Part 18 (1/2)

”Not one person in a hundred would object to the pulse being felt with the thumb,” he explained afterward; ”but the hundredth person in the audience would be a doctor, and he'd know right away that the director was at fault. It is the little things that count.”

Ruth and Alice busied themselves ministering to the wounded who were made prisoners by the Confederates. The lieutenant was put in their carriage and driven away. That ended the scene at the place of the skirmish.

”Very well done!” Mr. Pertell told the girls, as they prepared for the next act, which was in a room of a Southern house, whither the wounded had been carried.

These were busy days at Oak Farm. With the arrival of the two regiments of the National Guard, pictures were taken every day, leading up to the big battle scene, which had been postponed. When they were not posing for the cameras, the guardsmen were drilling in accordance with the regulations of the annual state encampment under the direction of the regular army officers.

”Well, have you quite recovered from your wounds?” asked Alice of Lieutenant Varley one day, as she met him outside the farmhouse.

”Oh, yes, thanks to the care of your sister and yourself. By the way, I hope your friend Miss Brown is not angry with me.”

”Why should she be?”

”Well, because I thought I had seen her before.”

”I don't believe she is. I haven't heard her say. But here she comes now. You can ask her,” and Estelle came around the turn of the path.

Seeing Alice talking with the lieutenant, she hesitated, but Alice called:

”Come on--we were just speaking about you.”

”I wondered why my ears burned,” laughed Estelle.

”Perhaps you two are going somewhere,” said the officer, preparing to take his leave.

”Oh, to no place where you are not welcome,” answered Alice, graciously, with a side look at her companion to see if Estelle objected. But the latter gave no sign, one way or the other.

”Thank you!” exclaimed the guardsman. ”I have to take part in a little scene in about an hour, but I would enjoy a walk in the meanwhile. You are both made up, I see?”

”Yes, we are Southern belles to-day,” laughed Alice.

”Belles every day,” returned the lieutenant with a bow.

”Nicely said!” laughed Estelle. ”You are improving!”

She and Alice wore the costumes of generations ago, big bonnets and hoopskirts.

”Let's go over and see what they're filming there,” suggested Alice, pointing to where a crossroads store had been put up.

The scene at the store was one to represent a dispute among some Southerners and some Northern sympathizers. It was to end in a fight in which one man was to draw his revolver.

All went well up to the quarrel, and then it became too realistic, for, by some chance, there was a bullet in the revolver instead of a blank cartridge, and it entered the leg of one of the disputants. He fell and bled profusely.

”Get Dr. Wherry!” yelled Mr. Pertell.

”Dr. Wherry went into the village this morning to get some stuff,” Russ said, ”and he hasn't come back yet.”

”Then somebody will have to go after him!” cried the director.