, with some broad prairie
stretches, and yet near enough to the mountains for diversified scenes.
There will be cowboy and Indian pictures to be made, and----"

"_Wild_ Indians?" Mr. Sneed wanted to know.

"Not wild enough to scalp you," returned the manager.

"And can I have a gun?" little Tommy cried.

"Indeed and you won't!" said his grandmother, quickly.

"Well, you can be cowboy and have a lasso," promised the manager.

"Oh, goodie!" Tommy exclaimed, dancing about in delight.

"In this play," went on Mr. Pertell, "I want to get scenes showing our
progress West, so we will be rather longer on the trip than otherwise.
We will wait over on some trains, to make views in particularly good
spots. So you may get ready for the journey. Our Eastern scenes are all
made, and I want to thank and congratulate you all on their success. It
was the good acting of all of you that made the films what they are."

Preparations for the big trip went on apace. Properties and baggage were
gotten in readiness, and Ruth and Alice spent days going over their
clothes, to decide what to take and what to leave behind.

"Though if I'm to be a cowgirl, and ride ponies, I don't suppose I'll
want this," said Alice, holding up a filmy white dress.

"Better take it," advised Ruth, who was seated tailor-fashion before a
trunk, which she was packing.

"It crushes too easily," objected the other.

"Fold it around some heavier things," suggested Ruth, "and don't put it
in the trunk until the last thing. Oh, I believe I've put my suede
slippers in the bottom, and I'll want them to-night. Well, I'll have to
dig 'em out, I guess," she sighed.

"No, there they are!" cried Alice, fishing them out from under a pile of
stockings. "What have you in them?" she asked her sister, as she saw the
slippers were filled with something.

"I always stuff the toes with old stockings," said Ruth. "It keeps them
out almost as well as if I used shoe-trees."

"Good idea," laughed her sister.

The packing was over, the trunks were at the station and also was
gathered there the moving picture company.

"Ho, for the West!" cried Russ, who was standing with Paul, Ruth and
Alice.

"All aboard!" called Mr. Pertell. And, as they moved off toward the
train Russ, turning, saw a man staring after the players.

"Look!" said the young operator, in a low voice to Mr. Pertell, "that
International Film Company spy--Wilson--is keeping tabs on us!"

CHAPTER VIII