lked to Merton Gill of the new piece. It was a sun of
fairest promise. Mr. Gill's late work was again lavishly commended,
and confidence was expressed that he would surpass himself in the drama
shortly to be produced.

Mr. Baird spoke in enthusiastic terms of this, declaring that if it did
not prove to be a knock-out--a clean-up picture--then he, Jeff Baird,
could safely be called a Chinaman. And during the time that would elapse
before shooting on the new piece could begin he specified a certain
study in which he wished his actor to engage.

"You've watched the Edgar Wayne pictures, haven't you?"

"Yes, I've seen a number of them."

"Like his work?--that honest
country-boy-loving-his--mother-and-little-sister stuff, wearing overalls
and tousled hair in the first part, and coming out in city clothes and
eight dollar neckties at the last, with his hair slicked back same as a
seal?"

"Oh, yes, I like it. He's fine. He has a great appeal."

"Good! That's the kind of a part you're going to get in this new piece.
Lots of managers in my place would say 'No-he's a capable young chap and
has plenty of talent, but he lacks the experience to play an Edgar Wayne
part.' That's what a lot of these Wisenheimers would say. But me--not
so. I believe you can get away with this part, and I'm going to give you
your chance."

"I'm sure I don't know how to thank you, Mr. Baird, and I'll try to give
you the very best that is in me--"

"I'm sure of that, my boy; you needn't tell me. But now--what I want you
to do while you got this lay-off between pieces, chase out and watch all
the Edgar Wayne pictures you can find. There was one up on the Boulevard
last week I'd like you to watch half-a-dozen times. It may be at another
house down this way, or it may be out in one of the suburbs. I'll have
someone outside call up and find where it is to-day and they'll let you
know. It's called Happy Homestead or something snappy like that, and it
kind of suggests a layout for this new piece of mine, see what I mean?
It'll suggest things to you.

"Edgar and his mother and little sister live on this farm and Edgar
mixes in with a swell dame down at the summer hotel, and a villain tries
to get his old mother's farm and another villain takes his little sister
off up to the wicked city, and Edgar has more trouble than would patch
Hell a mile, see? But it all comes right in the end, and the city girl
falls for him when she sees him in his stepping-out