thought not too well
of cigarettes. "He screens well, too," remarked the girl. "Of course I
couldn't be sure of that."

"He screens all right," agreed Baird.

"Well, what do you think?"

"I think he looks like the first plume on a hearse."

"He looks all of that, but try again. Who does he remind you of? Catch
this next one in the gambling hell--get the profile and the eyebrows and
the chin--there!"

"Why--" Baird chuckled. "I'm a Swede if he don't look like--"

"You got it!" the girl broke in excitedly. "I knew you would. I didn't
at first, this morning, because he was so hungry and needed a shave, and
he darned near had me bawling when he couldn't hold his cup o' coffee
except with two hands. But what d'you think?--pretty soon he tells me
himself that he looks a great deal like Harold Parmalee and wouldn't
mind playing parts like Parmalee, though he prefers Western stuff.
Wouldn't that get you?"

The film was run again so that Baird could study the Gill face in the
light of this new knowledge.

"He does, he does, he certainly does--if he don't look like a No.
9 company of Parmalee I'll eat that film. Say, Flips, you did find
something."

"Oh, I knew it; didn't I tell you so?"

"But, listen--does he know he's funny?"

"Not in a thousand years! He doesn't know anything's funny, near as I
can make him."

They were out in the light again, walking slowly back to the Buckeye
offices.

"Get this," said Baird seriously. "You may think I'm kidding, but only
yesterday I was trying to think if I couldn't dig up some guy that
looked more like Parmalee than Parmalee himself does--just enough more
to get the laugh, see? And you spring this lad on me. All he needs is
the eyebrows worked up a little bit. But how about him--will he handle?
Because if he will I'll use him in the new five-reeler."

"Will he handle?" Miss Montague echoed the words with deep emphasis.
"Leave him to me. He's got to handle. I already got twenty-five bucks
invested in his screen career. And, Jeff, he'll be easy to work,
except he don't know he's funny. If he found out he was, it might queer
him--see what I mean? He's one of that kind--you can tell it. How will
you use him? He could never do Buckeye stuff."

"Sure not. But ain't I told you? In this new piece Jack is stage struck
and gets a job as valet to a ham that's just about Parmalee's type,
and we show Parmalee acting in the screen, but all straight stuff, you
understand. Unless he'