The Outdoor Girls at the Hostess House

OR

DOING THEIR BEST FOR THE SOLDIERS

BY LAURA LEE HOPE

AUTHOR OF THE OUTDOOR GIRLS OF DEEPDALE, THE MOVING PICTURE GIRLS, THE BOBBSEY TWINS, BUNNY BROWN AND HIS SISTER SUE, SIX LITTLE BUNKERS AT GRANDMA BELL'S, ETC.

ILLUSTRATED

New York
Grosset & Dunlap
Publishers

BOOKS FOR GIRLS

BY LAURA LEE HOPE

12mo. Cloth. Illustrated.

THE OUTDOOR GIRLS SERIES

THE OUTDOOR GIRLS OF DEEPDALE
THE OUTDOOR GIRLS AT RAINBOW LAKE
THE OUTDOOR GIRLS IN A MOTOR CAR
THE OUTDOOR GIRLS IN A WINTER CAMP
THE OUTDOOR GIRLS IN FLORIDA
THE OUTDOOR GIRLS AT OCEAN VIEW
THE OUTDOOR GIRLS ON PINE ISLAND
THE OUTDOOR GIRLS IN ARMY SERVICE
THE OUTDOOR GIRLS AT THE HOSTESS HOUSE

THE MOVING PICTURE GIRLS SERIES

THE MOVING PICTURE GIRLS AT OAK FARM
THE MOVING PICTURE GIRLS SNOWBOUND
THE MOVING PICTURE GIRLS UNDER THE PALMS
THE MOVING PICTURE GIRLS AT ROCKY RANCH
THE MOVING PICTURE GIRLS AT SEA
THE MOVING PICTURE GIRLS IN WAR PLAYS

THE BOBBSEY TWINS SERIES
(Twelve Titles)

THE BUNNY BROWN SERIES
(Eight Titles)

SIX LITTLE BUNKERS SERIES
(Five Titles)

Grosset & Dunlap, Publishers, New York

THE OUTDOOR GIRLS AT THE HOSTESS HOUSE

CONTENTS

CHAPTER I   HERO WORSHIP  1
CHAPTER II THE ACCIDENT
CHAPTER III  THE SHADOW OF MYSTERY
CHAPTER IV  MRS. SANDERSON'S STORY
CHAPTER V  FUN AND SOLDIERS
CHAPTER VI  PLANNING CAPTURE
CHAPTER VII  A LARK IN THE OPEN
CHAPTER VIII  ENTER SERGEANT MULLINS
CHAPTER IX  THE BAYONET DRILL
CHAPTER X  ALARMING SYMPTOMS
CHAPTER XI  POLITE KIDNAPPERS
CHAPTER XII  WHERE LOVE IS DEAF
CHAPTER XIII  THE COPPERHEAD
CHAPTER XIV  THE REINS TIGHTEN
CHAPTER XV  THE FATEFUL DAY
CHAPTER XVI  SPARRING FOR TIME
CHAPTER XVII  TEARS AND PATRIOTISM
CHAPTER XVIII   AFTER THE BOYS LEFT
CHAPTER XIX  REAL TRAGEDY
CHAPTER XX  THE MOTORCYCLIST AGAIN
CHAPTER XXI  THE CHASE
CHAPTER XXII  STARTLING DEVELOPMENTS
CHAPTER XXIII  THE MIRACLE
CHAPTER XXIV  MYSTERY EXPLAINED
CHAPTER XXV  TO "CARRY ON"

THE OUTDOOR GIRLS AT THE HOSTESS HOUSE

CHAPTER I

HERO WORSHIP

"Oh, Mollie, please be careful!"

The big car skidded perilously around a sharp curve and chug-chugged merrily down the road.

"Goodness, I've been careful so long I'm afraid it will grow on me," Mollie Billette, sometimes known as "Billy," retorted, a determined set to her pretty chin. "Someway, I've got to get it out of my system."

The automobile, a big seven-passenger car, belonged to Mollie, and the four Outdoor Girls, having secured a half-holiday from their work at the Hostess House, were out for recreation.

As may have been gathered, Mollie was driving. Amy Blackwell, fearful of an accident, was in the seat beside her, while Grace Ford and Betty Nelson, their beloved Little Captain, occupied the tonneau and amused themselves by laughing at Amy's fears.

"Well, but you needn't take it out on us," Amy said in reply to Mollie's