CHAPTER XVI
RUTH SOLVES ONE PROBLEM
Had Ruth Fielding been confronted with the question: "Did she expect tofind a clue to the identity of the person who had stolen her scenariobefore she left the Red Mill?" she could have made no confident answer.She did not know what she would find when she sat down at Mr. Hammond'sdesk for the purpose of looking over the submitted stories.
Doubt and suspicion, however, enthralled her mind. She was both curiousand anxious.
Ruth had no particular desire to read the manuscripts. In any case she didnot presume Mr. Hammond desired her advice about selecting a script forfilming.
She skimmed through the first story. It had not a thing in it that wouldsuggest in the faintest way any familiarity of the author with her ownlost scenario.
For two hours she fastened her attention upon one after another of thescenarios, often by main will-power, because of the utter lack ofinterest in the stories the writers had tried to put over.
Without being at all egotistical, Ruth Fielding felt confident that hadany one of these scenario writers come into possession of her lost script,and been dishonest enough to use it, he would have turned out a muchbetter story.
But not a trace of her original idea and its development was to be foundin these manuscripts. Her suspicion had been needlessly roused.
Ruth could not deny that the scrap of paper found in the sand was quite asmysterious as ever. The quotation on it seemed to be taken directly fromher own scenario. But there was absolutely nothing in this pile ofmanuscripts to justify her suspicions.
She was just as dissatisfied after scanning all the submitted scenarios asMr. Hammond seemed to be with the day's work when the company came backfrom Herringport in the late afternoon.
"I suppose it is a sanguine disposition that keeps me at this game, MissRuth," he sighed. "I always expect much more than I can possibly get outof a situation; and when I fail I go on hoping just the same."
"I am sure that is a commendable disposition to possess," she laughed."What has gone so wrong?"
"It is the old story of leading the horse to water, and the inability ofmaking him drink. This is a balky horse, and no mistake!"
"Do tell me what you mean, Mr. Hammond?"
"Why, I told you we had got what the ladies call 'perfectly lovely' typesfor that scene to-day. You ought to see them, Miss Ruth! You would becharmed. Just what the dear public expects a back-country sewing circleshould look like."
"Oh!"
"And they all promised to be on hand at the location--and they were. Ihave had my experiences with amateurs before. I had begged the ladies todress just as they would were they going to an actual meeting of theirsewing society----"
"And they all dressed up?" laughed Ruth, clasping her hands.
"Well, that I expected to contend with. And most of them even in theirbest bib and tucker were not out of the picture. Not at all! That was notthe main difficulty and the one that has spoiled our day's work."
"Indeed?"
"I am afraid Jim Hooley will have to fake the whole scene after all,"continued the manager. "Those women came all dressed up 'to have theirpictures took,' it is true. But the worst of it is, they could not benatural. It was impossible. They showed in every move and every glancethat they were sitting with a bunch of actors and were not at all surethat what they were doing was altogether the right thing.
"We worked over them as though it were a 'mob scene' and there were fivehundred in it instead of twenty. But twenty wooden dummies would havefilmed no more unnaturally. You know, in your story, they are supposed tobe discussing the bit of gossip about your heroine's elopement with theschoolteacher. I could not work up a mite of enthusiasm in their mindsabout such a topic."
Ruth laughed. But she saw that the matter was really serious for Mr.Hammond and the director. She became sympathetic.
"I fancy that if they had had a real scandal to discuss," she observed,"their faces would have registered more poignant interest."
"'Poignant interest'!" scoffed the manager in disgust. "If theseHerringport tabbies had the toothache they would register only politeanguish--in public. They are the most insular and self-contained andself-suppressed women I ever saw. These Down-Easters! They could walk overfiery ploughshares and only wanly smile----"
Ruth went off into a gale of laughter at this. Mr. Hammond was a Westernerby birth, and he found the Yankee character as hard to understand as didHenri Marchand.
"Have you quite given up hope, Mr. Hammond?" Ruth asked.
"Well, we'll try again to-morrow. Oh, they promised to come again! Theyare cutting out rompers, or flannel undervests, I suppose, for the SouthSea Island children; or something like that. They are interested in thatjob, no doubt.
"I wanted them to 'let go all holts,' as these fishermen say, and be eagerand excited. They are about as eager as they would be doing their washing,or cleaning house--if as much!" and Mr. Hammond's disappointment becametoo deep for further audible expression.
Ruth suddenly awoke to the fact that one of her best scenes in the"Seaside Idyl" was likely to be spoiled. She talked with Mr. Hooley aboutit, and when the day's run was developed and run off in one of the shackswhich was used for a try-out room, Ruth saw that the manager had not putthe matter too strongly. The sewing circle scene lacked all that snap andgo needed to make it a realistic piece of action.
Of course, there were enough character actors in the company to use in thescene; but naturally an actor caricatures such parts as were called for inthis scene. The professional would be likely to make the characters seemgrotesque. That was not the aim of the story.
"I thought you were not going to take any interest in this 'Seaside Idyl,'at all," suggested Helen, when Ruth was talking about the failure of thescene after supper that night.
"I can't help it. My reputation as a scenario writer is at stake, just asmuch as is Mr. Hooley's reputation as director," Ruth said, smiling. "Ireally didn't mean to have a thing to do with the old picture. But I cansee that somebody has got to put a breath of naturalness into thoseladies' aid society women, or this part of the picture will be a fizzle."
"And our Ruth," drawled Jennie, "is going to prescribe one of her famouscure-alls, is she?"
"I believe I can make them look less like a lot of dummies while they arecutting out rompers for cannibal island pickaninnies," laughed Ruth. "Tom,I am going to the port with you the first thing in the morning."
"By all means," said Captain Cameron. "I am yours to command."
Her newly aroused interest in the scenario at present being filmed, was agood thing for Ruth Fielding. Having found nothing at all in the submittedstories that suggested her own lost story, the girl of the Red Mill triedto put aside again the thing that so troubled her mind. And this newinterest helped.
In the morning before breakfast she and Tom ran over to the port in themaroon roadster. While they were having breakfast at the inn, Ruth askedthe waitress, who was a native of this part of the country, about theUnion Church and some of the more intimate life-details of the members ofits congregation.
It is not hard to uncover neighborhood gossip of a kind not altogetherunkindly in any similar community. The Union Church had a new minister,and he was young. He was now away on his vacation, and more than one localbeauty and her match-making mamma would have palpitation of the heartbefore he returned for fear that the young clergyman would have his heartinterests entangled by some designing "foreigner."
Tom had no idea as to what Ruth Fielding was getting at through thisquestioning of the beaming Hebe who waited on them at breakfast. And hewas quite as much in the dark as to his friend's motive when Ruthannounced their first visit to be to the office of the Herringport_Harpoon_, the local news sheet.
Ruth Fielding Down East; Or, The Hermit of Beach Plum Point Page 16
