Part 21 (1/2)

”So we'll have one of those hospital scenes to-day. I'll stage a small engagement, and have a number of men wounded. They'll be brought in, and there will be a night scene. The doctors and other nurses go off duty, and you are in charge. An emergency occurs--maybe a bandage slips from an artery and you sit and hold the wound until a doctor can come and tie the artery again. We'll work it out as we go along.”

”Is there anything for me?” asked Alice.

”No, your part will stand all right as it is until you get to the big hospital scene. Come on now, Ruth; we'll have a rehearsal.”

The rehearsal went off well, and the little change promised to strengthen the story of the war play. The hospital was set up near Mr.

Apgar's corn-crib.

”And maybe that'll be a good thing,” he said. ”If you folks use enough of them there disinfectants and carbolic acid, you may scare away all the rats and mice that eat my corn in the winter.”

”Oh! will there be rats and mice?” asked Ruth, apprehensively.

”Not in the hospital,” said Mr. Pertell with a laugh. ”It will be strictly sanitary--as much so as things were in the days of sixty-three.”

The fight between the two forces was staged some distance away from the hospital, and the guns soon began to rattle and to roar again. The girls did not mind them by this time, however.

This skirmish had no particular part in the general story, but it was filmed just the same, as it could be spliced in with the other fighting scenes.

”And you can't get too much of that,” Mr. Pertell said.

Russ, with some helpers, was taking the fighting pictures preliminary to the hospital act. He was nearing the end of the reel in his machine when, to his dismay, he found he had forgotten to bring a spare one.

”Here, you!” he called to one of the extra soldiers lying lazily on the gra.s.s near the camera, ”hop over and ask Pop Snooks to give you an extra reel for me.”

The man did not answer.

”Don't you hear me?” yelled Russ, grinding away at the film which was being quickly used up. ”Go and get me that reel!”

Still no response.

”Are you deaf?” shouted Russ, and then he thought perhaps the discharge of so many cannon had made the man unable to hear.

”Go over and punch that fellow!” cried Russ to Paul. ”Wake him up, and tell him to get me that extra reel.”

”All right,” Paul a.s.sented. ”I'd go myself only I have to carry a message to headquarters in a minute or two.”

He ran over and kicked the soldier, who seemed to be asleep.

”Hi! What's the idea?” demanded the rudely awakened one.

”The camera man wants you to go to get him some film.”

”Who--me?”

”Yes--you! Skip!”

”I can't go get no film!”