"Come on!" yelled the director through his megaphone. "Lively!" Alice and Ruth, half carrying, half dragging, the wounded soldier, staggered out, Russ clicking away at the camera. "Good! That's good! It's fine!" exclaimed the enthusiastic director. Ruth was conscious that she was suddenly dragging more of the weight of the man's body than at first. But she thought one of Alice's hands had possibly slipped off, and she did not want to call a halt to get a better hold. "My! But this is choking!" gasped Ruth. Finally, she staggered out into the open, dragging the soldier by his shoulders. She slumped down on the ground, in a place free from smoke, and registered exhaustion. "Where's Alice?" cried Paul, who was holding back in readiness for his appearance in the scene. "Where's Alice?" "Isn't she there?" gasped Ruth, rising on her elbow. "No, she isn't. She must be----" "Hold that pose, Ruth! Don't stir or you'll spoil the scene!" yelled the director. "We'll get your sister!" CHAPTER XV THE HOSPITAL TENT "The show must go on!" This is the motto of circus and theatrical performers the world over. No matter what happens, under what strain or pain the player labors, no matter what occurs short of death itself, the public must not be allowed to guess that anything is wrong. And sometimes even death itself has been no barrier--for players have gone through with their parts on the stage when, but the act previous, they have learned that some loved one had passed away. And more than one clown has bounded into the sawdust ring with merry quip and jest, with a smile on his painted face, while his heart was breaking with grief. And so it was with Ruth DeVere. As she staggered out of the smoke clouds and saw that Alice had not followed, at once the dreadful thought came to her that her sister had been overcome by the fumes. And, although the smoke bombs were harmless as regards fire, the breathing of the chemical fumes for any length of time might mean death. Thus, as Ruth was about to stagger to her feet to go back into the murky cloud to look for Alice, there came the director's orders to "hold that pose!" The show must go on! That meant it would not do to spoil the scene, ruin the film, and necessitate a retake if, by any possibility, it could be avoided. "Stay where you are, Ruth! Stop the camera, Russ! Hold the pose--both of you. We'll go on from there when we get Alice out!" And Ruth, her heart torn with anguish, must remain. She was glad her father was not present. "Get in there and get the girl!" cried Pop Snooks who was busy lighting more smoke bombs. "Get that girl, some of you fellows!" For he had guessed in an instant what had happened. It was not the first time one of the players had been overcome by the heavy fumes. Into the cloud dashed some of the head property man's helpers. Russ and Paul, who could leave their posts while the camera was not in motion, also penetrated the murkiness.