Produced by Marilynda Fraser-Cunliffe, Cori Samuel and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net The Moving Picture Girls OR First Appearances in Photo Dramas BY LAURA LEE HOPE AUTHOR OF THE BOBBSEY TWINS, THE BOBBSEY TWINS IN THE COUNTRY, THE BOBBSEY TWINS AT SNOW LODGE, THE OUTDOOR GIRLS OF DEEPDALE, THE OUTDOOR GIRLS AT RAINBOW LAKE, ETC. _ILLUSTRATED_ [Illustration: IN ONE SCENE ALICE AND RUTH HOLD THE STAGE ALONE. _The Moving Picture Girls.--Page 157._] THE WORLD SYNDICATE PUBLISHING CO. CLEVELAND NEW YORK Made in U. S. A. COPYRIGHT, 1914, BY GROSSET & DUNLAP PRESS OF THE COMMERCIAL BOOKBINDING CO. CLEVELAND CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE I AN UNCEREMONIOUS DEPARTURE 1 II RUSS DALWOOD APOLOGIZES 11 III THE OLD TROUBLE 20 IV DESPONDENCY 33 V REPLACED 43 VI A NEW PROPOSITION 51 VII ALICE CHANGES HER MIND 60 VIII "PAY YOUR RENT, OR----" 70 IX MR. DEVERE DECIDES 78 X THE MAN IN THE KITCHEN 87 XI RUSS IS WORRIED 96 XII THE PHOTO DRAMA 106 XIII MR. DEVERE'S SUCCESS 113 XIV AN EMERGENCY 124 XV JEALOUSIES 132 XVI THE MOVING PICTURE GIRLS 140 XVII A PROMISE 151 XVIII A HIT 159 XIX A BIT OF OUTDOORS 170 XX FARMER SANDY APGAR 181 XXI OVERHEARD 189 XXII THE WARNING 197 XXIII THE MISSING MODEL 205 XXIV THE PURSUIT 214 XXV THE CAPTURE 221 CHAPTER I AN UNCEREMONIOUS DEPARTURE "Oh, isn't it just splendid, Ruth? Don't you feel like singing and dancing? Come on, let's have a two-step! I'll whistle!" "Alice! How can you be so--so boisterous?" expostulated the taller of two girls, who stood in the middle of their small and rather shabby parlor. "Boisterous! Weren't you going to say--rude?" laughingly asked the one who had first spoken. "Come, now, 'fess up! Weren't you?" and the shorter of the twain, a girl rather plump and pretty, with merry brown eyes, put her arm about the waist of her sister and endeavored to lead her through the maze of chairs in the whirl of a dance, whistling, meanwhile, a joyous strain from one of the latest Broadway successes. "Oh, Alice!" came in rather fretful tones. "I don't--" "You don't know what to make of me? That's it; isn't it, sister mine? Oh, I can read you like a book. But, Ruth, why aren't you jolly once in a while? Why always that 'maiden all forlorn' look on your face? Why that far-away, distant look in your eyes--'Anne, Sister Anne, dost see anyone approaching?' Talk about Bluebeard! Come on, do one turn with me. I'm learning the one-step, you know, and it's lovely!