The Argosy, Vol. 81, No. 4 — page 140: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

706 couldn’t resist. As a matter of fact, I didn’t care to resist because I had had a great deal of experience with the Bryn Mar Dramatic Club when I was at college, and always fancied I should love to be an actress. “Well, they signed a contract with me for a fabulous sum—fifty thousand dollars—to take part in a war play as aspy. Part of the story is to be done here in Newport. We are arranging the final details at that horrid restaurant on Long Island when you, Stewart, took me away in your motor.” Fifty thousand dollars! Lansing’s breath caught. He did not know a great deal about the moving picture business, but he knew a number of stage people, and was sufficiently well acquainted with their pro- fession to realize that a sum so vast for a veritable tyro, a girl who had never ap- peared professionally or otherwise before the camera, was ridiculous on the face of it. Was she being duped? The old question arose with startling emphasis. “TIsn’t that an immense sum to pay for posing one play?” he asked. “Oh,” she cried, “‘not alone for one play; I have a season’s contract; it’s so exciting! But they will pay me the entire season’s money the minute we conclude the New- port part of the piece.” “T see.” Lansing nodded. Captain Granger was talking to Dorothy Nealis, and of the group Lansing and Ar- nold Nealis appeared the only ones in- terested in the dialogue. “Well,” Lansing continued, “was this Baron Rimini and those other chaps—I mean, who were they?” “Rimini,” replied the girl, “is the for- eign agent of the Mammoth Film Corpora- . tion, and is interested, I believe, in produc- ing this play abroad.” “Ves, and the others who were at that dinner?” persisted Lansing. | “Well,” she returned, ‘‘Mr. Clarkin is one of the Mammoth firm, Count Apponnetti is one of the principal stockholders and ‘that professional appearing man with the girl who looked like an actress is Damon Beal, president of the company; the woman is his wife.” “Where is Baron Rimini now?” asked Lansing. Her face showed no change in expression as she replied: “I don’t know personally, but Count Ap- ponnetti wrote me that he had sailed sud- THE ARGOSY. denly for England to adjust some matters relating to the play.” ‘Do you believe that?” inquired Lansir.g bluntly. “Why not, Stewart?” She studied him curiously. “Is there any reason why I should not believe it?” Lansing tossed his hands, convinced that she did not know that Rimini was under ar- rest in a hospital ward. “You knew he went to the hospital, didn’t you?” “Yes, as a result of the fight. But Count Apponnetti said he remained there only a few hours.” “Oh,” and Lansing nodded thoughtfully. ‘“Didn’t that mess I got into in your apart- ment trouble you?” he asked. “Naturally,” she replied, “but the count explained the misunderstanding; I didn’t blame you, and neither does he nor my mother.” ‘Where is your mother now?” “You are worse than Socrates,” she com- plained. “She is over at Fort Preble at my brother’s, where I, too, am staying.” “Of course,” said Lansing. ‘Now, if you don’t mind, Helen, will you give me further details of this moving picture plan?” “Why, yes. As you may now realize, fifty thousand dollars will help mother a great deal. She needs it awfully, and while I realize you would object to my entering the profession, still, Stewart, I shall have to insist upon doing at least this much.” “Certainly, that will be all right,’ Lans- ing agreed. “But what are you to do? I mean about these papers and the like?” “Why, as you know, Jack is connected with the engineer corps over at Preble. They are putting through plans of im- proved defenses. Now, Mr. Beal, of the film company, is a great stickler for the realities and insists that the great scene where the papers are stolen shall be acted at a real fort and by a real officer.”’ Lansing began to see the drift of things, but he said nothing, except to ask her to proceed. “The picture is to show the rear of the fort and an officer stealing out secretly and handing a packet of papers to me. Then a guard sees me receiving them, fires his gun and pursues me. I run to the water-front, and noting that a yacht at anchor a-little way off shore has not sent a small boat to meet me, I am obliged to leap into the CORMMICLOOOKS (C@