ecause he had not made a success in Shakespeare.

Pop Snooks was the "Old Reliable" property man of the company, and
what he could not manufacture in the way of "props" at short notice
was hardly worth mentioning.

The company of moving picture players and the other train passengers
found a scene of desolation awaiting them as they alighted. But it
was not as bad as might have been expected, and no one had been
killed. In fact, no one was hurt, save the fireman and engineer of
the passenger train, and they only slightly.

What had happened was this: A freight train, on a siding, had overrun
a switch, and one of the cars encroached on the main line tracks. The
passenger engine had "side-swiped" it, as the railroad term has it.
That is, the engine had struck a glancing blow, and had been
derailed. The baggage car, directly behind the engine, had been
smashed, but a quick survey on the part of Mr. Pertell showed that
the company's baggage had not been damaged.

The wreck was bad enough, however, and meant a delay until the track
was cleared. The members of the company, and the other passengers,
gathered about, looking on while the railroad men held a consultation
as to what was best to be done.

"Look, there's Russ, taking pictures!" exclaimed Ruth, pointing to
him. The young operator had gone to the baggage car and obtained the
tripod of his camera. This he had set up in an advantageous position,
and was industriously grinding away at the handle, taking pictures of
the wreck on the moving strip of celluloid.

"This will be all right for our newspaper service!" he called to Mr.
Pertell.

"That's right! Good work, Russ! But this will mean a delay in getting
to Oak Farm."

However, there was no help for it. One of the trainmen went to the
nearest station to telephone for the wrecking crew. Fortunately it
was not necessary to bring one out from Hoboken, since at Dover, a
station some miles down the line, such an equipment was kept. And a
little later the wrecking crew was on the scene.

"I'll get some fine pictures now!" exulted Russ. "I'm glad I'm here,
though I wouldn't want a railroad collision to happen every day. We
might not get off so lucky next time."

"Luck! Don't mention luck!" grumbled Mr. Sneed. "The idea of starting
out on track thirteen! I told you something would happen."

"Den you vas not disappointmented alretty yet!" laughed Mr. Switzer.

The work of getting the engine back on the track was co