"Vot for you do dot to me?" demanded Mr. Switzer of the grouchy5 actor who had chopped the tree. "Dot vos not in the act; vos it, Mr. Pertell?"
"No, but as long as you're not hurt we'll leave it in. It will make a little variety. Why didn't you get out of the way?"
"Nobody tolt me to. I t'ought Herr Sneed knowed vot he vos doin' by der tree yet! Vhy shoult I get der vay oudt?"
"Well, I knew something would happen when I tried to chop a tree," grumbled6 the author of the mischief7.
"As long as it's nothing very bad we'll forgive you," went on the manager.
"Und I forgif him, too," spoke8 the German. "Only he must now use his axe9 again und get me out of dis. I am helt fast yet!"
This was true enough, for the branches, though not heavy enough to have caused any injury, were quite thick, and fairly hemmed10 Mr. Switzer in.
"Better let me lop off a few," suggested Sandy, and they agreed that as the chopping would have to be done quite close to the imprisoned11 one, a more expert hand had better do it.
Sandy quickly had cut a way so the actor could emerge, and at Mr. Pertell's suggestion Russ made moving pictures of it.
"I'll have a new scene written in the play to fit this," the manager said. "Mr. Bunn, I think you might climb that tree over there," and he indicated one within range of the camera.
"Climb a tree! Me!" exclaimed the actor. "What for, pray?"
"Well, I'll have a scene fixed12 up to indicate that the party gets lost in the woods, and you climb a tree to see if you can spy any landmarks13 to lead them out of their plight14. Just shin up that tree, if you please, and put your hand over your eyes when you get up high enough to see across the tops of the other trees. You know—register that you are looking for the path."
"I refuse to do it!" cried Wellington Bunn. "To climb a tree is beneath my dignity."
"Then climb a tree and get above it," suggested the manager, drily. "You've got to climb; I want you in this scene."
The tall actor groaned15, but there was no help for it. Up he went, not without many misgivings16 and grunts17, for he was not an athlete.
"I say!" he cried, when part way up, "if I fall and get hurt you'll have to pay me damages, Mr. Pertell."
"You won't get hurt much," was the not very comforting answer. "And you won't fall, if you keep a tight hold with your arms and legs. But if you do, there's lots of soft moss18 at the foot of the tree."
"Oh, this life! This terrible life!" groaned Mr. Bunn. "Why did I ever go into moving pictures?"
No one answered him. Perhaps they thought the reason was that he had outlived his drawing powers in the legitimate19 drama.
Finally he reached the top of the tree, and pretended to be looking for a path for the lost ones, while Russ, always at the camera, successfully filmed him.
"That's enough—come on down," ordered Mr. Pertell. Mr. Bunn came down more quickly than he went up, and the last few feet he slid down so rapidly that he scratched his hands, and tore his trousers.
"You'll have to pay for them," he said, ruefully, as he looked at the rent.
"Put it in your expense bill," suggested the manager. "We'll do anything in reason. And now let's get back before anything else happens. Is to-day Friday, the thirteenth?" he asked with a smile, for really a number of occurrences out of the ordinary had taken place. Fortunately, however, none of the accidents was serious, and no films were spoiled.
Several days passed, one or two of them rather lazy ones, for the weather grew hotter and Mr. Pertell did not want to overburden his players. Russ and Paul took advantage of the little holiday to pay several visits to the cabin in the woods, but they saw no traces of the mysterious man.
"I have something new for you to-day," remarked the manager one morning to the actors and actresses.
"Water scenes?" asked Russ, with a sly glance at Alice.
"No, this is on dry land. You're going to school for a change."
"Going to school!" they all echoed.
"Yes. I've a new play, and some of the scenes take place in a school room. I'll only want the younger ones in this, though. Miss Ruth and Miss Alice, Paul and Tommy and Nellie."
"Only the younger ones! Well, I like that!" sniffed20 Miss Pennington, powdering her nose. "As if we were old maids!"
"The idea!" gasped21 Miss Dixon. "Those DeVere girls think they are the whole show!"
"I should say they did!"
But it was not the fault of Alice and Ruth that they were young and pretty.
"It won't be a very large class—with just us five in it," remarked Paul.
"Oh, I'm going to use some of the regular school children," said the manager. "I've made arrangements with the teacher. We're to go to the schoolhouse this afternoon. Here are your parts—it's a simple little thing," he added, as he distributed the typewritten sheets. "Study 'em a bit, we'll have a little rehearsal22, and then we'll film it."
It was not as easy as Mr. Pertell had thought it would be to get the little scenes in the country school. His own players were all right, but the regular school children were either too bashful or too bold—particularly some of the boys. And, just as one side of the room would get quiet, and Russ would be ready to grind out the film, the other side would break out into disorder23 caused by some mischievous24 boy.
The children did not really mean to cause trouble, but it was a new thing for them to be made subjects for moving pictures. They would persist in staring straight at the camera, instead of pretending to study their lessons as they should have done.
But finally they were induced to go properly through their little scene, and the action of the play began. At one part Alice was to go to the blackboard to do a sum in arithmetic, and Paul was to pass her a little love note. This was to be intercepted25 by Ruth, and then the trouble began—trouble of a jealous nature, all being woven into a little country romance that had its start in the schoolhouse.
All was going well, and Russ was clicking merrily away at the camera, when suddenly one of the real pupils—a red-haired boy—cried at the top of his voice:
"Bees! Look out for the bees! There's a swarm26 of bees headed this way!"
And through the open windows of the school there came a curious humming sound.
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1
foliage
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| n.叶子，树叶，簇叶 | |
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rumpled
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| v.弄皱，使凌乱( rumple的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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maze
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| n.迷宫，八阵图，混乱，迷惑 | |
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grouchy
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| adj.好抱怨的；愠怒的 | |
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6
grumbled
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| 抱怨( grumble的过去式和过去分词 )； 发牢骚； 咕哝； 发哼声 | |
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7
mischief
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| n.损害，伤害，危害；恶作剧，捣蛋，胡闹 | |
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8
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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axe
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| n.斧子；v.用斧头砍，削减 | |
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hemmed
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| 缝…的褶边( hem的过去式和过去分词 )； 包围 | |
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11
imprisoned
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| 下狱，监禁( imprison的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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12
fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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13
landmarks
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| n.陆标( landmark的名词复数 )；目标；（标志重要阶段的）里程碑 ~ (in sth)；有历史意义的建筑物（或遗址） | |
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14
plight
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| n.困境，境况，誓约，艰难；vt.宣誓，保证，约定 | |
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15
groaned
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| v.呻吟( groan的过去式和过去分词 )；发牢骚；抱怨；受苦 | |
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16
misgivings
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| n.疑虑，担忧，害怕；疑虑，担心，恐惧( misgiving的名词复数 )；疑惧 | |
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17
grunts
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| （猪等）作呼噜声( grunt的第三人称单数 )； （指人）发出类似的哼声； 咕哝着说； 石鲈 | |
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18
moss
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| n.苔，藓，地衣 | |
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19
legitimate
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| adj.合法的，合理的，合乎逻辑的；v.使合法 | |
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sniffed
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| v.以鼻吸气，嗅，闻( sniff的过去式和过去分词 )；抽鼻子（尤指哭泣、患感冒等时出声地用鼻子吸气）；抱怨，不以为然地说 | |
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21
gasped
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| v.喘气( gasp的过去式和过去分词 )；喘息；倒抽气；很想要 | |
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rehearsal
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| n.排练，排演；练习 | |
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23
disorder
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| n.紊乱，混乱；骚动，骚乱；疾病，失调 | |
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24
mischievous
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| adj.调皮的，恶作剧的，有害的，伤人的 | |
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25
intercepted
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| 拦截( intercept的过去式和过去分词 )； 截住； 截击； 拦阻 | |
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26
swarm
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| n.(昆虫)等一大群；vi.成群飞舞；蜂拥而入 | |
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