The Moving Picture Girls in War Plays | Page 8

it, a puzzled look came over his face.
"Well, I'll be jiggered!" he cried. "'Tain't a well at all! Only an
imitation!"
And that was what it was. Some canvas had been stretched in a circle
about a framework, and painted to represent stones. The well itself
stood on top of the ground, not being dug out at all. It made a perfectly
good water-scene, with a sweep, a chain, a bucket and all.
"I'm supposed to stand there and draw water for the thirsty soldiers,"
explained Ruth, coming up at this point.
"Huh! How are you goin' to git water out of there?" demanded Sandy.
"It's as dry as a bone. Why, I've got a good well over there," and he

pointed to a real one, under an apple tree.
"That's in the shade--couldn't get any pictures there," explained Russ.
"The well has to be out in the open."
"But what about water?" asked Sandy. "Hang me if I ever heard of a
well without water!"
"We'll run a hose up to this one," explained Pop Snooks. "A man will
lie down behind the well-curb, where he won't show in the camera. As
fast as Ruth lowers her bucket into the well the man'll fill the pail with
water for the soldiers to drink. It'll be quicker than a real well, and if we
find we don't like it in one place we can move it to another. This is a
movable well."
"Well, I'll be----" began Sandy, but words failed him. "This is sure a
queer business," he murmured as he strode off.
The hard work of preparation continued. All about the farm queer parts
of buildings were being erected, extra barns, out-houses, bits of fence,
and the like.
In what are called close-up scenes only a small part of an object shows
in the camera, and often when a magnificent entrance to a marble house
is shown, it is only a plaster-of-Paris imitation of a door with a little
frame around it.
What is outside of that would not photograph; so what is the use of
building it? Of course in many scenes real buildings figure, but they are
not built for the purpose.
In one of the war plays a small barn was to be shown, and a soldier was
supposed to jump through the window of this to escape pursuit. As
none of the regular buildings at Oak Farm was in the proper location,
Pop Snooks had been ordered to build a barn.
He did. That is, he built one side of it, propping it up with braces from
behind, where they would not show. The window was there, and some

boards; so that, seen through the camera, it looked like a small part of a
big out-building.
Some hay was piled on the ground to one side, away from the camera,
and it was on this hay that the escaping soldier would land. Then Ruth
was to come to him, and go through some scenes. But these would be
interior views, which would be taken in the improvised studio erected
on the farm for this purpose.
Mr. Switzer was to be the soldier, and would plunge through the barn
window head first. He was called on to rehearse the scenes a few days
after the semblance of a barn had been put in position and the hay laid
out to make his landing safe.
"Are you ready?" asked Mr. Pertell, who was directing the scene. "All
ready, there, Switzer?"
"Sure, as ready as I ever shall be."
"All right, then. Now, you understand, you come running out of those
bushes over there, and when you get out you stop for a minute and
register caution. Look on all sides of you. Then you see the barn and
the open window. Register surprise and hope. You say, 'Ah, I shall be
safe in there!'
"Then you run, look back once or twice to see if you are pursued, and
make a dive, head first, through the open window on to the hay. All
ready now?"
"Sure, I'm ready!"
"How about you, Russ?"
"Let her go."
"All ready, then! Camera!"
Russ began to grind away at the film. Mr. Switzer had taken his place
in the clump of bushes, his ragged Union garments flapping in the wind.

He came out, looked furtively around, and then, giving the proper
"registration," he advanced cautiously toward the barn.
"Go on now--run!" cried Mr. Pertell through his megaphone.
The German actor ran. He made a beautiful leap through the window,
and the next moment there came from him howls of dismay.
"Donner vetter! Ach Himmel! Ach! My face! My hands! Hey,
somebody! bring a pail of water! Quick!"
CHAPTER IV
A REHEARSAL
Mingled in German and English came the shouts of dismay from