The Moving Picture Girls at Oak Farm | Page 6

could have taken you?" and she
seemed genuinely distressed.
"What kind of a dog was he?" asked Alice, for she loved animals.
"A collie--a most beautiful collie. He had a pink bow on, and here it is!
Oh, how I loved him! We were inseparable! And now he is gone!" and
tears filled the lady's eyes.

CHAPTER III
ON TO THE FARM
Despite the excitement and hard work caused by the wreck, many of
the trainmen had time to look for the missing dog. This was after the
conductor had been appealed to by Mrs. Delamont, the owner of the
prize animal.
And it appeared, from the deferential attitude of the conductor, that Mrs.
Delamont was a person of some importance. Her husband was one of
the directors of the railroad, and she was much interested in prize dogs.
But a careful search failed to disclose the missing Rex III. An
examination of the car revealed nothing, and the baggage man was sure
he had tied such a knot in the dog's leash that the animal could not have
worked it loose.
"Besides," said Mrs. Delamont, "Rex would not leave me. Someone
must have taken him."
"That's what I think," agreed the baggageman.
And this was very possible, as many strangers had been attracted to the
scene of the wreck. Mrs. Delamont offered a reward of a hundred
dollars for the return of her prize dog, and this spurred a number of
volunteer searchers to work.
They scurried about the fields near the scene of the accident, but in
spite of enticing calls and whistles no Rex answered.
"I'm afraid he is gone," said Alice, who had taken quite a liking to Mrs.
Delamont, in spite of the lady's rather "loud" dress and manners.
"Oh, I must find him!" exclaimed Mrs. Delamont. "I shall have to
advertise," she went on. "This is not the first time he has been taken. He
is such a fine-looking dog that many are attracted to him. And he is so
friendly! Oh, Rex, where are you?"

But Rex III was not to be found, and the trainmen could no longer
delay. A last search was made in the surrounding fields, and then the
passengers went back to their cars. A substitute engineer and fireman
had come with the wrecking crew.
Mrs. Delamont made many inquiries as to whether anyone had seen her
dog being led away, but no one had, and lamenting over her loss, and
dwelling on the fine qualities and value of her pet, she resumed her seat
in the parlor car.
"Well, I sure did get some fine pictures," remarked Russ, as he came
back to the others of the film company. "It will be something for our
newspaper service, all right."
"We'll send them back to New York from the next station," said Mr.
Pertell, "and wire that they're on the way. They can develop and print
them there."
In the first book of this series I have described the mechanical part of
moving pictures, how they are made and prepared for projection on the
screen. To briefly sum it up, I might say that the pictures, or negatives,
are taken on a continuous strip of celluloid film in a specially prepared
camera, which takes views at the rate of sixteen per second. Then, after
this long strip of negative is developed, a positive, as it is called, is
made, and this is run through the projecting machine in the theatre.
Thus, by means of powerful lenses, and intense lights, the miniature
pictures, less than an inch in width, are enlarged to life size.
In order to make sure that the passengers should reach their destinations
the train that had been in the wreck was stopped at the next important
station. There a new baggage car was put on, and another engine. Russ
took advantage of the delay to send back, by express, the film he had
made of the collision, at the same time telegraphing the manager of the
film studio to expect the reel.
The journey to Beatonville was then taken up again, and proceeded
without further accident. The train was somewhat delayed, and when it
drew up at the small station Ruth, Alice and the others looked out

eagerly to see what sort of place it was.
"It isn't as bad as you said, Russ!" exclaimed Ruth. "I see two houses,
anyhow."
"Not many more, though," he answered, with a laugh.
Beatonville was a typical country railroad town, and quite a crowd of
depot loungers gathered around as the theatrical company alighted.
As the train went on its way again Alice caught a glimpse of Mrs.
Delamont at one of the windows in the parlor car. The owner of the
missing Rex III waved her hand in friendly farewell to