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THE MOVING PICTURE GIRLS SNOWBOUND
Or
The Proof on the Film
by
LAURA LEE HOPE
Author of "The Moving Picture Girls," "The Moving Picture
Girls at Oak Farm," "The Outdoor Girls
Series," "The Bobbsey Twins Series," Etc.
Illustrated
The World Syndicate Publishing Co.
Cleveland New York
Made in U.S.A.
Copyright, 1914, by
Grosset & Dunlap
Press of
The Commercial Bookbinding Co.
Cleveland
[Illustration: THE MOVING PICTURE RACE WAS ON.
_The Moving Girls Snowbound._--_Page_ 113.]
CONTENTS
CHAPTER PAGE
I TROUBLE 1
II AN UNPLEASANT VISITOR 10
III RUSS TO THE RESCUE 20
IV A FUNNY FILM 27
V A QUEER ACCIDENT 36
VI NEW PLANS 46
VII OFF TO THE WOODS 56
VIII A BREAKDOWN 63
IX THE BLIZZARD 73
X AT ELK LODGE 79
XI THROUGH THE ICE 89
XII THE CURIOUS DEER 99
XIII THE COASTING RACE 106
XIV ON SNOWSHOES 114
XV A TIMELY SHOT 124
XVI IN THE ICE CAVE 132
XVII THE RESCUE 139
XVIII SNOWBOUND 148
XIX ON SHORT RATIONS 158
XX THE THAW 166
XXI IN THE STORM 174
XXII THE THREE MEN 181
XXIII THE PLAN OF RUSS 191
XXIV THE PROOF ON THE FILM 199
XXV THE MOVING PICTURE 207
THE MOVING PICTURE GIRLS SNOWBOUND
CHAPTER I
TROUBLE
"Daddy is late; isn't he, Ruth?" asked Alice DeVere of her sister, as
she looked up from her sewing.
"A little," answered the girl addressed, a tall, fair maid, with deep
blue eyes, in the depths of which hidden meaning seemed to lie, awaiting
discovery by someone.
"A little!" exclaimed Alice, who was rather plump, and whose dark brown
hair and eyes were in pleasing contrast to her sister's fairness. "Why,
he's more than an hour late, and he's seldom that! He promised to be
back from the moving picture studio at four, and now it's after five."
"I know, dear, but you remember he said he had many things to talk over
with Mr. Pertell, and perhaps it has taken him longer than he
anticipated.
"Besides you know there are some new plans to be considered," went on
Ruth. "Mr. Pertell wants to get some different kinds of moving
pictures--snow scenes, I believe--and perhaps he has kept daddy to talk
about them. But why are you so impatient? Are you afraid something has
happened to him?"
"Gracious, no! What put that idea into your head?"
"Well, I didn't know whether you had noticed it or not, but poor daddy
hasn't been quite himself since we came back from Oak Farm. I am afraid
something is bothering him--or worrying him."
"Perhaps it is his voice, though it has seemed better of late."
"I think not," said Ruth, slowly, as she bent her head in a listening
attitude, for a step was coming along the hallway in the Fenmore
Apartment, where the DeVere girls and their father had their rather
limited quarters.
"That isn't he," said Ruth, with a little sigh of disappointment. "I
thought at first it was. No, I don't mean that it was his voice, Alice.
That really seems better since he so suddenly became hoarse, and had to
take up moving picture work instead of the legitimate drama he loves so
much. It is some other trouble, Alice."
"I hadn't noticed it, I confess. But I suppose you'll say that I'm so
flighty I never notice anything."
"I never called you flighty, dear. You are of a lively disposition,
that's all."
"And you are a wee bit too much the other way, sister mine!" And then,
to take any sting out of the words, Alice rose from her chair with a
bound, crossed the room in a rush, and flung her arms about her sister,
embracing her heartily and kissing her.
"Oh, Alice!" protested the other. "You are crushing me!"
"I'm a regular bear, I suppose. Hark, is that daddy?"
They both listened, but the footsteps died away as before.
"Why are you so anxious?"
"I want some money, sister mine, and daddy promised to bring my moving
picture salary up with him. I wanted to do a little shopping before the
stores close. But I'm afraid it's too late now," the girl added,
ruefully. "Daddy said he'd be here in plenty of time, and he never
disappointed me before."
"Oh, if that's all you're worrying about, I'll lend you some money."
"Will you, really? Then I'll get ready and go. There's that little
French shop just around the corner. They keep open after the others.
Madame Morey is so thrifty, and there was the sweetest shirt waist in
the window the other day. I hope it isn't gone! I'll get ready at once.
You be getting out the money, Ruth, dear. Is there anything I can get
for you? It's awfully kind of you. Shall I bring back anything for
supper?"
"Gracious, what a rattlebox you're getting to be, Alice," spoke Ruth,
soberly, as she laid aside her sewing and went to the bureau for her
pocketbook.
"That's half of life!" laughed the younger girl. "Quick, Ruth, I want to
get out and get back, and be here when daddy comes. I want to hear all
about the new plans for taking moving picture plays. Is that the money?
Thanks! I'm off!" and the girl fairly rushed down the hall of the
apartment. Ruth heard her call a greeting to Mrs. Dalwood, who lived
across the corridor--a cheery greeting, in her fresh, joyous voice.
"Dear little sister!" murmured Ruth, as she sat with folded hands,
looking off into space and meditating. "She enjoys life!"
And certainly Alice DeVere did. Not that Ruth did not also; but it was
in a different way. Alice was of a more lively disposition, and her
father said she reminded him every day more and more of her dead
mother. Ruth had an element of romanticism in her character, which
perhaps accounted for her dreaminess at times. In the work of acting and
posing for moving pictures, which was what the two girls, and their
father, a veteran actor, were engaged in, Ruth always played the
romantic parts, while nothing so rejoiced Alice as to have a hoydenish
part to enact.
Alice hastened along the streets, now covered with a film of newly
fallen snow. It was sifting down from a leaden sky, and the clouds had
added to the darkness which was already coming that November evening.
"Oh, it's good to be alive, such weather as this!" Alice exulted as she
hastened along, the crisp air and the exercise bringing to her cheeks a
deeper bloom. Her eyes shone, and there was so much of life and youth
and vitality in her that, as she hastened along through the falling
snow, which dusted itself on her furs, more than one passerby turned to
look at her in admiration. She was a "moving picture" in herself.
She lingered long in the quaint little French shop, there were so many
bargains in the way of lingerie. Alice looked at many longingly, and
turned some over more longingly, but she thought of her purse, and knew
it would not stand the strain to which she contemplated putting it.
"I'll just have to wait about the others, Madame," she said, with a
sigh. "I've really bought more now than I intended."
"I hope zat Mademoiselle will come often!" laughed the French woman.
Back through the streets, now covered with snow, hastened Alice,
tripping lightly, and now and then, when she thought no one was watching
her, she took a little run and slide, as in the days of her childhood.
Not that she was much more than a child still, being only a little over
fifteen. Ruth was two years her senior, but Ruth considered herself
quite "grown up."
"I wonder if daddy has come back yet?" Alice mused, as she hastened on
to the apartment. "That looks like Russ Dalwood ahead of me," she went
on, referring to the son of the neighbor across the hall. Russ "filmed,"
or made the moving pictures for the company by whom Mr. DeVere and his
daughters were engaged. "Yes, it is Russ!" the girl exclaimed. "He has
probably come right from the studio, and he'll know about daddy. Russ!
Russ!" she called, as she came nearer to the young man.
He turned, and a welcoming smile lighted his face.
"Oh, hello, Alice!" he greeted, genially. "Where's Ruth?"
"Just for that I shan't tell you! Don't you want to walk with _me_?" she
asked, archly. "Why must you always ask for Ruth when I meet you alone?"
"I didn't! I mean--I--er----"
"Oh, don't try to make it any worse!" she laughed at his discomfiture.
"Let it go at that! Did you just come from the studio?"
"Yes, and we had a hard day of it. I forget how many thousand feet of
film I reeled off."
"Was my father there?"
"Yes, he was with Mr. Pertell when I came out."
"I wonder what makes him so late?"
"Oh, there's a rush of work on. But I think he'll be along soon, for I
heard Mr. Pertell say he wouldn't keep him five minutes."
"That's good. Oh, dear! Isn't it slippery!" she cried, as she barely
saved herself from falling.
"Take my arm," invited Russ.
"Thanks, I will. I came out in a hurry to do a little shopping. Ruth is
at home. There, I told you after all. I'm of a forgiving spirit, you
see."
"I see," he laughed.
They stepped along lightly together, laughing and talking, for Russ was
almost like a brother to the DeVere girls, though the two families had
only known each other since both had come to the Fenmore Apartment,
about a year before.
"Did they film any big plays to-day?" asked Alice. "I know Mr. Pertell
said he wouldn't need Ruth and myself, so of course they didn't do
anything really good. Not at all conceited; am I?" she asked, with a
rippling laugh.
"Well, you're right this time--there wasn't much of importance doing,"
Russ replied. "Miss Pennington and Miss Dixon had some pretty good
parts, but the stuff was mostly comic to-day."
"That suited Mr. Switzer, then. I think he is the nicest German comedian
I ever knew, and I met quite a number when father was appearing in real
plays."
"Yes, Switzer is a good sort. But you should have seen Mr. Sneed
to-day!"
"Found fault with everything; eh?"
"I should say so, and then some, as the boys say. He said something was
sure to happen before the day was over, and it did--a stone wall fell on
him."
"Really?"
"Really, but not real stone. It was one of Pop Snooks's scenic
creations. One of the pieces of wood hit Mr. Sneed on the head, so
something happened. And what a fuss he made! He's the real grouch of
the company, all right. Well, here we are!" and the young man guided his
companion into the hallway of the Fenmore.
"See you again!" called Alice, as she went into her door and Russ into
his.
"Is that you, Alice?" called Ruth, from an inner room.
"Yes, dear. Has daddy come home?"
"Not yet. I wonder if we'd better telephone?"
"No, I just met Russ, and he said daddy would be right along. He's
planning something with Mr. Pertell."
The table was nearly prepared when a step was heard in the hall.
"There he is now!" cried Alice, as she flew to open the door before her
father could get out his key. But as he entered, and Alice reached up to
kiss him, she cried out in amazement at the look on his face.
"Why, Daddy! Has anything happened?" she asked.
"Yes," he said in his hoarse voice--a hoarseness caused by a throat
affection. "Yes, something has happened, or is going to. I'm in serious
trouble!"