CHAPTER X
A SMELL OF SMOKE
The discovery of the face and figure of the old man whom Ruth had oncemet and spoken with on the island thrust out of the undergrowth andshowing through a good part of the length of film that had been made thatfirst day, caused a good deal of disturbance. The King of the Pipes, ashe had called himself, was entirely "out of the picture." Hisrepresentation on the celluloid could not be removed. And he had been infocus for so many feet of the film that it was utterly impossible to cutit, and thus save the picture.
"It is a wretched piece of business," Mr. Hammond said to Ruth, as theycame from the projection room after seeing the reel run off again andagain. "The entire scene will have to be made over. And, aside from thatirremediable fault, I consider the work remarkably good. Mr. Hooley maynever again be able to get it so good."
Ruth and Helen had told him about the old crazy man--a hermit,perhaps--and Mr. Hammond had given instructions that before the retakingof the scene was tried the island should be searched for the King of thePipes.
"Whoever, or whatever, he is," the producer said, "he's got to be lookedafter while we are making this picture. He is likely to burst mostunexpectedly into any of the outdoor scenes, and on any location, andbreak up the show. This is going to cost money, Miss Ruth."
"I know it, Mr. Hammond. But it never crossed my mind that it was on thatvery island I had my meeting with the man."
"When Hooley tries to shoot the picture again we must send somebody upinto that island to watch for the old fellow. He'd better be underconfinement, anyway, if he's crazy."
"The poor old thing." Ruth sighed. "I don't think he means any harm--"
"He's harmed us all right," grumbled the president of the Alectrion FilmCorporation. "I tell you, a day's work like this--with such salaries aswe pay, and supplies and all--mounts into real money."
"Oh," said Ruth, "some of the film can be saved. All that until theFrenchmen land--"
"We won't dare risk it. In a costume story like this somebody is sure toget his dress, or armor, or something, different next time from what itwas to-day. And if we try to save any part of this piece of film thechange will show up in the finished picture. Every critical spectatorwill see the break and will comment upon it. Might as well make up ourminds to take the loss; but we must be sure that a similar accident doesnot occur again."
"Will Mr. Hooley risk taking the scene over on that island?" asked Ruththoughtfully.
"Why not? It is a fine location--couldn't be beat. We've got to shoo thatold man out of it, that's all."
The girl had an idea that if she could meet the queer old man again shemight be able to convince him that some other island would serve quite aswell for his "kingdom" as that particular isle. At any rate, she hatedthe thought of his being abused or roughly treated.
Soon after the fiasco in the projection room, Tom Cameron arrived bymotor-boat from the town across the bay. Now, Ruth was secretly very gladto see Tom. She always would be glad to see his sunny face, no matter howor when. But she could not approve of his being here at the ThousandIslands at this particular time.
Tom had grown up to be one of those young men who do not know what theywant to do in life, and the reaction from the strain of his military lifehad, as was natural, intensified this tendency to drift. After the timethat he had determined to be a soldier, then to go West and hunt Indiansand grizzly bears, and then shifted to the desire to be a pirate or apoliceman, Tom Cameron had really expressed very little taste for anycommercial pursuit.
He had made his mark in his preparatory school and college in severallines of athletics. But a boy in his position would scarcely become aprofessional baseball player or pull an oar for a living. To tell thetruth, Tom had never shown much aptitude for his father's business. Drygoods did not interest him.
Yet when he had come home after the armistice Ruth thought he was goingto buckle right down to business with Mr. Cameron's firm. There seemed tobe a super-abundant supply of energy in Tom that had to be worked off.And Ruth thought it would be worked off properly under the yoke ofbusiness. Besides, Mr. Cameron was getting no younger, and he ought tohave the support of his only son in business affairs.
But the last winter, since Ruth and the Cameron twins had returned fromthe Northwest, things had not gone with Tom quite as the girl of the RedMill would have chosen.
Yet she felt that it was not really her business to interfere. Indeed,she did not purpose to interfere. If she undertook to advise Tom it wouldplease him only too well--that she knew, of course.
For Tom considered Ruth quite as much his property as Helen--only in aslightly different way. And if Ruth showed in any manner that sheconsidered Tom her property--well, it would be all off, to use one ofHelen's favorite expressions.
There was no engagement between Ruth and Tom--not even a tacitlyrecognized one. In times of stress and need Tom had proved himself to bea very good friend indeed, and Ruth fully appreciated this. But duringthis past winter he had been somewhat spoiled--or so the girl thought.
In the first place, Helen was determined to make a hero of her handsomebrother. Captain Cameron was pushed to the fore by his sister in everypossible way and manner. Helen had many gay friends in New York--she hadmet them through the Stones, for Helen had often been with Jennie whenRuth was elsewhere and more seriously engaged.
Naturally Tom had been one with his sister in gay parties, dances,theater groups, supper crowds, and all the rest. Business had gone by theboard with Tom; and before Ruth realized it the young returned soldierhad lapsed into a butterfly existence that busy Ruth did not approve.Especially, did she believe, was such an aimless life bad for TomCameron.
She met him in the living room of the bungalow, however, with her usualwarmth; perhaps "lack of warmth" would be the better expression. Foralthough Ruth was always quietly cordial with most people, she was never"hail fellow, well met" with anybody, unless it was her own, dear, oldgirl friends of Briarwood Hall.
She resisted, however, making any criticism upon Tom's presence in themoving picture camp. Everybody in the house--and there were severalmembers of the company there besides Mr. Hammond and the director--greetedTom Cameron cordially. He was a favorite with them all.
And the minute Totantora heard of Tom's arrival, the Osage chief appearedat the door, standing with glittering eyes fixed on the ex-captain andunmoved expression of countenance while he waited to catch Tom'sattention.
"Bless my heart!" cried the rollicking Tom, "here's my old buddy!Totantora, how are you?"
They shook hands, the Indian gravely but with an expression in his eyesthat revealed a more than ordinary affection for the young white man. InFrance and along the Rhine Totantora, the Osage chief, had become thesworn follower of the drygoods merchant's son--a situation to causeremark, if not wonder.
Tom had learned a few words of the Osage tongue and could understand someof Totantora's gutturals. What the chief said seemed at one point torefer to Ruth, who, quite unconscious, was talking with Mr. Hammondacross the room. Tom glanced at Ruth's back and shook his head slightly.But he made no audible comment upon what the Indian said.
He did not, indeed, see much of Ruth that night; but in one moment ofprivacy she said to Tom:
"Do you want to make an early morning excursion--before Lazybones Helenis roused from her rosy slumbers?"
"Bet you!" was Tom's boyish reply.
"Six o'clock, then, at the dock. If you are there first rouse out Willie,the boatman, and offer him a five dollar bill from me to take us throughthe islands in the _Gem_. That's his boat."
"I'll find him to-night and make sure," said Tom promptly.
"You are a faithful servitor," laughed Ruth, and left him before Tomcould take any advantage of her kindness.
The appointment was kept to the letter and minute in the morning. Helenwas still asleep when Ruth dressed and stole out of the bungalow. Notmany of the people on the island, save the cooks and dining-roomemployees, were astir. But Tom and the b
oatman--and the _Gem_--were atthe dock in readiness.
Ruth gave Willie his instructions. He was to make a landing at the farend of the island on which the picture had been taken the day before. Itwas too early for any of Mr. Hooley's men to be over there looking forthe old man whose face had spoiled several hundred feet of good film.Ruth wished, if possible, to first interview the strange man.
She took Tom into her confidence at once about the King of the Pipes. Shedid not believe the man was so crazy that he ought to be shut up in anasylum. He was merely "queer." And if they could get him off the islandand out of the way while the picture was being shot, he might then goback to his hermit life and play at being king all he wished to.
"What a lark!" exclaimed Tom, looking at the matter a good deal as histwin sister did. "And you are constantly falling in with queercharacters, Ruth."
"You might better say they are falling in with me, for I am sure I do notintentionally hunt them up," complained Ruth. "And this poor old man hascost us money enough."
"It is too bad," was Tom's comment.
"Worse than that, perhaps Mr. Hooley will never again get as fine anallegorical picture as he did yesterday. They were all in the spirit ofthe piece when the shot was made."
They arrived at the sloping stone beach and landed as Ruth and the girlshad before disembarked. Ruth led Tom up the rough path into the woodsbeyond the table-rock. The trees stood thick, and the bushes were thorny,but they pushed through to an open space surrounding an old, gnarled,lightning-riven beech. The top of this monarch of the ancient forest hadbeen broken off and the line of its rotted trunk and branches could bemarked amid the undergrowth. But the staff of it stood at least thirtyfeet in height.
"What a spread of shade it must have given in its day," said Tom. "Allthese other tall trees have grown up since the top broke off."
"Quite so," agreed Ruth. "But where do you suppose that queer old man hashis camp?"
They looked all about the island, coming back at last to the riven beech.But they found no mark of human occupancy on the island.
"I smell wood smoke, just the same," Tom declared, sniffing the air."There is a fire somewhere near."
They saw no smoke, however, nor did they find any cavity in the rocksthat seemed to have been occupied by man or used as the rudest kind ofcamp.
"Maybe he doesn't live on this island after all," said Tom. "He could getto half a dozen other islands from here in a light canoe. Or even on araft."
"He spoke as though he considered this particular island his kingdom,"rejoined Ruth. "This was the only place he warned me away from--not fromthe islands in general. I don't understand it at all, Tom. And I don'twant the men to be unkind to him."
"Well, it looks to me," observed her friend, "that if we cannot find him,they will be unable to find him as well. So I wouldn't worry, Ruth."
But the girl went back to the Gem and sailed again to the headquarters ofthe moving picture company not at all satisfied as to the result of theirundertaking.