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THE MOVING PICTURE GIRLS AT SEA
Or
A Pictured Shipwreck That Became Real
by
LAURA LEE HOPE
Author of "The Moving Picture Girls," "The Moving Picture
Girls at Rocky Ranch," "The Outdoor Girls Series," "The
Bobbsey Twins Series," Etc.
Illustrated
[Illustration: RUSS BEGAN TAKING MANY VIEWS OF THE PITCHING, TOSSING
SCHOONER.--_Page 157._]
The World Syndicate Publishing Co.
Cleveland, O. New York, N. Y.
Copyright, 1915, by
Grosset & Dunlap
Printed in the United States of America
by
The Commercial Bookbinding Co. Cleveland, O.
CONTENTS
CHAPTER PAGE
I THE GREAT MARINE FILM 1
II JACK JEPSON 10
III SOMETHING OF A MYSTERY 21
IV THE SAILOR'S STORY 28
V THE MARY ELLEN 36
VI CAPTAIN BRISCO 45
VII JEPSON IS WORRIED 53
VIII HARD WORK 60
IX THE RISING TIDE 68
X TOO MUCH REALISM 76
XI A REVISED FILM 87
XII OVERHEARD 94
XIII "ALL ABOARD!" 104
XIV OVERBOARD 114
XV "SAIL HO!" 123
XVI THE ACCUSATION 133
XVII THE STORM 141
XVIII GRINDING AWAY 149
XIX DISABLED 158
XX IN THE VORTEX 165
XXI WRECKED 172
XXII "MUTINY!" 182
XXIII HELP AT LAST 188
XXIV A SIGNAL OF DISTRESS 200
XXV CLEAR SKIES 206
CHAPTER I
THE GREAT MARINE FILM
"Well, at last a breathing period, Ruth. Oh, I am surely tired!" and the
girl threw herself on the couch, without stopping to remove her light
jacket and hat. Her head sank wearily on a cushion.
"Oh, Alice! Be careful! Look out!" exclaimed the other occupant of the
pleasant little room, a room made habitable by the articles of tasteful
adornment in it, rather than by the location of the apartment, or the
place itself. There was a "homey" air about it.
"I'm too tired to look out, or even look in," was the answer, as the
younger girl closed her eyes. Truly she seemed much "fagged," and worn
out.
"But, Alice, dear--your hat!"
"It doesn't matter, Ruth. Please let me rest. I thought we'd never get
home."
"But it isn't your old hat, Alice, and----"
"It's an old hat from now on!" broke in the younger girl, not opening
her eyes. "It's spoiled anyhow. Some of the water from that parlor
scene, where Mr. Bunn upset the globe of gold fish, splashed on it, and
the spots never will come out."
"Oh, Alice, is your hat spoiled?"
"It doesn't matter. Mr. Pertell is going to buy me a new one. He said it
was up to the company to do that, especially as I did so well in that
burning room scene the other day. There!" and the girl on the couch
raised her small fist and plumped it full on the crown of the chic
little toque she was wearing.
"Alice DeVere!" cried her sister, aghast.
"Ruth DeVere--Lady Clarissa--Señorita Alamondi! Whatever you like, only
let me--alone! I've posed and acted and otherwise contorted myself
before at least five thousand feet of film today, and I'm not going to
be disturbed now, just for the sake of a hat that is as good as paid for
anyhow, so 'please go 'way and let me sleep,'" and Alice murmured the
chorus of a once popular song.
Ruth sighed. Somehow, looking at her gentle and refined face, one
understood that a sigh, from her, was the only possible answer under the
circumstances. Not that the girl on the couch, with closed eyes, was
unrefined. But there was a wholesome air of good health about her that
caused one to think of a "jolly good fellow," rather than a girl who
needed to be helped on and off trolley cars.
"You _are_ tired," commented Ruth, after a pause. "Shall I make you a
cup of tea, dear? Or we could go over to Mrs. Dalton's, if you like. You
know she told us always to come in when we came from the theatre, and
have tea."
"No, dear, thank you. It's awfully good of you to offer, but I don't
want you to trouble. I'll be all right in a few minutes. I just want to
rest."
"It was a tiresome day; wasn't it, dear?"
"I should say so, 'and then--some,' as Russ would say."
"You shouldn't quote Russ when he uses slang," was the older girl's
rebuke.
"Can't help it, Ruth. That just seemed to fit. But you can't feel so
very rested yourself. You had some heavy parts today."
"Oh, I don't mind. I really was in love with that role of Lady Clarissa.
I always did like English plays, anyhow."
"Well, we are getting more than our share of them this season. I wish
Mr. Pertell would swing to a good American drama again. Say, didn't we
have fun at Rocky Ranch?" and as she asked this some of the weariness
seemed to slip off Alice as a discarded garment is let fall. She sat up,
her eyes flashing with fun, and her cheeks that had been pale were now
suffused with a heightened color.
"Yes, we did have fun," assented Ruth. "But it was hard work,
too,--especially when that prairie fire came a little too close for
comfort."
"That _was_ rather scary," assented Alice. "But it was outdoors, and
that was what I love. Oh, I can just smell that wonderful air yet!" and
she breathed in a long breath. A look of annoyance passed over her face,
and she made a gesture of disapproval, "wrinkling" her nose.
"They're having corned beef and cabbage again downstairs," she said,
pointing to the apartment below them.
"Well, they have a right to it," Ruth said, with a tolerant smile.
"Not when daddy hates it so," disagreed Alice. "Come on, let's make a
cup of tea. And is there any cheese?"
"Cheese?"
"Yes," the younger girl went on. "I'm going to make a Welsh rarebit.
Daddy just adores them, and the smell of the toast will take away the
odor of that cabbage. Is there any cheese?"
"I think so. But I thought you were tired."
"I was, but I guess thinking of the moving picture days at Rocky Ranch
acted as a tonic. I'm rested now. There!"
She tossed the hat, which she had so mistreated, on a chair, slipped off
her jacket and started for the kitchen.
"I _think_ there is some cheese," went on Ruth, following her younger
sister. "But don't make the rarebit as you did last time. It was so
tough that Russ said it would do very well to half sole his rubber
boots."
"That was because I put the milk in too suddenly. I won't do it that way
this time. Come on, we'll get up a nice little tea for daddy. He's sure
to be tired also. They had to film that big scene of the accusation over
three times before Mr. Pertell was satisfied."
"Is that so? I didn't know that, I was so busy with that English play.
Then father will be late."
"A little. He said he'd follow us in about an hour, though. So we'll
just about have it ready in time. Did Russ come out with you?"
"No," and though she uttered but this simple word the cheeks of Ruth
took on a more ruddy hue.
"I saw Pearl waiting for him," went on Alice. "But----"
"You did?" cried Ruth, and then she added quickly: "Oh, I mean I suppose
he had to go with her to film that scene in Central Park, near the
lion's cage."
"Don't get jealous now," teased Alice. "I said Pearl waited for him,
but, she is--still waiting, I guess."
"What do you mean?"
Ruth tried to appear indifferent, but it was not an unqualified success.
"I mean that Russ got one of the other camera men to take his place, and
go out with Miss Pennington," said Alice with a laugh as she began
cutting the bread in thin slices for toast.
"But Russ--"
"He went up town. He told me to tell you he thought he could get that
book you spoke of."
"Oh, I didn't want him to go to all _that_ trouble!" remonstrated Ruth,
looking at her sister, and then suddenly averting her gaze.
"Guess he doesn't call much _trouble_ where _you_ are concerned," said
Alice significantly, cutting up some chunks of cheese which she put in a
double boiler with some lumps of butter. "He said if you wanted a book
to give you some of the details of the country, where that English play
was supposed to take place, you were going to have it."
"It's awfully good of him," murmured Ruth. "I just casually mentioned
that I'd like to know something about the people of that section, and he
offered to get a book he had once heard of. But I didn't want him to
make such a fuss over it."
"La-la-la!" chanted Alice, about nothing in particular.
The girls busied themselves getting tea. The kettle was soon singing on
the gas stove, the crisp odor of toast had replaced the heavier one of
cabbage, and the rarebit was almost ready to serve, when a step was
heard out in the hall of the apartment house where the DeVere family had
their New York home.
"There's daddy!" exclaimed Alice.
"And just in time," added Ruth, as she poured the boiling water on the
tea, adding to the fragrant food perfumes that now filled the apartment.
The key clicked in the lock, the door opened, and a rather imposing
figure of a man entered, laying aside his hat and light overcoat, for
the Spring day was a bit chilly.
"Hello, Daddy!" called Alice, putting up her face to be kissed, as she
came in from the kitchen with a plate of delicately browned toast.
"You're just in time. And it's such a _lovely_ rarebit!"
"That's good, my dear."
"Oh, Father, how hoarse you are!" cried Ruth. "Is your throat bad
again?"
"Well, this harbor dampness isn't just the best medicine for it. But I
shall spray it, and it will be better."
He sank somewhat wearily into a chair as he spoke, and Ruth glided over
to him.
"Daddy," she said, "you look worried. Has anything happened? Is anything
wrong at the moving picture studio?"
"No, nothing wrong, but--"
It was evident that something out of the usual had occurred. Even
light-hearted Alice sensed it.
"What is it?" she asked.
"Oh, nothing so much," her father said in weary tones. "I suppose I
shouldn't make such a fuss over it. But Mr. Pertell has finally decided
to film the great marine drama, and that means we shall have to go out
on the water, more or less. And with my sore throat that isn't just the
best thing in the world for me."
"A marine drama!" cried Alice. "Oh, I shall just love _that_!"
A look of worry still clouded Mr. DeVere's face.
"Father, there is something else," insisted Ruth. "You haven't told us
all about this sea film."
"No, I--I haven't," he said. "And, to tell the truth, I'd rather we
weren't going to be in that marine drama."