A FUNNY FILM
For a moment Ruth remained thus, while, Alice, with flashing eyes, stood
looking at the door leading into the hall, as if anticipating the return
of that unpleasant visitor. Then Ruth lifted her head, and with a rosy
blush, and a shy look at Russ, disengaged her hand.
"I--I feel better now," she said.
"That's good," and he smiled. "I don't believe that fellow will come
back. I'll stay here. Is your father out?"
"Yes, and all on account of that horrid man," answered Alice. "Oh, it
was so good of you to come in Russ!"
"I happened to be coming here anyhow," he answered. "When I saw the door
open, and heard what was said, which I could not help doing, I did not
stand on ceremony."
"It was awfully good of you," murmured Ruth, who now seemed quite
herself again. "I suppose you heard what that man said?"
"Not all," he made reply. "It was something about money though, I
gathered. He was demanding it."
"Yes, and after father has already paid it," put in Alice. "That's where
daddy has gone now--to consult Mr. Pertell as to the best course of
action."
Between them, Ruth and Alice told about Dan Merley's claim, and the
injustice of it. Russ was duly sympathetic.
"If I were your father I would pay no attention to his demand," the
young moving picture operator said.
"But suppose he sues, as he threatened?" asked Ruth.
"Let him, and fight the case in court when it comes up. Merley may be
only 'bluffing', to use a common expression."
"But it annoys daddy almost as much as if the case were real, you see,"
said Ruth. "Won't you sit down, Russ? Excuse our impoliteness, but
really we've been quite upset."
"Thanks," he laughed as he took a chair. "You need cheering up. You come
to the studio to-morrow and forget your troubles in a good laugh."
"Why?" asked Alice. "Ruth and I are not down for any parts to-morrow."
"No, but Mr. Switzer is going to do some comic stunts, and Mr. Bunn and
Mr. Sneed are in them with him. There are to be some trick films, I
believe."
"Then we'll go," decided Alice. "I think a laugh would do me good."
Gradually the little fright wore off, and when Mr. DeVere returned
shortly afterward the girls were themselves again, under the happy
influence of Russ.
"What luck, Daddy?" asked Alice, as her father came in. He shook his
head, as she added: "Russ knows all about it," for she gathered that he
might not like to speak before the young man. "What did Mr. Pertell
say?"
"He advised me to wait until Merley made the next move, and then come
and see him again. He said he would then send me to the attorney for the
film company, who would handle my case without charge."
"How good of him!" cried Ruth, impulsively.
"Mr. Pertell gave daddy the same advice Russ gave us," added Alice. "Oh,
it was so good to have him here when that dreadful man came in," she
went on.
"What man?" asked Mr. DeVere, in surprise. "Was someone in here while I
was gone--those camera scoundrels, Russ?"
"No, it was Dan Merley himself!" exclaimed Ruth, "and he was so horrid,
Daddy!" There was a hint of tears in her voice.
"The impertinent scoundrel!" exclaimed Mr. DeVere, in the manner that
had won him such success on the stage. "I shall go to the police
and----"
"No, don't Daddy dear," begged Ruth laying a detaining hand on his arm,
as he turned to the door. "That would only make it more unpleasant for
us. We would have to go to court and testify, if you had him arrested.
And, besides, I don't know on what charge you could cause his arrest. He
really did nothing to us, except to hurt our feelings and scare us. But
I fancy Russ scared him in turn. Don't go to the police, Daddy."
"All right," he agreed. "But tell me all about it."
They did so, by turns, and Mr. DeVere's anger waxed hot against Merley
as he listened. But he realized that it was best to take no rash step,
much as he desired to. So he finally calmed down.
"If I could only prove that I had paid that money," he murmured, "all
would be well. I must make it a point, after this, to be more
business-like. It is like locking the stable door after the automobile
is gone, though, in this case," he added, with a whimsical smile.
Russ remained a little longer, and then took his leave. Ruth saw to it,
even getting up out of bed to do it, that the chain was on the hall
door. For she was in nervous doubt as to whether or not she had taken
that precaution. But she found the portal secure.
"That man might come back in the night," she thought. But she did not
confide her fear to Alice.
Morning revealed a new and wonderful scene. For in the night there had
been a heavy storm, and the ground of Central Park was white with snow.
A little rain had fallen, and then had frozen, and the trees were
encased in ice. Then as the sun shone brightly, it flashed as on
millions of diamonds, dazzling and glittering. Winter had come early,
and with more severity than usual in the vicinity of New York.
"Oh, how lovely!" cried Alice, as she looked out. "I must have a slide,
if I can find a place! Ruth, I'm going to wash your face!"
"Don't you dare!"
But Alice raised the window, and from the sill took a handful of snow.
She rushed over to her sister with it.
"Stop it! Stop it! Don't you dare!" screamed Ruth. Then she squealed as
she felt the cold snow on her cheeks.
"What's the matter with you girls in there?" called Mr. DeVere from his
apartment. "You seem merry enough."
"We are," answered Alice. "I've washed Ruth's face, and I'm going to
wash yours in a minute."
"Just as you like," he laughed. And then he sighed, for he recalled a
time when his girlish wife had once challenged him the same way, when
they were on their honeymoon. For Mrs. DeVere had been vivacious like
Alice, and the younger daughter was a constant reminder to her father of
his dead wife--a happy and yet a sad reminder.
Alice came rushing in with more snow, and there was a merry little scene
before breakfast. Then Mr. DeVere hurried to the film studio, for he was
to take part in several dramas that day.
"I know I'll be late," he said, "for the travel will be slow this
morning, on account of the snow. And I have to go part way by surface
car, as I have an errand on the way down town."
"We're coming down, also," Ruth informed him.
"Why, you're not in anything to-day," he remarked, pausing in the act of
putting on his overcoat. "You're not cast for anything until 'The Price
of Honor,' to-morrow."
"But we're going down, just the same," Alice laughed. "We want to see
some of the funny films."
"Come ahead then," invited Mr. DeVere. "Better use the subway all you
can. Even the elevated will have trouble with all this sleet. Good-bye,"
and he kissed them as he hurried out.
The girls made short shrift of the housework, and then left for the
place where the moving pictures were made.
As I have described in the first book of this series how moving pictures
are taken, I will not repeat it here, except to say that in a special
camera, made for the purpose, there is a long narrow strip of celluloid
film, of the same nature as in the ordinary camera. The pictures are
taken on this strip, at the rate of sixteen a second. Later this film is
developed, and from that "negative" a "positive" is made. This
"positive" is then run through a specially made projecting lantern which
magnifies the pictures for the screen.
As Alice and Ruth got out at the floor where most of the scenes were
made they heard laughter.
"Something's going on," remarked the younger girl.
"And it doesn't sound like Mr. Sneed, our cheerful 'grouch,' either,"
answered Ruth.
As they went in they saw Carl Switzer, the German comedian, climbing a
high step-ladder with a pail of paste in one hand, and a roll of wall
paper in the other. He was in a scene representing a room, which he was
to decorate.
"Is diss der right vay to do it?" Mr. Switzer asked, as he paused half
way up the ladder, and looked at Mr. Pertell.
"That's it. Now you've got the idea," replied the manager. "Begin over
again, and Russ, I guess you can begin to run the film now," for the
young moving picture operator was in readiness with his camera.
"You must tremble, and shake the ladder," advised the manager, who was
also, in this case, the stage director. "You want to register fear, you
see, because you are an amateur paper hanger."
"Yah. Dot's right. I know so leedle about der papering business alretty
yet dot I could write a big book on vot I don't know," confessed Mr.
Switzer.
"All ready now--tremble and shake!" ordered the manager.
The comic film that was being made was a reproduction of a scene often
played in vaudeville theaters, where an amateur paper hanger gets into
all sorts of ludicrous mishaps with a bucket of paste, rolls of paper
and the step ladder. It was not very new, but had not been done for
moving pictures before.
"Here I goes!" called Mr. Switzer. "I am shaking!"
"Good!" encouraged Mr. Pertell. "Now, Mr. Bunn, you come in, as the
owner of the house, to see if the paper hanger is doing his work
properly. You find he is not, for he is going to put the wrong sort of
paper on the ceiling. Then you try to show him yourself."
"Do I wear my tall hat?"
"Oh, yes, of course, and I think Mr. Switzer, you had better let----"
But the directions were never completed, for at that moment, in the
excess of his zeal, Mr. Switzer shook the step ladder to such good
effect that it toppled over and with him on it.
Down he came on top of Wellington Bunn, in all his dignity and the glory
of the tall hat, and paste flew all over, liberally spattering both
actors.