The Moving Picture Girls at Oak Farm: or, Queer Happenings While Taking Rural PlaysHope, Laura Lee
General
The Moving Picture Girls at Oak Farm: or, Queer Happenings While Taking Rural Plays
Hope, Laura Lee
Farm life -- Juvenile fiction; Girls -- Juvenile fiction; Motion pictures -- Production and direction -- Juvenile fiction
"No, but as long as you're not hurt we'll leave it in. It will make a
little variety. Why didn't you get out of the way?"
"Nobody tolt me to. I t'ought Herr Sneed knowed vot he vos doin' by
der tree yet! Vhy shoult I get der vay oudt?"
"Well, I knew something would happen when I tried to chop a tree,"
grumbled the author of the mischief.
"As long as it's nothing very bad we'll forgive you," went on the
manager.
"Und I forgif him, too," spoke the German. "Only he must now use his
axe again und get me out of dis. I am helt fast yet!"
This was true enough, for the branches, though not heavy enough to
have caused any injury, were quite thick, and fairly hemmed Mr.
Switzer in.
"Better let me lop off a few," suggested Sandy, and they agreed that
as the chopping would have to be done quite close to the imprisoned
one, a more expert hand had better do it.
Sandy quickly had cut a way so the actor could emerge, and at Mr.
Pertell's suggestion Russ made moving pictures of it.
"I'll have a new scene written in the play to fit this," the manager
said. "Mr. Bunn, I think you might climb that tree over there," and
he indicated one within range of the camera.
"Climb a tree! Me!" exclaimed the actor. "What for, pray?"
"Well, I'll have a scene fixed up to indicate that the party gets
lost in the woods, and you climb a tree to see if you can spy any
landmarks to lead them out of their plight. Just shin up that tree,
if you please, and put your hand over your eyes when you get up high
enough to see across the tops of the other trees. You know--register
that you are looking for the path."
"I refuse to do it!" cried Wellington Bunn. "To climb a tree is
beneath my dignity."
"Then climb a tree and get above it," suggested the manager, drily.
"You've got to climb; I want you in this scene."
The tall actor groaned, but there was no help for it. Up he went, not
without many misgivings and grunts, for he was not an athlete.
"I say!" he cried, when part way up, "if I fall and get hurt you'll
have to pay me damages, Mr. Pertell."
"You won't get hurt much," was the not very comforting answer. "And
you won't fall, if you keep a tight hold with your arms and legs. But
if you do, there's lots of soft moss at the foot of the tree."
"Oh, this life! This terrible life!" groaned Mr. Bunn. "Why did I
ever go into moving pictures?"
No one answered him. Perhaps they thought the reason was that he had
outlived his drawing powers in the legitimate drama.
Finally he reached the top of the tree, and pretended to be
looking for a path for the lost ones, while Russ, always at the
camera, successfully filmed him.
"That's enough--come on down," ordered Mr. Pertell. Mr. Bunn came
down more quickly than he went up, and the last few feet he slid down
so rapidly that he scratched his hands, and tore his trousers.
"You'll have to pay for them," he said, ruefully, as he looked at the
rent.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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