uit
with the belted coat, and in the storm-king model belted overcoat.
And of course Western stuff--these would give an idea of what he could
do--cowboy outfit and all that sort of thing, chaps and spurs and
guns and so forth. And he was prepared to work hard and struggle and
sacrifice in order to give the public something better and finer, and
would it be possible to secure some small part at once? Was a good
all-round actor by any chance at that moment needed in the company of
Miss Beulah Baxter, because he would especially like such a part, and he
would be ready to start to work at any time--to-morrow, or even to-day.

The tired little woman beyond the opening listened patiently to this,
interrupting several times to say over an insistent telephone, "No,
nothing to-day, dear." She looked at the stills with evident interest
and curiously studied the face of the speaker as she listened. She
smiled wearily when he was through and spoke briskly.

"Now, I'll tell you, son; all that is very nice, but you haven't had a
lick of real experience yet, have you?--and things are pretty quiet on
the lot just now. To-day there are only two companies shooting. So you
couldn't get anything to-day or to-morrow or probably for a good many
days after that, and it won't be much when you get it. You may get on as
an extra after a while when some of the other companies start shooting,
but I can't promise anything, you understand. What you do now--leave me
your name and address and telephone number."

"Yes, ma'am," said the applicant, and supplied these data.

"Clifford Armytage!" exclaimed the woman. "I'll say that's some warm
name!"

"Well, you see"--he paused, but resolved to confide freely in this
friendly seeming person--"you see, I picked that out for a good name
to act under. It sounds good, doesn't it? And my own right name is
only Merton Gill, so I thought I'd better have something that sounded a
little more--well, you know."

"Sure!" said the woman. "All right, have any name you want; but I think
I'll call you Merton when you come again. You needn't act with me, you
know. Now, let's see--name, age, height, good general wardrobe, house
address, telephone number--oh, yes, tell me where I can find you during
the day."

"Right out here," he replied firmly. "I'm going to stick to this studio
and not go near any of the others. If I'm not in this room I'll be just
outside there, on that bench around the tree, or just across the s