Part 7 (2/2)

”Keep away--get back, please!” cried Russ, as he saw his camera screened by the throng.

”You come along with me!” the officer kept insisting to Paul, dragging him along toward the doors of the station. ”Hi, Jim!” he called to a man in plain clothes, evidently a detective. ”Grab the other fellow; will you? I've got the pickpocket!” and he nodded to Mr. Bunn, who could not seem to understand that from a simulated robbery it had turned out to be a ”real” one.

”I tell you we're moving picture actors!” Paul cried. ”There has been no theft!”

”And you expect me to believe that!” sneered the policeman. ”You can't get away with that story.”

”Well, there's the man who is taking the pictures!” Paul went on, pointing to Russ, who, with a look of chagrin on his face, stood idle beside the camera. He did not want to take a film with this scene in it, for the whole plot of the story would have to be changed to make the policeman fit in.

”Yes, I see him,” agreed the officer, nodding at Russ, ”and I guess he's in the game with you. I'll take him into custody, too.”

”Yes, and you'll get yourself into a whole lot of trouble!” said Paul, vigorously. ”You're making a mistake!”

”I'll take that chance,” observed the officer, with evident disbelief.

”What's it all about?” asked the detective, sauntering up, while Alice and Ruth, rather alarmed at the turn of affairs, shrank back out of sight behind the crowd, that was increasing every second.

”Pickpocket!” spoke the policeman, laconically. ”I saw him rob that elderly gentleman,” and he pointed to Mr. Bunn. ”And then this fellow has the nerve to say he was only doing a moving picture stunt.”

”That's right, and he could see for himself, if he'd take the trouble to look,” retorted the young actor. ”There's our camera man over there,”

and he nodded toward Russ. The detective glanced in the same direction, and then a smile came over his somewhat shrewd face, as Russ nodded to him.

”h.e.l.lo, Dalwood!” exclaimed the detective. Then to the officer--”I guess he's right, Kelly, and you're wrong. I know that young fellow at the camera. He's been at headquarters once or twice helping our rogues'

gallery men when their cameras needed fixing.”

”Is--is that so?” faltered the officer, and his hold on Paul relaxed.

”That's right,” the detective went on. ”I guess you've sort of mixed things up, Kelly.”

”That's what he has,” said Russ. ”But if he'll let things go on, and keep this crowd back, I think we can still make the film.”

”Oh, I'll do that!” the policeman replied hastily, willing to make amends for the trouble he had caused. ”Then it wasn't a case of pocket picking at all?”

”No, we're making a moving picture film,” Paul explained. ”I took these papers--they're worthless, as you can see,” and he showed that the bundle he had extracted from Mr. Bunn's pocket consisted only of some circulars, and blank pieces of paper with imposing looking seals on. But on the film they would appear to be valuable doc.u.ments.

”Huh! That's a new one on me!” the officer exclaimed. ”Now, you people move back!” he cried, ”and give 'em a chance to take their pictures.

Move back there!”

Affairs had turned in the direction of our friends, and a little later Russ was able to complete the film, from the point where the policeman had stepped in and spoiled it. The small portion that was of no use, however, could be cut out when the film was developed, and the audiences would never be the wiser.

Again Paul went on with his acting from the point where he had been interrupted, and Ruth, Alice and Mr. Bunn did their share. Eventually the film was made.

”Something new every day!” laughed Paul, as they were coming away from the terminal. ”I wonder what will happen next?”

”As long as you don't have to go up in an airs.h.i.+p you'll be all right,”

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