"Only think," said Helen, "because you wrote on your letter, _In haste_, the postmaster gave it to Maggie Simpson yesterday to deliver, for she was going right by our house; but Dan Alford came along and asked her to ride, and she forgot all about the letter, and would never have thought of it again, I suppose, if I hadn't seen the postmaster and set off on the track of it this morning. She had gone over to her aunt's, and I had to follow her there; and then she had to go home again, to get the letter out of her other dress pocket; but her sister Jane had by this time got on the dress, in place of her own, which was being washed, and worn it to school; and so we had to go on a wild-goose chase after Jane." "Well, I hope you had trouble enough for one letter!" said Frank. "But you haven't heard all yet," said Helen, laughing, "for when we found Jane, she had not the letter, she had taken it out of the pocket, when she put the dress on, and left it on the bureau at home. So off again we started, Maggie and I, but before we got to her house, the letter had gone again--her mother had found it in the mean time, and sent it to us by the butcher boy. Well, I ran home, but no butcher boy had made his appearance; and, do you think, when I got to the meat shop, I found him deliberately sawing off a bone for his dog, with your letter in his greasy pocket." "He had forgotten it too!" said Frank. "Not he! but he didn't think it of very much importance, and he intended to bring it to us some time during the day--after he had fed his dog! By this time father had got news that the regiment was in town; and such a rush as we made for the horse-cars you never did see!" "But Hattie! where is she?" Frank asked, anxiously. Helen's vivacious face saddened a little. "O, we came away in such a hurry we couldn't bring her, even if she had been well enough." "In she worse?" "She gets no better," said Mrs. Manly, "and she herself thought she ought not to try to come. Maggie Simpson offered to stay with her." "I am so sorry! I wanted to see _her_. Did she send any message to me?" "Yes," said his mother. "She said, 'Give my love to dear brother, and tell him to think of me sometimes.'" "Think of her sometimes!" said Frank. "Tell her I shall always think of her and love her." By this time Captain Edney, seeing Frank with his friends, came towards them. Frank hastened to hide his emotion; and, saluting the officer respectfully, said to him, with a glow of pleasure:-- "Captain Edney, this is my mother." Captain Edney lifted his cap, with a bright smile. "Well," he said, "this is a meeting I rather think neither of us ever looked forward to, when we used to spend those long summer days in the old schoolhouse, which I hope you remember." "I remember it well--and one bright-faced boy in particular," said Mrs. Manly, pressing his hand cordially. "A rather mischievous boy, I am afraid I was; a little rebel myself, in those days," said the captain.