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107 pages

English

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Ruth and Alice DeVere luxuriate in the simple pleasures of country life as they film a movie on location in a beautiful rural setting. During filming, the girls grow close with the family who owns the farm, which happens to be in deep trouble financially. Can the Moving Picture Girls help the family get back on their feet and save the property?

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Children's

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Publié par	The Floating Press
Date de parution	01 décembre 2016
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9781776673636
Langue	English

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,0064€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

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THE MOVING PICTURE GIRLS AT OAK FARM
OR, QUEER HAPPENINGS WHILE TAKING RURAL PLAYS
* * *
LAURA LEE HOPE

*
The Moving Picture Girls at Oak Farm Or, Queer Happenings While Taking Rural Plays First published in 1914 Epub ISBN 978-1-77667-363-6 Also available: PDF ISBN 978-1-77667-364-3 © 2015 The Floating Press and its licensors. All rights reserved. While every effort has been used to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the information contained in The Floating Press edition of this book, The Floating Press does not assume liability or responsibility for any errors or omissions in this book. The Floating Press does not accept responsibility for loss suffered as a result of reliance upon the accuracy or currency of information contained in this book. Do not use while operating a motor vehicle or heavy equipment. Many suitcases look alike. Visit www.thefloatingpress.com
Contents
*
Chapter I - Filming a Smash Chapter II - A Missing Dog Chapter III - On to the Farm Chapter IV - A Queer Proposal Chapter V - Sandy's Story Chapter VI - The Butting Bull Chapter VII - The Play of the Hose Chapter VIII - In the Old Barn Chapter IX - The Rescue Chapter X - The Barn Dance Chapter XI - The Runaway Mowing Machine Chapter XII - The Man with the Limp Chapter XIII - On Guard Chapter XIV - An Upset Chapter XV - The Lonely Cabin Chapter XVI - The Man and the Umbrella Chapter XVII - In the Woods Chapter XVIII - Going to School Chapter XIX - Filming the Bees Chapter XX - That Man Chapter XXI - A Chase Chapter XXII - Caught Chapter XXIII - The Money Box Chapter XXIV - Explanations Chapter XXV - The Fire Film
Chapter I - Filming a Smash
*
"All aboard for Oak Farm!"
"Are we all here; nobody missing?"
"What a relief to get out of the hot city, with summer coming on!"
"Yes, I'm so glad we can go!"
These were only a few of the expressions that came from a motleyassemblage of persons as they stood in a train shed in Hoboken, oneJune morning. Motley indeed was the gathering, and more than onetraveler paused to give a second look at the little group. Perhaps abrief list of them may not be out of place.
There were four pretty girls, two of the innocent type that can soeasily forget their own good looks; two not so ingenuous, fully awarethat they had certain charms, and anxious that they be given fullcredit for them.
Then there was a man, with rather long black hair, upon whichperched, rather than fitted, a tall silk hat that had lost its firstsheen. If ever "actor" was written in a man's make-up it was in thecase of this personage. Beside him stood, attired much the same, butin garments that fitted him better, another who was obviously of thetheater, as were the two girls who were so aware of their own goodlooks.
Add to this two or three young men, at least two of whom seemed tohover near the two girls who were innocently unaware of their beauty;a bustling gentleman who seemed nervous lest some of the party getlost, a motherly-looking woman, with two children who were here,there and everywhere; another man who looked as though all the milkand cream in the world had turned sour, and finally one on whoseround German face there was a gladsome smile, which seemedperpetual—and you have the main characters.
No, there was one other—a genial man who seemed to be constantlytrying to solve some puzzle, and taking pleasure in it.
And these personages were waiting for a train. That was evident. Youmight have puzzled over their occupation and destination, as manyother travelers did, and the problem would not have been solved,perhaps, until you had a glimpse of the markings on their trunks. Butwhen you noted the words: "Comet Film Company," you understood.
"Oh, won't it be just delightful, Ruth!" exclaimed one of the youngergirls.
"It certainly will, Alice. I'm just crazy to get out where I cangather new-laid eggs and know they are fresh!"
"Little housekeeper!" exclaimed the man standing beside the one wholooked as though he dreamed of nothing else but "Hamlet."
"Well, Daddy dear, won't it be just fine to have fresh eggs?"demanded the one addressed as Ruth. "If Alice thinks it's easy to getthem in the city—"
"Now Ruth DeVere, you know I was only chaffing!" exclaimed Alice."But I don't believe you'll get much chance to gather eggs, Ruth."
"Why not?"
"Those two youngsters will claim that as one of theirdaily—chores—I believe they're called on a farm," and with laughingbrown eyes she motioned to the boy and girl who, at that moment, wereplaying tag around the motherly-looking woman.
"Oh, yes, I suppose Tommy and Nellie will be after them," agreedRuth. "But I can go with them."
"And jump off the beam in the barn down into the hay! Won't that befun!" cried Alice. "I haven't done that—not in years, when we wentonce to grandfather's farm. Oh, for a good jump into the fragranthay!"
"Why, Alice, you wouldn't do that; would you?" asked Ruth, as shestraightened her sailor.
"She may—and you may all have to!" spoke the man who seemed incharge of this odd theatrical company.
"How is that, Mr. Pertell?" asked Ruth.
"Well, you know we're going to make moving pictures of all sorts ofrural scenes that will fit in the plays, and jumping into a haymowmay be one of them," he laughed.
"I refuse to do any such foolishness as that!" broke in the tragicactor. "I have demeaned myself enough already in this farce andtravesty of acting, and to jump into a haymow—ye gods! Never!" andhe seemed to shudder.
"Oh, I guess you'll do it, Mr. Bunn, or give up your place to someonewho will," said Mr. Frank Pertell, the manager, calmly.
The tragic actor sighed, and said nothing.
"Huh! Yes! Jumping around in barns! Some of us will break our arms orlegs, that's certain!" exclaimed the man who looked as though all theworld were sad. "I know some accident will happen to us yet."
"Oh, cheer up, Mr. Sneed. The worst is yet to come, Sir Knight of theDoleful Countenance!" exclaimed a fresh-faced young man who carriedunder his arm a small box, from which projected a handle and a smalltube. The initiated would have known it at once as a camera fortaking moving pictures. "It will be jolly out there at Oak Farm, I'msure."
"That's right, Russ! Don't let Mr. Sneed get gloomy on such a fineday!" whispered Alice DeVere. "But when is our train coming?"
"It will be made up soon," Russ Dalwood answered. "Perhaps it isready now. I'll go and inquire."
The two girls, before spoken of as being too well aware of their owngood looks, were talking together at one side of the big concreteplatform beneath the train shed. As they strolled about and talked,one of them, from time to time, applied a chamois to her alreadywell-powdered nose, and took occasional glimpses of herself in thetiny mirror imbedded in the top of the box that contained her"beautifier." Occasionally the two would glance at Alice and Ruth,and make remarks.
"Train will soon be ready for us," announced Russ Dalwood, comingback to join the rest of the theatrical troupe which, instead ofpresenting plays in a theater, posed for them before the clickingeye of the camera, the films later to be shown to thousands in thechain of moving picture playhouses which took the Comet Company'sservice. "We can go aboard in five minutes!" Russ added.
"That's good," sighed Ruth. "There's is nothing so tiresome aswaiting. Which track will it be on, Russ?"
"Number thirteen!"
"What! Great Scott! Track thirteen! I'm not going!" cried PepperSneed, who had come to be known as the "grouch" of the company.
"Not going! Why not, I'd like to know?" demanded Mr. Pertell.
"Why—track thirteen—that's unlucky, you know. Something is sure tohappen!"
"Well, as we have to get to Beatonville, where Oak Farm is located,and as this is the only road that goes there, I'm afraid we'll haveto take that train, whether it's on track thirteen or not," declaredMr. Pertell. "Unless," he added with gentle sarcasm, "you can get thecompany to switch it to another track."
Mr. Sneed did not answer, but later Paul Ardite, who was one of theyounger members of the company, saw the actor tieing a knot in hiswatch chain, and tossing a penny into a rubbish heap.
"What in the world are you doing that for?" demanded Paul.
"Trying to break the hoodoo!" exclaimed Mr. Sneed. "To start out todo new film work on track thirteen! Whew! That's terrible!"
But Paul only laughed.
"Now, is everyone here?" asked Mr. Pertell a little later, when arailroad man, through a megaphone, announced the make-up of thetrain.
"It seems so," remarked Mr. DeVere, who spoke in a hoarse and huskywhisper, difficult to understand. In fact, as you will learn later,it was this affliction that had caused him to be acting for movingpictures instead of in the legitimate drama.
Mr. Pertell took a rapid survey of his little company, and then wentoff to make sure that the trunks containing the various costumes hadbeen properly checked.
"Funny thing about Beatonville," remarked Russ to Ruth.
"Why so?" she asked.
"Oh, every time I inquired of the brakeman, or starter, where thetrain for that place left from, they'd laugh. I thought there must besome joke, and I asked about it."
"Was there?"
"Well, not much of one. It seems that Beatonville is about the lastplace in Jersey that anyone ever heads for. I guess it must consistof the depot and one house—the one where the agent lives. There isonly one train a day and the place is so lonesome, the starter said,that the engineer hates to stop there."
"Oh, well, we aren't going there for pleasure—we're going to work,"put in Ruth. "Besides, Oak Farm isn't exactly in Beatonville; is it,Russ?"
"No, a few miles out, I believe. Well, it will be a rest for us afterthe rush of the city, anyhow."
"All aboard!" called a brakeman, and the Comet Film Company, bag andbaggage, started for the train that was to take them to new scenes ofactivity.
"Why do you carry your camera, Russ?" asked Ruth, when she and hersister were seated near the young man, on whom devo