CHAPTER XVI
THE MOVING PICTURE
When the two Rover boys arrived at the railroad station at Oak Run,they were a little surprised to find themselves once more confrontedby the moving picture people they had met on the river.
"Hello! So you are following us up, are you?" said the man who hadhandled the gun. But he smiled as he spoke, because he saw that theboys carried dresssuit cases and were equipped for traveling.
"Have you taken your picture of the railroad station yet?" questionedTom.
"We've had one scene in front of the ticket office," returned the man."But our main scene we shall pull off when the train comes in--orrather, when it pulls out."
"Perhaps you'll want us in it, after all," broke in Sam.
"See here! If you fellows want to get in this picture, just say so andI guess I can arrange it," said the man who had handled the megaphonein the scene on the river, and who was, evidently, the director of thecompany.
"That depends on what you want us to do," declared Tom.
"Oh, you won't have much to do. You see, it's like this," went on themanager. "This man who did the shooting wants to escape. He runs up tothe railroad station here and buys his ticket--we have that part ofit already. Then he is supposed to be in hiding behind yonderfreighthouse. When the train comes in, he waits for all otherpassengers to get on board, then, as the train pulls out, he rushesforward and catches on the last car. At the same time one of the otherfellows rushes out as if to catch him, but he is too late. Now, if youwant to get into the scene, you get on the train just before shestarts and stand on the back platform."
"Let's do it, Tom; it will be quite a lark!" exclaimed Sam.
"I'm willing," answered his brother; and so the matter was arranged.Then the boys hurried into the ticket office, to get their tickets toNew York.
In the office they found old man Ricks, the station agent, grumblingto himself.
"Wot ye want?" he demanded, sourly, as he looked at the Rovers.
"Two tickets to New York, Mr. Ricks," returned Tom. "What's thematter?"
"Wot's the matter, huh? A whole lot, I should say!" declared oldRicks, as he began to make out the tickets. "A lot o' them movin'picter fellers been in here cuttin' up like mad."
"What did they do?" asked Sam, curiously.
"Huh! what didn't they do?" retorted the station master. "Come inhere, an' knocked over a box an' a basket, rushed up to the winder,an' the next thing I knew, he had planked down a lot o' money, an'when I stuck my head out the winder here, that feller pretended tograb up a ticket wot I didn't give him at all, an' took up his moneyand dusted out the door. At the same time while this was goin' on,'nother feller had a light turned on this here winder wot nearlyblinded me, and the feller with that funny lookin' camera wasa-turnin' the crank to beat the cars!"
"They were only taking a moving picture, Mr. Ricks," declared Sam."You shouldn't object to that."
"Huh! I ain't hired by the railroad company to get in no movin'picter," growled the station master. "I'm here to 'tend to therailroad business, and nothin' else."
"Never mind, Mr. Ricks, if they've got you in the picture you ought tobe proud of it," declared Tom. "Think of the millions and millions ofpeople all over the world who will be looking at you when they visitthe moving picture theaters."
"Huh! I ain't no movin' picter actor, I ain't," snorted old Ricks."I'm a decent, respectable member o' this community, an' I'm a churchmember, too. I ain't got no use for them movin' picter shows. It's awaste o' good money, that's jest wot it is," and then Ricks shuffledoff to attend to some baggage that had come in.
With their tickets in their pockets, the two Rover boys rejoined themoving picture company on the railroad platform. They were quiteinterested in watching the camera man set up his machine, and askedhim several questions regarding its operation. Then they heard awell-known whistle down the track, and knew that their train wascoming.
"All ready, there!" cried the manager of the moving picture company."Now, don't make a fizzle of it, Jake."
"I won't, unless the train pulls out too quickly," returned Jake. "Iam not going to get killed, though."
"Well, you've got to take some chances in this business," said themanager, coolly.
There were six or eight passengers getting off the train, and about anequal number to board the cars. As they had been instructed, the Roverboys got on the rear platform of the last car, and stood in thedoorway looking back on the tracks. Tom pretended that he was wavinghis hand to somebody in the distance.
As the train began to move, and while the camera man was taking thepicture, one of the actors, as agreed, rushed across the platform andgot hold of the rail of the last step. Then, as he pretended to havehard work to pull himself up, the second actor came running down theplatform, shaking his fist at the man who was escaping. Then the trainpassed out of sight around the bend, and the little moving picturescene came to an end.
"Well, I'm glad that's over," declared he actor, as he followed theboys into the car. "I never like the scenes where I am in danger ofgetting hurt."
"You certainly must have a strenuous time of it," declared Sam; andthen he added quickly: "Are you going to New York with us?"
"Oh, no. I'm to get off at the first station and take another trainback to Oak Run. The crowd will wait for me. We have some scenes to doat a farmhouse." And then, as he had a ride of ten minutes, the movingpicture man told the boys of some things which had happened to himduring his career as a movies' actor.
"How soon do you think they will show that picture?" asked Sam, whenthe man prepared to leave the train.
"In a week or two," was the answer. "I don't know the exact date forthe release;" and then the man said good-bye and left them.
"Do you know, if I didn't have anything else to do, I wouldn't mindgoing into the moving picture business," remarked Tom, as the trainrushed onward. "It must be lots of fun to be in the different scenes."
"Perhaps so, Tom. At the same time, those fellows must put up with agreat number of inconveniences. Think of plunging into the water whenit is cold, or into a burning building when the thermometer is over ahundred in the shade."
"Oh, I know that, and, come to think of it, I was reading onlyyesterday about a movies' actor who, in a war scene taken out on theHackensack meadows, fell into a trench, and broke an arm and also aleg. Just the same, I wouldn't mind trying it."
"Maybe you'll get a chance some day."
On and on went the train, and, with little else to do, the boysdiscussed the situations at home and in the city.
"One thing is sure, Tom," said the youngest Rover, earnestly. "Nomatter what happens in New York, we mustn't let father know about it.I think the worry is worse for him than anything else."
"Oh, I agree on that. Even if we lose a lot of money, he must not knowone word about it."
"Do you think we'll lose any money?"
"I don't know what to think. One thing is sure, something very muchout of the way has happened, or Dick wouldn't have sent thattelegram."
"Perhaps Pelter, Japson & Company haven't been as honest as theypromised to be. Maybe they are holding back some of the securitiesthat belong to dad."
"That may be so, too. At the same time, you must remember thatSongbird's uncle is our attorney, and I don't think Mr. Powell wouldlet them get away with very much. You'll remember what Dick wrote sometime ago, that he had taken the office fixtures for part of the debt.That would seem to indicate that he had gotten everything from thefirm that he could lay his hands on."
"I wonder if we'll ever meet that Barton Pelter again."
"Perhaps, although if he is a nephew of Jesse Pelter, it is more thanlikely he will keep out of sight, thinking that a meeting between uswould be very unpleasant."
At one of the stops a dining car was attached to the train, and, asthe boys were hungry, they lost no time in going in for the eveningmeal.
"Say, Tom, look there," whispered Sam, during the course of therepast, and, with
a look from his eye, he indicated a man sitting onthe other side of the car. The fellow was a tall, surly individual,plainly dressed. His face was somewhat flushed, as if he had beendrinking.
"Why, that's the head gardener at Hope!" said Tom. "It is queer thathe should be on this train, Sam!"
"If you'll remember, he lost his job at the seminary."
"He did? I didn't hear anything of that."
"Oh, yes, Grace told me about it. He was a splendid gardener, butevery once in a while he would drink too much, and then get into aquarrel with the other help, so they had to let him go."
"It's a shame that such fellows can't leave drink alone," was Tom'scomment.
The man had settled himself, and ordered quite an elaborate dinner. Hewas in the midst of eating, with the Rover boys paying littleattention to him, when he happened to glance at them. He straightenedup and stared in astonishment, and then looked decidedlyuncomfortable.
"He's looking at us, Tom," whispered Sam.
"Well, let him look if he wants to. It doesn't cost anything," was thereply. And then Tom turned his head squarely, and stared at the formerseminary gardener. Immediately, the man dropped his eyes, and went onwith his meal. He soon finished, and, paying his bill, left the diningcar in a hurry.
"That's a queer way to do," was Sam's comment. "He acted as if hedidn't want us to see him."
"Maybe he is ashamed of himself for having lost his position,"returned the brother. "Anyway, it's none of our business." And therethe talk came to an end.