“Mrs. Avery, here, is our leading woman--keeping the name of Jean
Douglas, since she made it valuable in that Lazy A serial she did a
year or so ago. Lite is on the same footing as the rest of you boys.
Her father will be my assistant in choosing locations and so on. Tommy
Johnson, as I said, is another assistant in another capacity, that of
scenic artist and stage carpenter. Pete Lowry, here, is camera man and
Bill Holmes will be his assistant. The rest of you work wherever I need
you--a good deal the way we did last winter. Annie-Many-Ponies stays
with us as character lead and is in general stock. Rosemary--” he
stopped and smiled at her understandingly--“Rosemary draws fifteen a
week--oh, don't get scared! I won't give you any foreground stuff!
just atmosphere when I need it, and general comforter and mascot of the
company!”
Luck may have stretched a point there, but if he did it was merely a
technical one. Rosemary Green was hopelessly camera-shy, but he could
use her in background atmosphere, and when it came to looking after the
physical and mental welfare of the bunch she was worth her weight in any
precious metal you may choose to name.
“You better put me down as camp cook and dishwasher, Luck Lindsay,”
Rosemary protested, blushing.
“No--thank the Lord you won't have to cook for this hungry bunch any
longer. I've got a Mexican hired and headed this way. There'll be no
more of that kind of thing for you, lady--not while you're with us.
“Now, boys, let's get organized for action. Weather's perfect--Lowry's
been raving over the light, all the way out from town. I've got a range
picture all blocked out--did it while I was waiting in Los for Jean to
show up. Done anything about roundup yet, Applehead?”--
Poor old Applehead, with his guilty conscience and his soft-hearted
affection for Luck so deeply stirred by the money laid in his
big-knuckled hand, shuffled his feet and cleared his throat and did not
get one intelligible word past his dry tongue.
“If you haven't,” Luck hurried on, spurred by his inpatient energy,
“I want to organize and get out right away with a regular roundup
outfitchuck-wagon, remuda and all--see what I mean I While I'm getting
the picture of the stuff I want, we can gather and brand your calves.
That way, all my range scenes will be of the real thing. I may want to
throw the Chavez outfit in with ours, too, so as to get bigger stuff.
I'll try and locate Ramon Chavez and see what I can do. But anyway,
I want the roundup outfit ready to start just as soon as
possible--tomorrow, if we could get it together in time. How about that
cracked tongue on the chuck-wagon? Anybody fixed that?”
“We-ell, I wired it up so'st it's as solid as the rest uh the runnin'
gear,” Applehead confessed shamefacedly, rolling his eyes apprehensively
at the flushed faces of his fellow traitors.
“Yuh did? Good! Tires need setting, if I recollect--”
“Er--I had the boys set the tires, 'n'--”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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