“I’ll take it,” said Patty, promptly. “I’m a wee bit superstitious, and I like to think of the eagles appearing as a harbinger of hope of peace,—like the Ark dove.”
“It can’t do any harm to believe it,” and Philip smiled at her; “and it may do good. If you believed in a thing I’m sure it would make me do so, too, and if a lot of us believe, it might help to make it come true.”
“Then we’ll all believe,” said Helen, “and I’m sure glad to be the means,—in a small way,—of helping my country toward peace!”
“One can scarcely call it _more_ than a small way,” Herron said, mock-judicially, “and yet it’s as much as many of us do. Even if we’re willing, we can’t perform. I’m ready to fly to the ends of the earth for my old Uncle Sam, but I have to await orders.”
“And I can’t help feeling glad that you do,” interposed Helen. “What would us girls do without you boys to play with? To be sure, we’ll give you up
“When it’s ‘Ready! Fire!’ and you fire away, And fight ’em to a finish for the U. S. A.”
“For us, it’s ‘Ready! Fly!’ and we fly away,” and Philip looked eager at the thought. “I hate to leave my ain fireside, and that of friends and fellow citizens, but there is an urge——”
“You sound like Sam Blaney!” and Patty laughed. “He was always talking about the Cosmic Urge.”
“That isn’t in it with the Urge of the Flag. Oh, you girls don’t know the _thrill_ of feeling that you can be of real help,—however small or insignificant help it is!”
Patty gave Phil an admiring glance. She liked this sort of talk and though she knew of his patriotism, she had rarely heard him express it so strongly.
“Here’s your cakaroons!” cried Herron, as the tray appeared, and the tea and chocolate were served to them.
“Now, no war talk, for the moment,” begged Helen. “It does interfere with my enjoyment of my frugal fare, to get stirred up, even by patriotism.”
“Let’s talk about our visit at the Club,” said Patty, suddenly. “Did it strike any of you that Mrs. Doremus was a very strange person?”
“Did it!” said Philip, with emphasis. “Well, _rather_!”
“To begin with, she was no lady,” Van Reypen asserted.
“That’s a little harsh,” Patty demurred, “but she certainly acted queer.”
“What do you care?” Herron demanded, “she served the purpose of chaperon, when no one else was there to do so.”