Part 13 (1/2)

He and his men rushed toward the pursuing ”villains,” got right in the way of the camera, and proceeded to attack those whom they thought were guilty of some crime.

”There it goes!” cried Mr. Pertell. ”The picture is spoiled! It will have to be all done over again.”

In obedience to a gesture of despair from the manager, Russ ceased grinding at the crank of the camera.

”That's enough! Stop!” called Mr. Pertell, and Ruth, Alice and the others who were making strenuous efforts (seemingly) to escape, came to a halt. Many times before they had heard that command which meant that something was going wrong, and that they might as well stop at once without wasting effort.

”Why, I wonder what's wrong,” said Alice, who had not quite grasped the interruption. ”Everything seemed to be going beautifully.”

”Perhaps the film broke,” suggested Ruth.

”It's the police,” Paul said, waving his hand at the officers, each of whom had clutched a ”prisoner,” and was holding him.

”The police?” echoed Alice.

”Yes, they came in when they weren't wanted,” Paul went on.

”Oh, I thought they were part of the picture!” exclaimed Ruth. And so she had. Often, to make a moving picture seem more realistic, a manager will not tell the actors all he has prepared. Thus he gets the element of surprise. Both Ruth and Alice, in this case, thought the local police had been brought into the scene at the last moment to add a touch of reality to the play. But, as it turned out, it was almost too much reality.

”Say, what do you fellows mean, anyhow?” demanded the manager, of the police leader. ”What do you mean, I say,” and Mr. Pertell strode up with an angry look on his face.

”What do we mean? Ha! That's a good one! Listen to him, boys! What do we mean? Why we mean to arrest these scoundrels, and we've done it, too!”

he added proudly, with a wave of his hand toward the persons his men had made prisoners.

”Well, you've made a big mistake,” Mr. Pertell went on.

”Mistake! Ha! I guess not!” cried the officer. ”We don't make mistakes up here! One of my men seen something queer goin' on out in the river, and come and told me. Then I seen your boats puttin' off, and I knew something was wrong. So I got my forces together, and we waited for these fellows. We've got 'em, too! Every one of 'em!” he added proudly.

”Lock 'em up, men!” he ordered. ”We'll show these fellows what Jersey justice is like. Take 'em away.”

”Hold on!” cried Mr. Pertell, and this time he allowed a smile to show on his. .h.i.therto glum face. ”You don't seem to understand.”

”Oh, I think I do,” said the police officer calmly. ”I understand a great deal more than you think I do. Come on.”

”Wait! I'll explain!” cried the manager. ”It's for the moving pictures!”

he added. ”This is only a pretended attack and pursuit. Ask the young ladies themselves,” he said, motioning to Ruth and Alice who were now smiling. Certainly they did not seem to be in any great alarm or distress over their recent adventure. Their appearance must have caused the officer to doubt the wisdom of his course.

”Weren't these fellers chasing you?” he demanded, motioning to the prisoners. ”Now don't say they wasn't, for I saw 'em.”

”Oh, yes, they were pursuing us,” admitted Ruth, ”but it was all in the picture.”

”The picture?” questioned the officer.

”Yes. We are moving picture actresses and actors,” she went on, and her father, coming up then, though he had had no active part in the chase, confirmed what she said.

For a moment the police captain maintained a silence, and then, as he could no longer doubt what was said, since Mr. Pertell exhibited certain credentials, the representative of Jersey justice said:

”Well, this certainly is one on me! We'd better go back, boys,” he added to his men, ”and we'd better keep quiet about this thing. But I sure thought this was a kidnapping case.”