rough her part.
She and Ruth carried their "cousin" out of the burning barn which was
then allowed to fall to ruins. Or rather, the extra part, built on for
the purpose, was, Pop Snook's smoke bombs effectually concealing from
the audience the fact that the real barn was not in the least harmed.

"Well, I'm glad that's over," said Alice with a sigh, as a little later
she washed off her make-up and donned her ordinary clothes.

"Do you feel bad?" her sister asked.

"Yes, sort of choked."

"Then let's take a walk up on the hill where there is always a breeze."

On the grassy eminence with the fresh breezes blowing about them, Alice
soon felt much better. But Mr. Pertell called off some of the scenes set
down for next day, so that she might have a rest.

"We'll soon be ready for the big hospital scene, Ruth, and also for the
one where you try to get away with the papers, Alice," said Mr. Pertell
to the two girls one day. "And, in order that everything may run
smoothly I've made a little change in the scenario. I'm going to have a
preliminary hospital scene. In that you will be a sort of orderly, or
assistant nurse, Ruth. And there comes an emergency in which you do so
well that you are sent for to be a nurse in one of the big hospitals
maintained near the front. That will make the story more logical.

"So we'll have one of those hospital scenes to-day. I'll stage a small
engagement, and have a number of men wounded. They'll be brought in, and
there will be a night scene. The doctors and other nurses go off duty,
and you are in charge. An emergency occurs--maybe a bandage slips from
an artery and you sit and hold the wound until a doctor can come and tie
the artery again. We'll work it out as we go along."

"Is there anything for me?" asked Alice.

"No, your part will stand all right as it is until you get to the big
hospital scene. Come on now, Ruth; we'll have a rehearsal."

The rehearsal went off well, and the little change promised to
strengthen the story of the war play. The hospital was set up near Mr.
Apgar's corn-crib.

"And maybe that'll be a good thing," he said. "If you folks use enough
of them there disinfectants and carbolic acid, you may scare away all
the rats and mice that eat my corn in the winter."

"Oh! will there be rats and mice?" asked Ruth, apprehensively.

"Not in the hospital," said Mr. Pertell with a laugh. "It will be
strictly sanitary--as much so as things were in the days of
sixty