have played
him many times!" and he threw back his shoulders, and tried to give
himself the airs he was wont to assume in the theater.

Alice told her story, minimizing her fright as much as possible.

"It _was_ romantic," said Ruth, softly, as her sister concluded. "Only,
dear, you musn't go off in any more strange dungeons alone."

"I won't," was the promise, given readily enough.

The making of moving pictures was soon over for the day, and the company
returned to the hotel. Some of the members went to their rooms, while the
others sat about in the beautiful tropical garden, listening to the
mingled music of the band and the fountain.

"Good stunt on for to-morrow," said Russ, coming up behind Ruth, and
taking a chair near her.

"What is it?" asked Paul, who was with Alice. "Any more fort stuff?"

"No, but it's out near the fort. Mr. Pertell is arranging for a motor
boat race, with you girls in rival boats. You know there is a speed
course on Mantanzas Bay, and he's hired two of the fast boats. It's going
to be a regular race, for the two fellows who run the boats are real
water rivals.

"Mr. Pertell has induced them to act the parts for him, and there'll be
some fun. Part of our company is to be in one boat, and part in the
other, and some will be on the fort wall, outside the old moat, watching
the boats come up. It ought to make a dandy picture."

"I'm sure it will," declared Ruth, who was always interested in the
mechanical end, as well as in the artistic side. Russ had taught her
considerable about the technical part of the business of making moving
pictures.

"A motor boat race will be simply fine!" Alice exclaimed. "I hope the
boat I am in wins."

"There's no telling," Russ went on. "As I said, the men who own the boats
are real rivals, so each will do his best to come out ahead. There'll be
no fake about this--if you'll excuse the use of slang," he added.

That evening, seated in the palm garden, Mr. Pertell explained to his
company something of the plans for the next day, telling of the plot of
the play in which the motor boat race was to figure.

"That sounds interesting," commented Mr. DeVere.

"Do those boats go very fast?" inquired Mr. Sneed.

"Rather--they are two of the fastest boats in the world," answered the
manager.

"Then there's sure to be an accident," predicted the grouchy actor. "I
think you may count me out of this play, Mr. Pertell. I have had enough
of water stuff."

"