"I certainly am--it's a state that will make a hit in the movies!" cried Mr. Pertell. "You might fall down once more, if you don't mind, Mr. Towne. It will add realism to the film." "Fall down again! Never! I will resign first." "Very well, I won't insist on it," replied the manager, for he felt that it was rather hard on the actor. But moving picture work is not at all easy, and actors and actresses have to do more disagreeable and dangerous "stunts" than merely falling into a muddy stream. The demand of the public for realism often goes to extremes, and more than once performers have risked their lives at the behest of some enthusiastic manager. Mr. Pertell was not that sort, however, though he did insist on his players doing a reasonable amount of hard work--and often disagreeable work, as in this case. But aside from getting wet and muddy, which conditions could be remedied by a bath and dry clothes, the actor suffered no great hardship, except to his pride, and perhaps he had too much of that, anyhow. "Come on!" cried the manager. "Crawl out of that, and keep on with the chase." "Keep on--in this condition! Do you mean it?" Mr. Towne asked. "Certainly I do. The play must go on. Just because you fell in the ditch is no excuse for stopping it. Keep on! Right along the path. Crawl out and run on." "But--but look at my clothes!" complained Mr. Towne. "They are--they're muddy!" "There is a little mud on them, to be sure," agreed Mr. Pertell. "But don't worry. It will wash off." "A _little_ mud!" spluttered the actor. "I--I--" "Keep on!" cried the manager. "You are delaying the play!" The young actor groaned, but there was nothing for it but to obey. He climbed out of the ditch, his once immaculate suit dripping mud from every point, and then he began the pretended chase again, seeking to find the escaping lovers. Of course this was the farcical element, but managers have found that this is much needed in plays, and though many of them would prefer to eliminate the "horse-play" the audiences seem to demand it, and managers are prone to cater to the tastes of their audiences when they find it pays. "I'm glad I wasn't cast for that part," remarked the dignified Mr. Bunn, as he saw what Mr. Towne had to go through. "I'd never consent to it," declared Mr. Sneed. "This business is bad enough as it is," he complained, "without deliberately making it worse. I presume he'll want me to try and catch an alligator next, or drive a sea cow to pasture." "What's a sea cow?" asked Alice, who had overheard the talk, while Mr. Towne was being filmed in his muddy state. "The manatee," explained Mr. Sneed. "They are curious animals. They browse around on the bottom of Florida rivers, and sea inlets, as cows do on shore, eating grass. We'll probably see some down here." "Are they dangerous?" asked Miss Dixon.