if some one was going to meet her. She said
she thought so, but was not sure, at any rate she felt that she could
look after herself. I left her, and meant to speak to the conductor
about her, but did not have time.

"I have often wondered since whether she arrived safely, and when I saw
you sitting here I felt that I could ascertain. For I certainly took you
for that young lady."

"I am sorry to spoil your romance," said Estelle, "but I am not the one.
I never was farther West than Chicago, and then only for a little while,
filling a short engagement in the movies."

"Well, I won't insist on your identity," said the lieutenant, "but I'm
sure I'm not mistaken. However, I won't trouble you further----"

"Oh, it has been no trouble," interrupted Estelle. "I'm sure I hope you
will find that young lady some day."

"I hope so, too," and the lieutenant bowed. But, judging from his face,
Alice thought, it was plain that he was sure he had already found the
young lady in question.

At that moment Mr. Pertell came out on the porch and saw the lieutenant.

"Ah, I'm glad you are here," observed the manager. "I want to ask you a
great many things. This staging of sham battles is not as easy as I
thought it would be."

"We can have the sham battles all right," answered the officer, with a
smile. "But I can imagine it is not easy to get good moving pictures of
them. We have to operate over a large area, and we can't always tell
what the next move will be. Though, of course, for the purpose of making
views we can ignore military regulations and strain a point or two."

"That's just what I want to talk about," remarked Mr. Pertell. "In the
attack, for instance, the way the plans have been made the sun is wrong
for getting good views. Can't we switch the two armies around?"

"Well, I suppose we can. I'll speak to the colonel about it," and then
the two went inside, where Mr. Pertell had his office in the parlor of
the farmhouse.

"What do you think of him, Estelle?" asked Alice.

"Why, I think he's very nice, but he's altogether wrong about me."

"And yet he seemed so positive."

"Yes, that is what makes it strange. But I never saw him before--that
is, as far as I know; and I'm certain I was never in Portland. He must
be mistaken, but it was nice of him to admit it. I thought at first he
was using the old method to get acquainted."

"So did I. But he isn't that kind."

"He doesn't seem to be."

Russ Dalwood came ar