d at the admiring newsboy, and tossed him a quarter, with
the advice to get a pretzel and use it for a watch charm. Whereat the
boy went into convulsive laughter again.

"What do you mean, Switzer, by going off just at train time?" demanded
the indignant director and manager.

"Train time is der time to go off--so long as you don't go off der
track!" declared the German. "But I vanted to go on--not go off--I
vanted to go on der ships only dey vouldn't let me. However, better late
than be a miss vot's like a bird in der hand," and with a shrug of his
shoulders and a last wink at the newsboy, Mr. Switzer went out to the
waiting train with the others.

It was a long and rather tedious ride to Oak Farm, which lay some miles
back in the hills from the railroad station, and it was late afternoon
when the company of moving picture actors and actresses arrived, to be
greeted by Sandy Apgar and his father and his mother.

"Well, I _am_ glad to see you all again!" cried Sandy, shaking hands
with Mr. DeVere, the girls and the others. "It seems like old times!"

"We're glad dot you are glad!" declaimed Mr. Switzer. "Haf you any more
barns vot need burning down?"

"Not this time," laughed Sandy. "One barn-burning is enough for me." A
barn, an old one, had been destroyed on the occasion of the previous
visit of the moving picture company--a burning barn being called for in
one of the scenes.

Oak Farm was a big place, and, in anticipation of the war plays to be
enacted there, several buildings had been built to accommodate the extra
actors and actresses, where they could sleep and eat. The DeVere girls
and the other members of the regular company would board at the
farmhouse as they had done before.

Hard work began early the next day. There was much to do in the way of
preliminary preparation, and Pop Snooks, the property man, with a corps
of assistants, was in his element. While Ruth, Alice and the others were
going through a rehearsal of their parts without, of course, the proper
scenic background, the property man was setting up the different "sets"
needed in the various scenes.

While they were working on one piece, Sandy Apgar came along on his way
to look after some of the farming operations.

"Hello!" he cried. "Say! you fellows did that mighty quick."

"Did what?" asked Alice, who stood near, not being engaged for the time
being.

"Why, dug that well. I didn't know you could strike water so soon," and
he point