"Oh--Tom! He is an old family friend, you know. He was Polly's brother's college-chum for four years while both boys studied at the University of Chicago. I am from Chicago, and I knew those boys when they used to come to my home with my brother, who also attended the engineering classes. There was a fourth boy--Paul Stewart, who was from Denver. Anne Stewart was his sister and she married John Brewster, this Spring. So you see, we are all old friends together. I suppose the whole family crowd will come out on the yacht, tonight." Dorothy listened in sheer amazement, as Eleanor spoke with all the assurance possible. But Dorothy was not aware of Eleanor's lifelong training in the home of a social leader of Chicago's exclusive set. That such a home-training made a girl precocious and subtle, was not strange, and Eleanor had had fourteen years of such a life before she went to Pebbly Pit and met Polly. Habits so well-engrounded are not easily broken, or forgotten. "Then the sender ought to have sent his message to one of the adults of the party. Even _I_ misjudged the matter, because I thought this 'Tom' must be a faithful admirer of Miss Polly's to get through to visit the steamer tonight," explained the operator. "But he isn't coming alone--didn't you stop to consider that?" asked Eleanor, eagerly. "Seeing that most of the friends are Polly's personal ones, the wire was sent to her, you know." "I see." "The only thing that hurt me, was that no one sent me a message. Tom is as dear to me as to Polly, and I wonder he did not wire me." "Perhaps this Tom thought you would have scores of eager messages the moment your beaus knew you were near enough to get them," laughed the young officer. "Well, they didn't! But I want you to do something for me--will you?" asked Eleanor, quite unexpectedly. "I will if I can," agreed the officer. "Write off a fake message for me and sign some make-believe name to it, so I can hold my head up with Polly. She will never let me rest if she thinks she got a line, and I didn't!" "Oh, that is easy to do. As long as we know it will never come out, and that I wrote a line to you, it will be a good joke." "All right!" laughed Eleanor, delightedly. "Now write:----" She stopped suddenly, then thought for a moment before she said: "Why not copy the exact words sent to Polly, but sign another name?" "I'll write one, as much like the original as possible without actually duplicating that information," chuckled the officer. Then he took up a slip of paper and wrote: "Miss Eleanor Maynard. We will join you this evening, on steamer. Yacht will arrive about eight." He looked up laughingly and asked: "Now what name shall we sign to this?" "Oh--let me see! Sign 'Paul.' I know he is in New York, now, so I am not taking chances of making a mistake," laughed Eleanor.