The Moving Picture Girls Snowbound | Page 7

to come again. You have no right in here. I must ask you to leave."
"Huh! You haven't any right here either. You can't give me orders."
"They are not my orders. This is a request from the young ladies themselves, and I am merely seeing that it is carried out. You don't want him here; do you?" he asked, of the two girls.
"Oh, no! Please go!" begged Ruth.
"I want my money!" cried the man.
"Look here!" exclaimed Russ, taking hold of Merley's shoulder. "You will either leave quietly, or I'll summon a policeman and have you arrested. Even if you have a claim against Mr. DeVere, and I don't believe you have, that gives you no right to trespass here. Take your claim to court!"
"I tell you I want my money now!"
"Well, you'll not get it. You have your remedy at law. Now leave at once, do you hear?"
"Yes, I hear all right, and you'll hear from me later. I will go to law, and I'll have my five hundred dollars. I'll bring suit against Mr. DeVere, and then he'll wish he'd paid me, for he'll have to settle my claim and costs besides. Oh, I'll sue all right!"
"I don't care what you do, as long as you get out of here!" cried Russ, sharply, for he saw that the strain was telling on Ruth and Alice. "Leave at once!"
"Suppose I don't go?"
"Then I'll put you out!"
Russ looked very brave as he said this. Ruth glanced at him, and thought he had never appeared to better advantage. And between Russ and Ruth there was--but there, I am getting ahead of my story.
"Are you going?" asked the young moving picture operator, again.
"Well, rather than have a row, I will. But I warn you I'll sue DeVere and I'll get my money, too. It's all nonsense for him to say he paid me. Where's his proof? I ask you that. Where's his proof?"
"Never mind about that," returned Russ, calmly. "It's your move, as I said before. And you can give a good imitation of a moving picture film showing a man getting out of a room."
With no good grace the man arose clumsily from his chair, and with leers at Ruth and Alice, who were clinging to each other on the far side of the room, the visitor started for the door.
"I'll see you again!" he called, coarsely. "Then maybe the laugh will be on my side. I'm going to have my money, I tell you!"
Russ kept after the man, and walked behind him to the door. There Dan Merley paused to exclaim, in loud tones:
"You wait--I'll get my money out of DeVere--you'll see!"
Then he stumbled on down the hallway, and Russ quickly closed and locked the door.
"Oh, Russ!" exclaimed Ruth. Then she sank into a chair, and bent forward with her head pillowed in her arms on the table.
"There, there," said the young man gently, as he put his hand on her head. "It's all right--he's gone. Don't be afraid."
"Oh, but what a dreadful man!" cried Alice. "I could----"
"Don't, dear," begged her sister gently, as she raised her head. There were tears in her eyes. Russ gently slipped his hand over her little rosy palm.
CHAPTER IV
A FUNNY FILM
For a moment Ruth remained thus, while, Alice, with flashing eyes, stood looking at the door leading into the hall, as if anticipating the return of that unpleasant visitor. Then Ruth lifted her head, and with a rosy blush, and a shy look at Russ, disengaged her hand.
"I--I feel better now," she said.
"That's good," and he smiled. "I don't believe that fellow will come back. I'll stay here. Is your father out?"
"Yes, and all on account of that horrid man," answered Alice. "Oh, it was so good of you to come in Russ!"
"I happened to be coming here anyhow," he answered. "When I saw the door open, and heard what was said, which I could not help doing, I did not stand on ceremony."
"It was awfully good of you," murmured Ruth, who now seemed quite herself again. "I suppose you heard what that man said?"
"Not all," he made reply. "It was something about money though, I gathered. He was demanding it."
"Yes, and after father has already paid it," put in Alice. "That's where daddy has gone now--to consult Mr. Pertell as to the best course of action."
Between them, Ruth and Alice told about Dan Merley's claim, and the injustice of it. Russ was duly sympathetic.
"If I were your father I would pay no attention to his demand," the young moving picture operator said.
"But suppose he sues, as he threatened?" asked Ruth.
"Let him, and fight the case in court when it comes up. Merley may be only 'bluffing', to use a common expression."
"But it annoys daddy almost as much as if the case were real, you see,"