THE MOVING PICTURE
When the two Rover boys arrived at the railroad station at Oak Run,
they were a little surprised to find themselves once more confronted
by the moving picture people they had met on the river.
"Hello! So you are following us up, are you?" said the man who had
handled the gun. But he smiled as he spoke, because he saw that the
boys carried dresssuit cases and were equipped for traveling.
"Have you taken your picture of the railroad station yet?" questioned
Tom.
"We've had one scene in front of the ticket office," returned the man.
"But our main scene we shall pull off when the train comes in--or
rather, when it pulls out."
"Perhaps you'll want us in it, after all," broke in Sam.
"See here! If you fellows want to get in this picture, just say so and
I guess I can arrange it," said the man who had handled the megaphone
in the scene on the river, and who was, evidently, the director of the
company.
"That depends on what you want us to do," declared Tom.
"Oh, you won't have much to do. You see, it's like this," went on the
manager. "This man who did the shooting wants to escape. He runs up to
the railroad station here and buys his ticket--we have that part of
it already. Then he is supposed to be in hiding behind yonder
freighthouse. When the train comes in, he waits for all other
passengers to get on board, then, as the train pulls out, he rushes
forward and catches on the last car. At the same time one of the other
fellows rushes out as if to catch him, but he is too late. Now, if you
want to get into the scene, you get on the train just before she
starts and stand on the back platform."
"Let's do it, Tom; it will be quite a lark!" exclaimed Sam.
"I'm willing," answered his brother; and so the matter was arranged.
Then the boys hurried into the ticket office, to get their tickets to
New York.
In the office they found old man Ricks, the station agent, grumbling
to himself.
"Wot ye want?" he demanded, sourly, as he looked at the Rovers.
"Two tickets to New York, Mr. Ricks," returned Tom. "What's the
matter?"
"Wot's the matter, huh? A whole lot, I should say!" declared old
Ricks, as he began to make out the tickets. "A lot o' them movin'
picter fellers been in here cuttin' up like mad."
"What did they do?" asked Sam, curiously.
"Huh! what didn't they do?" retorted the station master. "Come in
here, an' knocked over a box an' a basket, rushed up to the winder,
an' the next thing I knew, he had planked down a lot o' money, an'
when I stuck my head out the winder here, that feller pretended to
grab up a ticket wot I didn't give him at all, an' took up his money
and dusted out the door. At the same time while this was goin' on,
'nother feller had a light turned on this here winder wot nearly
blinded me, and the feller with that funny lookin' camera was
a-turnin' the crank to beat the cars!"
"They were only taking a moving picture, Mr. Ricks," declared Sam.
"You shouldn't object to that."
"Huh! I ain't hired by the railroad company to get in no movin'
picter," growled the station master. "I'm here to 'tend to the
railroad business, and nothin' else."
"Never mind, Mr. Ricks, if they've got you in the picture you ought to
be proud of it," declared Tom. "Think of the millions and millions of
people all over the world who will be looking at you when they visit
the moving picture theaters."
"Huh! I ain't no movin' picter actor, I ain't," snorted old Ricks.
"I'm a decent, respectable member o' this community, an' I'm a church
member, too. I ain't got no use for them movin' picter shows. It's a
waste o' good money, that's jest wot it is," and then Ricks shuffled
off to attend to some baggage that had come in.
With their tickets in their pockets, the two Rover boys rejoined the
moving picture company on the railroad platform. They were quite
interested in watching the camera man set up his machine, and asked
him several questions regarding its operation. Then they heard a
well-known whistle down the track, and knew that their train was
coming.
"All ready, there!" cried the manager of the moving picture company.
"Now, don't make a fizzle of it, Jake."
"I won't, unless the train pulls out too quickly," returned Jake. "I
am not going to get killed, though."
"Well, you've got to take some chances in this business," said the
manager, coolly.
There were six or eight passengers getting off the train, and about an
equal number to board the cars. As they had been instructed, the Rover
boys got on the rear platform of the last car, and stood in the
doorway looking back on the tracks. Tom pretended that he was waving
his hand to somebody in the distance.
As the train began to move, and while the camera man was taking the
picture, one of the actors, as agreed, rushed across the platform and
got hold of the rail of the last step. Then, as he pretended to have
hard work to pull himself up, the second actor came running down the
platform, shaking his fist at the man who was escaping. Then the train
passed out of sight around the bend, and the little moving picture
scene came to an end.
"Well, I'm glad that's over," declared he actor, as he followed the
boys into the car. "I never like the scenes where I am in danger of
getting hurt."
"You certainly must have a strenuous time of it," declared Sam; and
then he added quickly: "Are you going to New York with us?"
"Oh, no. I'm to get off at the first station and take another train
back to Oak Run. The crowd will wait for me. We have some scenes to do
at a farmhouse." And then, as he had a ride of ten minutes, the moving
picture man told the boys of some things which had happened to him
during his career as a movies' actor.
"How soon do you think they will show that picture?" asked Sam, when
the man prepared to leave the train.
"In a week or two," was the answer. "I don't know the exact date for
the release;" and then the man said good-bye and left them.
"Do you know, if I didn't have anything else to do, I wouldn't mind
going into the moving picture business," remarked Tom, as the train
rushed onward. "It must be lots of fun to be in the different scenes."
"Perhaps so, Tom. At the same time, those fellows must put up with a
great number of inconveniences. Think of plunging into the water when
it is cold, or into a burning building when the thermometer is over a
hundred in the shade."
"Oh, I know that, and, come to think of it, I was reading only
yesterday about a movies' actor who, in a war scene taken out on the
Hackensack meadows, fell into a trench, and broke an arm and also a
leg. Just the same, I wouldn't mind trying it."
"Maybe you'll get a chance some day."
On and on went the train, and, with little else to do, the boys
discussed the situations at home and in the city.
"One thing is sure, Tom," said the youngest Rover, earnestly. "No
matter what happens in New York, we mustn't let father know about it.
I think the worry is worse for him than anything else."
"Oh, I agree on that. Even if we lose a lot of money, he must not know
one word about it."
"Do you think we'll lose any money?"
"I don't know what to think. One thing is sure, something very much
out of the way has happened, or Dick wouldn't have sent that
telegram."
"Perhaps Pelter, Japson & Company haven't been as honest as they
promised to be. Maybe they are holding back some of the securities
that belong to dad."
"That may be so, too. At the same time, you must remember that
Songbird's uncle is our attorney, and I don't think Mr. Powell would
let them get away with very much. You'll remember what Dick wrote some
time ago, that he had taken the office fixtures for part of the debt.
That would seem to indicate that he had gotten everything from the
firm that he could lay his hands on."
"I wonder if we'll ever meet that Barton Pelter again."
"Perhaps, although if he is a nephew of Jesse Pelter, it is more than
likely he will keep out of sight, thinking that a meeting between us
would be very unpleasant."
At one of the stops a dining car was attached to the train, and, as
the boys were hungry, they lost no time in going in for the evening
meal.
"Say, Tom, look there," whispered Sam, during the course of the
repast, and, with a look from his eye, he indicated a man sitting on
the other side of the car. The fellow was a tall, surly individual,
plainly dressed. His face was somewhat flushed, as if he had been
drinking.
"Why, that's the head gardener at Hope!" said Tom. "It is queer that
he should be on this train, Sam!"
"If you'll remember, he lost his job at the seminary."
"He did? I didn't hear anything of that."
"Oh, yes, Grace told me about it. He was a splendid gardener, but
every once in a while he would drink too much, and then get into a
quarrel with the other help, so they had to let him go."
"It's a shame that such fellows can't leave drink alone," was Tom's
comment.
The man had settled himself, and ordered quite an elaborate dinner. He
was in the midst of eating, with the Rover boys paying little
attention to him, when he happened to glance at them. He straightened
up and stared in astonishment, and then looked decidedly
uncomfortable.
"He's looking at us, Tom," whispered Sam.
"Well, let him look if he wants to. It doesn't cost anything," was the
reply. And then Tom turned his head squarely, and stared at the former
seminary gardener. Immediately, the man dropped his eyes, and went on
with his meal. He soon finished, and, paying his bill, left the dining
car in a hurry.
"That's a queer way to do," was Sam's comment. "He acted as if he
didn't want us to see him."
"Maybe he is ashamed of himself for having lost his position,"
returned the brother. "Anyway, it's none of our business." And there
the talk came to an end.