Ruth Fielding on the St. Lawrence Part 16

"He's nothing but an Injun!" squealed Bilby, in wrath.

"Being an Osage Indian, and owning properly surveyed oil lands in Oklahoma, the Government has acknowledged his citizens.h.i.+p," was the quiet reply. "He certainly is a good American and will doubtless answer to any court demand--if you can serve him legally."

"You got him hid away somewhere?" demanded the deputy sheriff.

"And the girl, too!" cried Bilby. "I want the girl more than I do the crazy old Indian."

"You'll think he's crazy if he ever sets eyes on you again, Mr. Bilby,"

was Mr. Hammond's warning. "He hasn't forgotten you."

Bilby drew back--and he looked frightened, too. "I--I don't want him right now," he muttered.

Hammond accepted the summons of the local court, glanced at it, and put it in his pocket.

"I see I have five days' grace," he remarked. "All right. I will see that proper representation is made before the court."

"But we want them Indians," said the deputy.

"This island is private property. I have hired its use for a certain term. I will allow you on it only under proper legal motion. Have you a search warrant?" Hammond asked the deputy.

"I ain't got a warrant. I don't need a warrant for a couple of Indians.

They ain't got any standing in this community. I know Indians all right.

You give 'em over."

"I do not even acknowledge that the two individuals you demand are under my control. At least, I know very well that no United States court can touch the young woman, Wonota, except through her guardian. That guardian is her father. I don't see him here--do you?"

"You'd better produce him," threatened the deputy.

"You can't make me. Go back and get proper authority--if you can,"

advised Mr. Hammond. "And don't come here again--either of you--without proper authority. Willie!"

"On the job," said the boatman, grinning.

"Don't let these fellows upon the island again--not even on the dock. Not unless they are armed with a proper warrant."

He turned his back on the visitors and started toward the nearest bungalow.

"You'll be sorry for this, Hammond!" shouted Horatio Bilby. "I'll get you yet, and don't you forget it."

"To get me, as you call it, you will have to have both right and might on your side, Bilby. And just now you do not seem to have either," was the Parthian shot the president of the Alectrion Corporation sent over his shoulder.

Willie hustled the deputy and the fat man back into their launch.

"Go on away from here," advised Willie. "I know you, Tom Satchett--known you all my life. All you are fit for is to jump a few fishermen and game hunters that break the law. This job is too big for you. You're up against money and influence, both, this time."

"I won't forget you, Willie," growled the deputy. "You'll want something of me some time----"

"I want something of you right now," put in the boatman. "A good reason for punching you. Go on into your boat before I find it."

So the pair retreated. But Ruth came to Mr. Hammond in some little disturbance.

"What shall we do?" she demanded. "Suppose they take Wonota away before the picture is finished?"

"They won't. At least, I don't believe the court will allow it. I will telegraph to a good lawyer and have him come up here and watch proceedings."

"But, if it should happen, we would be in a bad fix, Mr. Hammond. Mr.

Hooley says n.o.body could double for Wonota."

"Let's not cross bridges until we come to them," returned her friend.

But perhaps Mr. Hammond felt less confidence than he managed to get into his voice and appearance at that moment.

CHAPTER XV

THE YELLOW LADY

There could be no further haste about the making of the picture, "The Long Lane's Turning." Although most of the big scenes were already shot, those that remained to do held in them the more poignant action of the piece and must be rehea.r.s.ed over and over again.

Much time is sometimes spent upon a single scene--a few feet of a reel.

Infinite patience, repet.i.tion and experimenting go into the making of a pictured story. Infinite detail and a close attention to that detail make the successful picture.

To stage a "big" scene may seem to be a marvelous feat of the director.

But in a big scene, with a large number of actors, the latter are divided into groups, each group has its captain, and each individual actor has to follow the lead of his particular captain. The groups are trained and perfected in every little motion before they come into the real scene before the camera.

Thus the allegorical picture that was a prologue to "The Long Lane's Turning" had been gone over and rehea.r.s.ed again and again by the princ.i.p.al actors in it, even before the company left New York City.

Now, with all these "big" scenes filmed, the more difficult work of making the individual scenes of action came to the fore. Wonota had to be coached over and over again in her scenes with Mr. Grand and Miss Keith.

Both the latter were well-practised screen actors and could register the ordinary gamut of emotions as easily as they ate their breakfast or powdered their noses.

With Wonota, however, it was different. In the first place, she came of a tribe of people in whom it was bred to smother all expression of emotion--even the most poignant. Wonota almost wors.h.i.+ped her father; but did she ever look upon Chief Totantora with a smile of pride or with affection beaming in her eyes?

"Not so you'd notice it," said Helen, on one occasion. "Ordinarily, as far as her looks go, Totantora might be a stranger to her."

"Is there any wonder, then," sighed Ruth, "that we find it so hard to make her register affection for Mr. Grand? And she already should have learned to do that in that first picture we took out West."

"Maybe that's the reason," said Helen wickedly. "If she did not know Mr.

Grand's foibles so well, she might the better show interest in him.

Goodness knows he's handsome enough."

"Better than that, he can act," said Ruth thoughtfully. "Not many of these handsome screen heroes can do that. But perhaps if Wonota did not disdain him so much (and she does, secretly) she could play up to him better."

"Is there much more for her to do?" Helen asked, with renewed interest.

"Several scenes--and some of them most important. Mr. Hooley can not give all his time to her. I am trying to coach her in them. But there is so much going on here at the island----"