led up at the
tent of "General" DeVere. Here her mission ended, after the father of
Alice and Ruth, in a dusty uniform of a Union officer, had come out in
response to the summons from his orderly.

Estelle slipped from her saddle, registered exhaustion, saluted and held
out the paper she had brought through the Confederate lines at such
risk. Nor was the risk wholly one of the play, for she might have been
seriously hurt in her perilous leap.

But, fortunately, everything came out properly and a fine series of
pictures resulted.

"I'm so glad!" Estelle exclaimed, when it was all over, and, divested of
her padding, she sat in her room with Ruth and Alice. "I want to 'make
good' in this business, and riding seems to be my forte."

"Do you like it better than anything else?" asked Alice.

"Yes, I do. And I just love moving pictures, don't you?"

"Indeed we do," put in Ruth. "But we were never cut out for riders."

"I'd like it!" exclaimed Alice. "I'd like to know how to ride a horse as
well as you do."

"I'll show you," offered Estelle. "I'll be very glad to, and it's easy.
It's like swimming--all you need is confidence, and to learn not to be
afraid of your horse but to trust him. Let me show you some day."

"I believe I will!" decided Alice, with flashing eyes. "It will be
great."

"Better ask father," suggested Ruth.

"Oh, he'll let me, I know. We've ridden some, you know; but I would like
to ride as well as Estelle," and Alice and Estelle began to talk over
their plans for taking and giving riding lessons. In the midst of the
talk the return of the boy who went daily to the village for mail was
announced.

"Oh, I hope my new waist has come!" Alice exclaimed, for she had written
to her dressmaker to send one by parcel post. There was a package for
her--the one she expected--and also some letters, as well as one for
Ruth. Estelle showed no interest when the distribution of the mail was
going on.

"Don't you expect anything?" asked Alice.

"Any what?"

"Letters."

"Why, no, I don't believe I do," was the slowly given answer. "I don't
write any, so I don't get any, I suppose," and both girls noticed that
there was a far-away look in Estelle's eyes. Perhaps it was a wistful
look, for surely all girls like to get letters from some one.

"I believe she is estranged from her family," decided Alice to her
sister afterward. "Did you see how pathetic she looked when we got
letters and she didn't?"

"Well,