CHAPTER XI
RUSS IS WORRIED
Alice was racking her brain to recall where she had seen the manbefore. If he was a plumber, as he said he was, it might be that hehad been in the apartment house on other occasions to repair breaks.But Alice was not certain.
"And yet I've seen him before, and lately, too," she thought. Thegirls was in the hall, now. The man, who seemed ill at ease, hadfollowed and stood near.
"The leak wasn't a bad one; it is repaired now," he said.
"I--I didn't know Mrs. Dalwood was out," faltered Alice. And then, asthe man turned to go down the stairs, like a flash it came to her whohe was.
"The man Russ had the trouble with that day--Simp Wolley--who triedto get his patent!" Alice almost spoke the words aloud.
"The--the leak is fixed," the man went on.
"You--you--" stammered Alice. But the man did not stay to hear, buthurried downstairs.
Alice burst in on her sister and father.
"Oh!" she exclaimed. "That man--he--he was in the Dalwood kitchen!"
"What man?" asked Mr. DeVere, starting forward.
"The one who was after Russ's patent! Quick, can't you get him?"
Mr. DeVere ran into the hall, but the man had gone. The Dalwoodkitchen door was still open, and a hasty look through the apartmentshowed none of the family could be at home.
"Could he have stolen the patent?" cried Alice, when the excitementhad quieted down.
"We can't tell until Russ comes home," replied her father. "I'llleave our door ajar, and we can hear if anyone goes into the Dalwoodrooms. As soon as some of them return we will tell them what hastaken place."
Alice helped herself to the needed salt, and the meal began, withpauses now and then to learn if there was any movement in the flatacross the hallway. Presently footsteps were heard, and proved to bethose of Russ himself.
"Plumber!" he exclaimed. "So he was masquerading as that; eh?" themoving picture operator exclaimed when Alice told him what hadoccurred. "You're right, he was after my patent," and a worried lookcame over his face.
"Did he get it?" asked Ruth, anxiously.
"No, for it isn't here. The model is at a machine shop on the EastSide, and several of the attachments are being made from it to betested."
"Then it's all right," declared Alice, in a tone of relief.
"Yes--and no," returned Russ. "It's all right, for the time being,but I don't like what has happened. Simp Wolley must be gettingdesperate to come here in broad daylight and rummage the house underthe pretense of being a plumber. It shows, too, that he must bewatching this place, or he wouldn't have known when I went out."
"Hadn't you better notify the police?" suggested Mr. DeVere.
"I'll think about it," agreed Russ. "Of course he hasn't really doneanything yet that they could arrest him for, unless coming into ourapartment without being invited is illegal, and he could wriggle outof a charge of that sort. No, I'll keep my eyes open. In a littlewhile, after I obtain my patent, and the attachment is on themarket, he can't bother me. But I don't mind admitting that I'mworried."
"Then sit down and have something to eat with us," urged Alice, andRuth, with a nod and a blush, seconded the request. "You'll be eatingsome of your own salt, anyhow," Alice suggested, in fun.
Russ lost a little of his apprehensive air as the meal progressed.Perhaps it was because Ruth sat opposite. Alice said as much to hersister afterward, when they were getting ready for bed.
"Don't be silly!" was Ruth's sole reply.
Mr. DeVere attended several rehearsals at the moving picture theaterand, one morning, said:
"Girls, how would you like to come and see me in my new role? We havea dress rehearsal to-day, so to speak, and we'll "film" the play, asthey call it, to-morrow."
"Oh, let's go, Ruth!" cried Alice, clapping her hands. "I know you'llenjoy it!"
"I'm sure I will," agreed Ruth. Her attitude toward the movies wasalso changing.
Together father and daughters went. It did Alice good to see how Mr.DeVere was welcomed by his fellow actors. He had already made himselffriendly with most of them.
As Alice and Ruth came into the big studio, where a battery ofcameras were clicking away, the two girls became aware of the lookscast at them by those not actually engaged in some scene. And, whilemost of the looks were friendly, those from two of the players werenot.
Miss Pennington and Miss Dixon, standing together at one side of asection of a log cabin, whispered to each other.
"Ah, Mr. DeVere!" called Mr. Pertell. "Glad you're here; we werewaiting for you."
"I hope I'm not late!" replied the actor, huskily, with a properregard for not delaying a rehearsal.
"Oh, no. You're ahead of time if anything, and I'm glad of it. We'llhave to set the smuggling play aside for a time. One of my men isn'there, and I can slip in your scenes now, and be that much ahead. Soif you'll get ready we'll go on with 'A Turn of the Card.'"
"Yes, Mr. Pertell--certainly. Let me present you to my daughters. Ibelieve you have met one."
"Yes--Miss Alice. I am glad to know the other one," and he bowed toRuth. Then he hurried away. Mr. Pertell always seemed to be in ahurry.
Mr. DeVere went to his dressing room to don the costume of thecharacter he was to represent--a wealthy banker--and Ruth and Alicegazed with interest at the various scenes going on about them.
While there were many persons connected with the Comet Film Company,there were certain principals who did most of the work. Among them,excepting Mr. DeVere, was Wellington Bunn, an old-time actor, who hadlong aspired to Hamlet, but who had given it up for the more certainincome of the movies. Then there was Mrs. Margaret Maguire (on thebills as Cora Ashleigh) who did "old women" parts, and did themexceedingly well. She had two grandchildren, Tommy and Nellie, whowere often cast for juvenile roles.
Carl Switzer was a joy to know. A German, with an accent that was"t'icker dan cheese," to use his own expression, he was a fund ofhappy philosophy under the most adverse circumstances. And on hisround face was always a smile. He did the "comic relief," when it wasneeded, which was often.
Exactly opposite him in character was Pepper Sneed, the "grouch" ofthe company. Nothing ever went the way Pepper wanted it to go, fromthe depiction of a play to the meals he ate. No wonder he haddyspepsia. He was always apprehensive of something going to happenand when it did--well, they used to say that Pepper was the original"I told you so!"
Pearl Pennington and Laura Dixon have already been mentioned. PaulArdite, who played opposite to Miss Dixon, was a good looking chap,with considerable ability. It was rumored that he and theingenue--but there, I am not supposed to tell secrets.
Had it not been for "Pop" Snooks, I am sure the Comet Film Companywould never have enjoyed the success it did. For Pop was the propertyman--the one of all work and little play. On him devolved the task ofmanufacturing at short notice anything from a castle to a policestation.
And the best part of it was that Pop could do it. He was ingenuityitself, and they tell the story yet of how, when on the theatricalcircuit, he made a queen's throne out of two cheese boxes and aboard, and a little later in the same play, made from the samematerials a very serviceable dog-cart.
As usual in the studio, several plays were going on at the sametime--or, rather, parts of plays.
"Come on now!" called Mr. Pertell, sharply. "Get ready for that saferobbery scene. Pop, where's that safe?"
"It's being used as part of the wall in the dungeon in that 'LordScatterwait' scene," answered the property man.
"Well, hustle it over here, and get something else for the dungeonwall. I need that safe."
"That's the way it goes!" grumbled Pop as he scurried about. But thatwas all the fault he found, and presently the hole in the dungeonwall, caused by the removal of the safe with a painted canvas on itto represent stones, was filled by some boards taken from a fenceused in a rural love drama.
"I say now, dot's not right!" spluttered Mr. Switzer, who as acountry boy
was making love to a country lass, (Miss Dixon). "Dot'snot right, Pop. You dake our fence avay, und vat I goin' t' lean onven I makes eyes at Miss Dixon? Ve got t' haf dot fence, yet!"
"I'll make you another in a minute!" cried Pop. "You don't go on forten minutes."
"Mine gracious! Vot a business!" exclaimed the German, his round faceshowing as much woe as he ever allowed it to depict. "Dot vos a finefence, mit der evening-glory vines trailing 'round mit it. Ach, yah!"
"Never mind," said Miss Dixon, "Pop will fix us up," and while shewas waiting she strolled over to where Paul Ardite was talking toAlice. Russ Dalwood had come in and had greeted Ruth and Alice, andthen, in response to an unseen gesture from Paul, had introduced him.Both girls liked the young fellow, who seemed quite interested inAlice.
"Are you going to play parts here?" asked Miss Dixon, with thefreemasonry of the theater, speaking without being introduced.
"Oh, no!" replied Ruth, quickly. "We just came to see my father."
"Maybe they think they're too good for the movies," sneered PearlPennington, but only Russ heard her, and he glanced at her sharply.
"All ready for 'A Turn of the Card' now!" called Mr. Pertell, as Mr.DeVere came out of his dressing room. "Is your camera all ready,Russ?" for Russ had obtained a place with the film company, and hadgiven up his position in the little moving picture theatre.
"All ready," was the answer. "I've got a thousand-foot reel in."
"Well, I don't want this particular scene to run more than eightyfeet. Got to save most of the film for the bigger scenes. Now, watchyourselves, ladies and gentlemen. This is going to be one of our bestyet, or I'm mistaken. Pop--where's Pop?"
"Here I am. What is it?"
"Get me a big armchair. I want Mr. DeVere to be sitting in that whenthe adventuress comes in. Miss Pennington, you're the adventuress,and I wish you'd look the part more."
"I'm doing the best I can."
"Well, fix your hair a little differently--a little more fluffy, youknow--I don't know what you call it."
"Oh, that's easily remedied," she laughed. "I'm ready now," and withdexterous use of a side-comb she produced the desired result.
"Got that chair, Pop?" called the manager.
"Yep. Just as soon as I fix that fence for the rural scene."
"Yah! Py gracious, ve got t' haf our fence or dot love scene mit derevening-glory flowers vill be terrible!" insisted Mr. Switzer.
"All ready, now!" Mr. Pertell said, as the chair was placed in whatwas to represent a parlor. Mr. DeVere took his seat, and the actionof the drama began. Ruth and Alice looked on with interest.