Mrs. West hurried to the door as she saw Bess’ unusual haste, but her anxiety was quickly dispelled as she caught sight of the girl’s happy face. Slipping off her horse’s back, Bess left him with trailing reins, and sprang quickly up the steps. “Oh, little Mother,” she cried, as she grasped her hand and dragged her to a seat on the steps beside her. Into her blouse she plunged her hand and drew forth a letter which contained some startling news, indeed. “See! here is a letter from Bee—Berenice, you know, and she writes—let me see, where is it?” She wet her thumb and fumbled among the pages. “Oh, here! ‘At last, dear Bess, I have gained father’s consent to come to visit you, although he knows I will surely be eaten by bears or buffalos or captured by the Indians.’” Bess laughed as she gave Mrs. West’s hand a pressure of love and assurance. “She thinks, or her father, rather, thinks we are still among savages, doesn’t he?” Then she continued to read: “‘You see, dearie, I am quite worn out with the care of sister—’ Oh! haven’t I told you about it all, little Mother? Well, I will when I’ve finished reading this; ‘with the care of sister, who is much better now, better than she has been before in all these miserable years, although we have given up hope that she will ever be her dear old self again.’” Compassionate tears were swimming in Bess’ eyes so that with difficulty she continued reading, “that the visit would not take place until early in the autumn.” “Really,” said Bess, “I can scarcely wait so long. Berenice and I have been like sisters and were always roommates in school, before her sister’s health demanded her continual presence at home. I have not even seen her since then.” She now carefully replaced the letter in its envelope and told Mrs. West briefly the tragedy of the sister of her dearest friend, Berenice Morton. It seems that about five years before this time, Miss Grace Morton, who was attending school in Massachusetts, met a Harvard man with whom she fell deeply in love. He was also enamored with the young woman and became a frequent visitor. At last he persuaded Grace to consent to a secret marriage, so that each might continue in school and complete the year’s work before announcing what they had done.