ssy black creature in the end box. Before the animal
raised her head and looked over the gate, Betty knew that the mare from
England was one of the most beautiful creatures she had ever seen.

"Hi, now, 'ow's that for a pretty lydy, Miss?" went on the rubber proudly.

"Oh! See! She knows you! Look at the beauty!" gasped Betty, as the black
mare reached over the gate and gently nipped the blue sleeve of the
crooked little man.

"Knows me? I should sye she does," he said proudly. "Why, she wouldn't
take her meals from nobody but me. I told 'em so w'en I 'eard she was sold
to Hamerica. And they found Hi was right, Miss, afore hever they got 'er
aboard the ship. They sent for me, an' Mr. Bolter gave me a good job with
'er. I goes with Ida Bellethorne wherever she goes. That's the----"

"Ida Bellethorne?" interrupted Betty in amazement

"Yes, Miss. That's 'er nyme. Ida Bellethorne. She comes of the true
Bellethorne stock. The last of the breed out o' the Bellethorne stables,
Miss."

"Ida Bellethorne!" exclaimed Betty again. "Isn't that odd? A horse and a
girl of the same name!"

But this last she did not say audibly. The cockney rubber was fondling the
mare's muzzle and he did not hear Betty's comment. The discovery of this
second Ida Bellethorne excited Betty enormously.

CHAPTER V

MEASLES

Betty Gordon's active mind could not let this incident pass without
further investigation. Not alone was she interested in the beautiful black
mare and the girl in the neighborhood shop, but she wanted to know how
they came to have the same name.

Betty was a practical girl. Bob often said it was not easy to fool Betty.
She had just as strong an imagination as any other girl of her age and
loved to weave fancies in her own mind when it was otherwise idle. But she
knew her dreams were dreams, and her imaginings unreal.

It struck her that the name "Ida Bellethorne" was more suitable for a
horse than for a girl. Betty wondered all in a flash if the English girl
who had sold her the silk sweater in the neighborhood shop that morning
and who confessed that she had come from England practically alone had not
chosen this rather resounding name to use as an alias. Perhaps she had run
away from her friends and was hiding her identity behind the name of a
horse that she had heard of as being famous on the English turf.

This was not a very hard thing for Betty to imagine. And, in any case, her
interest was stirred greatly