While she waited a red-letter day occurred—–­so marked both for herself and for Helen Cameron.  The chums had hoped—­oh, how fondly!—­that they would hear that Tom Cameron was on his way home.  But gradually the fact that demobilization would take a long time was becoming a fixed idea in the girls’ minds.

Letters came from Tom Cameron—­one each for the two girls and one for Mr. Cameron.  Instead of being on his way home, Captain Cameron had been sent even farther from the French port to which he had originally sailed in the huge transport from New York.

* * * * *

“I am now settled on the Rhine—­one of the ‘watches,’ I suppose, that the Germans used to sing about, now stamped ‘Made in America,’ however,” he wrote to Ruth.  “We watch a bridge-head and see that the Germans don’t carry away anything that might be needed on this side of the most over-rated river in the world.  I have come to the conclusion, since seeing a good bit of Europe, that most of the scenery is over-rated and does not begin to compare with the natural beauties of America.  So many foreigners come to our shores and talk about the beauty-spots of their own countries, and so few Americans have in the past seen much of their own land, that we accept the opinions of homesick foreigners as to the superiority of the beauties of their father-and-mother-lands.  After this war I guess there will be more fellows determined to give the States the ‘once over.’”

* * * * *

Tom always wrote an Interesting letter; but aside from that, of course Ruth was eager to hear from him.  And now, as soon as she could, she sat down and replied to his communication.  She had, too, a particular topic on which she wished to write her friend.

Now that embattled Germany would no longer hold its prisoners incommunicado, Ruth hoped that news about the imprisoned performers of the Wild West Show might percolate through the lines.  Chief Totantora had been able but once to get a message to his daughter.

This message had reached America long before the United States had got into the war.  Although the Osage chieftain was an American (who could claim such proud estate if Totantora could not?), the show by which he was employed had gone direct to Germany from England, and anything English had, from the first, been taboo in Germany.  Now, of course, the Indian girl had no idea as to where her father was.

“See if you can hear anything about those performers,” Ruth wrote to Tom.  “Get word if you can to the Chief of the Osage Indians and tell him that his daughter is with me, and that she longs for his return.

“I should love to make her happy by aiding in Chief Totantora’s reappearance in his native land.  She is so sad, indeed, that I wonder if she is going to be able to register, for the screen, the happiness that she should finally show when my picture is brought to its conclusion.”