Lynn's eyes were dancing: "Why didn't you say 'dump' like this? That's what your tone said," she
laughed, "and only a minute ago you were saying how charming it was.
No, I had no car in college, I was--" But he interrupted her eagerly: "Now, you are misunderstanding me on purpose," he declared in a hurt
tone. "I think this is an ideal spot off in the hills this way, the
quaintest little Utopia in the world, but of course you know you
haven't the air of one who had never been out of the hills, and the
sweet sheltered atmosphere of this village. Tell me, when and where did
you drive a car, and I'll see if I can't give you one better for a joy
ride."
Lynn looked up placidly and smiled: "In New York," she said quietly, "at the beginning of the war, and
afterward in France."
Laurie Shafton sat up excitedly, the color flushing into his handsome
face: "Were you in France?" he said admiringly, "Well, I might have known. I
saw there was something different about you. Y. M., I suppose?"
"No," said Lynn, "Salvation Army. My father has been a friend of the
Commander's all his life. She knew, that we believed in all their
principles. There were only a very few outsiders, those whom they knew
well, allowed to go with them. I was one."
"Well," said Laurie, eyeing her almost embarrassedly, "You girls made a
great name for yourselves with your doughnuts and your pies. The only
thing I had against you was that you didn't treat us officers always
the way we ought to have been treated. But I suppose there were
individual exceptions. I went into a hut one night and tried to get
some cigarettes and they wouldn't let me have any."
"No, we didn't sell cigarettes," said Lynn with satisfaction, "That
wasn't what we were there for. We had a few for the wounded and dying
who were used to them and needed them of course, but we didn't sell
them."
"And then I tried to get some doughnuts and coffee, but would you
believe it, they wouldn't let me have any till all the fellows in line
had been served. They said I had to take my turn! They were quite
insulting about it! Of course they did good, but they ought to have
been made to understand that they couldn't treat United States Officers
that way!"