ay up in Alaska as well
as traveled all through the Wild West, and in Mexico among the fighting
that's always going on down there. And I've got a few more stunts
mapped out that will dwarf everything else that's ever been undertaken.
Oh! this is only a little picnic for a motion-picture stage director."

He may have been stretching the truth more or less, but then Hugh saw
no reason to disbelieve what he said. The boy realized that in these
modern days those who would succeed in the midst of fierce competition
must have something very unusual to offer the fickle public in the way
of adventure and novel effects. Why, the mere fact of this manager
learning about the deserted castle in the lonesome valley, and
fetching such an army of players all the way up there to impersonate
the genuine characters of olden days, was proof enough that what he
had just been saying might be considered in the line of reason. At
all events, there was no ground on which to doubt him.

Billy was casting frequent nervous glances over toward the spot where
the operator was still grinding lustily away, seeking to get a good
picture of the actors in one of their off-periods, when they were
taking things easy after a recent "engagement."

When, by accident, Monkey Stallings chanced to step in the way, Billy
hastily moved his position. When a Worth was being immortalized in
this fashion far be it for a worthy scion of the race to allow a mere
Stallings to crowd him out. When, presently, the grinding ceased,
with the operator hurrying across to report his success to the bustling
stage director, Billy grinned in conscious triumph, for he felt convinced
that he stood out prominently in that picture, so that any one who saw
it must notice what a handsome chap one of the Boy Scouts appeared to
be on the screen, at least.

The man who was running all this wonderfully complicated affair looked
just like a goodnatured, red-faced bank cashier, but Hugh realized that
he must have an amazing capacity for detail work, as well as a
remarkable faculty for organization.

Now and then he would refer to a sheaf of papers he carried around
with him, fastened together with a little arrangement that allowed
of their being rapidly turned over from time to time. Doubtless this
was his plan of campaign. Hugh would have given something for the
privilege of examining the same, but lacked the assurance to ask such
a favor of one who was an utter stranger to him,