Part 29 (2/2)

”Is of a forgiving nature, I think,” Ruth said. ”At any rate, I would not let the matter stand between me and a nice boy friend any longer. I could never suspect Chess of doing an unkind thing.”

”But I have wronged him!” cried Helen, who was, after all, tender-hearted.

”Do you know,” said her friend, ”I believe you can make it up to him very nicely, if you want to, Helen?”

The _Gem_ returned to the island just at daybreak. The girls ran down to the dock to meet the returned young men and Willie. Chess Copley had come to get his own motor-boat, and the report they made of the end of the smuggling affair was very satisfactory.

The sheriff and his posse in a big motor-boat had gone to the Kingdom of Pipes and relieved Chess of his duty as guardian of the cave. The Chinamen, who were hiding there until they could be s.h.i.+pped into the States dressed in feminine garments, were all handcuffed, together with the owner of the launch and Horatio Bilby, and loaded into the sheriff's launch.

”And you should have heard Bilby squeal,” said Tom. ”There is one bad egg who is likely to pay a considerable penalty for his crimes. He'll not get out of the mess very easy.”

”What of the King of the Pipes?” asked Ruth.

”Poor old Charley-Horse Pond,” Willie, the boatman, said, ”will be detained as a witness. Already he has got a new name for himself. He isn't 'King of the Pipes' any longer.”

”What do you mean?” Ruth inquired, for she was interested in the queer old man and his fate.

”He told me that he was Major Andre,” chuckled Willie. ”He is a Number One spy. The sheriff knows him well and knows there isn't a mite of harm in him.”

Later it came out that the old man had been living on the island for some time, having found the cave there. The smugglers of opium and the Chinese found him there and made use of him. But when the court proceedings came on, Pond was merely used by the prosecution as a witness. His harmlessness was too apparent for the court to doubt him.

That particular day had to be a day of rest for Ruth and her friends, for they had had no sleep the night before. But while they slept Mr.

Hammond's representative went in search of Totantora and Wonota and the two Osage Indians were brought back to the moving picture camp before night.

The work of making the last scenes of ”The Long Lane's Turning” was taken up at once, and until the last scene was taken Ruth and her a.s.sociates were very busy indeed. The Cameron twins spent most of the ensuing time with the Copleys and the other summer visitors. And it was noticeable that Helen was attended by Chess Copley almost everywhere she went.

Tom saw this with some wonder; but he found very little opportunity to talk to Ruth about it. And when he tried to question Helen regarding her change toward Chess, she quite ignored the subject.

”Looks to me,” Tom said to himself, ”as though I was shut out in the cold. I wish I hadn't come up here. I might as well be slaving in that old office. Gee, I'm an unlucky dog!”

For Tom, no more than Helen, could not see that Ruth's att.i.tude toward the matter of strenuous occupation for a wealthy young man was a fair one. Tom certainly had none of Uncle Jabez Potter's blood in his veins.

The big scene at the end of the picture--the throne room of the French king--was as carefully made as the other parts of the picture had been.

And because of Ruth's coaching Wonota did her part so well that Mr.

Hooley was enthusiastic--and to raise enthusiasm in the bosom of a case-hardened director is no small matter.

”The Boss is rather sore on the whole business,” Hooley said to Ruth. ”It has been an expensive picture, I admit. We have gone away over the studio estimate.

”But that is not my fault, nor your fault, nor the Indian girl's fault.

Mr. Hammond is not to be blamed either, I suppose, for feeling worried.

The motion picture business is getting to that stage now where lavish expenditure must be curtailed. I fancy Mr. Hammond will make only five-reel program pictures for some time. And where will your big feature pictures come in, Miss Fielding?”

”The program pictures are sure-fire, I suppose,” the girl admitted. ”But it doesn't take much of a story to make those. Nor does it give the stars as good a chance.”

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