But Carita was not packing. She was sitting listlessly in a chair by the window, looking a bit forlorn.
"What's the matter, Carita?" Blue Bonnet inquired.
"Nothing."
"Nothing? You look as if you had the blues."
"No—only—"
"Only what?"
Tears welled in Carita's eyes.
"Only what, dear?" Blue Bonnet's arms were round her.
"I reckon it's just a touch of homesickness. It's seeing the girls packing to go home. I want so to see mother—and Baby Joe. They says he's so darling now. Oh, my arms just ache to hold him sometimes, Blue Bonnet—and—and—Texas is so far away, isn't it?"
The tears were coming in a flood now, and Blue Bonnet got out her handkerchief to stop the flow.