THE SPY
This statement of Ruth’s had an electric effect upon the little group
of men in the office. Marcus Brun, Mr. Hammond’s technical director,
leaned toward the girl with a gleam of genuine admiration in his eyes.
“You’ll find it anything but an easy job, Miss Fielding,” he said.
“I’m not looking for an easy job,” replied Ruth, turning to him
quickly. “The harder they come, the better. And this—well, if I can
help an old friend——” She paused and her eyes rested for a moment
upon Mr. Hammond.
“It means a trip to Alaska, to the Yukon River,” said McCarty. “The
contract calls for that. No faked-up stuff.”
“I understand—and the pictures will be taken on and around the
Yukon,” answered Ruth firmly.
“It’s a long, hard trip.”
“Many things are hard in this business, Mr. McCarty.”
Mr. Hammond gazed at Ruth in intense admiration. He coughed, and
cleared his throat twice before he could speak, then stretched his
hand across the flat-topped desk.
“Ruth Fielding,” he said, “you’re square!”
It was a great moment for Ruth with all these important men of the
motion-picture world paying her homage. As Tom looked at her and
realized that this was Ruth Fielding of the Red Mill, the girl he had
grown up with, his pride in her knew no bounds. He had a moment of
wondering how he had ever found the courage to ask a girl like this
to marry him and give up a profession in which she was making good so
royally. It would be too bad to waste her talent; even Tom realized
that.
But despite his good sportsmanship and his acknowledgment of Ruth’s
genius, Tom knew that this new work for Mr. Hammond that she had
just pledged herself to undertake would postpone their marriage
indefinitely. Despite the fact that he had tacitly given his consent,
Tom was sore at heart and found it a distinct effort to join in the
spirited conversation that then took place between Ruth and the
members of Mr. Hammond’s official staff.
“‘The Girl of Gold’ is a splendid story and we ought to make it
a still better photoplay,” Ruth was saying enthusiastically. “I
remember what spirited bidding there was at the time you bought the
right to film it, Mr. Hammond.”
“The bidding was both spirited and high,” said the producer ruefully.
“The film rights set me back about forty thousand dollars, Miss Ruth,
and it was that amount we stood to lose in case you were not in a
position at this time to help us out.”
“But I am,” said Ruth with her quick smile. “And I feel already like
the war horse that hears the bugle call! I suppose,” with a glance
toward Raymond Howell, the casting director, “you have an interesting
cast.”
“Well, we think so,” responded Howell, with enthusiasm. “If you are
quite willing, Miss Fielding, we were hoping to sign over Layton
Boardman for the lead. His contract with you has about run out,
hasn’t it?”
“I should lend him to you at all events,” responded Ruth, with a
smile. “I was about to suggest that he was exactly the type to play
Jimmy Drake.”
“There is another interesting feature.” Mr. Hammond leaned toward
Ruth with an anticipatory smile. “You remember Edith Lang, the
crippled actress?”
“Of course,” cried Ruth eagerly. “Is it possible you can use her?”
“Not only possible, but certain,” returned Mr. Hammond, smiling at
Ruth’s enthusiasm. “She is a type made to order for the part of the
crippled society woman in the play who eventually finds out that ‘The
Girl of Gold’ is none other than her own daughter.”
Ruth clapped her hands with enthusiasm.
“Fine! Fine!” she cried. “Those two alone, Boardman and Edith Lang,
are strong enough to carry the play on their own shoulders.”
“They won’t have to,” said Raymond Howell, with conviction. “When
you have a chance to look over our supporting cast, Miss Fielding, I
think you will agree with us that they don’t come any better.”
Ruth’s eyes were shining. Here was an adventure after her own heart.
Not only had she good actors to work with, but a fine vehicle
as well. The film version of “The Girl of Gold” was practically
predestined for success because of the wide popularity of the story
upon which it had been based. And with her own favorite leading man
in the part of Jimmy Drake, the hero of the play, and Edith Lang
playing the heavy emotional rôle, it seemed that the chances of
failure were so remote as to be scarcely considered.
Yet through all her exultation and excitement, Ruth felt a tiny ache
of conscience when she thought of Tom. He was being such a sport
about it—as indeed he had been all along. He could have made it so
hard for her to accept Mr. Hammond’s proposal if he had wanted to.
If he had been irritable or cranky about her work she would not have
minded putting him off so much. As it was——
She stole an anxious little side glance at him and was relieved to
see that he looked quite cheerful. He was speaking to Mr. Hammond
and his voice was cheerful too. Ruth could not have guessed what an
effort it was for Tom to make it so.
“Something has been said about almost everybody but the young lady
that plays the title rôle,” he was remarking with a humorous look.
“Doesn’t she count?”
“Not so much,” answered Mr. Hammond, smiling. “Her part is not nearly
so exacting as that of Boardman or Edith Lang, and we have two or
three stars quite capable of meeting the requirements. We are leaving
the selection to the discretion of our new director here,” turning
with a quizzical smile to Ruth. “I think you will all agree with me
that she has an unusual knack in the selection of leading ladies!”
Ruth knew he referred to her own part in the making of her last
picture when, upon the defection of her leading lady, Viola Callahan,
Ruth had stepped into the lead herself.
She flushed now and looked a bit self-conscious.
“The particular leading lady you have in mind was of your selection,”
she reminded him, and there was a general laugh.
In fact, everything was so pleasant and jolly that it was some time
before they came down to interesting and important details such as
the day on which the new director was to take charge, when they were
to start on location and so forth.
“You can’t start work too soon to suit us, Miss Ruth,” said Mr.
Hammond. “I presume you are both free to begin at once?” with a
glance toward Tom.
“The sooner the better,” the latter replied cheerfully, and Ruth
could have hugged him. That was so exactly the response she would
have made.
“Well, then we might as well get down to business.”
“I think we’ve been doing business already,” remarked Ruth.
“You know what I mean, Miss Ruth. About terms——”
“I’ll leave them entirely to you and Mr. Cameron,” answered the
girl promptly. “You know Mr. Cameron is the financial head of our
concern,” and Ruth gave Tom a smile that made his heart jump.
“Well, then, we’ll fix that end up in the morning,” said Mr. Hammond
to Tom. “Now as to the trip.”
Spreading a map between them on the flat-topped desk, Mr. Hammond
explained the route they would take, outlining the course of their
travels with a heavy blue pencil.
“Your first real stop will be at Seattle,” he pointed out. “The
picture must be filmed at various points along the Yukon River. I
have some pictures here of various locations that may appeal to you
and you can settle on some likely spots without taking the time and
trouble of scouting around on your own account.”
As Ruth accepted the pictures from Mr. Hammond and looked them over
with Tom, she registered a mental vow that in a short time and with
sufficient capital behind her, the Fielding Film Company would be run
with as much efficiency as the Alectrion Film Corporation or any of
the other larger producing concerns.
Take these photographs now! What an improvement that was on the
haphazard system of setting out personally to hunt up locations. What
a saving of time merely to have these pictures filed away where they
might be brought out at a moment’s notice for reference! Why, one
could choose locations enough for the filming of the entire picture
without actually moving from the room! However, Ruth thought it would
be possible to stop at just one of these points along the Yukon—a
small settlement, preferably—and with one such place as a base it
ought to be an easy matter to discover locations in the immediate
vicinity of the settlement that would satisfy the requirements of the
script.
“May we take these with us?” she asked, looking up from the
photographs. “Tom and I will want to look them over carefully——”
“Of course!” said Mr. Hammond heartily. “We and everything that’s
ours belong to you for the present, Miss Ruth.”
“Where do we meet the rest of the company?” Tom asked.
“They have been taking some of the interior scenes at Hollywood and
will meet you at Seattle. From there you can take a steamer that will
carry you to your various locations up the Yukon. Miss Ruth—what is
it——”
For Ruth had made a sudden dash for the door and was tugging at it
frantically.
“Some one,” she gasped, “is out there spying on us!”