one of the men--then you'll look more
natural."

Paul was soon fitted out as one of the oil men, and then, after a brief
rehearsal, the improvised drama was ready to be taken on the sensitive
film. A few preliminary scenes were made by Russ, and then, as word was
given that the iron weight was about to be dropped on the cans of
glycerine in the well-pipes, Mr. Pertell got his company as close to the
derrick as was safe. Then, while Russ clicked away at the camera, one of
the workmen called:

"Let her go!"

A man dropped the iron weight down the pipe and ran.

"Look out, everybody!" he cried as he sprang away.

"Are we safe here?" Mr. Sneed asked anxiously.

"You're all right," one of the workmen assured him.

"Oh, I'm so nervous!" faltered Ruth.

"No need of it," answered Alice, as she leaned forward to watch the
spouting of the oil from the well.

There was a dull rumble beneath the surface of the earth. The ground
seemed to heave and shake. It trembled, and Miss Pennington and Miss
Dixon looked at each other with frightened eyes.

"It--it's like an earthquake," observed Ruth.

"Oh, look!" cried Alice.

At that moment something like a dark cloud shot upward from the pipes
and spread out, plume-fashion. At the same moment the air was filled
with the rank odor of oil and gas.

"She's a spouter! She's a spouter!" cried the men, in delight.

"Cap her up!" came the command.

But it was not easy to do at first, so great was the flow of oil, and
considerable had run to waste when the internal pressure of natural gas,
which forced out the oil, was reduced sufficiently to allow of the pipe
being capped, and the flow of petroleum regulated.

All this time Russ had continued to get pictures of the novel scene, and
Paul, as the Kerosene King, went through the act that had been
improvised for him, the others of the company doing their share.

"This will make a novel film," said Mr. Pertell in satisfied tones. "I
hope you got it all, Russ."

"Every bit. I think the views showing the oil spouting up will be first
rate."

"But what are you using two cameras for?" asked Mr. DeVere.

"Two cameras?" repeated Mr. Pertell, questioningly.

"Yes, there's a man over there with another machine," and he pointed to
a little hill, not far off, where stood a man working away at the handle
of a machine similar to the one Russ was using. And this camera was
pointed directly at the oil well and at the Comet players.

"Wh