all?"
"It is like the poor," laughed Ruth. "It is always with us, Jennie. We
cannot look at you and visualize your skeleton. You are too well
upholstered."
This sort of banter did not appeal to the Indian girl. She did not, in
fact, hear much of it. All her attention was given to the play on the
stage and the brilliant audience. She had traveled considerably with
Dakota Joe's show, but she had never seen anything like the audience in
this Broadway theatre.
She went back to the Stone domicile in a sort of daze--smiling and happy
in her quiet way, but quite speechless. Even Jennie could not "get a
rise out of her," as she confessed to Helen and Ruth after they were
ready for bed and the plump girl had come in to perch on one of the
twin beds her chums occupied for the night.
"But I like this Osage flower," observed Jennie. "And I am just as
anxious as I can be to see you make a star actress out of her, Ruthie."
"It will be Mr. Hammond and the director who do that."
"I guess you'll be in it," said Helen promptly. "If it wasn't for your
story they would not be able to feature Wonota."
"Anyway," went on Jennie, "I want to go West with you, Ruth--and so does
Helen. Don't you, Nell?"
"I certainly do," agreed Ruth's good friend. "Heavy and I are going to
tag along, Ruthie, somehow. If there is a chaperone, father said I could
go."
"Not Aunt Kate!" cried Jennie. "She says she has had enough. We dragged
her down East this summer, but she will not leave Madison Avenue this
winter."
"No need of worrying about that. Mother Paisley is going with the
company. I have a part for her in my picture. She always looks out for
the girls--a better chaperone than Mr. Hammond could hire," said Ruth.
"Fine!" cried Helen. "We'll go, then."
"We will," echoed Jennie.
"I wish you'd go to bed and let me go to sleep," complained the girl of
the Red Mill. "I have a hard day's work to-morrow--I feel it."
She was not mistaken in this feeling. At eight Mr. Hammond's assistant
telephoned that the director and the company would meet Ruth and Wonota
at a certain downtown corner where several of the scenes were to be
shot. Dressing rooms in a neighboring hotel had been engaged. Ruth and
her charge hastened through their breakfast, and Mr. Stone's chauffeur
drove them down to the corner mentioned.
It was a very busy spot, especially about noon. Ruth had seen so much of
this location work done, that it did not bother her. She w
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