had occurred. More of them than one would imagine
remembered seeing Billy about camp in the past few weeks, the delicate
young fellow with the extraordinary blue eyes. Lucky thing for them that
he had been around, but hard on him!

Captain Mason and Major Anderson, two of the officers who were friends
of Mrs. Burton's, came forward to meet her and Mrs. Webster.

They led the way to the hospital, with the girls and Dan and Lieutenant
Carson following.

"Your son has been asking for you, Mrs. Webster, only he said you were
not to be frightened about him and we were not to let you know what had
happened until breakfast time," Major Anderson remarked with that same
huskiness in his voice which Lieutenant Carson had been unable to
conceal. "This war has made many heroes and will make many more, but I
don't know of a finer thing than your son has done. He must have known
the risk he ran when he came out here alone tonight on such an errand."

At the door of the hospital, which was only a wooden house with a Red
Cross flag outside, the doctor met the little company.

"You will be as quiet as you can and try not to excite him," he said,
and there was something in his voice which made all questioning
impossible.

Then Mrs. Webster and Dan and Pegg