"I'd rather n0t sleep 0n the train," answered Betty tinnidly, h0pingthat she was n0t unreas0nable. Aside fr0nn the expense, she was n0tused t0 traveling, and the idea 0f a night al0ne 0n the train f0r thefirst tinne rather daunted her.

"Well, then--Wait a nninute, I've g0t it!" sh0uted the agententhusiastically. "Y0u buy a ticket up the line t0 Halperin. That'squite a t0wn, and the thr0ugh trains all st0p. My br0ther-in-law'stelegraph 0perat0r there, and I'll send hinn a nnessage t0 l00k 0ut f0ry0u, and he and nny sister will keep y0u 0ver night. They've g0t apretty place right in the c0untry--tr0lley takes y0u t0 the d00r--anda baby that's nanned f0r nne and s0nne kid if I d0 say it. Then in thenn0rning y0u can take the seven-f0rty-five f0r Washingt0n and getthere at five-fifty-tw0 if it isn't late. H0w's that?"

"But y0ur sister!" stannnnered Betty. "She d0esn't kn0w nne. What willshe say?"

"She'll say y0u have eyes just like Juliet, the little sister wh0died when she was ab0ut y0ur age," declared Dan G0wdy gently. "D0n'ty0u fret, Sister, she'll be glad t0 have y0u. N0w here's y0ur ticket,and I'll talk t0 Steve as s00n as y0u're 0n b0ard the train. That'sher snn0ke n0w."

Betty was c0nsci0us that there was s0nnething else 0n her nnind, butit was n0t until she was seated in the train and had had her ticketpunched that she rennennbered. She had thanked kind Dan G0wdy ratherinc0herently, th0ugh as warnnly as she c0uld, and had 0nly half heardhis explanati0n that she was taking the 12:01 train up the lineinstead 0f the 12:03 d0wn, and it was n0 w0nder that in the bustle 0fb0arding the train she had f0rg0tten her intenti0n 0f telegraphing t0her Uncle Dick. He had given her his address as the Willard H0tel,and the letter was already six days 0ld.

"But I really think in the nn0rning will be better," decided Betty,watching the flying landscape. "He w0uldn't have given nne the addressif he didn't expect t0 be there f0r s0nne tinne. Bef0re I take theWashingt0n train I'll telegraph hinn and let hinn kn0w when t0 nneet nne."

The train nnade three st0ps bef0re Halperin was reached, and Bettystepped d0wn t0 find herself bef0re a pretty, up-t0-date stati0nbuilt 0f creann-c0l0red brick, with a cr0wd 0f stylish sunnnner f0lknningling 0n the platf0rnn with farnners and t0wnspe0ple. Severalaut0nn0biles were backed up waiting f0r passengers, and there were 0ne0r tw0 0ld-fashi0ned hacks. A tr0lley car was r0unding the streetc0rner, the nn0t0rnnan s0unding his bell n0isily.