"I know it," she said, quietly. "But that makes no difference. I must leave last. You will kindly go ahead."
"I guess we"ll have to, Russ," remarked the manager. "But I don"t like it."
"Those are the rules," insisted the forewoman, and she would not go out on the fire escape until Russ, Paul and Mr. Pertell had preceded her.
By this time the street below was filled with fire apparatus, puffing, clanging and whistling. And not until the girls were down and out of the building did they realize what a big fire it was. For the entire structure was now ablaze.
Fortunately the same efficient fire drill inst.i.tuted by the forewoman on the floor where Ruth and Alice had been prevailed in other parts of the building, and not a life was lost, though there were many narrow escapes.
And you may well believe that Russ did not miss this opportunity to get moving pictures. Of course the plot of the play had been spoiled by the fire, but a far better drama than the one originally planned was afterward made of it.
As the building continued to burn Russ found that he was not going to have film enough. He sent Paul for a new supply and also to telephone for another operator from the Comet studio, so that pictures of the big fire from various viewpoints might be secured.
And it was a big fire--one of the largest in New York in many years, but aside from a few persons who received minor injuries there was none seriously hurt. The Comet concern scored heavily in making films of the blaze.
"Well, that was one exciting day, yesterday," remarked Russ the next morning at the studio. "I never worked so hard, not even when we were lost in Florida."
"I had a premonition something would happen," declared Mr. Sneed, as he was making up for his part in a play. "When I got up yesterday morning I stepped on my collar b.u.t.ton, and that"s always a sure sign something will happen."
"It"s sometimes a sign you"ll be late for rehearsal if you don"t find the collar b.u.t.ton," laughed Paul.
Orders for the day"s work were issued, and Paul, Ruth, Alice and Mr.
Bunn found that they had to go to the Grand Central Terminal where, once before, some film pictures had been made.
"There is quite a complicated plot to this play," explained Mr. Pertell, in issuing his instructions. "Mr. Bunn has some valuable papers, and Paul, as the villain, takes them from his pocket in the station. That starts the action."
Fully instructed what to do, the moving picture girls, with Paul and Russ, went up to Forty-second street.
As the use of the train platforms was not required in this act of the play nothing was said to the station authorities, but Mr. Bunn, with Alice and Ruth, mingled with the crowds, as though they were ordinary travelers.
The operator began taking the necessary pictures, and then came Paul"s "cue" to abstract the papers.
He had done it successfully from Mr. Bunn"s pocket, seemingly without the knowledge of the actor, and Paul was going on with the rest of the "business," when a policeman stepped up and clapping his hand on Paul"s shoulder exclaimed:
"I want you, young man! I saw you take those papers. You"re under arrest!"
"But--but it"s for the movies!" cried Paul, not wishing the scene spoiled.
"Tell that to the taxicab man! I"ve heard that yarn before! You come with me. And you too," he added to Mr. Bunn. "I want you for a witness.
You"ve been robbed!"
CHAPTER VI
THE AUTO SMASH
"The scene will be spoiled!" exclaimed Alice, as she saw a crowd surge up when the officer grasped Paul.
"Too bad!" declared Ruth.
"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 airship you"ll be all right,"