please tell me what you mean by a 'mysterious mission'

ls had the tonneau of the automobile to themselves. They had scarcely deposited Mary's luggage on the floor of the car and settled themselves for the

on, but the only mystery about it is that you don't as yet know why we've come

instant, you wicked, tantalizing girl," i

s from my letter," continued Mary. "You see, I wrote you th

ith her," supple

ith her. Father says I must stay in the East a

think how dreadful that would be for you, with you

r a large furniture manufactory, and spen

is the sad part of it, but the glad part is-oh, Marjorie, can't you guess now?" Mary caught Marjorie's hand in hers. "We've come all the way to Sanford to se

ou really mean that you wish to come to live with me an

rs for speech. But they were tears of happiness. Marjorie really desired her f

appily. "I don't know what I've ever done to deserve such good fortune.

r while her mother is in Colorado. You'll have two lieutenants instead of one to look afte

been planning to ask Mrs. Dean, in my most ingratiating manner, if she thought she might possibly make room for a certain very frisky member of my

pted Marjorie. "You are just as anxious as I

street and assure you of my willingness t

've planned everything already. Mary can have the spare bedroom next to my house." Marjorie always referred to her room as her "house." "

enthusiasm that threatened to land them both in the tonneau of the rapidly

e wide stretch of lawn that was one of the chief beauties of the Deans' pretty home, when

in leaving the car, and the two hugged ea

red and hungry after her long ride in the train. We will have an early dinner to-night

Mary, and piloted her across the lawn and up the short stretch of stone walk to the front door. The door opened a

aymond. We are very self-sufficient persons who don't need anyt

natured face, as she stepped aside to a

e pretty Dutch hall to the large, comfortable living ro

gh school until we'd been here almost two weeks, and in all that time I never met a single girl. I felt like a shipwrecked sailor on a great, big, lonely, old island. Shall we go upstairs now? I'm so anxious to have you see my 'house.' It's a house within a house, you know. Mother had it all d

exclaiming over its perfect details after the manner of girls, then three minutes later the two somehow found themselves seated side by side on Marjorie's pretty white bed, their arms about ea

to find them still talking at an alarming rate

even taken off your hats, and dinner will be ready in t

, she took off her broad-brimmed Panama, and began gently pulling the pins from Mary's hat. "M

ght to call upon General to help me enforce my orders. Under the circumstances I'll be leni

ter. To Marjorie it seemed as though she had not been so happy for ages. It was wonderful to know that her beloved

destiny for the coming year. Mr. and Mrs. Dean met Mr. Raymond's request in behalf of his daughter with the whole-heartedn

in preparedness. 'In times of peace prepare for war,' you know. With such a

d, and when at eleven o'clock two sleepy, but blissfully happy, lieutenants climbed the stairs to bed, Mary Raymo

ie that had so nearly wrecked their budding friendship, and of the many changes that time had wrought in the life of the girl who looked like her. She had, therefore, been quite unprepared to meet the dainty, well-dressed young woman whom Marjorie appeared to hold in such strong affection. She reflected that night, a trifle resentfully, after Marjorie had kissed her good-night and left her, that it was very strange in Marjorie not to have put her in possession of the real

to co