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diff --git a/42069.txt b/42069.txt deleted file mode 100644 index f49c002..0000000 --- a/42069.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,6212 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook, Janet Hardy in Hollywood, by Ruthe S. Wheeler - - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - - - - -Title: Janet Hardy in Hollywood - - -Author: Ruthe S. Wheeler - - - -Release Date: February 11, 2013 [eBook #42069] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-646-US (US-ASCII) - - -***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK JANET HARDY IN HOLLYWOOD*** - - -E-text prepared by Stephen Hutcheson, Rod Crawford, Dave Morgan, and the -Online Distributed Proofreading Team (http://www.pgdp.net) - - - -JANET HARDY IN HOLLYWOOD - -by - -RUTHE S. WHEELER - - - - - - - -The Goldsmith Publishing Company -Chicago - -Copyright 1935 by -The Goldsmith Publishing Company - -Made in U. S. A. - - - - -CONTENTS - - - CHAPTER PAGE - I. "The Chinese Image" 13 - II. Leading Roles 20 - III. The Wind Roars 33 - IV. Little Deer Valley 47 - V. The White Menace 58 - VI. Desperate Hours 64 - VII. Sanctuary at Home 72 - VIII. Postponed Tryouts 78 - IX. Big News 85 - X. Victory for Helen 92 - XI. A Famous Director Arrives 101 - XII. On the Stage 112 - XIII. Janet Steps In 124 - XIV. Just Fishing 134 - XV. Hollywood Bound 145 - XVI. Thrilling Hours 155 - XVII. On the Westbound Plane 161 - XVIII. Hello, Hollywood! 173 - XIX. Gorgeous Gowns 182 - XX. At the Premiere 188 - XXI. Screen Tests 196 - XXII. Western Action 202 - XXIII. On the Screen 210 - XXIV. "Kings of the Air" 220 - XXV. The Stars Vanish 227 - XXVI. Bombs from the Sky 233 - XXVII. The Showdown 244 - - - - - Janet Hardy in Hollywood - - - - - _Chapter I_ - "THE CHINESE IMAGE" - - -Winter hung on grimly in the Middle West that year. Late March found the -streets piled high with snow and on that particular morning there was a -threat of additional snow in the air as Janet Hardy, a blond curl -sticking belligerently out from under her scarlet beret, hurried toward -school. - -It was an important day for members of the senior class of the Clarion -High School, for Miss Williams, the dramatics instructor, was going to -hand out parts to read for the class play. For that reason, Janet walked -more briskly than usual and she failed to hear footsteps behind her until -another girl, running lightly, called. - -"Slow up a minute, Janet. I'm nearly breathless. I've been chasing you -for more than a block." - -Janet turned to greet Helen Thorne, who lived half a block beyond her own -home and on the same broad, comfortable thoroughfare. - -The girls fell into step, Janet slowing her pace until Helen could -recover her breath. - -"What chance do you think we'll have of getting parts in the play?" asked -Helen, her face reflecting her hopefulness. - -"Just as good as any of the rest," replied Janet. "I don't think there -are any Ethel Barrymores in school and I wouldn't worry if there were. I -won't be heart-broken if I don't get a part." - -"That's easy to say, but I'm afraid I'll be pretty much disappointed if I -don't get one. You have the _Weekly Clarion_ to keep you busy." - -"It does that all right," conceded Janet, who was editor of the page of -high school news which appeared once a week in the local daily paper, the -_Times_, under the title of "The Weekly Clarion." - -The girls turned into the street which led up the hill to the high -school, a sprawling brick structure which covered nearly a block. The -original building had been started in 1898 and as the city had grown -additions had been made, seemingly at random, until hardly any one knew -how many rooms there were and it was not unusual for a new student to get -lost. - -Janet was slightly taller than Helen. Her hair was a golden blond with -just enough of a natural curl to make her the envy of most of the girls -in school. Her blue eyes had a friendly, cheery look and her mouth had an -upward twist that made it easy for her to smile. - -Helen was a complement to Janet, with dark brown hair, brown eyes and a -dusky skin. Because of her brunette coloring, she inclined to gayer -colors than her blond companion. - -It was half an hour before school when they reached the building, but a -goodly number of seniors were already on hand and competition for roles -in the play would be intense. With 132 in the senior class, not many more -than a score could hope to win parts. - -"There's so many it's going to be a discouraging business," said Helen as -they went upstairs to the chemistry auditorium where the class was to -meet. - -"If a lot of the others think that, it will be easy for us," smiled -Janet. "Come on, tell yourself you're going to win a part and you will." - -"I want to for Dad's sake. He wrote that he would be home for my -graduation and would attend all of the senior activities. So I've just -got to make the play cast." - -"Keep up that kind of a spirit and you're as good as in," encouraged -Janet, who secretly confessed that it was going to be quite a job to win -a place in the play. - -The chemistry auditorium was well filled when they arrived. Almost every -senior girl was there and at least half of the boys. - -Janet looked around the large room, gauging the mettle of the girls they -would have to compete against. Well up toward the rostrum was Margie -Blake, petite and blond and exceedingly vivacious. Margie was popular, -confessed Janet, and probably stood a good chance of winning a part in -the play for she had innate dramatic ability, while Janet, who had taken -a leading role in the junior play, had been compelled to study each bit -of action carefully. - -Near Margie was Cora Dean, a pronounced brunette, who had already -announced that she intended to have a leading role, and Cora had a -reputation of getting whatever she went after, whether it was a place on -the honor roll or a part in one of the drama club's one act plays. - -"I'm afraid Cora will be after the part I try out for," whispered Helen. -"She's good, too." - -"She's not a bit better than you are, and not half as pretty," retorted -Janet. - -"But you don't always win play parts on your looks," said Helen. - -Just then Miss Williams, the dramatics instructor, hurried in. In one -hand she carried a large sheaf of mimeographed sheets while in the other -was the complete book for the play. Several plays had been tentatively -considered, but final approval had been up to Miss Williams and she was -to announce the title that morning as well as give out reading parts. - -The room quieted down as a few stragglers, coming in at the last minute, -found seats at the rear. - -Miss Williams sorted the mimeographed sheets into piles and at exactly -8:45 o'clock she rapped briskly on the desk with a ruler. The dramatics -teacher was pleasant and almost universally liked. She smiled as she -looked over the seniors who had gathered. - -"It looks like we're going to have real competition for the play parts -this year," she said. "I suppose, though, that first you'd like to know -the name of the play." - -She paused a moment, then went on. - -"I've read all the plays the committee recommended carefully and my final -choice is 'The Chinese Image.'" - -There was a ripple of applause, for a number of seniors, including Janet -and Helen, had read portions of "The Chinese Image." - -Helen leaned toward her companion. - -"That's the play I've been hoping would be selected. There's a part I -think I can win." - -"The leading role?" asked Janet. - -"Well, hardly, but it isn't a bad part." - -Miss Williams held up her hand and the buzz of conversation which had -started after her announcement ceased. - -"I have had parts for every character mimeographed and each sheet gives -sufficient reading material for tryouts. There are 23 roles in 'The -Chinese Image.' I'm familiar with the ability of almost all of you and if -you'll come up as I call your names, I'll give you tryout sheets. The -first sheet contains a brief synopsis of the play with the complete cast -of characters and the second sheet has the part I want you to try for. -You will also find the hours on the second sheet when I want you to go -down to the gym for the tryouts." - -Janet had to confess that she was more than a little nervous as she -waited for Miss Williams to call her name. Senior after senior was called -up to the desk and handed his sheets. To some of them Miss Williams added -another word or two, but she talked too low to be heard by the main body -of pupils. - -As the tryout sheets were handed out, the seniors left the room for it -was nearly assembly time. - -Helen looked anxiously at Janet. - -"I wonder if we're going to be called? There are less than a dozen left." - -"We'll know in a couple of minutes," replied Janet. "There goes Margie -Blake. Wonder what part she'll get a chance at?" - -"One of the leads, you can be sure of that. And there's Cora Dean. I -suppose Cora will get the part I try for. That happened in several of the -one acts last year." - -"This isn't last year and Cora's a bit too temperamental. Well, we are -going to be the last." - -All of the others had been called before Miss Williams spoke to Janet and -Helen, and with a feeling of misgiving they advanced toward her desk. - - - - - _Chapter II_ - LEADING ROLES - - -Miss Williams smiled pleasantly as she looked up from the now slender -pile of sheets with the tryout parts. - -"Afraid I was going to forget you?" she asked. - -"We were commencing to worry," admitted Janet, "for after all there's -only one senior play." - -"Right. And I'm determined that 'The Chinese Image' be the best ever -produced by Clarion High." - -The electric gong that heralded the opening of school banged its lusty -tone through the hall. - -"Never mind about opening assembly," said Miss Williams. "I'll explain to -the principal that I detained you." - -The dramatics instructor looked quizzically at Janet and Helen. - -"You make a good team, don't you?" - -"Well, we don't exactly fight," smiled Helen, "but there are times when -we don't agree." - -"Of course. That's only human. What I mean is that when you get together -with a goal in mind, you work hard to attain that goal. When Janet went -out for editor of the _Weekly Clarion_ last fall, you were working hard -for her to win." - -"I did my best," admitted Helen. - -"And it had a lot to do with my winning out over Margie Blake," said -Janet whole-heartedly. - -"Which is just the kind of spirit I'm looking for to put across the -senior play. I'll have to make a little confession or you'll wonder why -I'm so intensely interested in the success of this special play. A -dramatic producing company has made me a tentative offer, but their final -decision will be made after one of their representatives has seen the -senior play." - -"But that would mean leaving Clarion," protested Helen. - -"I'm afraid it would, and while I wouldn't like that, the opportunity -offered by this company, if it finally develops, would be such that I -just couldn't afford to reject it." - -"I suppose there isn't a whole lot of money in teaching dramatics in a -high school," said Janet. - -"Not enough so I want to make it a life career," replied Miss Williams. -"But this isn't getting along with my plan. Helen, I'm assigning you for -a tryout for the leading role. Here's your part. Read it over carefully -and be ready tomorrow afternoon at 4:15 o'clock." - -Miss Williams handed the mimeographed sheets to the astounded Helen. - -"They won't bite," she smiled. - -"But the lead? I never dreamed you would want me to try out for that." - -"Why not? It calls for a brunette with ability and brains and I think you -answer that description." - -Miss Williams turned to Janet. - -"Here's your role, Janet. It's the second lead. You play a jittery little -blond who hasn't a brain in her head and probably never will have." - -"Does that role fit me?" asked Janet, her eyes twinkling. - -"Well, hardly, but I think you'll have a lot of fun working on such a -part. Margie Blake is going to try for it, also." - -"Who will be trying for the part you've assigned me?" asked Helen. - -"Cora Dean. I expect that with such competition both of you will be -forced to do your best to win the part. Maybe it's a little mean of me to -match you against each other this way, but I've got to have a superlative -cast for the play." - -"You'll get it," promised Janet, "for Helen and I are going to do our -best to win these roles. Why Helen's father is planning on coming back -for graduation week and Helen's got to make the play." - -"Is he really coming?" asked Miss Williams, almost incredulously, for the -name of Henry Thorne was a magic word in Clarion. - -"He's promised, and both mother and I are counting on it. We haven't seen -him since last fall." - -"Then I know one dramatics teacher who is going to be doubly nervous the -night of the play. Just think of it--Henry Thorne, star director of the -great Ace Motion Picture Company, watching a high school play. I'm afraid -the cast may go all to pieces, they'll be so nervous." - -"But Dad's so entirely human," said Helen. "That's just the trouble. -Because he's made a success in films, people think he must be some kind -of a queer individual who goes around with his head in the air thinking -he is better than anyone else. He's just like Janet's father and when he -gets home he likes nothing better than getting his old fishpole out, -digging a can of worms, and going out along the creek to fish and doze." - -"I suppose you're right, but his pictures have been so outstanding it -seems that directing them must be some sort of a genius. I've never quite -understood why you and your mother stayed on here, though." - -Miss Williams had often wanted to ask that question just to satisfy her -own curiosity, but the opportunity had never opened before. - -"Dad's working under pressure on the coast, long hours and a terrific -strain, and he says some of the things that are said about Hollywood are -true. Most of the people are fine and hard working, but a small, wild -crowd gives the rest a bad name and he doesn't want to take any chance on -my getting mixed up with that bunch." - -"But you wouldn't," said Miss Williams. - -"I don't think so, but Dad thinks it best for us to stay here in Clarion -and mother and I are happy here with all of our friends. Of course we -don't see a whole lot of Dad, but when he does get home or we go out -there, we have an awfully good time." - -Miss Williams glanced at her watch. - -"It's 9:10. You'd better go down to assembly. I'll explain why you were -late. Don't forget, tryouts for both of you tomorrow afternoon and I'm -counting on you to do your best." - -"We'll try," promised Janet, as they picked up the sheets with the tryout -parts and left the chemistry auditorium. - -In the hall Helen, her dark eyes aglow with excitement, turned to Janet. - -"Just think; I've got a chance at the leading role. Of course Cora will -probably get it, but at least Miss Williams is considering me." - -"Now let's stop right here," said Janet firmly, "and get one thing -straight. You have a chance at the leading role." Helen nodded. - -"Cora has a chance at the lead." Again Helen nodded. - -"But," went on Janet, "you are going to win the lead." - -"Oh, do you really think so?" There was a tinge of desperation in Helen's -voice. - -"I know you are." Janet spoke with a definiteness that she didn't quite -feel, for Cora was a splendid little actress. But Helen needed some real -encouragement and Janet knew that if Helen felt confident from the start -half of the battle was won. - -The morning passed in a whirl of routine classes, but Janet found time to -study her tryout sheets for several minutes. - -"The Chinese Image" was ideally suited for a senior play, with an -excellent mystery story to carry the action. A whole lot of dramatic -ability was unnecessary for the rapid tempo of the story would carry -along the interest of the audience. - -The synopsis Miss Williams had prepared was brief and Janet read it -twice. - -"The Chinese Image" centered about a strange little figure which had been -brought back from China in 1851 by Ebenezer Naughton, then captain of one -of the clipper ships which had sailed out of Salem for far-away ports in -the Orient. The strange, squat little figure had remained in the Naughton -family ever since for Captain Ebenezer, in his will, had stipulated that -it must never be given away or sold. - -"When grave troubles befall my family, turn to 'The Chinese Image,'" he -had written, "and therein you will find an answer." - -But the Naughtons had prospered and the will had been almost forgotten -until the family came upon hard times and its fortune dwindled. Two -grandsons of Captain Ebenezer, now heads of their own families, quarreled -bitterly and in the ensuing family feud the image became involved. It -finally fell to the lot of Abbie Naughton, the role played by Janet, to -solve the mystery of the image, which she did in as thorough a manner as -might have been expected of the light-headed Abbie. - -Janet chuckled over the lines she was to read in the tryout. The part of -Abbie should be great fun, for Abbie did about every nonsensical thing -possible and the giddier the part could be made, the better, decided -Janet. - -Helen's role was more serious, for she was supposed to be in love with -one of the boys of the other branch of the family and many were the -trials and tribulations of their love affair. It was a delicate role, -with much sweetness and tenderness, and it should prove ideal for Helen. -Janet couldn't conceive of Cora Dean, who had a certain harshness about -her, getting the part. But then, Cora was capable and she might be able -to play the role to perfection. - -Just before noon the sky, grey since morning, turned a more desolate -shade and the clouds disgorged their burden of snow. It was dry and fine -and tons of it seemed to be coming down. - -Janet met Helen in the hall. - -"What about lunch?" - -"I'm going to stay at school and have mine in the cafeteria," replied -Helen. "How about you?" - -"I don't relish the long walk home, but I didn't bring any money with -me." - -Helen smiled. "You wouldn't accept a loan, would you?" - -"I might," conceded Janet, "because I'm more than a little hungry." - -"I've got fifty cents. That ought to buy enough food to last until we get -home tonight." - -"But we're not going home," Janet reminded her companion. "Have you -forgotten about the roller skating party at Youde's?" - -Helen flushed. "To tell the truth, I had. I've been thinking so much -about the play I completely forgot the party." - -"Better not. It will be lots of fun." - -"I don't know whether I ought to go. If I do, I won't have much time to -study over my tryout part." - -"There'll be an hour after school and you haven't more than two -paragraphs to memorize." - -"I know them now," said Helen. - -"Then come on and go to the party. The bus is leaving school at five -o'clock. We'll be at Youde's in an hour and there'll be a hot supper and -the skating party afterward." - -"It's snowing hard," observed Helen, gazing out into the swirling grey. - -"You think of everything," expostulated Janet. "Of course, it's snowing, -but the road to Youde's is paved part of the way. If it gets too thick we -can turn around and come back." - -Both Janet and Helen had one open period in the afternoon which came at -the same hour and they went into the library to study their tryout parts. - -Janet read her lines, stopping several times to chuckle over the -nonsensical words which Abbie Naughton was required to say in the play. - -"This is going to be great fun," she told Janet. "How is your part -going?" - -"It's a grand role, and lots of fun. I know the lines, but I'm supposed -to be in love." - -"That shouldn't be a hard part then. You rather like Jim Barron, don't -you?" - -"Yes, but what's that got to do with my part?" - -"I heard this noon that Jim was trying out opposite you." - -"Honestly?" - -"Honest true. Of course he may not get it." - -"Jim's a grand fellow." - -"Seems to me I've heard you say that before," chuckled Janet. "I have a -hunch you'll get that part all right." - -Helen went through her role while Janet looked on with critical eyes, -suggesting several minor changes which she thought would improve her -companion's chances. - -The bell for the final class period sounded and they folded up their -parts and hastened back to the assembly. Their last class for the day was -honors English, a group of advanced English students who also served as -the editors and reporters for the _Weekly Clarion_, writing and editing -all of the high school news which appeared each Friday in the _Times_, -the afternoon daily paper published in Clarion. - -It was the honors English class which was sponsoring the roller skating -party at Youde's and Jim Barron, the sports editor, was in charge of the -plans. - -There were seventeen in the class, including Cora Dean and Margie Blake, -who wrote the girls' athletic news. Miss Bruder, the instructor, was -small and dark, but somehow she managed to keep her high-tempered class -under control. - -This was a mid-week period and the entire time was devoted to writing -stories, which were turned over to Janet for final editing. It was -Janet's task to write the headlines, a job at which she had become -exceedingly proficient. - -Promptly at 3:30 o'clock the final bell sounded and writing materials -were shoved hastily aside. - -Jim Barron stood up. - -"I'm counting on everyone being at the party. The bus will be here at -five o'clock. We'll stop at Whet's drug store on the way out of town to -pick up any of you who aren't here when we start. Remember, we're taking -the money for the party out of the profit we've made from the _Weekly -Clarion_ and it won't cost you a cent. Wear old clothes and plenty of -warm ones. See you here at five." - -The class scattered, some of them remaining at school to finish up odd -tasks, others hurrying home to change clothes and prepare for the party. - -"Going home?" asked Helen. - -"Right now. I'm certainly not going to fall down in these clothes while -I'm skating. I've got an old tweed suit and boots I'm going to wear. Why -don't you change to your corduroys?" - -"I thought I'd stay on and work on my part." - -"You know that almost to perfection now. Better get into some older -clothes." - -Helen acquiesced and they donned their winter school coats and started -down the hill toward home. The snow was still coming down steadily, as -fine and dry as ever. - -"I'm glad there's no wind. This would drift terribly if there was," said -Janet, kicking her way through the fine spume. - - - - - _Chapter III_ - THE WIND ROARS - - -Janet was home in plenty of time to dress in leisure for the skating -party. Her mother looked in once to make sure that she had plenty of warm -clothes on. - -"I'm glad you're wearing that old tweed outfit. It's warm and at the same -time nice looking." - -"Even though it's old, mother?" - -"Even though it's old. Tweed always looks nice and that's an especially -pretty shade of brown. It goes so well with your hair. Wear your scarlet -beret and don't forget the boots." - -"I won't," promised Janet as her mother started downstairs again. - -The Hardy home was pleasant, even though decidedly old-fashioned. There -was a broad porch completely across the front of the house. The house -itself was L-shaped, the base of the L having been added after the -original structure was built. The exterior was shingled and creeping -vines softened the sharper angles. - -Janet's room had a south exposure with two dormer windows that added to -the many angles of the low-ceilinged rambling room. The wall paper was -pink and white with gay farm scenes interspersed. Crisp chintz curtains -were at the windows and a gay curtain hid the large, old-fashioned -wardrobe at one end of the room in which she kept her clothes. - -Her dressing table was between the dormers with a rose-colored shade on -the electric light. - -The bed, a walnut four poster, was against the wall nearest the hall. A -gay, pink-tufted spread covered it. At one side was a small walnut stand -with a shaded reading lamp. - -Hooked rugs, reflecting the cheery tone of the room in their varied -colors, covered the dark, polished floor. - -Over in the far corner, where the roof sloped sharply, Janet had built a -book case and stained it brown. It was filled with books, arranged in -none too perfect order, showing the interest she had in them. - -But Janet had little time now to relax in the charm of her room. Parting -the curtain of the wardrobe she found her tweed suit far to the back. Her -boots were back there too, but they had been well oiled and were pliable. - -From a walnut chest of drawers which stood beside the wardrobe Janet drew -woolen socks for it was an 18-mile ride to Youde's and they probably -wouldn't be home until late. - -Janet dressed sensibly, woolen hose, heavy tweed skirt, a blue, shaggy -wool sweater and her tweed coat. The crimson beret would be warm enough. - -She glanced at the clock. She had spent more time than she had -anticipated, it was after 4:30 and Whet's drug store where they were to -meet the bus was a good six blocks away. - -Janet hurried downstairs. - -"I've a cup of tea and some cookies all ready," her mother called. - -It would be after six o'clock before they ate and Janet drank the tea -with relish. The cookies, crisp and filled with raisins, were delicious -and she put several in the pockets of her coat. - -"I put your old fur coat in the hall," said Mrs. Hardy. "Your scarf's -there, too." - -"Thanks mother. I'm certainly going to be too warm." - -Her mother went to the window. It was nearly dark and the snow still -swirled down in dry, feathery clouds. - -"I almost wish you weren't going," she said, "but there doesn't seem to -be any wind." - -"Oh, we'll be all right, mother. The bus is large and if the weather -should get bad we could stay at Youde's until it clears. Remember Miss -Bruder is chaperon and she's extremely sensible." - -"She needs to be with your crowd on her hands," smiled her mother, -following Janet into the hall. - -Janet slipped into her old coat. It wasn't much to look at but it was -warm and serviceable, one of those bunglesome coonskins that were so -popular with college students at one time. She twisted her scarf around -her neck, gave her mother a quick hug and kiss, and strode out of the -house. - -Janet kicked along through the dry snow, walking rapidly until she -reached Helen Thorne's home. There were no lights in the southeast room -and Janet knew that Helen must be dressed for that was Helen's room. - -She whistled sharply, a long and a short, that penetrated the quick of -the twilight. - -The porch light flashed on and Helen, sticking her head out, yelled, "I'm -coming." - -Helen hurried down the walk, wriggling into a suede jacket. - -"Think that will be warm enough?" asked Janet, who felt very much bundled -up in her coonskin. - -"I've got my corduroy jacket underneath and a sweater under that. I'm -practically sealed up against the cold, but I'll run back and get my old -coonskin." - -They swung along rapidly toward Whet's scuffing through the dry snow. - -"I like this," said Helen, breathing deeply. "The snow's grand and it -isn't too cold. Wonder if they'll have any heat at Youde's?" - -"Oh, the dining room will be warm, but there's only a fireplace out in -the room where we skate. Wraps will probably feel good there until we get -well warmed up from skating." - -Out of the haze ahead emerged the blob of light that marked the -neighborhood drug store. As they approached they could see two or three -standing near the front door of the store. - -Ed Rickey, captain of the football team, jerked open the door. - -"Greetings, wanderers of the storm. Enter and be of good cheer." - -They stamped the snow off their boots and stepped inside. Cora Dean and -Margie Blake were there. Boon companions, they were seldom apart. - -"Hello," said Margie, but there was no warmth in the greeting. - -"Hello," replied Janet. - -"You must think you're going to the north pole," put in Cora, as she -looked Janet and Helen over coolly. - -"Well, not quite that far, but we believe in being sensible and warm," -replied Helen, and Cora's face flamed, for both she and Margie, always -trying to make an impression, were dressed in fashionable riding breeches -of serge. They were pleasing to look at, but hardly the thing for comfort -on a night when the temperature might drop almost to zero. Instead of -coats they wore zipper sweaters of angora wool. Their boots were -fashionable, but light, and would be of little use in withstanding any -severe cold. - -"Here comes the bus," said Ed Rickey, who was bundled up in nondescript -clothes. - -"All out that's going to Youde's," he bellowed, imitating a train caller. - -The bus ground to a stop in front of the store and the girls followed Ed -across the curb. Jim Barron opened the door. The windows of the bus were -heavily frosted for a heater was going full blast but the driver, a -middle aged man, had a windshield wiper cutting a swath through the frost -that formed on the glass in front of him. - -Miss Bruder spoke as they came in. - -"Everyone's here," announced Jim. "Find your seats. Next stop at -Youde's." - -There was plenty of room in the bus for the vehicle had a capacity of -thirty and there were only eighteen in addition to the driver. Most of -them found seats well to the fore where they could feel the blast of warm -air from the heater. - -Clarion was a sprawling city of 19,000, but in less than ten minutes they -had left the street lights behind and were rolling along a smoothly paved -highway. - -It was impossible to see out for the windows were frosted solid, but it -was a merry crowd nevertheless. Ed Rickey, who had a fine bass voice, -started in with a school song and the others soon joined him. - -Six miles outside Clarion they turned off the main road and swung over -toward the hills which flanked the Wapsie river for it was along the -banks of the Wapsie that Youde's Inn was located. - -Their progress was slowed here for the road had not been cleared by a -snowplow. But the snow was less than five inches deep and the powerful -bus forged ahead steadily. - -Almost before they knew it they were over the last hill and dropping down -into the river valley. As the bus turned into the inn, floodlights in the -yard were snapped on. A dog, barking eagerly, leaped forward to greet -them. - -Ed and Jim were out of the bus first, assisting the others down. With -Miss Bruder in the lead, they trooped toward the rambling, one story inn. - -Eli Youde, a coonskin cap on his head, was at the door. Behind him stood -his wife, a buxom, motherly soul of forty-five. - -"Supper's on the table now," said Mrs. Youde as she greeted them. "The -girls can take off their things in the room at the right; the boys go to -the left." - -There were nine boys and eight girls in the honors English class, but -with Miss Bruder it made an even number and she was so young and full of -fun that she always seemed like one of them. - -Cora and Margie stopped before an old fashioned dresser to powder their -noses and pat their hair into shape, but at a skating party these things -were irrelevant to Janet and Helen and they hastened out to join the -group in the dining room. - -One long table had been set. There were no place cards and the first to -arrive took the choice seats, which were near a glowing soft-coal burner. - -Mrs. Youde, assisted by her husband, brought in steaming bowls of oyster -stew. Three large bowls of crisp, white crackers were on the table, but -huge inroads in them were soon made. Conversation died away as the stew -was ladled down hungry throats. - -Before the bowls of stew had vanished, Mrs. Youde brought in two heaping -platters of thick sandwiches. Janet found at least three varieties and -was afraid to ask Helen how many she discovered. - -"This is ruining my weight, but I'm having a fine time," said Janet -between bites and Helen nodded. - -After the sandwiches came pumpkin pie, great thick wedges of it with a -mound of whipped cream on top and a slab of yellow cheese at one side. - -Ed Rickey yelled for help and when no one volunteered to jounce him up -and down to make room for the pie, he managed to get to his feet and trot -around the table several times. - -"I'm never going to be able to bend down and put on a skate," groaned Jim -Barron, who had begged a second piece of pie and was now looking ruefully -at the last crisp crust. He wanted it, but he didn't quite dare and with -a sheepish look he pushed the plate away from him. - -"Perhaps we'd better sit around a few minutes before we start skating," -suggested Miss Bruder. The suggestion was welcomed and while Mr. Youde -carried armfuls of woods into the skating rink to fill the fireplace they -told stories around the roaring fire in the heater. - -"I feel better," announced Jim a few minutes later. "In fact, I'll be -courteous enough to help any of you weak damsels get your skates on. -Let's go." - -With Jim in the lead, they trooped into the skating rink. The fireplace, -along one wall and halfway down the rink, was roaring lustily as Mr. -Youde piled it with fresh fuel. - -The skates were in boxes, numbered for size, and ranged in rows along the -walls. Jim, Ed and one of the other boys did the fitting while the girls -sat on a long bench. - -"Here's a pair that ought to be long enough for you," grinned Jim as he -placed a skate under Janet's right foot. - -"Oh, I don't know that I'm such a clodhopper," smiled Janet. "Anyway, -I'll bet I can beat you around the rink the first time." - -"It's a go," replied Jim, fastening the other skate. "Wait until I get -the wheels under my hoofs." - -Janet stood up and tried the skates. Jim had found an excellent pair for -her. They felt true and speedy. She tried a preliminary whirl. Her -balance was good. - -Jim shot out onto the floor, tried to make a sharp turn, lost his -balance, and sat down with a thud that shook the room. - -"First down," yelled Ed Rickey, who hastened to Jim's aid and entangled -himself over Jim's outstretched legs. Ed also went down and shouts of -merriment echoed through the room. - -"Ready Jim?" asked Janet when the husky senior was back on his feet. - -"Just as ready now as later," he replied and they shot away, Janet's feet -moving swiftly as she got up speed. - -Jim had the longer legs, the more powerful strokes, but Janet was fast -and light. That might overcome the advantage of her heavier rival. - -"Go on, Janet, go on!" she heard Helen shouting as they took the first -turn. - -Jim was still ahead, but he was going too fast for a safe turn and he -skidded sharply and lost speed at the next turn while Janet, her feet a -twinkle of motion, shot ahead. Jim yelled in protest, but Janet only went -the faster and flashed by the finish at least two yards ahead of the -puffing Jim. - -From then on the rink buzzed with the roll of the skates as in couples -and singly they sped around the room. - -Ed Rickey was a wizard on skates and after the first rush of skating, -when some of them were content to sit on the benches near the fireplace, -he gave a demonstration of fancy skating. - -Janet had never imagined Ed had that grace and sense of rhythm but the -big fellow was remarkably light on his feet. - -Then they were back on the floor again, this time in a series of races -Jim Barron had planned, some of them rolling peanuts the length of the -rink and back and others skating around backwards in tandem races. - -In spite of the roaring fire, the room was cold and Janet felt the chill -creep through her bones. She stopped skating and edged over close to the -fireplace just as the bus driver came in and spoke to Eli Youde. The -innkeeper departed at once with the driver and Janet heard the bang of an -outer door as though it had been caught by the wind and closed violently. -But there had been no wind when they came down into the valley to the -inn. - -If the wind had come up, the snow might drift badly. She put that thought -out of her mind, and rejoined the skaters. - -It was less than five minutes later when the innkeeper and the bus driver -returned, striding down the center of the rink. Mr. Youde held up one -hand and the skaters gathered around him. - -"Wind's coming up and the snow's starting to drift. May be bad in another -hour or two. If you want to get home before midnight you'd better start -now for it will be slow going up in the hills." - -"We'll start at once," decided Miss Bruder. "Get your wraps, everybody." - -Janet, some unknown fear tugging at her heart, hung back and spoke to Mr. -Youde. - -"Is it perfectly safe to start the trip back?" she asked. - -"I guess so. That's a powerful bus. But you'd better start now before the -wind gets bad. This snow is going to drift like fury before morning. I -expect we'll be blockaded for a couple of days." - -Janet rejoined the girls in the room where they had left their coats. A -horn sounded outside and they hastened to don their wraps. The -floodlights in the yard flashed on and the group, bidding the Youdes -cheery goodnights, hastened out to the bus. - - - - - _Chapter IV_ - LITTLE DEER VALLEY - - -In spite of her warm clothing, Janet could feel the sting of the night -air. It was much colder than when they had arrived. The snow seemed to be -less, but the wind was shipping it in little eddies across the yard. - -With the heater running full blast, the bus was comfortable and they -found seats well up toward the front. Miss Bruder counted them to make -sure that everyone was on hand. Reassured, she told the driver to start -the return trip. - -The windows were heavily frosted and it was like being in a sealed room, -the only peephole being the small frame of glass which the windshield -wiper kept clear. - -"What time is it?" Janet asked Helen, who had a wrist watch. - -"Nine forty-five. We're starting home early." - -Janet nodded, but she was glad they had made the start. It wouldn't have -been pleasant staying at Youde's if they had been snowed in for the -lonely inn had few comforts. - -The powerful engine of the bus labored as the big machine topped a grade -out of the valley and they swung down into another. For five or six miles -it would be one hill after another and Janet wondered if the snow was -drifting down in the valleys. - -The road was little used and if the wind increased, it might make travel -exceedingly difficult. But she dismissed that thought from her mind for -the bus had heavy chains on the double wheels at the rear. - -The spontaneity which had marked their trip out was missing and -conversation soon died away. Everyone was tired and willing to snuggle -down into their coats. - -Janet must have been dozing for the heavy roar of the bus motor awoke her -with a start. - -They were backing up. Then they stopped and the driver shifted gears. The -bus leaped ahead, the throttle on full and the exhaust barking in the -crisp air. Gradually their forward motion ceased and the wheels ground -into the snow. - -Without a word the bus driver shifted instantly into reverse and they -lurched backward. The driver stopped the bus, set the emergency brake, -and dodged out into the night. - -"What's the matter?" asked Helen, who was almost hidden in her fur coat -and deliciously sleepy. - -"I think we've hit a drift," replied Janet. - -"We ought to be almost home, though. It seems like we've been traveling -for ages." - -"I expect we are," but Janet didn't feel the optimism that she meant her -words to convey. - -If the wind had increased they might find themselves in a serious -situation. - -The bus driver opened the door and stuck his head in. - -"One of you fellows come out and give me a hand with the shovels." - -Jim Barron, nearest the door, responded with Ed Rickey at his heels. - -After several minutes the bus driver came back inside and slowed the -motor down to idling speed and the wave of heat from the heater -diminished noticeably. - -With the motor barely turning over, outside noises were audible and Janet -could hear the rush of the wind. Particles of the fine, dry snow were -being driven against the window beside her. - -It was at least fifteen minutes later when Jim, Ed and the driver -returned, red-faced and breathless from their exertions. The boys dropped -into the front seats while the driver opened the throttle and sent the -big machine lumbering ahead. - -The bus plunged into the drift, the chains on the rear wheels biting deep -into the snow. Once they swung sharply and Janet gasped, but they swung -back and with the engine taxed to the limit finally pulled through the -drift. - -Janet saw Jim look around and she thought she detected grave concern in -his eyes. Then he turned away and she was too far away to speak to him -without alarming the others. - -The bus labored up a long grade, breasted the top of the hill, and then -started down. It would be in the valley that trouble would come, for the -snow would be heavily drifted. - -The big machine rocked down the slope, jolting its occupants around and -bruising one or two of them. Janet heard Miss Bruder cry out sharply and -turned around, but the teacher motioned that she was all right. - -Then the speed of the bus slackened, the wheels spun futilely, and their -forward motion ceased. Almost instantly they were in reverse, but the bus -slipped to one side and in spite of the full power of the motor, the -wheels churned through the dry snow. - -The driver eased up on the throttle, looked significantly at Jim and Ed, -and with them at his heels plunged into the storm again. Fortunately, he -had tied several shovels to the bus before leaving Youde's and they were -not without implements to dig themselves out. - -Janet could hear them working, first at the front and then at the rear -and Helen, now thoroughly wide awake, looked at her in alarm. - -"It's getting colder in here," she said. - -"The engine's barely turning over; there isn't much heat coming out." - -"I know, but I mean the temperature outside must be dropping rapidly, and -listen to the wind." - -But Janet preferred not to listen to the wind; it was too mournful, too -nerve-wracking. What it whispered alarmed her for they were still some -miles from the main road and there were few if any farms near. - -The bus driver returned and motioned to the other boys. - -"Give us a hand. We don't want to stay here a minute longer than -necessary." - -The rest of the boys piled out of the bus, leaving the girls and Miss -Bruder alone. - -"I'm nearly frozen," complained Margie Blake. "At least we might have -obtained a good bus driver." - -"I don't think it's the driver's fault," interposed Janet. "We stayed too -long at Youde's." - -"Then he should have told us the storm was getting worse. My folks will -be worried half to death if we are hung up here all night." - -Janet admitted to herself that they would all have cause to worry if they -had to stay in the bus all night, for she doubted if the supply of fuel -would be sufficient to keep the engine going to operate the heater for -that length of time and she dreaded to think of how cold it might get if -the heater was off. - -Between the gusts of wind that swept around the bus they could hear the -steady swing of the shovels biting into the snow. It was eleven o'clock -when the driver came inside. His face was almost white from the cold and -he beat his hands together as he took the wheel and eased in the clutch. - -With the motor roaring heavily Janet felt the power being applied to the -wheels ever so gradually to keep them from slipping. The bus seemed -cemented into the snow, but motion finally became evident. The wheels -churned and they moved backward. - -Someone outside was shouting, but the words were unintelligible to all -except the driver. He stopped while one of the boys scraped the frost off -the window outside for the windshield wiper had frozen. - -Then, barely creeping ahead and with the bus in low gear, they moved -through the snow, shouted commands keeping the driver in the right path. -At last they were through the drift and the boys piled back into the bus, -pounding each other on the back and clapping their hands to bring back -the circulation. - -Miss Bruder called Jim Barron back. - -"Just how serious is this, Jim?" she asked. - -"Pretty bad. We're three miles from the main road and there isn't a farm -within two miles. Only thing we can do is to keep going ahead and try to -shovel through." - -"How about Little Deer valley?" - -"That's what we're worrying about. The wind gets a clean sweep there and -I'm afraid we may not get through." - -"Can we turn back and stay at Youde's?" - -"Some of the road behind us would be as badly drifted as Little Deer -valley," replied Jim. "I guess the only thing is to grind ahead and trust -that the gas holds out." - -For a time they made steady progress, the bus rumbling along smoothly and -the heater throwing out a steady blast of warm, dank air. Then they -rolled down a gentle slope and onto the flat of Little Deer valley, which -was more than half a mile wide. - -The driver stopped and went out to wade through the drifts. He came back -to report that they might make it although in places the drifts were -nearly up to the tops of the fence posts. - -"It's going to mean plenty of shoveling," he warned them. - -"We've got to go on," said Miss Bruder. "If we get stuck at least we're -that much closer to the road. Perhaps we could walk to the main highway." - -Janet saw Jim glance sharply at Miss Bruder. Perhaps she didn't realize -the seriousness of their situation, or perhaps she was masking her -thoughts with those words. - -The gears ground again, the motor took up its burden, and they lurched -ahead, churning through the deepening snow. - -The air was colder now. There was no warmth from the heater. Something -had gone wrong with the motor or a pipe had frozen. No matter then. -Getting through the drifts was uppermost in their minds. - -Gradually the straining progress of the bus slowed, finally stopped, the -gears clashed, and they lurched backward several hundred feet. Then they -plunged ahead again, burrowing deeper into the snow. - -"Everybody out to shovel," said the driver, snapping off the engine to -save fuel. - -The boys hurried out into the cold and the girls huddled closer to each -other. Margie and Cora, thinly clad for such a night, beat their arms -almost steadily and stamped their feet in rhythmic cadence. - -Janet and Helen, heavily clothed, were still warm although the cold crept -through their gloves to some extent. - -"I wonder how cold it is?" asked Helen. - -"I haven't any idea, but it feels like it was almost zero. Let's not -think about it." - -"Try not to think about it," retorted Helen, and Janet admitted that her -companion was right. There was nothing to think about except the cold and -the snow. Of course there was the class play, but marooned in the middle -of Little Deer valley with a howling blizzard raging was no time to think -of class plays. - -The driver came back and stepped on the starter. The motor was slow in -turning over. It must be bitterly cold, thought Janet. Finally the engine -started and they plowed ahead a few feet, then finally churned to a stop. - -Outside the shovels clanged against the steel sides of the bus as the -boys dug into the snow again. It was chilling, numbing work out there and -Jim Barron tumbled through the door to stand up in front and beat his -arms steadily. When he went out, Ed Rickey came in and the boys -alternated. - -Margie whimpered in the cold and Janet felt sorry for her. - -"My coat's large. I'll come up and sit with you and Cora can come back -here with Helen," said Janet. - -The other girls, thoroughly chilled, welcomed the change and Janet -unbuttoned the voluminous coonskin and shared it with Margie, Helen doing -likewise for Cora. Janet could feel Margie trembling as she pressed close -to her. - -After a time the driver returned and started the motor again. They moved -forward slowly, creeping along the trail the boys had opened with the -shovels. Finally they rocked to a stop and the driver turned toward Miss -Bruder. - -"It's no use. The drifts are three feet high and getting worse every -minute." - - - - - _Chapter V_ - THE WHITE MENACE - - -Miss Bruder looked at the girls, huddled together on the seats, -desperately trying to keep warm. Outside the boys were bravely attempting -to clear a path, but it was hopeless. - -"Perhaps we'd better get out and try to reach the main road on foot," she -said. - -"I wouldn't advise that," replied the driver. "Some of the girls couldn't -make it through the drifts. It must be well below zero now and the snow's -still coming down bad." - -Just then Jim and Ed led the boys back into the bus, closing the door -carefully after them. They were covered with fine snow and frost from -their own breath. - -"I'm going to try and break through to the road," said Jim. "The rest of -you stay here and try to keep warm. Whatever you do, don't leave the -bus." - -"If anyone is going to try to make it to the paved highway, I'm going," -spoke up the driver. "I've been over this road a number of times. I'll -follow the fence line and get to a farm somehow." - -In spite of the protests of the boys, the driver remained firm, insisting -that he, and he alone, could make the trip. - -"Keep the door shut and don't run the motor. The heater's out of order -now and if you run the motor, carbon monoxide fumes may creep in. They're -deadly." - -But that was an unnecessary warning for all of the boys knew the danger -of the motor fumes in a closed compartment. - -Bundling himself up well, the driver plunged into the storm and Miss -Bruder and her honors English class were left alone in the middle of -Little Deer valley with the worst storm of the winter raging around their -marooned bus. - -Jim turned off the headlights, leaving only the red and green warning -lights atop the bus on. He snapped the switches for the interior lights -until only one was left aglow for there was no use to waste the precious -supply of electricity in the storage battery. - -If anything the whine of the wind was louder and it was exceedingly -lonely out there despite the presence of the others. There was something -about it that made Janet feel as though she were a hundred miles from -civilization. She had not dreamed it would be possible to have such a -sense of loneliness and yet be in a group of schoolmates. - -Jim Barron and Ed Rickey kept on the move, talking with some of the boys -or attempting to cheer up the girls. - -"Better get up every few minutes and swing your arms and stamp your -feet," advised Ed. "That'll keep the circulation going; otherwise you may -suffer frostbite." - -Helen squinted her eyes and looked at her watch in the dim light shed by -the single bulb. It was just after midnight. - -"Wonder if we'll be home by morning," she asked, turning back to Janet. - -"Let's hope so, though I'm not in the least bit hungry after the big meal -we had at Youde's." - -"That seems ages away," replied Helen. "I'd almost forgotten the skating -party." - -Margie, who had taken shelter under Janet's coat, spoke up. - -"It's all the bus driver's fault. We never should have left Youde's." - -"But none of us wanted to spend the night there," said Janet. "Of course -we didn't dream the snow would have drifted this much." - -"The driver should have known," insisted Margie, and Janet thought her -more than a little unreasonable, but then Margie was probably thoroughly -chilled and likely to disagree with everything and everyone. - -The minutes passed slowly, dragging as Janet had never known they could. -The cold increased in intensity and some of the other girls, not as -warmly dressed as Janet and Helen, began to complain. - -"My feet are getting numb," said Bernice Grogan, a slip of a little -black-haired Irish girl. - -"Better keep them moving," said Ed Rickey. "Here, I'll move them for you -until the circulation starts back." - -Ed knelt down on the floor and took Bernice's boots in his hands, -massaging her feet vigorously. - -Soon Bernice began to cry. - -"It's the pain. They hurt terribly." - -"Just the circulation coming back," said Ed, but Janet knew from the -lines on his forehead that Ed was worried. - -"If any of the rest of you feel numb, just call out. We've got to keep -moving or some of us may suffer some frozen parts before morning," he -warned. - -Bernice, in spite of her efforts, couldn't keep the tears back, but they -froze on her cheeks, so bitter was the cold. - -Jim Barron opened the door, and a rush of cutting air swept in. Then he -was gone into the night and Janet could hear him wielding the shovel -outside. - -It was five or six minutes before Jim returned and he looked utterly -exhausted. - -"I've never seen such a night," he mumbled. "I'm afraid the bus driver -didn't get very far." - -"Then we'd better start out after him," said Ed, getting to his feet. - -But Jim's broad shoulders barred the door. - -"We're going to stay right here. You can't even find the fences now. It -would be suicide to start in the dark. The only thing we can do is keep -as warm as possible inside the bus. I started throwing snow up around the -windows. Some of you fellows give me a hand. We'll bank the bus in snow -clear to the top and that will keep out some of this bitter wind." - -"But if you cover the bus with snow, they'll never find us when they come -hunting us," protested Cora. - -"Just never mind about that," retorted Jim. "The only thing I'm worrying -about now is keeping us from freezing to death." - -Jim's words shocked the girls into silence. - - - - - _Chapter VI_ - DESPERATE HOURS - - -Freezing to death! The phrase was terrible in its import, yet the danger -was very near and very deadly, for there was slight chance that the bus -driver had gotten through to give a warning of their predicament. Even if -he had Janet wondered if any searching party could brave the rigors of -the night. - -Outside the boys worked steadily, coming inside in shifts, and then going -back. They could hear the snow thud against the side of the bus as it was -piled higher and higher and the sound of the wind gradually faded as the -wall of snow protecting them from it thickened. - -The light from the single bulb was ghostly now. The battery seemed to be -weakening. Helen looked at her watch. It was just one o'clock when the -boys came in, beating their hands and knocking the frost from their -breath off their coats. - -Jim was the last one in and he closed the door carefully after him. - -Bernice was crying again and Ed, though half frozen himself, bent down -and massaged her feet. Miss Bruder was white and shaken for it was more -than she could cope with and she turned to Ed and Jim to pull them -through the emergency. - -While Ed worked with Bernice's feet, Jim spoke to the group. - -"We might as well face this thing frankly," he said. "We're in an awful -jam. It must be fifteen or twenty below right now. The snow has stopped, -but the wind is increasing in strength and the snow is drifting badly. It -may be hours, perhaps a day, before we're discovered." - -He paused and watched the conflicting emotions on their faces, then -plunged on. - -"We've banked the bus with snow to keep out the worst of the wind, but -it's going to be terribly cold just the same. We've got to keep moving, -keep up our spirits. If we don't----" - -But Jim didn't finish his sentence. There was no need for they all knew -what would happen once they became groggy and sleepy. - -"I'm going to start with a count and I want all of you to beat your feet -in time with me. That'll jar your whole body and warm you up a little." - -Jim started counting and soon the whole group was stamping their feet -methodically. - -Even Janet had not realized how cold she was. Her feet had felt a little -numb, but under the steady pounding against the floor they started to -tingle, then burn with an intensity that brought tears to her eyes where -they froze on her lashes. - -"I'm nearly frozen," chattered Margie, huddling closer to Janet. "If it -wasn't for your coat I'd be like an icicle by this time." - -They kept up the motion with their feet for at least five minutes, and -Jim called a halt then. - -"Everyone feel a little warmer?" he asked. - -"My hands are still cold," said one of the girls, but Janet was too stiff -to turn around and see who was speaking. - -"Then here's an arm drill for everyone," said Jim, starting to swing his -arms in cadence. - -When that exercise was completed, most of them could feel their bodies -aglow as the blood raced through their veins. - -Ed started to tell funny stories and though he did his best, their own -situation was so tragic that nothing appeared humorous. But he kept them -interested, which was the main thing. - -Helen was the first to break the now monotonous flow of Ed's words. - -"Stop, Ed," she said, her voice low and tense. "Shake Miss Bruder, -quick!" - -Ed turned suddenly to the teacher, who had been sitting back of him. Her -head had fallen forward on her chest and her arms hung limp. - -The husky senior picked her up and brought her back under the light, the -rest crowding around him. - -Then Janet took charge. Miss Bruder's eyes were closed, but she was -breathing slowly. - -"I believe she's half frozen. She was sitting where a constant knife of -air was coming in around the door," whispered Jim. "Get busy and massage -her." - -Janet, with Helen helping her, stripped off Miss Bruder's thin gloves. -Her hands were pitifully white. - -Ed scooped up a handful of snow where it had sifted in around the door -and used it to rub Miss Bruder's hands while Janet and Helen massaged the -upper part of her body and her face. - -It was five minutes before the teacher responded to their frantic -efforts. Then her eyes opened and she tried to smile. - -"I must have dozed for a moment," she whispered. - -"Don't talk," said Helen. "Rest now." - -"Is everyone all right?" insisted the teacher. - -"Everybody's here," replied Jim, who was keeping a close eye on Bernice, -who seemed the most susceptible to the cold. - -Ed pulled Janet to the rear of the bus. - -"This thing is getting serious," he whispered. "Some of the girls won't -be able to stand it until morning unless we're able to keep them warmer. -Jim and I have sheepskins. We'll put them down on the floor and you girls -get down and lie on them. Huddle together and cover up with your own -coats. Your body heat should keep you warm and we'll be moving around and -talking to you so none of you will get too drowsy from the cold." - -"But you can't do that. You and Jim will freeze," protested Janet. - -"Freeze? I guess not. We're too tough for that. Besides, I've got all -kinds of clothes on under this sheepskin." - -Janet finally agreed to the plan and Ed explained it briefly. Miss Bruder -hesitated, but the others overruled her. - -Jim and Ed placed their heavy canvas, sheep-lined coats on the floor and -the girls laid down on them like ten pins, huddling together and putting -their own coats over them. - -"Get just as close as you can so you'll keep each other warm," counseled -Jim, who, minus his heavy coat, was busy swinging his arms and legs. - -In less than five minutes the girls were ready to admit that the plan was -an excellent one, for they were quite comfortable under the mound of -coats and Janet made them keep up a constant flow of conversation, -calling to each girl every few minutes. Up in the front of the bus they -could hear the boys moving steadily and stamping their feet. - -How long they had been under the pile of coats Janet couldn't guess, but -suddenly there was a wild pounding on the door of the bus. She managed to -get her head out from under the coats in time to see Jim open the door. - -"Everyone safe?" cried someone outside. - -"We're all right," replied Jim and then Janet saw her father looking down -at the huddled group of girls on the floor of the bus. His face was -covered with frost, but he brushed past the boys and knelt beside her. - -"All right, honey?" he asked. - -"A little cold," Janet managed to smile. "How did you get here?" - -"Never mind that. The first thing is to get out of here and where you'll -be safe and warm." - -Other men poured into the bus. Janet recognized some of them. Ed's father -was there. So was Jim's, Cora's and Margie's. Someone had a big bottle of -hot coffee and cardboard cups. The steaming hot liquid, bitter without -sugar or cream, was passed around. - -Janet drank her cup eagerly and the hot beverage warmed her chilled body. - -Extra coats and mufflers had been brought by the rescue party. - -"Get as warm as you can. It's going to be a cold ride to the paved road," -advised her father. - -They were soon ready and once more the door of the bus was opened. -Outside a powerful searchlight glowed and as they neared it Janet saw a -large caterpillar tractor. Behind this was a hayrack, mounted on runners -and well filled with hay. - -"Everybody into the rack. Burrow down deep so you'll keep warm." - -Janet's father counted them as they got into the rack, yelled to the -operator of the tractor to start, and then piled into the rack himself. - -With a series of sharp reports from its exhaust, the lumbering tractor -got into motion, jerking the rack and its precious load behind it. - - - - - _Chapter VII_ - SANCTUARY AT HOME - - -It was nearly an hour later when the tractor breasted the last grade and -rolled down to the paved road where a dozen cars, all of them warmly -heated and well lighted, were strung along the road. Anxious fathers and -mothers were on hand, including Janet's mother and Mrs. Thorne and they -welcomed their thoroughly chilled daughters to their bosoms. - -Janet's father shepherded them into their own sedan where despite the -sub-zero cold the heater had kept the car comfortable. Then they started -the final lap of their eventful trip from Youde's home. - -Helen and Janet sank back on the cushions of the capacious rear seat, -thoroughly worn out by their trying experience. - -Janet's father, one of the most prominent attorneys in Clarion, slipped -in behind the wheel, slamming the car door and shutting out the biting -blast of air. - -There were other cars ahead of them and they made no attempt at high -speed as they rolled back into the city. - -"How did you ever find us, Dad?" asked Janet. - -"You can thank the bus driver for that. Somehow he got through to a -farmhouse. He was almost frozen, but he managed to tell them the story -and they phoned word in to us." - -"Who thought of the tractor and hayrack?" asked Helen, warm once more. - -"It was Hugh Grogan, Bernice's father. He sells the caterpillars. Good -thing he did or we'd never have gotten through." - -"It was a good thing for Bernice, too. She was about all in," said Janet. - -When they reached the Hardy home, Janet's mother insisted that Helen and -Mrs. Thorne come in and have a hot lunch before going to their own home. - -While the girls took off their coats and Mr. Hardy put the car into the -garage, Mrs. Hardy bustled out into the kitchen where she had left a -kettle of water simmering on the stove. - -Lunch was ready in short order, tea, peanut butter sandwiches, cookies -and a large bowl of fruit. - -Janet and Helen had ravenous appetites and the sandwiches disappeared as -though by magic. - -"How cold is it, Dad?" asked Janet. - -"Twenty-two below." - -"The wind was awful," said Helen, between bites at a sandwich. - -"I know. It was pretty fierce going across country in the hayrack. The -boys must have used their heads for someone banked the bus with snow." - -"That was Jim Barron's idea. He and Ed Rickey kept us moving and talking -most of the time, but we forgot Miss Bruder. She was in a draft and -almost froze to death without saying a word to anyone." - -"That scared us half to death," put in Helen, "but the boys massaged her -hands with snow and Janet and I massaged the upper part of her body until -we could get the circulation going again. I think she'll be all right, -but probably pretty sensitive to cold for the rest of the winter." - -"But the winter's almost over. Here it's late March. Who'd ever have -thought we'd have a storm like this," said Janet. - -"If I had, I can assure you that you'd never have made the trip to -Youde's tonight," promised her father. "It was one of those freak storms -that sometimes sweep down from the Arctic circle and fool even the -weather men. By tomorrow the temperature will shoot up and the snow will -melt so fast we'll probably have a flood." - -The girls finished every sandwich on the plate and drank two cups of tea -apiece. - -It was five o'clock when they left the table. - -Mrs. Thorne and Helen started to put on their coats, but Janet's mother -objected. - -"Your house will be cold and our guest room upstairs is all made up. -Janet and I will lend you whatever you need. We'll all get to bed now." - -Janet got warm pajamas for Helen and then went to her own room. Warm and -inviting in the soft rays of the rose-shaded lamp over her dressing -table, it was a sanctuary after the exciting events of the night. - -A wave of drowsiness assailed Janet, and it was with difficulty that she -unlaced and pulled off her boots. Somehow she managed to crawl into her -pajamas and roll into bed, but she was asleep before she could remember -to turn off the light. - -Her mother, looking in a few minutes later, pulled the blankets up around -Janet's shoulders, opened the window just a crack to let in a whiff of -fresh air, and turned off the light. - -Janet slept a heavy and dreamless sleep. When she awakened the sun was -streaming in the windows and from the angle she could tell that it was -late. - -But in spite of the knowledge that she would probably be extremely late -in getting to school, Janet was too deliciously comfortable to move -rapidly. - -After stretching leisurely, she got out of bed and closed the window. The -radiator in her room was bubbling gently and she slipped into bed to wait -until the room warmed up. - -Vivid thoughts of what had happened during the night rotated in her mind, -the cold, the wind, the snow--the terror of waiting in Little Deer valley -for the rescue, hoping but not knowing for sure that they would be -reached in time to save them from the relentless cold. - -Someone opened Janet's door and peered in. It was Helen, who, on seeing -that her friend was awake, bounced into the room. - -"You look pretty live and wide awake after last night," smiled Janet. - -"I'm not only that, I'm ravenously hungry," said Helen, "and if you had -been out in the hall and caught a whiff of the breakfast your mother is -preparing you would be too." - -"What time is it?" - -"Well, you can call it breakfast or lunch, depending on whether you've -had breakfast. For me it's breakfast even though the clock says it's just -a little after eleven." - -"You're seeing things," retorted Janet, throwing off the covers and -hurrying toward her wardrobe. - -"I wouldn't be surprised if I am, but your mother says it is after eleven -and I'll take her word for it. I'll run down and tell her you'll be along -within the hour." - -"That isn't fair. You know it won't be more than five minutes. I always -dress faster than you do." - - - - - _Chapter VIII_ - POSTPONED TRYOUTS - - -Helen went down stairs and Janet hastened to the bathroom where she made -a hasty toilet. Back in her room she fairly jumped into her clothes, gave -her hair one final and hurried caress with the brush, and then went down -stairs. - -Mrs. Thorne, who had breakfasted earlier with Janet's father and mother, -had gone home, so Helen and Janet sat down to the breakfast Mrs. Hardy -had prepared. - -There was grapefruit to start with, then oatmeal with dates in it, hot, -well-buttered toast, strips of crisp bacon and large glasses of milk. - -"Feel all right this morning, Janet?" her mother asked, looking a little -anxiously at her vibrant and energetic daughter. - -"Fine, mother. I slept very soundly. Last night seems almost like a -nightmare." - -"It was a nightmare," said her mother, sitting down and picking up a -piece of toast to munch while the girls ate their breakfast. "I've never -seen your father so worried. He was almost frantic until Hugh Grogan -suggested they try to get through with one of his big tractors. They held -a council of war right here in the front room and I've never seen as many -nervous and excited men in my life. Talk about women getting upset, why -they were worse than we ever think of being." She smiled a little. She -could now, but last night it had all been a very grim and very near -tragedy. - -"You'll have to write an excuse for me," said Janet between munches on a -crisp slice of bacon. - -"Not this time. I phoned the superintendent and he said that everyone in -honors English was excused from school today." - -"Wonder if we'll have the tryouts for the class play this afternoon?" -said Helen, who until that moment had been devoting her full energies to -the large bowl of oatmeal. - -"There's one way of finding out," replied Janet. "I'll phone the -principal's office and see if it has been taken off the bulletin board." - -Janet went to the phone in the hall and called the schoolhouse. When she -returned her face was aglow. - -"No school, no tryouts--what a day and what to do?" - -"You're sure about the tryouts?" Helen was insistent, for winning the -leading part meant so much to her. - -"Sure as sure can be. They've been postponed until Saturday morning at -9:30 o'clock when they will be held in the assembly." - -"Then that will give me plenty of time to study my part thoroughly," said -Helen. - -"But you know it now. Why you had it memorized, every word and phrase, -yesterday afternoon," protested Janet. - -"I know I did yesterday, but last night scared it completely out of me. I -can't even remember the opening lines." - -"Maybe it's a good thing. We'll both start over and this afternoon we can -rehearse upstairs in my room." - -"Grand. I've got to go home and help mother for a while, but I'll be back -by 2:30 o'clock and we'll start in." - -Breakfast over, Janet went to the door with Helen. The day was bright and -almost unbelievably clear. The temperature was rising rapidly, the wind -had gone down, and their experience of the night before seemed very far -away. Rivulets of water were starting to run down the streets and before -nightfall the gutters would be full of the melting snow and slush. - -Janet found a multitude of little things to do around home to help her -mother and the first interruption came with the ringing of the telephone. -Her mother answered, but then summoned Janet. - -"It's the Times," said Mrs. Hardy. - -Janet took the instrument and recognized the voice of the city editor of -the local paper. - -"I need a good first person story of what took place inside the bus, -Janet," said Pete Benda. "Can you come down to the office and write a -yarn? You've had enough experience with your high school page to do the -trick and do it well." - -"But it all seems so far away and kind of vague now," protested Janet. - -"Listen, Janet, I've got to have that story." Pete was cajoling now. -"Haven't we done a lot of favors for your high school page?" - -"Yes, but--." - -"Then come down and write the story. I'll save a good spot on page one -for it." - -Janet hung up the telephone, feeling a little weak and limp. Pete Benda -was insistent and she would have to go through with it. - -"The Times wants me to come down and write a first person story of what -happened last night," she explained to her mother. "I didn't want to, but -Pete Benda, the city editor, just insisted. He's been so good about -helping us out on the school page when we've been in jams that I couldn't -say no." - -"Of course not, and you'll do a good piece of writing. No don't worry -about it. Run along. I'll have a little lunch ready when you get back." - -Janet put on her coat, but paused at the door and called to her mother. -"If Helen comes before I get back, tell her I'll be along soon." - -Janet enjoyed the walk to the Times office for the air was invigorating. - -The Times was housed in a narrow two-story building with its press in the -basement. The news department was on the second floor with the city -editor's desk in front of a large window where he could look the full -length of the main business street of Clarion. - -Pete Benda, thin and too white-faced for his own good health, saw Janet -come in. - -"Here's a desk and typewriter you can use," he said. "I'm counting on -having that story in less than an hour. You'll have to come through, -young lady." - -Janet flushed at Pete's appellation, for the city editor of the Times was -only a little older than she. Oh well, perhaps Pete was twenty-two, but -she could remember when he had been in high school, playing football, and -one of the best ends in the state. - -Janet rolled some copy paper into the typewriter and looked rather -blankly at the sheet. It was hard now to concentrate on the events which -had been so tragically real the night before. If she could only get the -first sentence to click the rest would come easily. She tried one phrase. -That wouldn't do; not enough action in it. Ripping the sheet of paper -from the typewriter, she inserted another and tried again. This was -better. Perhaps it would do; at least she had started, and the words came -now in a smooth flow for Janet could type rapidly, thanks to a commercial -course in her junior year. - -Pete Benda, on his way to the composing room, looked over her shoulder -and read the first paragraph but Janet, now engrossed in the story, -hardly noticed him. Pursing his lips in a low whistle, a trick that he -did when pleased, Pete went on about his work. - -Janet finished one page and then another. Even a third materialized under -the steady tapping of her fingers on the keyboard. Then she was through. -Three pages of copy, three pages of short, sharp sentences, of adjectives -that caught and held the imagination, that gave a picture of the cold and -the apprehension of those in the bus, of the relief, almost hysterical, -when rescue came. - -Janet didn't read it over. It was the best she could do. If Pete wanted -to change it that was all right with her. She put the three sheets of -copy paper together and placed them on his desk. Then she slipped into -her coat and went down stairs. She had finished the story well within the -limit set by the city editor and she turned toward home and the rehearsal -she and Helen had planned for the afternoon. - - - - - _Chapter IX_ - BIG NEWS - - -Janet had gone less than half a block when she heard someone calling to -her. Looking back she saw Pete Benda leaning from an upper window of the -Times office. He was waving Janet's story in his hand. - -"Great story, Janet," he shouted. "I'll send you a box of candy. Thanks a -lot." - -Janet smiled and waved at Pete. It was just like the impetuous city -editor to lean out his window and shout his thoughts at the top of his -voice to someone down the street. But she was glad to know that the story -met Pete's approval. But as for the candy. Well Pete was always making -promises like that. If he had kept them all he would have needed a -private candy factory. - -Helen was waiting when Janet reached home and she waved a letter at her -friend. - -"It's from Dad," she cried. "He says he's about through on the picture -he's making at present and will be home without fail for my graduation. -Wants me to send him the dates of the play, of the banquet and of -everything. Also wants your Dad to make sure the fishing will be good and -to line up a good plot where he can find plenty of worms." - -"That's splendid news. I'm so happy," said Janet, who knew how much Helen -missed her father's companionship at times, for when he was in Clarion -they were almost inseparable. But Janet realized that Mr. Thorne was -exceedingly smart in keeping Helen in Clarion rather than taking her west -with him to the movie city where she would be subject to all of the -tensions and nervous activity there. Here in Clarion she was growing up -in entirely normal surroundings where she would have a sane and sensible -outlook on life and its values. - -"I phoned your Dad, and he says he'll have to start hunting good creeks -just as soon as the snow's off." - -"That kind of puts Dad on the spot, for he's got to deliver on the worms -and the fishing," smiled Janet. - -"Oh, well, Dad doesn't care so much about getting any fish. He just likes -to get out and loaf on a sunny creek bank and either talk with your Dad -or doze. He calls that a real holiday." - -Janet went upstairs and got the mimeographed sheets with the synopsis of -the play and the part she was to try out for. After the drama of last -night, that of "The Chinese Image" seemed shallow and forced. - -The role of Abbie Naughton, who was more than a little light-headed and -fun loving until a crisis came along, was comparatively easy for it -called for little actual acting ability and Janet was frank enough to -admit that she was no actress. - -Helen, trying for the straight lead, carried by Gale Naughton, had always -liked to think that she had real dramatic talent and Janet was willing to -admit that her companion had more than average ability. At least Helen -was pretty enough to carry the role off whether she had any dramatic -ability or not. - -Coaching each other, they gave their own interpretations of the parts -which they were trying for. An hour and then another slipped away. The -brightness faded from the afternoon and Janet turned on a reading light. - -"I think we've done all we can for one day. If we keep on we'll go stale. -Let's forget the tryouts for a while." - -"You can," retorted Helen, "but I've simply got to win that part. What -would Dad think of me if I didn't?" - -"I don't believe he'd think any the less of you," smiled Janet, "but I'll -admit it would be nice for you to win the leading role and I'll do -everything I can to help you." - -"Of course, I know you will. It was awfully small of me to say that." - -The doorbell rang and Janet answered it. A boy handed her a package. - -"It's for Miss Hardy. She live here?" - -"I'm Janet Hardy." - -"Okay. I just wanted to be sure this was the right place." - -"This looks interesting," said Janet, returning to the living room with -the large box. Her mother, who had heard the doorbell, joined them. - -Janet tore off the wrapping, opened the cardboard outer box, and pulled -out a two pound box of assorted chocolates. On top of the box was a -clipping torn from the front page of the Times. - -Janet stared hard at the clipping, hardly believing her eyes. There was -her story with her name signed to it. - -"Why Janet, your name is on this front page story!" exclaimed her mother. - -"What's all the mystery?" demanded Helen, and Janet explained, rather -quickly, about her summons to the Times office. - -"Pete Benda said he liked the story and was going to send me a box of -candy, but I thought he was joking. You know he's always telling people -he's going to send them candy." - -"This is no joke," said Helen as Janet opened the box and offered candy -to her mother and to Helen. "In fact, I'd like a joke like this about -once a week." - -"Yes, but I wouldn't like an experience like we had once a week," -retorted Janet. - -Helen's mother phoned that they were having an early supper and Helen -picked up the tryout sheets, put her coat over her shoulders, and started -for home. - -"If I disappear, it's just that I've been swept away in the flood," she -called as she hurried out. - -Janet looked after her. Helen wasn't far from wrong. With the rapidly -rising temperature, the afternoon sun had covered the sidewalks and -filled the street with rushing torrents of water. Another day and there -would be no sign of the storm of the night before. - -Mrs. Hardy called and Janet went into the kitchen to help her mother with -the preparations for the evening meal. - -"I heard you rehearsing this afternoon," said her mother, "and I wouldn't -set my heart too much on winning one of those parts." - -"I won't," promised Janet. "Of course I'd like to be in the senior play, -but I won't be heart-broken if I don't win a part." - -"Perhaps I was thinking more about Helen than you," confessed Mrs. Hardy. -"She's so much in earnest that failure would upset her greatly." - -"I know it, but I can understand why Helen wants a part and I'm afraid -I'd be just as intent if my father were the ace director for a great -motion picture company. I suppose I'd think that I should have dramatic -ability to be a success in his eyes." - -"That's just it," said Mrs. Hardy. "Helen doesn't need to get a part in -the play. When he comes home, he likes nothing better than being with his -wife and Helen. You know he never goes any place." - -"Except fishing with Dad." - -"Oh, pshaw. They don't fish. They dig a few worms and take their old -fishpoles along some creek that never did have any fish. It just gets -them outdoors and away from people who might want to bother Henry -Thorne." - -"Well, no matter, Helen has set her heart on winning the leading role and -I'm going to do everything in my power to help her along." - - - - - _Chapter X_ - VICTORY FOR HELEN - - -The rest of the week slipped away quickly. The harrowing experience in -Little Deer valley became a memory and the seniors concentrated upon -winning roles in the class play. - -By Saturday morning the snow had vanished, the temperature was above -freezing and the grass was starting to turn green--such are the miracles -of the early spring. - -Janet and Helen rehearsed their tryout parts so many times that Janet -found herself mumbling her lines in her sleep. - -Most of the seniors assembled promptly at 9:30 o'clock that morning for -the tryouts. A few of them, feeling that they had no chance, did not -come, but Janet noticed that Margie and Cora were well to the front of -the room where Miss Williams would be sure to see them. - -"I want you to do your best this morning for on your work now depends -whether you will have a place in the play," she warned them, and Janet -felt a little twinge. School was near an end and the senior play was her -last chance. Of course it wasn't as important to her as it was to Helen, -but it would be nice to have the part of Abbie, for Abbie was such a -delightfully irresponsible character. - -Miss Williams called for tryouts for minor roles first and Helen sent an -anxious glance toward Janet and nodded toward the hall. - -They slipped out of the assembly quietly and Helen voiced her fears. - -"Perhaps I'd better try for one of these minor parts as well as for the -lead. Then if I don't get to play Gale Naughton, I may win another role." - -"I wouldn't," counseled Janet. "Concentrate on the main part. I think -you'll make it all right." - -"I wish I had your confidence." - -"I'm not confident about winning a part myself, but I'm sure you will," -replied Janet. "Let's go back and watch the tryouts." - -"Perhaps I ought to go over my lines again?" - -"Nonsense. You can even speak them backwards. If you work on them any -more you may do that, which would be fatal. Let's see the mistakes of the -others and then we'll know we aren't the world's worst actresses." - -Miss Williams was conscientious. She wanted every boy and girl who felt -he had a chance to have the utmost opportunity and she worked with them -carefully. At noon she was fairly well down the cast, but the four major -roles remained, two for the boys and two for the girls, including the -parts of Gale and Abbie Naughton which Helen and Janet sought. - -"We've been at this long enough," announced Miss Williams as the noon -whistles sounded down town. "Everyone take a rest, have lunch, and be -back here at one o'clock. Then we'll go on until we finish. For those who -have been assigned parts, the first rehearsal will be Monday night at -7:15 o'clock. I'll expect you to have your first act lines memorized." - -The group broke up, some of them going home to have lunch and others -stopping at the luncheonette of a nearby drug store. Janet and Helen were -among this group, which included Cora and Margie. The latter, seated with -two companions, appeared confident that they would win the leading roles, -but Janet overheard a spiteful remark by Cora. - -"Of course, I haven't the pull Helen has, for her father's a famous -director," she said, and Janet saw Helen's face flush. - -"That's isn't fair," said Helen. "You know Dad wouldn't use any influence -to get a part for me." - -"So does Cora. She's saying that just to be mean." - -When they reassembled it was a small group, Jim Barron, Ed Rickey and two -other boys who were trying for the male leads, Cora, Margie, Helen, Janet -and Miss Williams. - -The instructor worked with the boys first and it was evident that Jim and -Ed were to have the major parts. In less than half an hour they were -assigned, Ed getting the lead and Jim the second role. If Janet won the -part of Abbie, Jim would be playing opposite her. That would be fun, for -Jim was wholesome and pleasant. - -After the boys had departed, Miss Williams turned to the girls. - -"Now we're down to the two major parts, for the play hinges on the -characters of Gale and Abbie." She looked at the four hopeful, anxious -faces. - -"I want Cora and Margie first. Take your places and give me an -interpretation of the action you think should go with the lines you have -memorized." - -Cora, dark-eyed and confident, stepped to the platform. Margie, a wispy, -blonde girl, followed. Both girls used excellent diction, spoke clearly -and with feeling, but somehow Cora's work lacked a convincing touch. -Perhaps she was trying too hard and Janet felt her spirits rising. - -Helen should walk away with the role unless she got scared when she -stepped on the platform. But Janet was more than a little concerned about -Margie. The blonde senior was doing an excellent job, putting just the -right amount of enthusiasm into the role. There was nothing forced. Every -word and gesture seemed spontaneous and lines that had sounded silly in -their own rehearsals were very logical and convincing when they came -tumbling from Margie's lips. - -Janet smiled grimly. Of course she wanted the part, but even more, she -wanted Helen to win the role of Gale. - -Cora and Margie finished the part Miss Williams had assigned, and looked -anxiously toward the dramatics teacher. - -"That was very nicely done," said Miss Williams. "Janet and Helen next -and put plenty of feeling into your interpretations." - -From the platform Janet could look down on Cora and Margie. There was a -thin sneer on Cora's lips and Janet felt Helen, standing close beside -her, tremble. - -"Ready?" she asked. Helen nodded. - -Janet's lines opened their brief tryout roles. She spoke them clearly, -but somehow the spark needed to add vigor and brilliance was lacking. She -was thinking too much about Helen. - -The lines and action snapped to Helen and she picked them up instantly. -Janet thrilled. Helen had forgotten Cora and Margie. She had forgotten -even Miss Williams. She was living her part. She was Gale Naughton, the -dark, lovely heroine of "The Chinese Image." The lines came smoothly and -without effort. - -Then they were through, a little breathless, their hearts beating -rapidly. Janet was the first to turn toward Miss Williams and before the -instructor spoke, she knew Helen had made a deep impression with her -interpretation of Gale. - -"Splendid. I liked that very much," said Miss Williams, who was not given -to compliments. "If you'll be good enough to wait a few minutes, I'll be -back." - -"Will you announce the winners then?" asked Cora, her dark cheeks flushed -with excitement and her brown eyes glowing. - -"Yes," promised Miss Williams, hurrying from the room. - -"Why do you suppose she left to make her tabulations?" asked Helen, her -voice low. - -"Probably didn't want us to know just how she rated us. She's got a -percentage system all her own she uses in casting parts. It won't be long -now," said Janet. - -"The sooner the better. I'm all fluttery inside." - -"Maybe you think Cora and Margie aren't. They can't even sit still." - -Which was true. Cora and Margie were walking restlessly up and down the -far side of the assembly, looking anxiously toward the double doorway -through which Miss Williams would return. - -Five minutes slipped away. Then another five and it stretched out into -fifteen minutes before the quick footsteps of the dramatics instructor -could be heard in the hallway. Involuntarily Cora and Margie joined Janet -and Helen at the front of the large assembly room. - -Miss Williams came in briskly, a slip of paper in her right hand, and -Janet, who was nearest, saw two names written on the slip. - -"Sorry I kept you so long, but I'm trying to be very fair in making the -final selections," explained Miss Williams. - -"Go on, go on," burst out Cora. "Who won?" - -Miss Williams frowned. - -"Well, I'm sorry, Cora." - -The dark-haired senior interrupted her sharply. - -"You mean I didn't win?" - -"I mean that Helen gave a more convincing interpretation of the part. She -gets the leading role." - -Cora's eyes flashed. - -"I might have known that. Too bad I don't have a father with some -influence." - -Cora picked up her coat. "Come on, Margie. We've just wasted our time." - -"I'd stay if I were you, Margie," said Miss Williams. "What I have to say -should interest you." - -And in those words Janet knew the decision. Helen had the lead and Margie -was to get the second role. She was out, but at least she could take it -without creating a scene like Cora. - - - - - _Chapter XI_ - A FAMOUS DIRECTOR ARRIVES - - -Miss Williams looked at the three girls remaining and she spoke slowly, -choosing her words with care. - -"I regret that Cora took that attitude," she said, "for there was no -influence used in my selection of Helen for the lead. She was much better -in the tryout than Cora." - -Then the instructor turned to Margie. - -"You did a nice bit as Abbie," she went on, "and I want you to take that -role. Janet was practically as good as you were on the lines, but you -seem a little more like the character. You're thinner and you flutter -around more than Janet, and Abbie is a very fluttery sort of a person." - -Margie grinned. "In other words, Abbie is a dizzy sort of a gal and I'm -that type." - -"Call it that if you want to," smiled Miss Williams. "Do you want the -part?" - -"And how!" - -"Very well. I will expect you and Helen to have your lines for the first -act well in hand by Monday night." - -Miss Williams, followed by Margie, left the room and Helen turned to face -Janet. - -"I'm sorry it turned out this way. I'd rather you had won a part." - -"I'm not," said Janet, and she said it honestly, for a part in the senior -play had meant so much more to Helen. She knew she had done her best, but -she had to admit that after all Margie was better suited to the role than -she. - -The air softened. April came and went, and the senior play neared its -final rehearsals. Miss Williams drove the cast without mercy for on the -success of the play would depend her own opportunity for advancement. - -Helen, working every spare moment, became tired and irritable. - -"I'll be glad when it's all over," she said. "I never dreamed it would be -so hard." - -"You'll be well repaid when the play is given," said Janet, who had been -assigned to the stage crew. In this capacity she attended almost every -rehearsal and she couldn't help watching Margie go through the lines of -Abbie. It was a delightful part, easy to handle, and so breezy and -irresponsible. - -Costuming took several nights, for Miss Williams was meticulous. Then -came the dress rehearsals, the first on Monday night. The play would be -given Friday. On the following week came the junior-senior banquet and -then graduation and the end of school days. - -Janet, watching the play in rehearsal each night, came to know the lines -of almost everyone in the cast for the lighting of the show was in her -charge. It was up to her to get just the right amount of amber in the -afternoon scene and just the right amount of blue to simulate moonlight -for the evening scene from the rather antiquated banks of lights on each -side of the stage. - -Brief letters and a telegram or two had come from Helen's father, -assuring her that he would arrive in ample time for the presentation of -"The Chinese Image." Janet's father had found a small plot at the rear of -their own large lot which yielded an ample supply of worms at almost -every spadeful and Indian creek, two miles north of Clarion, was said to -abound with bullheads that spring. - -On Wednesday night, after a long and tiring rehearsal, Janet and Helen -walked home through the soft moonlight of the late May evening. - -"I haven't heard from Dad today. He was going to wire what train he would -arrive on. It looks like he won't be in until the morning of the play." - -"That will be plenty of time. He can stay on longer after the play's -over," said Janet. - -"It won't be plenty of time if he has to do any more retakes on his last -picture. His letters have sounded awfully tired." - -"Let's walk on down to Whet's for an ice cream soda. The walk will do -both of us good and the soda will be refreshing," said Janet. - -Helen agreed and they walked leisurely, breathing deeply of the -flower-scented air; for it was a perfect evening. From far away came the -rumble of heavy trucks on a through street, but on their own there was an -air of peace and contentment. - -"Dad will like this when he finally gets here. He always seems to throw -off his cares when he's back home." - -"Which is why he anticipates coming home so much," added Janet. - -"But it can't go on this way forever. He needs mother and I'll be going -away to school next fall." - -"I wouldn't worry about that until after graduation. There'll be plenty -of time to discuss those matters then." Janet felt somewhat like a very -fatherly old man giving advice to a very young girl and she smiled to -herself. - -At the neighborhood drug store they dawdled over their sodas, thoroughly -relaxing after the strenuous hours of rehearsal. On the way home they -again walked leisurely, discussing little things about the play that -appealed to them. - -Helen's mother, waiting on the porch, called to them the moment they came -in sight. - -"Hurry up, Helen. I've a telegram from your father." - -Helen ran across the lawn with Janet close behind. - -"He's coming, isn't he, mother?" And to Janet there was something pitiful -in Helen's extreme anxiety for she was so desperately intent upon having -her father see her in the leading role in the class play. - -"He's coming tonight, dear. He wired saying that he would be on the -transcontinental plane which stops at Rubio at midnight. Janet's father -and mother are going to drive us over. You girls had better clean up a -bit. We're leaving right away." - -"I'm so happy," said Helen. "I was afraid it was a message saying he -wouldn't be able to come." - -Janet hurried on home. Her father had the large sedan out in the driveway -and her mother was bustling about the kitchen, making stacks of thin -sandwiches. - -"Why the sandwiches?" asked Janet. - -"I've never known the time when Henry Thorne wasn't hungry. He's been -that way ever since he was a little boy and his wife is too excited to -think about that. We'll have them all over for lunch after we get home." - -"But it will be late. Way after one o'clock and Helen ought to be in bed. -She has been keeping terrific hours with the rehearsals." - -"It won't do her a bit of harm this time. Being with her father will do -her more good than anything else. Wrap these sandwiches up and put them -in the breadbox so they'll keep good and moist. Then slice some lemon for -the ice tea and put the slices back in the ice box. We'll stop and get -some ice cream on our way in to town." - -They hurried around the kitchen until Janet's mother noticed the disarray -of her daughter. - -"For land's sake, Janet, you're a sight. Working with the scenery and -lights again at school? Well, hurry upstairs and clean up. Then slip into -that pale green print that makes your hair look golden. We'll be ready in -five minutes." - -Janet forgot her fatigue and raced upstairs, splashed water on her -flushed cheeks, followed that with a few hasty dabs of a powder puff to -take the shine off her skin, and then went to her own room where she put -on fresh, sheer hose and the green print that was so becoming. - -Her hair, with its natural curl, needed only a quick brushing to bring -out the highlights. - -Down in the driveway her father pushed the horn button and her mother -called. - -"We're ready, Janet." - -But so was Janet and she hastened downstairs and joined them. The sedan -was one of those extra-broad stream-lined cars with room for three in the -front seat. - -"You and Helen can sit up front with me while your mother and Mrs. Thorne -are in the back seat," said her father. "Coming back we'll put the -Thornes in the back where they can visit to their heart's content." - -The car rolled down the drive and her father turned and stopped the -large, low machine in front of the Thorne home. Half a dozen lights were -turned on downstairs and the house fairly glowed with light. - -Helen and her mother came down the walk, Helen in a pink, fluffy creation -that set off her dark coloring to its best effect. - -"You're pretty enough to look like a would-be movie star trying to make -an impression upon a famous director," whispered Janet. - -"Maybe I am," smiled Helen as she slipped into the front seat. - -"Everybody ready?" inquired Janet's father. "I don't want to get half way -to Rubio and have one of you women remember that you've left something -important at home." - -"You do the driving and we'll worry about what's been left at home," -replied Mrs. Hardy with a chuckle. - -The big machine rolled away smoothly and when they turned onto the main -state road to Rubio, John Hardy stepped on the accelerator and they -fairly flew down the straight, white ribbon which unrolled before their -blazing lights. - -The speedometer climbed steadily, fifty, sixty and then seventy miles an -hour, and the needle hung there except when they swung around one of the -broad, well-banked curves. Then it dropped to fifty. - -The rush of cool air was refreshing and Janet and Helen sank back in the -broad, comfortable seat. - -When the lights of Rubio glowed ahead Helen spoke. - -"It hardly seems possible that Dad will be here in a few minutes. It's -been months since I've seen him." - -"Then you'll enjoy seeing him all the more. What fun you're going to have -the next few days." - -"I hope it will be several weeks for I think Dad needs a good rest. He's -done three big pictures in the last year." - -They rolled through Rubio to the airport, which was just beyond the city -limits. The clock over the hangar pointed to 11:50 and Janet's father -guided the sedan to a stop in the parking area behind the steel fence. - -"I'll find out if the plane's on time," he said, and went over to the -office. - -Janet thought she could hear the faint, faraway beat of an airplane, but -the noise of another car turning into the parking space drowned it out. - -"Come on folks. The plane will be here in a minute," called Mr. Hardy. - -They hurried out of the car and followed John Hardy through the gate and -onto the ramp. In the west were the red and green lights of an incoming -plane. - -Suddenly the field burst into a flood of blue-white brilliance as a great -searchlight came on. Like a ghost, the huge, twin-motored plane glided -down its invisible path and settled easily onto a runway, little clouds -of dust coming up from the crushed rock as the machine touched the -ground. - -With its motors roaring a lusty song of power, the monoplane waddled -toward the concrete ramp. The pilot swung it smartly about and the ground -crew blocked the wheels and rushed the landing stage up to the cabin door -as the pilot cut the motors. The propellers ceased whirling just as the -stewardess opened the door. - -"There's Dad!" cried Helen and she ran toward the plane with Janet at her -heels. - - - - - _Chapter XII_ - ON THE STAGE - - -Henry Thorne was the first passenger to alight from the east-bound plane. -Tall, well-built, with a close-clipped mustache and iron gray hair that -curled a bit around his temples, he was a man's man. - -Helen threw her arms around her father and he gave her a tremendous hug. - -"Golly, I'm glad to see you, hon," he said. "Where's mother?" - -"She's coming. She couldn't run as fast as I," explained Helen, -breathless with excitement. - -Mrs. Thorne, her face flushed with happiness over her husband's coming -arrived and they embraced affectionately. - -Then Mr. Thorne saw John Hardy and Janet and her mother. - -"Say, this is great of you to come over. I feel like a visiting -celebrity, or something." - -"You're very much a celebrity," smiled Janet. - -"Not to you," he replied. "Well, let's start home. I've only this light -traveling bag." - -"Does that mean you won't be able to stay long?" asked Helen anxiously. - -"I should say it doesn't. I can live for six months out of a traveling -bag. Oh, of course, I wouldn't look like Beau Brummell, but I'd be -acceptable in average circles." - -The Thornes occupied the back seat and Janet and her mother sat in front. -The big car purred smoothly and Janet's father sent it humming away on -the trip back to Clarion. - -Janet got only snatches of the conversation that was going on in the rear -seat. She was anxious to listen, but it wouldn't have been very polite to -have done so obviously. Anyway, Helen would tell her most of the news the -next day. - -From the few remarks she overheard, she realized that Henry Thorne was -exceedingly happy to be home, and that the last year had been a strain -even though all of his pictures had been money makers. - -The lights of Clarion were in sight when he leaned forward and spoke to -Janet's father. - -"Get any worms located, John?" - -"Plenty of them and right in my own back yard. You can dig to your -heart's content." - -"How about the fishing?" - -"I haven't tried it myself, but the boys say there are lots of bullheads -in Indian creek. Remember it?" - -"I'll never forget the time we were hunting rabbits and walked across the -ice of the creek. It wasn't frozen thick enough and we dropped through -into water waist deep. Going home was the longest, coldest walk I've ever -taken." - -"It wasn't very pleasant," nodded Janet's father. "Did you hear about the -experience of the girls?" - -"Haven't read a paper for weeks. I've been going day and night on retakes -for the last picture. What happened?" - -They slowed down for the edge of Clarion and Janet's father, briefly and -vividly, recounted the events of that harrowing night in the storm and -bitter cold of Little Deer valley. - -"I should have known about this," said Henry Thorne quietly. "Why didn't -someone wire me?" - -"I thought of it," said Helen's mother, "but it all happened so quickly. -Then, after the girls were safe at home I thought wiring you would only -prove disturbing and I knew you were going to the limit of your strength -and endurance anyway." - -"Perhaps you're right," he conceded, sinking back in the rear seat. "My, -but it's great to be home." - -John Hardy swung the car into the drive and they rolled up the grade to -the porch. - -"Pity you couldn't take a man to his own door," chided his friend. - -"All right, I will if you want to miss the lunch that's waiting." - -They bantered good naturedly, for John Hardy and Henry Thorne had been -companions since boyhood. Now their correspondence was haphazard and -infrequent, but each anticipated their visits together. - -Janet hastened to the kitchen to help her mother with the lunch, placing -the delicious, thinly cut sandwiches on a large silver platter. There was -a heap of them, but it was late and they were all hungry. - -Her mother stopped halfway to the dining room, a stricken look appearing -on her face. - -"I completely forgot to stop on the way home and get ice cream." - -Janet looked at the clock. It was 1:15 a. m. - -"I'm afraid it's too late to find any place near here open. We'll make -out anyway with sandwiches, cheese wafers and tea." - -"There's some chocolate cake left over from yesterday," said her mother. - -"Then I'll put that on. We'll have plenty." - -They bustled about and almost before they knew it Janet was out on the -porch announcing that lunch was ready. - -The Hardys sat on one side of the table and the Thornes on the other, the -conversation shifting back and forth. The pile of sandwiches dwindled -rapidly, tea cups were refilled two and three times and Henry Thorne was -noticed taking at least two slices of the thick, delicious chocolate -cake. John Hardy accused him of taking three slices, but this he denied -strenuously. - -"If I'm to be accused of eating three slices of cake, I'm going home," he -announced. "And I won't be back until there's more cake." - -"I'll get up early and bake a fresh one. It will be ready by noon," said -Janet's mother. - -"That'll be just about the time I'm getting up. Come on folks. We've got -to get some sleep tonight." - -Goodnights were said quickly and with Henry Thorne in the lead, the -visitors departed for their home. - -Janet helped her mother clear away the dishes. It was too late to wash -them and they were hastily stacked in the sink. - -"How do you think Henry looks?" asked John Hardy coming into the kitchen. - -"He's too tired and looks like he's been going on nervous energy for -simply days," replied Janet's mother. - -"I got the same impression. If we can manage to make him forget that -strenuous business of his, of making successful motion pictures he'll be -able to build himself up." - -"He'll find plenty to interest himself in the graduation program," said -Mrs. Hardy, "and if you take him on some fishing and loafing expeditions -along the creek he'll get a fine chance to relax." - -"Unless they send a rush call from the coast for him to return at once -like they did a year ago just after he had settled down to a fine -vacation. Well, staying up and talking doesn't help the situation. Scoot -for bed, Janet. It's a good thing you aren't in the class play, what with -keeping such late hours as this." - -Up until the afternoon of the play Janet saw very little of Helen's -father. He was over to the house once, but Helen informed her that he had -been sleeping and taking long drives around the countryside with her -mother. - -"They have so very much to visit about," explained Helen, who was worn -thin by the strain of the last rehearsals. The night before it had been -midnight before they rang down the curtain. Janet had been up equally as -late for her work on the meager lighting equipment kept her on the job as -long as the cast rehearsed. - -On Friday afternoon they made a final check of sets and lights and -costumes and Miss Williams rehearsed one or two of the minor characters -who had been causing more trouble than the leads in getting their lines -in just the way she wanted them. - -The gymnasium was filled with row upon row of chairs. The old curtain -which shielded the stage had been refurbished and looked quite -presentable in spite of the landscape scene which it depicted. Someday -Janet hoped the school would be able to buy adequate stage equipment. The -stage was large enough, but the sets were pitifully few in number and all -of them several years old. They had been changed a little here and there -by the stagecraft class, but underneath you could detect the same flats -and doors and windows of other years. - -It was five o'clock before they finally straggled away from the gym and -the call for the entire cast and stage crew was 6:30 o'clock for Miss -Williams wanted everyone on hand early. Janet had seen the instructor -conferring with a rather distinguished looking man that afternoon and -guessed that he was the representative of the producing company, there to -see the production and make the final decision on offering a job to Miss -Williams. - -Janet, in spite of the fact that she was only a member of the stage crew, -found it hard to eat even though supper that night was especially -delicious and her mother, although silent, looked at her reprovingly. - -Helen arrived before supper was over and Janet was surprised to see her -so calm. Perhaps her father had been coaching her on composure. - -Janet folded up a clean smock, tucked it under one arm, and joined Helen. - -"Good luck, girls," said her father. "We'll wait for you after the show -and all have a lunch down town to celebrate the event." - -"Do you know where your folks are going to sit?" asked Janet. - -Helen shook her head. "Dad wouldn't tell me; thought if I knew I would be -looking for them and it might make me nervous." - -"This is the first time a high school class has ever performed before a -famous Hollywood director," said Janet. - -"Oh, don't think of Dad in that way. Now that he's back home he's just a -neighbor and he wants to be thought of in that way." - -"All right, but you can't keep the cast from remembering that an ace -director is in the audience tonight." - -"I suppose not. I only hope it won't make them too excited and upset." - -"How about yourself?" - -"I had been wondering up until tonight. But now I've made myself realize -that he's just Dad and that makes all of the difference in the world. -Sort of gives me the confidence that I need for I know that if I make -mistakes he'll understand. I wish you were going to be Abbie." - -"Well I'm not, and you'll get along all right with Margie. I think she's -really been working hard." - -"Oh, she's worked hard enough, but somehow she doesn't seem real in the -character." - -"You mean I'm just crazy and silly enough to make a very real Abbie?" -chided Janet. - -Helen's face flushed quickly. - -"You know better than that. Margie is light-headed enough for the role of -Abbie, but she lacks some spark of sincerity that's needed, for after -all, you know, Abbie finally solves the riddle of the Chinese image and -pulls out the string of priceless pearls which saves the fortunes of the -Naughtons." - -The cast and stage crew reported on time and Miss Williams checked each -of them in. She devoted her own energies to making up the principals -while several other teachers, fairly adept in dramatics, helped with the -makeup of the minor characters. - -Janet put on her smock and checked the lighting instructions which had -been mimeographed and placed it beside the small switchboard. Actually -she knew them all by heart, but she wanted to be sure there would be no -mistake; no dimming of the lights when they should be brightened nor a -sudden blackout in the middle of a love scene. - -Margie Blake came up from one of the dressing rooms. She was glorious in -salmon-hued taffeta and golden slippers. - -Margie, fully aware of the striking picture she made, walked slowly -across the stage, which had been set for the opening scene, the garden of -the Naughton home. - -Ed Rickey was standing nearby and Janet saw his eyes widen as they took -in the beauty of Margie and her costume. And Janet felt her own heart -tighten. Here she was in a smock, with her hands none too clean, no -wonder that Ed had eyes only for Margie. - -One of the sky drops was hanging unevenly and Miss Williams sent one of -the boys in the stage crew up into the loft to adjust the lines and even -the drop. The dramatic instructor stood in the middle of the stage -motioning for first one end of the drop and then the other to be lifted -or lowered. - -Suddenly there was a cry from the loft and Janet, looking up, saw one end -of the heavy drop sagging. It hung there for a moment. Then there was the -sound of rending wood and the drop hurtled down toward the stage. - -Miss Williams leaped backward instinctively, but Margie, seated on a -garden bench, didn't have a chance. - -Janet tried to shout a warning, but the cry jammed in her throat. Margie -looked up and Janet caught one terror-stricken look on her face. Then the -drop thudded to the floor, a tangle of painted canvas enveloping Margie. - - - - - _Chapter XIII_ - JANET STEPS IN - - -Ed Rickey was the first to reach Margie. With desperate hands he tore -away the pile of canvas, splintered wood and snarl of rope. Jim Barron, -who had rushed from the dressing room with his makeup only half on, -helped Ed lift Margie to a nearby bench. - -Then Miss Williams took charge. Margie was breathing regularly, but her -eyes were closed. There was a nasty bump over her forehead and her dress -looked like it might have been run over by a ten-ton truck, for a mass of -dust and grime had come down with the drop. - -The boy who had been in the scene loft scrambled down. - -"The pulleys let go!" he cried. "Honestly, Miss Williams, I couldn't help -it." - -"Of course not, and I don't think Margie is badly hurt. She'll come -around in a minute or two." - -Someone brought a glass of water and Miss Williams raised Margie's head -and forced some water between her lips. - -After a time Margie opened her eyes. - -"Where was the storm?" she mumbled. Then, recognizing the anxious faces -of the members of the cast about her, struggled to sit up. - -"What hit me?" she demanded thickly. - -"The pulleys gave way and a drop came down," explained Ed. - -Margie tried to stand up, but sat down abruptly. - -"My head," she moaned. "It feels ten sizes too large." - -"Carry her downstairs," Miss Williams said to Ed and Jim. While the boys -were obeying instructions, Miss Williams went to a telephone and summoned -a doctor. - -It was 7:15 o'clock then and the curtain was set for eight. In just -forty-five minutes the show must go on and Margie had a splitting -headache and her costume was ruined at least for the night. - -When Doctor Bates, the school physician arrived, it was 7:30 o'clock and -Margie, stretched out on a couch in the girls' dressing room, was holding -cold cloths on her head. - -Doctor Bates' examination was quick but thorough. - -"Mild concussion, I'd say. She must go to bed at once and remain there, -perfectly quiet, for at least twenty-four hours." - -Margie struggled to her feet and was as promptly returned to the couch by -the doctor, who forced her to choke back her words. - -"Sure, I understand," he said. "You've got a part in the play and you've -got to go on. That's the tradition of the theater. But this isn't a -theater. This is a high school play and young lady you're not going to -risk serious injury to yourself by doing any such thing as attempting to -appear in this play. I'm going to take you home right now." - -Doctor Bates, who usually had his way, helped Margie out to his car. It -was a tearful and protesting Margie, but Miss Williams joined in -insisting that she go home and there was nothing else for her to do. - -By the time Margie was on her way home the first rows of the gym were -filling with spectators and Miss Williams, a look of desperate intent -upon her face, called the cast together on the stage. - -"We've got to go on for this means so much to me and to you. Try and -forget, if you can, what has happened to Margie. Do everything you can to -help the girl I'm going to push into Margie's role. If she stumbles on -her lines or forgets them, fake until you can pick it up again." - -Then she swung toward Janet. - -"Can you get anything from home you can wear for the first act--something -very light and pretty. You'll be able to wear the costumes intended for -Margie in the other two acts." - -"You mean you want me to step in and take Margie's role?" asked Janet. - -"That's exactly what I mean. You've got to do it. You're the only one who -knows the lines." - -"But I'm afraid I'll make a terrible mess of things; I'll spoil the whole -show." - -"You can't, Janet, you can't." There was desperate entreaty in Miss -Williams' words. "I've heard you repeating Margie's lines to yourself at -rehearsal. You know them all and you know the action. Just imagine that -you were originally picked for the role. You can handle it, I know." - -"Come on, Janet. This is our chance. We'll be playing together tonight. I -need you to steady me." It was Helen speaking, saying she needed Janet to -steady her. - -Janet smiled to herself. She would be the one who would need bolstering. - -Miss Williams came up. - -"I've found one of the boys with a car. He'll take you home and bring you -back with a costume for the first act. I don't want to hold the curtain -unless absolutely necessary." - -"I'll make it," promised Janet. - -There was no one at home and she rushed upstairs and dove into the large -wardrobe in her room. She had been wondering all the way home what to -select. Probably that pale green silk print. She'd only worn it once or -twice, and never to anything at school. - -Janet seized the dress, slipped out of the smock and everyday dress she -had worn under that, and wiggled into the cool, crisp silk. Stockings and -shoes were changed in a flash. Pausing just a moment before her mirror, -she brushed her hair vigorously until the light caught all of its natural -golden glints. Then she ran down stairs, breathless from the rush. - -It was two minutes to eight, just two minutes before the curtain was -scheduled to go up, when Janet reached the stage. Miss Williams was -pacing nervously when she hurried on, but she stopped instantly and eyed -Janet approvingly. - -"Splendid, dear, splendid. We'll start on time. If you forget some of the -lines, just make up a few sentences until you can recall them. The rest -of the cast will help you carry along." - -Helen, dark and radiant, came out of the wings. - -"You need a little more color on your cheeks. You look as pale as a -ghost." - -"I feel pretty much like a ghost," confessed Janet as they slipped into a -dressing room where Helen adeptly applied a touch of rouge, used an -eyebrow pencil sparingly, and then finished the makeup with just enough -lipstick to accentuate the charm of Janet's lips. - -"Everybody ready?" It was Miss Williams, calling the cast together for a -final checkup. - -Fortunately Janet would not go on until the middle of the first act. It -would give her an opportunity to regain her full composure, to get into -the swing of the play, and to brush up on any lines she was afraid she -might forget. - -The music of the high school orchestra, which was playing in the pit out -front, reached a crescendo and died away. Janet faintly heard a wave of -applause for the efforts of the orchestra. Then the girl who had taken -her place at the switchboard dimmed the house lights, shoved the switch -that sent the electricity surging into the footlights, and the curtain -started up. - -There was that little breathless pause before the action of the play -began. Then Helen, the first character on the stage, started her lines. -Clearly, confidently, she spoke, and Janet's fears for the play, fears -for any mistakes of her own, melted away. Helen was going magnificently, -perfectly at ease and seemingly living the very role of Gale Naughton. - -Janet slipped into the mood of the play. It wasn't hard for she had -attended every rehearsal and knew the lines of almost every character. - -On the other side of the stage Miss Williams, the prompt book in her -hands, was obviously pleased. - -Then came a cue that awoke Janet from the pleasant glow. She was on next. -With hands that fluttered just a little she picked up a mirror on the -tiny dressing table in the wings and made sure that her hair was right. - -It was time for her to go on, a rollicking, bouncing sort of entrance -that one would expect from gay, light-hearted Abbie Naughton, and Janet -did it perfectly. - -The blaze of light from the footlights shielded her from the audience. -She didn't need to care what they were thinking. All she needed to do was -to go through her part, playing it to the utmost. Later she would know -what the audience thought, but then it would be too late to matter. - -Janet and Helen had a fast exchange of lines, Helen reproving Janet for -her gayety when the family funds were so low. They carried that hard bit -of repartee off successfully and when the conversation swung to another -character, Helen whispered under her breath. - -"You're grand, simply grand. Keep it up." - -"Double the compliment for yourself," replied Janet, her lips barely -moving yet the words were audible to Helen. - -The first act was over suddenly. The curtain came down, smoothly, -silently, and as it bumped the floor a gathering wave of applause echoed -throughout the gym. Miss Williams nodded and the curtain went up again, -the members of the cast smiling and bowing. - -Then came the rush for the second act. The stage must be reset and the -girls, especially, had to put on new costumes. Miss Williams stopped -Janet in the wings. - -"Margie's costumes for the last two acts are laid out in the dressing -room. I'm sure they'll fit." Then she laughed. "They'll have to, Janet. -We can't stop for a costume, can we?" - -"Not after the first act," replied Janet. - -But Margie's costumes did fit. It was as though they had been made for -Janet. - -The action of the play moved more rapidly, swirling closer and closer -around the Chinese image on its pedestal in the garden. - -Finally came the third act with Janet, clumsy, jubilant Janet, -accidentally knocking over the image, which burst open when it struck the -stage floor and there, inside the figure of clay, was the secret of the -image and the continued comfort of the Naughtons--a ruby, so perfect, so -beautiful, that it was worth an exceedingly large fortune. - -Before Janet knew it the curtain came down for the final time and on its -echo came a sustained wave of applause. First the cast, then Miss -Williams, and then the cast, answered the steady calls for their -appearance. When Janet and Helen, coming out hand in hand, took a bow, -the applause reached a new peak and then died away as the audience, -satisfied as having paid tribute to the two stars of the show, prepared -to leave the spacious gymnasium. - -There was the usual crowd on the stage, parents and friends rushing up to -congratulate members of the cast and over in one corner Janet saw Miss -Williams signing her name to a paper that looked very much like a -contract. Without doubt the dramatics instructor had earned her contract -with the producing company. - -"I'm tired," announced Helen, in a very matter-of-fact manner. - -"I suppose I am, too, but I'm still far too excited to realize it," -replied Janet. "Here come the folks." - -Her father and mother, closely followed by Helen's parents, were pushing -their way through the crowd. - -"I'm mighty proud of you two," said John Hardy as he gave each of them a -hug. - -"I'm more than that," chuckled Helen's father. "I'm tempted to sign them -to contracts and take them back to Hollywood with me." - - - - - _Chapter XIV_ - JUST FISHING - - -Henry Thorne's words echoed in Janet's ears as the girls changed their -costumes in the dressing room. Of course he must have been saying it -lightly, paying them a pleasant compliment for their work. She forced -herself to dismiss it from serious consideration. - -They changed quickly, hung up their costumes, and hurried out to join -their parents for Henry Thorne was entertaining at dinner down town. - -"What was the idea of telling us you were in charge of lighting when you -actually played the second lead?" Janet's mother asked after they had -left the gym and were rolling down town in the car. - -"But mother, I told the truth. I was in charge of lighting until about -twenty minutes before the curtain went up. Then one of the drops broke -away and fell on Margie. She suffered a minor concussion and it was up to -someone to step in and take the part or the show would have flopped right -then and there before the curtain went up." - -"You mean you stepped in cold and handled the second lead?" asked Henry -Thorne, turning around in the front seat to gaze incredulously at Janet. - -"But it wasn't hard. You see I tried out for that role and then I -attended every rehearsal. Of course I sort of lived the character I tried -out for. I missed some of the lines tonight, but the others knew I might -and they covered up for me." - -"Well, I'll be darned. I thought you had been rehearsing it from the -first and had told us you were on lights just to surprise us," said the -famous director. "Anyway, you did a swell job. Maybe I will take you back -to the coast with me." - -"Now Henry," protested his wife, "don't start saying things you don't -mean. You'll get the girls all excited and then you'll have to rush away -to start work on another picture and you'll forget all about your -promises to them." - -"Probably you're right mother, but they're smart, good looking girls, -even if one of them is my daughter, and heavens knows we could use some -really smart, level-headed girls in one of my companies." - -Janet's father wheeled the car in to the curb in front of the restaurant -where they were to have dinner and in the bustle of getting out of the -car conversation switched to another topic, but Henry Thorne's words -persisted in sticking in Janet's mind. - -Henry Thorne had planned and ordered the supper himself. It was a man's -meal and Janet and Helen, now tremendously hungry after the strain of the -play, enjoyed it to the utmost. - -First there was chilled tomato juice and in the center of the table a -heaping platter of celery, olives and pickled onions that they ate with -relish through all of the courses of the dinner. - -Then came great sizzling steaks, thick and almost swimming in their own -juice, french fried potatoes, a liberal head lettuce salad, small -buttered peas, hot rolls and jam. And after that there was open-face -cherry pie and coffee for those who cared for it. - -"So this is your idea of a meal, Henry?" asked his wife, surveying the -welter of dishes on the table. - -"Well, perhaps not every day and every meal, but once in a while I'd say -yes. This is my idea of a meal." - -"I think it's been grand," spoke up Janet's mother, "especially since I -didn't have to do any work toward it." - -"That does make a difference," conceded Mrs. Thorne, "but I'd hate to -think of Henry's waistline if he had a meal like this every day." - -Conversation turned to neighborhood issues and talk of the town, for -Henry Thorne maintained a tremendously active interest in the affairs of -his home city. - -When they finally started home, it was well after one o'clock, but -routine school days for Janet and Helen were at an end. Exams were over -and there was only the junior-senior banquet and then commencement. - -Janet slept late the next morning and it was after ten o'clock when her -mother finally awakened her. - -"Helen and her father just phoned they are coming over. I thought you -might like to go with them. After they get some worms out of the back -yard they're going fishing. I'll put up a lunch." - -Janet hurried into her clothes and met Helen and her father as they -arrived. Henry Thorne was armed with an ancient cane fishpole, had on a -venerable straw hat, cracked but comfortable shoes, old overalls and a -blue shirt. - -"I think he's thoroughly disreputable looking," said Helen, laughing at -her father. - -"Granted, my dear, but I'm most thoroughly comfortable, which is the main -thing. I wouldn't trade this old fishing outfit for the best suit of -clothes in the world." - -Janet showed them a corner of the back lot that promised to be productive -of worms, and then went in the house for her own breakfast. She ate on -the kitchen table while her mother packed a basket of lunch to be taken -by the anglers. - -It was a grand morning for a fishing expedition and especially if those -going fishing really didn't care whether they caught any fish or not. -Just before they left Janet's father arrived and hastily changed into old -clothes. - -"Want to go to the creek in the car?" asked John Hardy. - -"Not on your life. We're walking, both ways," grinned Henry Thorne, and -the men, the cane poles over their shoulders, started for the creek. -Helen carried the can of worms and Janet took the lunch basket. - -Indian creek was a pleasant stream, meandering through the rolling hills -north of Clarion. Its waters were clear, alternating in quiet pools and -swift little riffles over its gravel bed. - -The air was mild and there was scarcely a cloud in the sky. They went up -the creek for more than a mile before Henry Thorne found a pool that -looked like it might have a few bullheads. The foliage overhead was thick -and the water here looked almost turgid, far different from the clear -stream which danced along its bed farther down. - -The men baited their hooks and Janet and Helen sat down to watch the -fishermen. - -Helen's father got the first bite, but he failed to land his fish. After -that there was a long interval when the fishermen failed to talk and the -fish failed to bite. Then the bullheads all seemed hungry and Janet's -father was the first to land one, but Henry Thorne was right behind him -with a larger catch. - -"Cut a willow stick for a stringer," said Helen's father, tossing a knife -to her, and Helen, knowing exactly what was needed, found a forked willow -and trimmed it down. - -In less than an hour they had eleven bullheads on the willow stick. - -"That's plenty," decided Janet's father. "There's no use spoiling the fun -by taking more than we need. Shall we have them for supper tonight at my -place?" - -"Nothing doing. We'll have them right here. Remember when we were kids -and used to clean them along the creek, put them on a stick, and try and -cook them over a fire?" - -Janet's father nodded. - -"That's what we're going to do right now. We'll clean the fish while the -girls get some dry sticks and build a fire." - -Thus they had their noon meal, bullheads off the spit, crisp and hot, -with just a sprinkle of salt on them, sandwiches and fruit from the -basket, and cool, sweet water from a nearby spring. - -Henry Thorne, his appetite appeased, his mind and body relaxed, stretched -out on the grass and looked meditatively into the creek. - -"What a life this would be--no strain, no thoughts of tomorrow, no -temperamental stars to worry about, no stories to doctor, no budget to -watch." - -"But after what you've had this would tire in a few weeks. Why, you're -thinking about getting back into the harness right now," said Janet's -father. - -Henry Thorne flushed guiltily. - -"Caught that time," he admitted. "Sure I was thinking about getting back -on the job. I'm too much of a work horse, I guess." - -"But you'll stay until after graduation, won't you?" asked Helen -anxiously. - -"That's one thing you needn't worry about," promised her father. "I'm -thinking now of what's going to be best for you after high school days -are over; whether you and mother will prefer to stay here in Clarion or -would like to come west with me. You're pretty much of a young woman now, -Helen, and from the play last night, quite a capable little actress." - -"Not much of an actress, I'm afraid, Dad, but I did want to be in the -class play because you were coming home and I wanted you to be proud of -me." - -"I was very proud of you, dear. Just how proud you'll never know, and -I've been trying to think of something I could do that would show you -just how pleased I was over the work you and Janet did in the class -play." - -They were silent for a time, all of them enjoying the quiet charm of the -afternoon. Henry Thorne puffed slowly on a venerable pipe while Janet's -father dozed, his hat pulled down to shield his eyes from the sun. The -embers of their fire turned black and then grey as they cooled. - -Janet thoroughly enjoyed relaxing on the creek bank. School days were -almost over and she couldn't help wondering what the summer and the -coming year would hold in store for her. Of course there would be college -in the fall, but just where had not been determined. It was generally -understood at home, though, that she would be allowed to make her own -choice providing it was anywhere near within reason. - -Janet knew that Helen's plans were very uncertain. Her friend wasn't even -sure that they would continue to make their home in Clarion. - -Just then Henry Thorne knocked the ashes out of his pipe and squinted at -the sun. - -"Better be starting home," he said. He picked up a small stick and tossed -it at Janet's father, who awoke with a start. - -"Come on sleepy-head. Time to go." - -Janet finished packing the few utensils that went back into the lunch -basket while the men wound up the lines on their fishpoles. - -They started home, walking leisurely in the warm afternoon, the men -leading the way. - -Half a mile down the creek they came upon a farm boy, riding bareback. -The horse was a beautiful, spirited animal, and the lad rode with amazing -grace. They paused for several minutes to watch the horse and rider until -they finally disappeared over a nearby hill. - -"Can either of you girls ride?" Henry Thorne asked the question almost -sharply. - -"A little, but not much nor very well," confessed Janet. - -"I belong in the same class," added Helen. - -"Is there any place in town where we can find good horses and a good -instructor?" Helen's father shot the question at John Hardy. - -"Hill and Dale farm keeps a fine string of horses. I'm sure I could -arrange for instruction there." - -"I'll go with you this evening and we'll see what can be done. I want the -girls to become proficient at riding as soon as possible." - -"But what's the idea?" asked Helen. - -"Just another quirk of mine," smiled her father. - -As soon as they reached home Henry Thorne urged Janet's father to -accompany him to see about riding lessons for the girls and just before -dinner returned. - -"Your first lesson will be at eight o'clock to-morrow morning," he -announced. "Look up some old duds that won't be hurt if you fall off." - -"But how about the girls?" demanded his wife. - -"They'll have to take a chance on that," he smiled. - - - - - _Chapter XV_ - HOLLYWOOD BOUND - - -Janet remained awake for some time that night, wondering what the -significance of Henry Thorne's decision to have her and Helen learn to -ride, and ride well, could be. Finally she gave it up as a bad job, -realizing that he would tell them in his own good time. - -Graduation week passed in a mixed whirl of events, with the junior-senior -banquet and actual graduation exercises interspersed between the long -hours passed at Hill and Dale farm where Janet and Helen underwent an -intensive series of lessons on horsemanship. Both girls were agile and -anxious to learn, and both soon came to enjoy the riding thoroughly. -Their instructor, an older man, found them eager pupils and Helen's -father encouraged them at each lesson, for he went with them on every -trip to the farm. - -Like the senior class play, the graduation exercises were held in the -gymnasium and Helen stopped for Janet. They were going on ahead of their -parents for they had to be at school half an hour before the start of the -program. - -"I hope I don't smell like a stable," smiled Helen, radiant in her crisp, -white organdie dress. "We've been at the farm so much I almost say -'Giddap' every time I start to do anything." - -"I feel almost the same way. One good thing, though, I can sit down -comfortably now and I couldn't after the first two days." - -When they came down from Janet's room, Helen's father and mother were -there. - -"We're early, but I want to talk to your folks," Henry Thorne told Janet. -"You youngsters run along and we'll be there in plenty of time." - -When they were on their way to school, Helen spoke. - -"Dad's been acting so mysteriously the last two days and mother seems to -be unusually happy about something. This morning Dad put in a call for -Hollywood, but he wouldn't talk from home; went down to a pay station. I -asked mother what was up, but she said not for me to worry as long as she -wasn't." - -"Perhaps he isn't going back west," suggested Janet. - -"You don't know Dad. I heard him mumbling just this afternoon about some -kind of a story idea. You know he usually sits in on the final drafting -of all of the stories he produces. I expect that as soon as graduation is -over he'll start back." - -"Has he said anything more about taking you with him?" - -"Not a word lately and that's what I'm puzzled about. Neither Dad nor -mother have talked about what I'm to do next fall. You know I'd like to -go to school with you." - -"And I'd like to have you, Helen. I'll be lost if we aren't able to hit -it off together. We've had such good times through high school and -especially this last year." - -The final meeting of the seniors, as a class, was held in the assembly, -the girls in their snow-white dresses and the boys all in their dark -suits made a pleasing contrast. Some of them were visibly nervous while -others remained unusually calm. To some it was a momentous event while -others took it as the last step in a tiresome school career. - -Margie Blake, still white and feeling none too strong, was near the door -when Janet and Helen entered. - -Janet started to speak, but Margie deliberately turned her back, and -Janet, shocked and hurt, looked at her sharply. - -"Now why do you suppose she did that?" she asked Helen. - -"I wasn't going to tell you, but you might as well know," said Helen. -"Margie is hinting around that she suspects you had something to do with -the injury she suffered." - -"You mean that I contrived to have that piece of scenery fall on her just -so I could get her part in the play?" - -"That's exactly what Margie's hinting. Of course she isn't saying that -openly, but she doesn't give you much room to guess what she means." - -"Then I'm going to have a word with Margie right now. That's one thing I -won't stand for." Janet's face was flushed and she was furiously angry -when she confronted Margie. - -Margie's eyes widened and Helen thought she saw her hands tremble just a -little. Perhaps she surmised that Janet was on the warpath and that she -was the cause of it. - -"Margie, I've been told that you are insinuating I was responsible for -the accident which forced you out of the play and gave me your place. Is -that so?" - -Janet's words were low enough so that only Margie and Helen could hear, -but there was a compelling force in them that would not be denied. - -"Why, no, that's not so. I never said you caused the accident." Margie -stammered and flushed hotly. - -"You've no right to accuse me of this thing," she added defiantly. - -"I've a very good right if you are dropping hints about me and the -accident the night of the play. If you've been doing that all I've got to -say is that you're smaller than I ever dreamed you could be. You're -simply below contempt." - -Janet whirled and left Margie with tears in her eyes. Helen paused a -moment for Margie seemed about to speak. - -"I'm sorry about what I've said," Margie managed to say. "I guess I was a -little indiscreet, but you tell Janet I won't say anything else." - -"I'll tell her and I think you'll be a very wise girl if you decide to -let the whole thing drop," advised Helen, turning to rejoin Janet, who -had gone to the other side of the room. - -The principal was giving his final words of instruction. - -"As your names are called for the presentation of diplomas, each of you -will come from your places to the platform, receive a tube of paper, and -return. After the exercises are over come to me in this room and I will -present your real diplomas. If you can not come here after the close of -the exercises, call at my office tomorrow." - -He paused a moment, then added, "and I should like to say that I am -extremely proud of this class. I think it is the finest to graduate from -Clarion High in the eight years I have been principal." - -"Which," whispered Helen, "is quite a compliment, if you ask me. It's the -first he ever paid this class." - -"He sort of made up for the lack before by these last words," smiled -Janet. - -Again they went onto the stage of the gymnasium, but this time not as -actors and actresses in a play of make believe, but in the very serious -business of graduating from high school. - -The gymnasium was filled with parents and friends of the seniors. The air -was close, portending the storm that was to break later. Fortunately the -program was simple, the address by the superintendent of schools lasting -only fifteen minutes. Then the names were called and one by one they went -forward and when they came back their high school days were over. - -It had been grand, being in school, decided Janet, and now she felt just -a little scared. Life was ahead and life was so vast and uncomprehending -and she knew it could be cold and cruel and merciless. - -They bowed their heads at the benediction, there was a final swell of -music from the orchestra and the lights in the gymnasium glared. It was -over and Janet, in that moment, felt years older. She was a high school -girl no longer.... - -Parents and friends of the graduates crowded around them and Janet saw -her father beckoning. - -"Get your diplomas," he called. "We'll meet you outside." - -Janet and Helen went up to the assembly where they turned in the paper -scrolls which had been presented to them at the program. In return they -received their real diplomas. - -Outside they found their parents. - -"We were tremendously proud of both of you," said Janet's mother. "You -were by far the prettiest girls on the stage." - -"I'll cast my vote in support of that statement," put in Helen's father, -"and that's from someone who should know a pretty girl when he sees one." - -They had planned a light supper at Thorne's and all of them enjoyed the -walk home for the air was close. Dark banks of clouds, illuminated once -in a while by flashes of lightning, were mounting higher and higher in -the west. - -"Looks like we'll get a real one tonight," said Janet's father, and the -others agreed. - -"Do you realize that the folks haven't given us anything for graduation?" -whispered Helen. - -"Well, not exactly any concrete gift just now, but they've given me a lot -of character and a sense of realization of the finer and honest things of -life." - -"Oh, silly, of course I realize that, but Dad has been so mysterious -today I know something is in the wind." - -When they reached Helen's home they sat down to an informal supper in the -dining room. - -On two plates were envelopes, one marked "Janet" and the other "Helen." -Helen's father was puffing rather furiously at his pipe as he watched the -girls, their fingers clumsy from their haste, rip open the envelopes. - -Long green slips of paper, looking very much like railroad tickets, came -out of the envelopes. Helen was the first to read hers. - -"Why, Dad," she cried. "It's a round trip ticket by airplane to Los -Angeles." - -"So is mine," gasped Janet. "What does this mean?" - -Her father chuckling, nodded toward Henry Thorne. - -"I'd say that it meant a round trip to Los Angeles. Also, if you'll dig a -little further into your envelopes, you'll find reservations for the -westbound plane out of Rubio just one week from tonight." - -"But Dad, we didn't know anything about this," gasped Helen. - -"Of course not. It wouldn't have been a surprise," chuckled her father. - -"Seriously though," he added, "I liked your performances in the high -school play and I've talked it all over with Janet's folks and with -mother here. You're going back to Hollywood to spend the summer with me -and this morning I contracted the production unit of our company which -makes cowboy films and both of you are to have a chance in the cast of -that picture. You're Hollywood bound, girls." - - - - - _Chapter XVI_ - THRILLING HOURS - - -Janet was speechless and Helen was the first to give vent to her thoughts -in words. - -"Oh, Dad, it's grand of you, but it doesn't seem possible." She looked at -the ticket again, feeling it to see if it actually was real. - -Tears brimmed into Janet's eyes. - -"I'm so happy I could cry," she confessed. Then added quickly, "But I -don't know how I can thank you." - -"Don't try now," smiled Henry Thorne. "I'll be more than repaid if you -two make good in the western pictures I'm going to try to put you in." - -"But Dad, we've never had any experience like that," protested Helen. -"We'll probably be awful flops." - -"Nonsense. It doesn't take much acting ability to get by in the 'horse -operas' as we call them. You just act natural, look pretty, and you'll -have all of the cowboys in the cast asking you for dates." - -Janet looked at her mother, wondering just how she had been won over to -letting them go to Hollywood, even though Helen's father would be there -to oversee things in general. - -Just then Mrs. Thorne spoke, pulling an envelope from a pocketbook. - -"You're not the only lucky ones," she reminded Janet and Helen. "I'm -going along and see that you are properly chaperoned when these dashing -cowboys ask you to go places with them." - -That explained to Janet why her mother had consented for with Mrs. Thorne -along she would have little to worry about. - -"Does that mean we're going to leave Clarion for good?" asked Helen. - -"Well, hardly," boomed her father. "I'd be lost if I didn't have Clarion -to come back to for a rest when I get fagged out and I don't know what -the bullheads out in Indian creek would do without me. We're going to -keep the place here for you never know when even a famous Hollywood -director will start turning out poor pictures and once you hit the -toboggan out there, it's hard to come back. I've been at it so long now, -that another year will just about see me through. Then I'll want to -retire to some quiet city and Clarion suits me." - -"I'm glad of that, Dad, for I've grown up here and it would be so hard to -think of cutting all of the ties of friendship at just one sweep." - -"You won't have to do that, Helen, and maybe, if you two youngsters can't -make the grade with our western company, you'll be back here before you -know it." - -"But we're leaving in just a week. It doesn't seem possible," said Janet, -half to herself and half to the rest. - -"The time will go before you know it," said her mother, "what with the -packing we'll have to do and the new clothes to buy." - -"Now let's stop right there," put in Helen's father. "Packing is all well -and good, but let's cut out the new clothes. Instead of loading the girls -up with things here, we'll give Mother the money and she can let them -have it in Hollywood when they see a dress in the shops out there that -they want. I think they'll feel a little more in style in Hollywood -clothes than in Clarion clothes in Hollywood." - -"I suppose they would," confessed Janet's mother, "but I'm afraid the -money for Janet's summer clothes allowance won't go very far." - -"She'll be getting a regular salary each week and the company will -furnish whatever costumes are needed for each picture." - -"Each picture," smiled Helen. "I like that Dad. How long does it take to -make a picture?" - -"When I'm directing anywhere from six weeks to three or four months, but -the western company moves pretty rapidly. They'll grind the average one -out in two weeks or three at the most. They're after action and plenty of -scenery." - -"Which explains why we were carted off to Hill and Dale farm and hoisted -up on horses and jogged up and down for hours until I thought every bone -in my body would be broken," said Janet. - -"Good guess. I've had this idea in mind ever since the night of the class -play," confessed Helen's father. "If you think you're going to get out of -the riding class the rest of the time you're in Clarion you'll be sadly -mistaken. I'm certainly not going to show up on the lot and ask Billy -Fenstow to take on a couple of girls who can't ride." - -"Who's Billy Fenstow?" asked Helen. - -"He runs our western unit. Billy writes most of the stories, does the -supervising and directing and just about everything else about the -picture. You'll like him. He's fat, forty, bald and lots of fun and if he -likes you, he'll invite you to the Brown Derby for dinner." - -"What fun that would be," exclaimed Janet. "Why that's where all of the -stars go." - -"You usually find a few of them eating there," admitted Helen's father. - -They talked for another hour, the girls, in their excitement, planning -things that could never come true, but their fathers and mothers, -indulging them the sheer joy of their mood, let them ramble on. - -It was nearly midnight when they finally pushed their chairs away from -the table and the Hardys started for home. - -"I'll see you first thing in the morning," said Helen, "but I don't -believe I'll sleep a wink." - -"I'm afraid I won't either," replied Janet, "but I'm so excited I don't -care." - -On the way home she linked her arm with her father and mother and they -walked slowly. - -"Happy?" her father asked gently. - -"Gloriously happy," replied Janet softly, squeezing her mother's arm. "Of -course I want to go to Hollywood, but I'm going to miss both of you -terribly." - -"We'll miss you, too. You know that," replied her father, "but it's an -opportunity that comes to few girls. Don't be too disappointed if you -fail to remain in the cast of that western picture. You're going out -there for a lark and not with the serious intent of becoming a motion -picture actress." - -Janet bit her lips. Of course her dad was right. She couldn't seriously -hope to be a motion picture actress, but for just a moment she had found -herself dreaming of real fame and fortune in Hollywood. Why it WAS just a -lark, a sort of super vacation that only Helen's father could make -possible for them. - -In the fall, after the summer on the film lots, they would probably come -back to the middle west for Janet knew her father favored her entering -the state university, Janet resolutely set her mind right. She must -realize that it was to be only a vacation lark. Then she could come back -happy and without regret when the summer was at an end. - - - - - _Chapter XVII_ - ON THE WESTBOUND PLANE - - -The week following graduation was a hectic one for Janet and Helen. There -were the riding lessons each day, their wardrobes to be gone over, new -shoes and hose to be purchased and they finally decided that each of them -needed at least two new dresses to last until they could get into the -shops in Hollywood and select things they desired there. It was fortunate -that Janet's father was a successful lawyer and Helen's a famous director -or their personal pocketbooks would have been much thinner at the end of -the shopping expeditions. - -Neither Janet nor Helen told their friends of their plans, but somehow -the story got around that they were going to Hollywood and had already -signed for roles in a new picture. Some said they were to have parts in -Henry Thorne's next production while others claimed the girls were going -to be bathing beauties in a series of comedies. - -"Now wouldn't that make you boil," said Helen, as she related a -conversation between Cora Dean and Margie Blake which she had overheard. -"I was half way minded to step in and tell them the truth, but then I -realized that was just what they wanted." - -They were sitting on the Hardy's front porch and the telephone summoned -Janet inside. She called Helen to her a few seconds later. - -"It's Pete Benda of the _Times_. He says he's heard the story and if we -won't confirm it he will print all of the rumors going the rounds, -including the one that we're going to be bathing beauties. What shall I -tell him?" - -"Tell him we're going to Hollywood with Dad for a vacation and if we get -in any pictures we'll send him an autographed picture," suggested Helen, -which Janet promptly did. - -"Pete isn't satisfied, but I guess he won't print all of the rumors," -reported Janet as she hung up the telephone. - -"You can just bet that Cora and Margie ran up to the _Times_ office and -filled Pete full of hot air," said Helen. "I thought maybe after we were -out of high school things would be different. I'd like to be friendly -with them for they can be delightful when they want to be, but both of -them are still carrying a chip on their shoulders." - -There was only one more afternoon of fishing and loafing along the banks -of the creek and John Hardy went with Janet, Helen and Henry Thorne on -the outing. Their luck was with them again and they hooked a fine mess of -catfish and fried them over an open fire. Through the late afternoon -Janet and Helen talked incessantly of their hopes and plans while at a -distance their fathers dozed along the creek bank. - -It was dusk before they started home, walking slowly through the -twilight. - -"This is the last night at home," Janet's father reminded her. "Tomorrow -night we go to Rubio and you take the west-bound plane for Hollywood." - -"It hardly seems possible, but it must be so," said Janet. "Everything is -like a dream." - -"It will be until you actually arrive and start work in the studio." -Janet's father was silent for several minutes. When he spoke again his -voice was so low that it could not be overheard by Helen and her father, -who were walking a short distance ahead. - -"I'm not expecting you to turn into a motion picture actress, but I want -you to do your best out there. The change will be a fine vacation and -when you're actually on the lot working before the cameras, give it -everything you've got. That will add to the pleasure you'll have in later -years when you look back on this summer." - -"I'll do it, Dad. I'll do the best possible job." - -"Sure, I know you will. It's going to be lonesome here," he added, "but -the break had to come sooner or later." - -"But I'm not going away for good, Dad. Only for the summer." - -"Of course. You'll be home in the fall and we'll make plans for school -then. Have you thought anything more about the university?" - -"Too bad I wasn't a boy, Dad, then I could have tried for football -there." There was just a note of seriousness in Janet's voice for her -father was an All-American halfback at Corn Belt U. and she knew he had -always secretly been a little disappointed when she proved to be a girl, -for there was no chance of a girl becoming an All-American halfback. - -"Football isn't everything," replied her father. "I'm satisfied," and he -said it with a conviction that brought joy to Janet's heart. - -Through the evening hours Janet and her mother checked over the last -minute packing. Trunks had been sent ahead by express and only the -essentials were going to be carried in the bags they would take on the -plane. - -Janet's luggage was attractive, but not expensive, for her father had -never believed in undue waste of money. - -That night Janet found it difficult to get to sleep. Tomorrow night they -would be winging westward at three miles or more a minute and by the noon -of the second day would be landing at the Grand Central airport at -Glendale, from where they could motor over to Hollywood. - -Finally sleep came and Janet dropped into the dreamless slumber of youth. -It was mid-morning when she finally awakened as her mother shook her -shoulders. - -"Time to get up," said Mrs. Hardy, "for there's much to be done today -before you start for Hollywood." - -Janet leaped out of bed for in spite of all of the preparations they had -been making through the last week there were a hundred and one small -things that remained to be done. - -The hours fairly melted away. She made three or four trips down town on -hurried errands and as many over to Helen's, where the same hurry and -bustle prevailed. - -At dinner time her mother made her slow down. - -"Everything's done," she announced. "Of course you may have forgotten one -or two things, but they aren't important, and they can be sent on later. -Now you take it easy and enjoy dinner for this is the last one you'll -have with your father and me for some weeks. My Janet, but we're proud of -you," she added, with a happy smile. - -"I'm just afraid I won't make good; that's the only thing that scares -me," confessed the usually self-reliant Janet. "Everything out there is -going to be so strange and as actresses, I'm fearful that Helen and I -will be about the worst that ever struck Hollywood." - -"Impossible," smiled her mother encouragingly, and after Janet mentally -reviewed some of the pictures she had seen, she decided that quite likely -her mother was right. - -Her father arrived home promptly and they passed more than an hour at a -leisurely dinner, visiting about a score of different incidents, none of -them important in themselves, but all of them important in that they kept -them around the dinner table, prolonging their last dinner hour. - -Janet's father finally looked at his watch. - -"You'd better dress, dear. The westbound plane leaves Rubio at eleven -o'clock and there's no reason to rush the trip over there." - -He reached into his coat pocket and drew out a small case which he handed -to Janet. - -"Here's a little present mother and I want you to have." - -Janet opened the case with hands that shook visibly. Inside was a tiny -wrist watch with a thin, silver chain to go around her wrist. It was a -beautiful creation of watchmaker's skill and Janet looked up with just a -trace of a tear in her eyes. - -"It's wonderful, but you shouldn't have done this after giving me the -trip to Hollywood." - -"You'll have to have something to keep time by so you can get to the -studio on time. Maybe I should have gotten you an alarm clock," grinned -her father. - -"I packed one in her trunk," smiled Mrs. Hardy. "Now hike and get into -your things." - -Janet, tremendously happy and so thrilled she felt she was walking on -air, hurried up to her room. After a quick bath, tapered off with a cool -shower, she started dressing. Her outfit was new from the silken -underthings to the sensible but attractive summer linen suit. The skirt, -snug and well tailored, fitted beautifully and a small but bright blue -tie added a note of color to her heavy, white silk shirtwaist. - -The night air was warm and Janet decided to carry her coat. There was no -use in putting it on and getting it mussed until necessary. - -Standing in front of her dressing table, Janet looked around her room and -a queer little lump caught in her throat. It was such a pleasant room; -she would miss it, she knew, in the months to come. - -Then her father called and she caught up the small traveling bag she was -to carry on the plane, snapped out the light, and hurried down stairs. - -"Step right along," her father warned, and they hastened into the car and -rolled around in front of the Thorne home down the block. - -Henry Thorne, pacing up and down the porch, called to his wife and Helen, -who appeared almost immediately. Both carried small overnight cases. As -they came down the walk to the street, Henry Thorne turned off the lights -in the house, locked the door, and followed them. - -Now that the time of departure was near there seemed little to say. They -had talked of it for so many hours it hardly seemed possible that they -were on their way. - -John Hardy sent his big car over the road at a smooth, effortless pace. -The lights of Clarion dropped behind and they sped through the open -country where there were only the occasional lights from farmhouses to -mark the blackness of the night. Later there would be a moon. - -Tonight they were in the heart of the mid-west and to Janet it was almost -incredible that by noon tomorrow they would be in the city made famous by -the movies. - -When they reached the airport at Rubio several hundred cars were parked -near the entrance for the coming and going of the night planes always -brought out a crowd if they arrived before midnight. - -Henry Thorne, who had their tickets, took them into the office to have -them validated. When he returned he announced that the plane would arrive -in 25 minutes. - -"There's a good tail wind up high tonight and they're stepping right -along," he explained. - -A field attendant took their bags and stowed them on a small luggage -cart. - -They talked almost aimlessly and Janet suddenly felt very empty and more -than a little afraid of what her reaction would be when she got into the -plane and the ground started dropping away from her. - -Then a ripple of excitement ran through the crowd and she heard someone -call. - -"Here comes the plane!" - -Out of the east twin stars suddenly appeared, coming rapidly and very -low, and then she heard the steady beat of two powerful motors. Like some -great bird of prey, a-wing in the night, the silvery monoplane swung over -the field, circled sharply, and dropped down far out on the runway and -rolled smoothly toward them, its propellers flashing in the bright rays -of a floodlight which bathed the entire field in a mantle of brilliant -blue. - -Janet watched the scene with fascination. The ground crew rolled a small -platform up to the door of the passenger cabin and a girl, not much older -than herself and dressed in a smoke grey suit with a jaunty overseas cap -perched on a mass of brown curls, stepped out. After her came several -passengers, alighting for a bit of air and to stretch their legs before -settling down for the long flight over the plains and into the higher -altitudes that would take them over the Rockies. - -Janet's mother hugged her hard. - -"We'll miss you, dear. Write often and remember to do your best if you -get a chance in any pictures." - -"I will, mother," she promised. - -"Goodbye, Dad." - -"Goodbye, Janet. Hit the line hard." - -"I'll tackle it with all I've got." - -"I know you will," he said with a confidence that Janet wished she could -have felt. - -Then Helen's father touched her arm. - -"Time to go," he said, and Janet and Helen walked toward the plane while -the Thornes said a final word of goodbye to their old neighbors. - -"You have seats four and five on this side," said the stewardess as the -girls reached the plane. - -Helen went in first with Janet close at her heels. The interior was much -like a bus, thought Janet, and she found her seat unusually comfortable. - -Helen's father and mother took seats across the aisle from the girls and -the stewardess came along and snapped on the safety belts. - -"You can take them off as soon as we're away from the field," she -explained. - -The landing stage was pulled away, the starters hummed deeply as though -struggling with stubborn motors, and finally the mighty engines burst -into a deafening roar, but were soon throttled down. - -Lights in the cabin were turned low and Janet, pressing her face close to -the small, round window, could see her father and mother standing on the -ramp. She waved, and they waved back. Then the plane started forward, -rolling smoothly along the concrete. When it came to the crushed rock -runway it bumped slightly, but before Janet knew it they were in the air -and when she looked down again, the field was several hundred feet below. -She was actually on her way to Hollywood. - - - - - _Chapter XVIII_ - HELLO, HOLLYWOOD! - - -Janet and Helen found that by leaning close together they could converse -but with the steady beat of the engines in their ears, a sense of -drowsiness soon overtook the girls and they relaxed in their chairs. -Janet dropped into a deep sleep that was not broken until their plane -dropped down at Cheyenne well after midnight to change pilots and refuel. - -Here the stewardess offered them a selection of fruit and Janet ate -several oranges with relish. Then they were off again, meeting the -sunrise east of Salt Lake City with the most glorious panorama Janet had -ever seen unfolding beneath her eyes. - -After that they swung southwest in an almost direct line for Los Angeles, -climbing dizzily over the Sierras and then dropping down into lower -California. - -Helen glanced at her watch and Janet, still unused to her own, followed -suit. They would be at the Grand Central airport in less than half an -hour. - -Helen, leaning back, cried, "We're almost there," and Janet nodded -happily. - -It seemed almost on the echo of Helen's words, although it was actually -minutes later, when the plane wheeled and settled gently down on the -runway of a huge airport. - -Janet, looking eagerly from the window, saw a group of cameramen standing -at the gate which led to the field. There must be some celebrity on their -own plane or on a ship due in soon. She scanned the passengers in their -own cabin. None of them appeared unusually famous and she decided the -cameramen were there to meet some other plane. - -A landing stage was rolled up the moment the plane stopped and the -stewardess opened the door. - -"Take your time," said Helen's father. "We'll all be a bit stiff after -this long ride. You girls want to look your best." - -Janet stood up and smoothed out her skirt. It had remained remarkably -fresh and the heavy silk shirtwaist showed only a few wrinkles. Her -jacket would cover that up and she got that garment down from the rack -over her head. Helen, who had worn a brown silk suit, had fared almost as -well, and after a hurried glance into the mirrors in their handbags, both -girls pronounced themselves ready to see what Hollywood looked like. - -Helen's father and mother were out of the plane first with the girls -close behind them. - -A uniformed airport employee nodded to Mr. Thorne. - -"I've had your bags put in your car," he said, and Janet saw the famous -director hand over a bill. - -The cameramen were still clustered at the gate and instead of looking for -the arrival of another plane, seemed to be watching them as they -advanced. - -"Hi, Mr. Thorne," greeted one of them, a chunky little fellow half hidden -behind a huge camera. "Have a nice trip?" - -"Fine, Joey. Couldn't have been better." - -"Get any fish?" another one called. - -"You guess," smiled Helen's father. - -"That's far enough," said the photographer called Joey. "Just line up -with the girls in the middle. What's the idea trying to sneak in on us -like this?" - -"What do you mean?" parried Mr. Thorne. - -"The Ace publicity office just tipped us off that you were coming in this -noon with a couple of girls from the midwest and that you think they're a -couple of great film possibilities. I don't call that playing very fair -with us." - -"So the office phoned and said I was bringing in a couple of new stars?" - -"That's right. Now girls, smile a little. We won't bite even if the -cameras do look big." - -Janet and Helen, more than a little perplexed by the sudden turn of -events, couldn't help smiling while the photographers clicked their -machines. - -Then several reporters, who had remained in the background until the -photographers were through, pushed ahead. - -"Give us the dope, Mr. Thorne--who they are, where you found them, what -you have in mind for them? Do you really think they're good?" - -"Good?" asked Henry Thorne slowly. "Good? They're two of the finest -possibilities that ever struck Hollywood. Boys, you don't know how -enthusiastic I am." - -"Think they'll be big box office?" one reporter asked. - -"As far as I'm concerned, they're box office attractions right now and -they are going to be under my personal management and supervision." - -Janet chuckled quietly for she could see the trend of Henry Thorne's -conversation. - -"Sure, sure, we'll admit they're good," said another reporter, "but who -are they and where did you find them?" - -Henry Thorne paused a moment as though deciding a question of tremendous -importance. - -"Well, gentlemen, of course I hadn't expected the office would tip you -off on my arrival. I'd rather planned on slipping in quietly and giving -these girls a chance to get used to Hollywood, but I suppose I might as -well tell you now. I want you to meet my daughter, Helen, and her friend, -Janet Hardy." - -Reporters and photographers stared. - -"You're kidding us!" one of them protested. - -"I'm very serious," replied Henry Thorne. "You boys let yourselves in for -this. I've always played fair with you and you thought I was pulling a -fast one on you so I let your imaginations run along for a while." - -"Then they're not new stars?" asked one photographer, who had taken -unusual care to get some excellent shots. - -"I didn't say they weren't. Now here's actually the story. The girls -graduated from high school last week and this trip west is a present to -them. Both of them have brains, better than average looks, and both of -them can ride. Billy Fenstow is going to put them into his next western, -but whether they'll be any good is another question. I'm willing to bet -that they will." - -The photographer called Joey looked at Janet and Helen critically. - -"I'll string along with you," he decided. "Those girls look like winners -to me." - -"Thanks Joey. I'll remember that." - -"Any time you have a picture scoop," Joey retorted. - -The Thornes and Janet went on to a waiting sedan where a driver was ready -to whirl them to the home Henry Thorne maintained in Hollywood. - -"That was quite an experience," grinned Helen. "We almost became -celebrities." - -"Just another fool stunt of the publicity office, but I guess it didn't -do any harm," admitted Helen's father. - -Half an hour's ride took them to a comfortable, sprawling bungalow set -well back on a side street. - -"I've been living in an apartment, but when I got the idea of bringing -you back with me I leased this place," Henry Thorne told his wife and -daughter. "I've installed George, my negro cook, and there ought to be -something in the way of lunch ready for us." - -The bungalow was delightful with a tremendous living room clear across -the front and two long wings to the rear, one housing the dining room, -kitchen and servants' quarters while the other contained a series of -bedrooms with baths between. At the rear, flanked by a high hedge, was a -medium sized swimming pool with a diving tower. - -"Dad, this is wonderful," exclaimed Helen. "I don't care now whether I -ever get before a camera. I'll be happy right here, spending my days in -that pool." - -Mrs. Thorne took charge, made instant friends of George, the smiling -cook, and assigned the bedrooms, Janet and Helen sharing one large room -with twin beds. It was at the very rear of the house with a door that -almost opened onto the pool, which pleased the girls. - -"Clean up and we'll have lunch. George informs me that it will be ready -in fifteen minutes," said Helen's mother. - -"How about a swim?" asked Helen. - -"What in?" asked Janet. - -"The pool, silly." - -"But I hear it's even against California laws to go in a pool in your -birthday suit." - -"I forgot. Of course we'd put our suits in the trunk and I suppose it -will be a couple of days before they arrive." - -After a more prosaic shower, they felt tremendously refreshed and the -luncheon which George had prepared was delicious. - -"See about a maid at once to do the housework, mother," said Henry -Thorne, "and with George to do the cooking you can have a little fun, -too." - -"But I want something to do," protested Mrs. Thorne. - -"There'll be plenty just keeping track of Janet and Helen." - -"How would you like to attend a premiere of a new picture at the Queen's -Court tonight?" he asked. - -"Fine," replied Helen, "but what's the Queen Court?" - -"It's the newest of the deluxe motion picture theaters here. You'll see a -lot of stars. What do you say now?" - -"Count us in," declared Janet. - -"What'll we wear? Our trunks aren't here?" - -"Mother'll take you shopping this afternoon," promised Henry Thorne. "Or -better, I'll take you around to Roddy at the studio." - -"I'm not a mind reader. Who's Roddy?" Helen asked. - -Her father looked at her in astonishment. Then grinned. "Sure, you -wouldn't know Roddy. Well, he's a thin little fellow, almost bald, but he -creates the most sensational clothes worn by the stars at our studio. His -credit line on the screen is always signed Adoree, but that's just for -publicity. Roddy wouldn't be a good name for a creator of ultra -fashions." - -"You mean you'll have Adoree do dresses for us for tonight?" asked Helen. - -"You'd better not call him Adoree or he'll stick you full of pins. He's -just plain Roddy around the studio." - -Janet's throat suddenly felt dry. Here, on her first day in Hollywood, -she was to have a gown created by a famous designer and attend a premiere -at the Queen's Court. - - - - - _Chapter XIX_ - GORGEOUS GOWNS - - -Henry Thorne telephoned for an appointment with Roddy and then drove the -girls to the studio. - -The Ace plant, one of the largest in Hollywood, was built in a rambling -Spanish style. - -Where most automobiles were stopped at the main gate, Henry Thorne sent -his car rolling right on through and the gatekeeper waved and smiled. He -stopped at a small office and a boy hurried out. - -"Mr. Rexler wants to see you at once. It's about your next picture." - -Henry Thorne scowled a little as he said, "Tell him I'll be along in a -few minutes." - -Turning to the girls, he explained, "Rexler is the general manager and -I'll have to see him, but I'll take you to Roddy first." - -The creator of famous styles had his office and workshop in a rambling, -one story white stucco building. - -Roddy looked just as Henry Thorne had promised he would and Janet thought -a good, strong wind might blow the little man away. But she liked him -instantly, for his eyes twinkled when Henry Thorne explained his mission. - -"And you'd like to have them look like real stars tonight?" he smiled. - -"That's the idea," grinned Henry Thorne. "Maybe the publicity office -wasn't wrong in sending out the photographers and reporters this -morning." - -Roddy stepped back and surveyed Janet and Helen with cold, analytical -eyes. - -"Nice hair, even features, not too heavy and not too thin, trim ankles," -he said, half to himself and half out loud. - -"I'll leave them with you, Roddy. I've got to see Rexler." - -"Another picture?" - -Henry Thorne nodded. - -"I hear they need another of your smash hits," said the designer. - -"You mean smash up or smash down?" - -"Up. You never do flops." - -"But I have." - -"That was years ago when I was only a tailor. Go along now," added Roddy. -"I've work to do with these girls." - -He took them back into his private fitting room and called for silks and -satins by the bolt. - -"Something vivid for you," he told Helen, taking a great bolt of crimson -velvet and fashioning it around her with dexterous hands, pinning it here -and there. Before Janet's eyes he created a gown, stepped back, shook his -head, changed a pin or two, and surveyed his handiwork again. - -"Not perfect, but it will do for a hurry up job," conceded Roddy. - -Then, with a bolt of silver cloth, he quickly fashioned a waist length -cape. - -"Not too much makeup tonight," he told Helen. "Just a touch of color to -take off the pallor." - -Then he turned to Janet. - -"This will be a little harder," he told her. "Brunettes are always easier -to design for than blondes, but I am glad you are not an artificial -blonde." - -Janet smiled, but said nothing and Roddy called for various fabrics, -finally deciding on a sheer, vivid blue and a cape of gold cloth. - -"For you," he told Janet, "more color in your cheeks. It will be needed -with this blue. Use a blue band to tie your hair, but do not curl it any -more than the natural wave it now has. Both of you carry white gloves and -it will be better without bags. I shall be proud of you." - -Janet and Helen felt very much like fairy princesses as they left the -designer's office. In less than an hour they had seen stunning gowns -created. True, they had to be put together, but they did not doubt that -this would be done in time, for Roddy had a certain magic in his hands -and his energy seemed to flow out to the others who worked with him. - -They waited for a time for Helen's father to return and when he finally -arrived there was new enthusiasm in his eyes. - -"I'll bet you're assigned to a new picture," said Helen. - -"Right, dear. I start work on the script tomorrow. The first draft is -ready, but I always like to sit in on the finishing touches." - -"What's it going to be?" asked Janet. - -"The kind of picture I've always wanted to do, an epic of the air, a -story of the air mail, but on broader, more sweeping lines than anything -else ever attempted. We need one more big picture to bolster up the -production schedule for next year and I've drawn the assignment." - -Helen's father was as happy as a boy with a new bicycle, and he hummed to -himself half the way home. - -Suddenly he burst out. "I forgot all about your dresses. How did you get -along with Roddy?" - -"He's grand, and we're all fixed up. Mine is crimson velvet and Janet's -is some divine shade of blue. I have a silver cape and she has a cloth of -gold cape. Oh, he planned everything for us, even telling us just how -much makeup to use." - -"That's Roddy. He's a fine friend." - -They drove on in silence for a time before Helen's father spoke again. - -"I must be getting absent minded," he said as they turned into the drive -at the bungalow. "I ran into Billy Fenstow at the administration building -at the studio. He said to send you to see him tomorrow morning. He's -going to start shooting on a new western next week." - -"Things," said Janet, "are happening too fast. We only arrived this noon -and have already been fitted for gowns. Tonight we go to a premiere and -tomorrow we meet a director who may give us places in his next pictures." - -"That's Hollywood for you," grinned Helen's father. - - - - - _Chapter XX_ - AT THE PREMIERE - - -After a leisurely dinner that evening they enjoyed a quiet half hour -beside the pool. - -"There's plenty of time; let's take a swim. The trunks arrived this -afternoon and mother's found our suits," said Helen, and Janet seconded -the idea at once. It had been a hectic day and the water would relax -them. - -They had trim one-piece suits, Janet's of cool green and Helen's a sharp -blue. For twenty minutes they splashed in the water or relaxed and -floated just as the mood struck them. Finally Mrs. Thorne called. - -"It's less than an hour before we must start for the premiere," she said. - -Janet and Helen climbed out of the pool, rubbed themselves briskly with -heavy towels, and hastened into their bedroom. - -Large boxes were at the foot of each bed and from them they drew the -gowns which Roddy had created. - -Dressing that night was one of the thrills Janet would never forget. The -costume was complete for just the right undergarments had been sent by -the designer. The hose were the sheerest gold, with gold slippers to -match, while Helen's accessories were silver. - -"How do you feel?" asked Helen. - -"Something like a fairy princess and it's hard to make myself believe -that this is all real." - -"Then let's enjoy every minute of it. We may wake up and find that it is -all just a dream." - -Janet looked at herself in the mirror. She was sheathed in blue silk, -ankle length, with just enough of a slit in one side to show her dainty, -silken ankles. Helen helped her tie a blue ribbon around her hair and -watched while Janet applied rouge judiciously. - -"I imagine the lights will be bright as we go into the theater," said -Helen, "so remember what Roddy said about the color." - -In turn Janet helped Helen, fastening the crimson velvet dress. Like her -own, it was a sheath of material with Helen encased inside. - -"I'm not sure I'll be able to sit down. Dad may have to hire a truck and -drive us to the theater in it. I'd hate to have this gown all mussed." - -"Mine looks awfully tight, but it feels very comfortable," confessed -Janet. "Oh, I feel grand--simply grand." - -"About ready?" called Helen's father. - -They caught up their capes and threw them around their shoulders with -just the right touch of abandon. Even the gloves had been provided in the -boxes sent by Roddy. - -Mr. and Mrs. Thorne were waiting for them in the living room, Helen's -mother looking very beautiful in a brown velvet gown while her father was -distinguished in his dinner jacket. - -Henry Thorne caught his breath as he looked at the girls in Roddy's -gowns. - -"I knew Roddy was a wonder worker, but I didn't know he could perform -miracles. I'd hardly know you if I saw you any place else." - -"That's a real compliment, Dad," smiled Helen. - -"Here's something I thought you'd like to see." He handed a copy of one -of the evening papers to them. On the front page was one of the pictures -taken at the airport with Janet and Helen between Mr. and Mrs. Thorne. - -"Famous Director Brings Daughter and Friend West to start Their Careers -in Movies," was the caption over the picture. Underneath the story said: -"Moviedom will get its first chance to see Henry Thorne's daughter, -Helen, and her companion, Janet Hardy, tonight at the premiere at the -Queen's Court. Both girls are slated for movie careers if their screen -tests turn out all right. Their initial roles will probably be in a new -western which Bill Fenstow is casting now and plans to put into -production next week." - -"We look pretty much 'midwesternish' in that picture," observed Helen. - -"What if you do? There are too many Hollywood types. What we need in -pictures is fresh faces on girls who have ability. Come on now, we've got -to hurry or we'll be late." - -The big sedan was in the drive and Helen's father had summoned a driver -he employed when he needed a chauffeur to drive them that evening. - -They turned out of the side street on which they lived into a main -boulevard and whirled rapidly toward the Queen's Court. - -Janet, attending a movie premiere for the first time, felt her heart -quicken as she saw the blaze of light which marked the front of the -theater. - -The whistle of a traffic officer slowed them down and the driver was -forced to produce a card before they were allowed to go past the police -lines. The sidewalks were lined with people, anxious for a glimpse at -some Hollywood notable. - -The car fell into line behind several others and Janet caught her first -glimpse of the theater. It was magnificent white marble, with the -entrance an open court and down this court the honored guests had to -walk, running the gamut of the stares of hundreds who backed the police -lines. - -Their car pulled up under a canopy. - -"Here we are, girls. Take your time and enjoy it. Don't be stiff. It's -just like going to the Idle Hour back in Clarion," said Helen's father. - -He stepped out first, assisted Mrs. Thorne and then turned to the girls. -Janet heard the master of ceremonies, standing at the microphone nearby, -announce, "Henry Thorne, most famous of the directors for Ace -productions, Mrs. Thorne, their daughter, Helen, and Janet Hardy." - -Janet stepped out into the glare of the floodlights. For just a moment a -terrific wave of stage fright gripped her. Then she saw smiling, friendly -faces, and she smiled back. Flashlights boomed as the photographers -worked. - -The announcer beckoned to Henry Thorne. "Just a word, Mr. Thorne." - -But the director shook his head. "This is the girls' night," he smiled, -shoving Helen toward the microphone. - -"All I can say," gasped Helen, "is that I'm tremendously happy to be -here." - -"Thank you," said the announcer. "And now, Miss Hardy, please." - -"I like all of the smiles," said Janet simply, and a burst of applause -came back from the crowd. - -"Well done," whispered Henry Thorne and they started down the long walk -past the sea of faces. - -Janet felt supremely confident, perhaps it was just knowing that her gown -and accessories were perfection, and more than one compliment on her -costume came from the packed masses. - -In the grand foyer there were film stars on every hand, some of them -stopping for a moment to talk, and as Helen's father introduced the girls -to all of these, Janet thought she detected several frankly unfriendly -stares from some of the actresses, who seemed to be little if any older -than they were. - -Then the picture started. Actually Janet saw very little of it. She was -too busy drinking in the beauty of the theater and straining to catch -glimpses of stars who had arrived late. - -When they left the theater, various groups congregated in the foyer for -brief visits and Janet saw a tubby little man, looking ill at ease in his -dinner suit and mopping his bald head, struggling to reach them. He kept -his eyes quite frankly on Janet and Helen as he neared them, but there -was nothing offensive in his stare. He grabbed Henry Thorne's arm. - -"Say, Henry, are these the girls?" he demanded. - -"Hello, Billy. Sure. I want you to meet my daughter, Helen, and Janet -Hardy." - -"Girls," he explained, "you want to be nice to this scamp. He's in charge -of the western unit and it will be his decision on whether you get into -the cast. In other words, meet Billy Fenstow." - -"None other and none such," grinned the affable little director. "Why -didn't you tell me you had a couple of stars in tow?" he chided Helen's -father. - -"Are you willing to take a chance on them and promise them parts right -now?" - -The creator of western pictures looked a little surprised. "Well maybe -not for sure. Tell you what. I'm going home and make some changes in my -script. I'll build up some stronger parts for the girls. Can they act?" - -"Billy, I don't know. I saw them one night when I thought they could, but -you'll have to find out for yourself. Now I'm going to take them home and -see that they get some sleep or they won't be able to act." - -"I'm glad I met you tonight," said Billy earnestly. "See you in the -morning," as Helen and Janet moved toward the car. - -He watched them through shrewd eyes, and if Janet could have turned -around she would have noticed that Billy Fenstow was looking at her in -particular. - -"I think she'll do," whispered the little director. "I think she's got -just what I want for the new pix. Gosh, I wish this was morning." He -jammed on his soft, black hat and went out in search of a taxi. - - - - - _Chapter XXI_ - SCREEN TESTS - - -Despite the excitement of the premiere, Janet and Helen were up early. -Mrs. Thorne, tired from the trip, decided to remain in bed until later -and Helen's father had already gone to the studio, but not before leaving -a note directing them on where to find Billy Fenstow. - -Helen scanned a morning paper for an account of the premiere. - -"Here's a paragraph about us," she exclaimed. "Listen." - -"I am," said Janet. - -"Two of the most stunningly gowned girls seen at the Queen's Court last -night were Helen Thorne, daughter of Director Henry Thorne, and Janet -Hardy, a friend from the midwest. It is rumored their gowns were special -creations of Adoree. Both girls are to get film tests." - -"I must clip the picture in last night's paper and the story this morning -and send them to dad and mother," said Janet. - -While Janet clipped out the items she wanted, Helen telephoned for a taxi -and they were soon speeding toward the studio. - -The driver looked at them a little suspiciously as he slowed down at the -main gate of the studio. Evidently he had seen too many girls like Janet -and Helen get turned away, but Helen produced a note from her father -which gained them instant admission. They paid the cab driver and a boy -was assigned to direct them to Billy Fenstow's office. - -They found the director of the westerns at an office well to the back of -the lot and he greeted them warmly. - -"We might just as well make a test the first thing," he said. "I've got a -camera crew over on stage nine where there's an old interior that hasn't -been struck. You girls any lines you can go through?" - -"Only from our senior play," confessed Helen. - -Billy Fenstow looked aghast. "That sounds pretty bad, but we'll try it." - -Stage nine was one of the smaller sound units on the Ace lot, but the -director had a camera crew, the sound men and an electrician awaiting -their arrival. - -He tested the lights quickly. - -"Just walk onto the set, do your lines and action, and forget about the -rest of us," he said. "We'll take part of it, maybe." - -Janet's knees felt very weak and when she touched Helen's hand it was -damp with a chill perspiration. - -"This is awful," whispered Janet. "I wish your Dad could be here." - -"I'm glad he isn't," said Helen fervently. - -"Go ahead, girls," urged the director, and Janet and Helen, who had -already agreed on the scene, started their lines. The action and words -were simple, but both of them were scared stiff and they acted like -wooden people. - -"Wait a minute," said Billy Fenstow. "I'm human. I won't bite and I don't -expect you to be world beaters. Now try that over and loosen up." - -Janet laughed a little and Helen found a handkerchief and wiped the palms -of her hands. Both of them felt better. The lights brightened until it -was impossible to see the camera crew; it was more like being on the -stage of the gym with Miss Williams over in the wings with her prompt -book in her hands. - -Both girls entered into the spirit of their bit the second time, talking -and acting as they had the night of the class play. For the moment they -forgot the camera crew and failed to hear the soft whirring of the camera -as Billy Fenstow signaled the cameraman to pick up the sequence. They ran -through the scene and the lights dimmed. - -Billy Fenstow stepped forward. - -"That was better. We shot it and I'll have it put through at once. -There's a couple of others have a final word on the casting and they'll -want to see the test." - -"When will it be ready?" asked Helen. - -"Tonight. Suppose you bring your father over at eight and we'll send it -through with rushes of other stuff that's been taken today." - -"We'll be here," promised Janet. - -On their way out they overheard several electricians talking. - -"One of the kids was Henry Thorne's girl," said one. "What did you think -of her?" - -"She's not bad looking, but their skit was lousy." - -"Yeh, I thought so too." - -Helen looked at Janet and for some reason or other, felt like laughing. -Why hadn't her Dad warned them about the test? He should have given them -something to rehearse that would have been impressive. - -It was nearly noon when they reached home and after lunch Janet sat down -and wrote in detail of the things that had transpired since they left -Clarion. In the letter she enclosed the picture and the newspaper -paragraph. - -In the late afternoon Henry Thorne came home, tired but elated. - -"I'm delighted with the first draft of the script for the new picture." - -"Haven't you seen Mr. Fenstow?" asked Helen. - -"No, why?" - -"I'm afraid it wasn't so good." - -"Nonsense. You made out well enough. What did he put you through?" - -"That's just it," explained Janet. "He had us do a scene from the high -school play and we felt like awful nit-wits." - -"I suppose so," conceded Helen's father. "When will the test be ready?" - -"Mr. Fenstow said to come over at eight. He said several others had to -have a word about the casting." - -"Sure. The supervisors always want the last word." - -After dinner they drove to the studio, Mrs. Thorne accompanying them. - -Helen's father took them directly to the projection room. Billy Fenstow -was waiting and half a dozen others were in the room. Most of them spoke -to Henry Thorne and he introduced several to Janet and Helen, but Janet -couldn't remember their names. - -Then the lights went out and they settled back into comfortable -leather-upholstered chairs. - -Scenes from a number of pictures in production flashed before their eyes. -Suddenly Janet and Helen saw themselves on the screen, moving and -talking, and Janet dropped her eyes for a minute. To her it looked pretty -terrible, but her voice was well modulated and pleasing. - -After that the lights came on and Henry Thorne went over to speak to -Billy Fenstow. When he returned a few minutes later Janet couldn't even -guess what the decision had been. - -"The action was punk," Helen's father said frankly, "but the supervisors -liked your voices. You've got good faces and figures. In other words you -report Monday morning and both of you go into 'Broad Valley,' Billy's -next picture." - - - - - _Chapter XXII_ - WESTERN ACTION - - -In the days intervening Janet and Helen found plenty to do. Billy Fenstow -sent over scripts of his new western and they had a chance to familiarize -themselves with the general theme of the play. The story, briefly, was -the efforts of a band of ruthless men to gain control of "Broad Valley," -a great cattle ranch which had been left to young Fred Danvers by his -father. There was plenty of action, some gunplay, and a love theme in -which Fred fell in love with the leader of the band of men who sought his -property. The theme was as old as western pictures, but Billy Fenstow had -a knack of dressing them up and making them look new. - -Janet and Helen reported at stage nine at eight o'clock Monday morning, -Henry Thorne driving them over himself. He left as soon as they reached -the lot. - -Nearly a score of people were clustered around the chubby little director -and he nodded as Janet and Helen joined the crowd. Janet nudged Helen. - -"There's Curt Newsom, the western star. I'll bet he's got the lead." - -"He looks nice," replied Helen, "but older than he appears on the -screen." - -A rather artificial blonde was seated at Billy Fenstow's right, idly -thumbing through the sheaf of script from which the picture would be -shot. - -Mr. Fenstow spoke sharply. "Attention everybody. All of you have had a -chance to study the script; all of you should be familiar with the parts. -We'll make plenty of changes as we go along, but in general you know what -we're aiming at. We've got two weeks assigned for the shooting and that -means we'll be done in two weeks, and not three." - -He looked around at each of them, then went on. - -"Curt Newsom goes into the lead as Fred Danvers and Miss Jackson will -play the role of Ruth Blair, the girl he falls in love with." - -He ran on down the list. "The green cousins from the east who come to -visit Bill will be played by Janet Hardy and Helen Thorne." - -Janet felt her heart bound. She actually had a part and it mattered -little that it was an insignificant role. - -Bertie Jackson, the blonde in the chair, turned and looked sharply at the -girls, then sniffed. "I should say they would be well qualified to play -such roles." - -Billy Fenstow caught the sneer in her voice and turned quickly. - -"You know, Miss Jackson, you don't have to work in this picture if you -don't want to. There are plenty of blondes would jump at the chance to -play this lead." - -"Oh, calm down, Billy. Just because one of the girls is Henry Thorne's -daughter, you don't need to get on your high horse when I make a harmless -wisecrack." - -But Helen had her own ideas about Bertie Jackson's wisecrack and she -resolved to watch the pallid blonde. Bertie, if it served her own -purpose, was quite capable of doing any number of mean tricks. - -The morning passed rapidly with costume assignments being made. There -were a number of interior shots of the ranch house which would be -necessary and these scenes had already been erected on stage nine. - -Janet and Helen would have their first scenes tomorrow, but they remained -on hand to watch the first shots of the picture and to attempt to get -acquainted with other members of the company. Most of them were friendly -enough, but they seemed to feel that the girls had deliberately been put -into the cast through Henry Thorne's influence and Helen voiced her -belief quietly. - -"We've got to expect that," admitted Janet, "but we don't need to let it -spoil all of our fun." - -Whatever she might have thought of Bertie Jackson from a standpoint of -personality, Janet had to admit that the actress was a thorough workman -and she went through her role in an easy and screen-appealing manner. In -makeup Curt Newsom appeared much younger than the forty years he was -willing to admit. - -The next morning Janet and Helen reached the lot early. Although not -their first scene in the picture, the first one in which they were to be -shot showed them arriving at the ranchhouse. - -Simple travelling costumes had been assigned by the wardrobe department, -but Roddy stepped in and quietly added a touch or two that made them -distinctive. Janet could almost hear Bertie Jackson hissing. It was an -unheard of thing for Roddy to pay any attention to the costume worn by a -minor character in a western or any other character in a picture of that -type. - -"Your lines are simple, girls. You've just gotten out of a buckboard -after a long ride from the nearest railroad station. You're tired and -stiff and a little mad because Curt didn't come to meet you. Janet, -remember that you're a little giddy and anything crazy you do will fit in -all right." - -"She'll do plenty of that," said Bertie Jackson, under her breath. - -Billy Fenstow didn't believe in rehearsals. He told his people what he -wanted, then asked them to do it, and started the cameras grinding. If it -was too bad, he had to shoot it over, but if it was fair, he let it go, -with the result that once in a while he got some exceptional shots. - -"All set, girls?" asked the director. - -Janet, her mouth dry, nodded. - -"Let's go. Camera!" - -They stepped into the range of the cameras, Helen in the lead and Janet, -a rather vacant stare on her face, following. There was a bear-skin rug -in front of the door and some way her feet became tangled up in it and -she pitched forward, only the strong arm of Curt Newsom preventing her -from falling. Curt, a veteran trooper, faked a line and Janet had enough -presence of mind to come back with a cue. Then they went on with the -scene, which was extremely brief, ending with a cowboy, laden with -baggage, trying to get through the door. - -"Cut it," waved Billy. "What are you trying to do, clown this?" he -demanded of the red-faced Janet. - -"No, Mr. Fenstow. You see, I slipped. I didn't mean to do it," she -explained. - -"Well, whatever it was, it was a nice bit of action and I think we'll -keep it. It ought to be worth a laugh or two." - -The next morning they left early by bus for a location back in the -mountains. Billy Fenstow had every ranch possibility listed in a small -black book and this was one of his favorites. He had used it several -times, but a studio carpenter crew, by going out several days in advance, -had changed the barns and corrals enough to disguise them. They arrived -shortly before noon and a delicious meal was waiting for them. - -Janet and Helen had little to do for the next two days, most of the shots -being confined to action on the range, with the camera, mounted on a -special truck, racing ahead of the pounding horses while the broad valley -resounded to volleys of blank shots as the cowboys, led by Curt Newsom, -chased and were chased by the marauders. - -Then Janet and Helen got their chance in a comedy sequence called for -their first riding. Neither of them felt any qualms until they were -mounted. Then their horses seemed to explode and both girls hung on for -their lives, their faces registering surprise in no uncertain terms. - -Helen lost her grip and flew through the air to land in an undignified -position in a cloud of dust. Janet, either more fortunate or a better -rider, clung on for another minute, then found herself dumped into the -open water trough. Splashing furiously and sputtering at a great rate, -Janet got her head above water. Her hair was plastered to her head and -she was soaking wet. The camera crew, in spite of their roars of -laughter, had kept grinding away. - -"Great stuff, Janet. You've got a natural born sense of comedy," chuckled -Billy Fenstow as he wiped the tears out of his eyes. - -"It looks like I'm all wet as an actress," admitted Janet. - -"Oh, I don't know. Getting all wet may make you one," countered the -director. "Get into some dry clothes. We're through with this sequence, -anyhow." - -The days on location passed swiftly and in the main pleasantly. Curt -Newsom took an interest in the girls, which only heightened Bertie -Jackson's jealousy. He taught them several tricks about riding and they -spent every extra hour in the saddle. - -One of the last sequences to be filmed at the ranch was one calling for a -wild ride by Janet to take news of a raid on the ranch to the sheriff's -office in a near-by town. - -With the camera crew in the truck ahead, the action started. Janet rode -hard, but was careful to keep in camera range. Suddenly she felt her -saddle slipping and she grabbed desperately at the mane of the galloping -horse. Alarmed by the looseness of the saddle, the beast increased its -stride and Janet, a stifled scream on her lips, plunged headlong. She -felt the shock of the ground as she struck and then a mantle of merciful -darkness descended upon her. - - - - - _Chapter XXIII_ - ON THE SCREEN - - -Curt Newsom was the first to reach the unconscious Janet. He picked her -up, almost without effort, and ran to the car in which Billy Fenstow had -been following the action. - -"Step on it, Billy. This girl's had a bad fall," he said, and the -director swung the car quickly and sped back toward the ranchhouse. -Helen, mounted, galloped after them and the rest of the company, -including the camera crew, trailed along. - -When Janet regained her senses she was lying on a bed in the ranchhouse -with Helen, her face expressing her anxiety, bending over her. - -"What happened?" asked Janet faintly. - -"Your saddle came loose and you took a header," explained Curt. "How do -you feel?" - -"Let me get up and take a few steps and then I'll tell you," replied -Janet. - -"Better stay quiet for a few more minutes. We've got a doctor coming out -to look you over," advised Billy Fenstow. - -"But I'm sure there's nothing really wrong with me, except perhaps I'm -clumsy," replied Janet. - -Just then one of the cowboys tiptoed in and whispered something to Curt -Newsom. Janet caught a flash of anger in his face as he turned and -followed the cowboy outside. - -The doctor arrived within a few minutes and made a thorough examination -for possible injuries. - -"Just a liberal supply of bumps and bruises," he decided. "Better take it -easy for a day or two." - -"Well, that's that," Janet managed to smile when the doctor had departed. -"I'm afraid I spoiled another sequence and you'll have to shoot it over." - -"I should say not," replied Billy Fenstow. "The camera got every bit of -action and I'll work it in somehow. Any time I let a swell shot like that -go unused you can write 'finished' after my name. Stay in bed the rest of -the day. The schedule of scenes you were in is practically completed -anyway." - -Helen was in and out the rest of the day for there were several shots in -which she appeared and it was late afternoon when she came in to stay. - -"Curt Newsom is on the warpath," she said slowly as she sat down beside -Janet. - -"Sore about my mussing up that scene?" asked Janet. - -"No. He's been looking at the saddle and says someone tried to kill you." - -Helen's voice was flat. - -Janet sat up in bed. - -"Someone tried to kill me?" she demanded. - -Tears welled into Helen's tired eyes. - -"Oh, this is all a mess," she cried. "We never should have come out here. -There are too many intrigues and jealousies among those established." - -"Tell me just what you mean?" insisted Janet. - -Helen waved her hands helplessly. "Curt's found out that the saddle girth -was almost cut through. That's the reason your saddle came loose and you -were pitched out." - -"Does he have any idea who did it?" - -"If he does, he isn't saying anything, but I heard him tell Billy Fenstow -that this is the last picture he'll work in with Bertie Jackson." - -"I wonder if that means he suspects Bertie?" Janet pondered. - -"You could take it that way if you wanted to, and personally I think -Bertie is fully capable of some despicable stunt like that. I'm glad -shooting on this picture is practically over. I've seen all of Bertie I -ever want to." - -"It doesn't seem as though she would do anything like that, though," said -Janet. "But, after all, Bertie's determined to get ahead and I expect -she's wholly unscrupulous when she thinks anything or anyone may be -blocking her way. But why should she pick on us?" - -"Because we came in as absolute greenhorns and got fairly good bits. -She's afraid we may be pushed ahead too fast because of Dad's position -with the company. I think it's all plain enough." - -"Perhaps you're right," conceded Janet. "I'll certainly watch myself when -I'm around Bertie from now on." - -Janet felt much better the next morning. She was still stiff and sore, -but was able to walk with only a moderate amount of discomfort. - -It was the final day of shooting for "Broad Valley" and a certain -tenseness gripped the whole company. Billy Fenstow was determined to -finish on time and they worked like mad through the long, hot hours. - -Janet had to do another riding sequence, and she went about it gamely, -although every bone in her body ached as her horse galloped at a mad pace -across the broad valley and into the rolling hills behind it. Then it was -done. The picture was "in the can." - -Supper was served at the ranchhouse and after the meal, in the soft -twilight of the summer evening, they piled into the bus that was to take -them back to Hollywood. - -There was little conversation on the way back to the city. Some of them -were completely worn out by the strain of working against time for the -last few days and a number dozed as the bus, striking a concrete road, -rolled smoothly and swiftly toward Hollywood. - -The days had been exciting and even thrilling for Janet and Helen--an -experience they might never know again and both girls knew they would -come to treasure the recent days highly. - -Janet wondered what would be in store for them in Hollywood. Would they -win other roles or were they through? It would depend on the verdict -after "Broad Valley" had its screening before the studio executives. - -The lights of Hollywood glowed and they pulled up in front of the studio. -Some of the actors and actresses had their own cars; others took busses -and only a few signalled for waiting taxis. Janet and Helen were among -these. - -Henry Thorne was waiting for them when they reached home. - -"All done?" he asked. - -Helen nodded wearily. "The picture is and we may be too." - -"Why?" - -"Won't it depend on how our work shows up whether we get any more roles?" - -"Yes, I suppose so," said her father, "but I could push you into some -minor parts in other films." - -"Now you're wrong, Dad. We don't want that any more than you would want -to do it." - -"I guess you're right, dear. I did give you a boost with Billy and if you -didn't make good on 'Broad Valley' there's little more that I can do." - -They were silent for a time. Helen's mother, who had been to a -neighborhood picture house, came home and they went into the dining room -where a cold lunch was ready for them. - -"I hear you had some unusual experiences," said Helen's father. - -"Oh, we had a few falls," admitted Janet. There was no use in voicing -their suspicions about Bertie Jackson. - -The next four days were spent in sight-seeing around Los Angeles, in a -trip to Catalina Island and several swimming expeditions at Malibu. Then -came a call from Billy Fenstow. - -"We're screening 'Broad Valley' at the studio tonight," he informed them. -"Better come on out. It's at eight." - -This was the news they had been waiting for, but now that the actual -screening was to take place, both girls felt nervous and upset. Helen's -father and mother insisted on coming with them, "to enjoy the triumph or -share the sorrows." Henry Thorne smiled and Janet later wondered whether -he had advance information on the outcome of the picture. - -The small auditorium in which the picture was screened was well filled -that night with most of the members of the cast on hand, including Curt -Newsom and Bertie Jackson. - -The lights were out and the picture started. Janet read the title: -"'Broad Valley' with Curt Newsom and Bertie Jackson, directed by William -Fenstow; produced by the Ace Motion Picture Corporation." Then came the -cast of characters and well toward the bottom of the list she found her -name. Her heart leaped and she held Helen's arm close. What a thrill it -was to actually read her own name in the cast of characters of a film. - -Then the action started, the story of Curt Newsom's fight to hold title -to his ranch. - -Almost before Janet and Helen knew it they were in the picture, the -midwestern cousins arriving for a visit and in spite of herself Janet -chuckled as she stumbled over the rug. It DID look wholly accidental. - -Then for a time they were out of the action, coming back again in the -riding sequence in which Janet was dumped into the watering trough. This -entire bit of action had been kept in the film and she heard several -hearty chuckles as she went headlong into the trough. - -After that came the wild ride in which Janet was pitched from her horse -and the final victory of Curt over his enemies. "Broad Valley" came to a -close with Curt winning the affections of Bertie Jackson and Janet felt -her distaste for the actress growing as she watched the final fadeout. - -The lights in the projection room flashed up and Henry Thorne turned to -the girls. - -"Nice work," he said. - -"Do you really mean it, Dad?" asked Helen. - -"Of course I do, honey. I think both of you handled your parts very well -and Janet added a couple of top notch comedy incidents." - -"They weren't intentional," Janet assured him. - -"Then that explains why they look so natural. Billy will be a sap if he -cuts them out in the final version." - -"And I'm not a sap," said Billy Fenstow, who had quietly joined them. -"How about my next western? Think you could stand a few more weeks in my -company?" - -"Are you serious?" demanded Janet. - -"Enough so that I'm promising you parts right now. In fact, we'll pay you -$75 a week instead of the $50 a week you got for this first picture. How -does that sound?" - -"Not enough," put in Henry Thorne, "especially if the girls can give you -some more comedy as good as the stuff they put into this one." - -"Now wait a minute," protested the little director. "I don't work on -budgets that run up to half a million. I've got to watch my pay-roll." - -"I was only kidding, Billy. But honestly, the girls ought to be worth a -hundred a week. You'll only use them a couple of weeks and that's pretty -cheap." - -"I won't make any promises about a hundred a week," said Billy, "but you -can count on another job if you want to join the company for my next -western." - -"Then we're in right now," decided Helen, and Janet nodded her approval. - - - - - _Chapter XXIV_ - "KINGS OF THE AIR" - - -The next morning Janet found an interesting paragraph in one of the -morning papers, which had been written by a reporter who had attended the -screening of "Broad Valley." - -"One of the pleasant surprises about this latest Billy Fenstow western -was the work of Helen Thorne and Janet Hardy, two newcomers. Miss Thorne -is the daughter of the famous director and Miss Hardy is a friend of hers -from the middle west. Although playing minor roles, both girls handled -their parts well with Miss Hardy providing several of the best comedy -touches seen in a western by this reviewer in some months. It is reported -that both will be in the next western which the prolific Fenstow will -produce." - -Janet read the brief comment three times, then clipped it out of the -paper, wrote a brief note home, and sent the clipping to her folks. - -Later in the day they received their final vouchers from the studio for -work on "Broad Valley." Altogether the two weeks work on the picture had -netted them $100 apiece, more money than either of them had ever earned -in a similar length of time. - -"No wonder girls come to Hollywood," said Helen as she looked at the -check. - -"Yes, but remember that we're lucky. We didn't have to break down any -barriers; we didn't have to make introductions. The way was all smoothed -out for us. Look at those poor kids over at the casting office." - -Helen turned in the direction Janet pointed. Half a hundred young men and -women were waiting patiently in a line before the window of the casting -office. Most of them were rejected; only one or two were allowed inside. - -"That's what happens to the average seeker of fame in the films," said -Janet. "So many, with some beauty and high hopes, come out here expecting -to make a success, and then almost starve. Of course they get a bit once -in a while, but it's hardly enough to buy their food much less their -clothes and all of the other necessary things." - -"You're right, of course," admitted Helen. "If it hadn't been for Dad -we'd never have had a look-in." - -They were having lunch that noon at the studio restaurant with Helen's -father. They were waiting when he arrived. Accompanying him was a -stranger. - -"Girls, I want you to meet Mr. Rexler, general manager of the company." - -The general manager, tall, thin and exceedingly nervous, greeted them -cordially, then seemed to forget that they even existed for he talked -business from the moment they reached their table until lunch was over. -But in spite of that Janet and Helen enjoyed the hour. Some of the most -famous stars on the Ace lot were lunching there that noon and Janet and -Helen enjoyed watching them come in. - -The general manager, a man of quick thought and action, suddenly turned -toward them. - -"I saw 'Broad Valley' the other night. Congratulations on a nice bit of -work." - -The hour passed quickly, with Helen's father and the general manager -continuing their conference in the executive's private office in the -administration building. - -"Dad and Rexler are having trouble over the story for the new air -picture," said Helen. "I heard him talking with mother just last night. -They can't agree on the final version. Dad was going over it last night." - -"I'd like to read it," said Janet. - -"I'll get it for you if he brings it home tonight." - -That night Janet had her chance to scan the script of Henry Thorne's next -picture. The tentative title was "Kings of the Air." The action was -fast and stirring, the panorama of the story covering the entire -transcontinental route of one air mail system and Janet could understand -that there was material here for a really great picture. But there was -something lacking--a crashing climax that would make the spectators grip -their seats. - -Henry Thorne, watching Janet as she laid the script aside, spoke quietly. - -"If you can suggest a suitable climax you can just about name your own -ticket on our lot," he said. - -"How about a race for a contract?" suggested Helen. - -"Too old; it's worn out." - -"Then why not have the plane going through with valuable papers which are -needed for say," Janet paused, "a naval conference at Washington, on the -outcome of which may hinge the fate of the world." - -Henry Thorne started to reject the idea, but halted. "Where did you get -that idea?" - -"Something I read in a paper several months ago suggested it," admitted -Janet. "Navy planes were racing across country with a naval envoy and -they got held up somewhere in Wyoming on account of bad weather. You -could have your mail plane take over there after the navy ship was -grounded." - -"That would give the navy a black eye." - -"Some other solution could be worked out then," said Janet. - -"You know, that's not a bad idea. It would require some rewriting of the -script, but we've got to have a terrific air race against time and the -elements in this thing for a conclusion. I'll talk it over with Rexler in -the morning." - -Then Helen's father changed his mind. "No, I'll talk it over with him -tonight if he's home." - -He phoned the general manager's home, found Rexler there, and informed -him he was coming over. - -"We'll see what he thinks of your suggestion," he flung at Janet as he -hurried out the door. - -"Shall we wait up and learn the outcome of the conference?" asked Helen. -"Just think if they should decide to work out a climax along the line you -suggested." - -"I'm all for waiting up, but I'm afraid my suggestion is pretty weak," -said Janet. - -At eleven o'clock Mrs. Thorne decided to retire and urged the girls to do -likewise, but they insisted upon awaiting the return of Helen's father. - -Midnight passed and finally the clock struck one A. M. - -"I'm too sleepy to stay up any longer," admitted Helen. - -"Oh, wait half an hour more," urged Janet, and Helen agreed. - -It was 1:20 when Director Thorne reached home. There were hollows under -his eyes and he looked unusually tired, but in his eyes burned a spirit -of elation that fatigue could not beat down. Mrs. Thorne, in a dressing -gown, joined them. - -"What's the decision?" asked Helen. - -"We're going to work out the climax along the line suggested by Janet," -replied her father. "Rexler called two of the writers down and they're -working right on through the night on a new treatment for the whole -script. It must be done tomorrow noon. We're to start shooting next week. -It means another bouquet for you, Janet." - -Janet blushed. "It was just luck." - -"No, it wasn't luck. It was good, clear thinking and the ability to -recall a worthwhile incident. Incidentally, both of you are going into -the cast of 'Kings of the Air'." - -"But, Dad, you can't mean that!" exclaimed Helen. - -"I mean just that," retorted her father, "and I wasn't the one who -suggested it. Rexler insists that you be included. It's his way of trying -to repay Janet for her suggestion." - -"Then that means we'll get another chance in a picture," said Janet, and -she felt her heart beating like mad. - -"Indeed it does and you'll be in the biggest feature the Ace company is -producing this year," Helen's father assured them. - - - - - _Chapter XXV_ - THE STARS VANISH - - -Janet and Helen did get roles in "Kings of the Air" and even though they -were very minor parts, both girls were elated. They were cast as -waitresses in the restaurant which served the pilots at the main western -terminal of the air mail line. - -Almost every contract player on the Ace lot was in it, with a good, -substantial role going to Curt Newsom, who was taken out of Billy -Fenstow's western unit long enough to play the part of a bitter field -manager. Even Bertie Jackson got a part as a gold-digger who was out to -get all the information she could from the pilots and was suspected of -selling secrets to a rival air line. - -Janet and Helen saw little of Helen's father for the next few days. He -was immensely busy on the details of the production and a complete -airport was set up out in the California desert for one of the major -sequences would revolve around this lonely outpost on the air mail route. - -The sequences in which Janet and Helen were to appear were shot at Grand -Central at Glendale, actually in the field restaurant and were among the -first to be taken. - -Janet had only four lines and Helen had three. All of them were in a -brief scene with Curt Newsom and his encouragement helped them through -for it was hard work under the glare of a brilliant battery of electrics. -What made it all the harder was that Mr. Rexler was with the company the -day this particular sequence was shot, but somehow they managed to get -through with it. After that they were free to stay with the company and -watch the rest of the shooting schedule until Billy Fenstow called them -back for his next western. - -It was during the second week of shooting that things started to go -wrong. There were innumerable little delays that were maddening in -themselves and when a dozen of them came, almost at the same time, even -level-headed Henry Thorne showed signs of extreme exasperation. The cast -was large and expensive and a dozen planes had been leased. The daily -overhead was terrific and each day's delay sent the cost of the picture -rocketing. - -When they went on location out in the desert Curt Newsom, lunching with -Janet and Helen, gave voice to his fears. - -"This outfit is getting jitters," he said. "I heard this morning that one -of the pilots found several of his control wires half way eaten through -by acid. That's bad business." - -Janet, looking up from a dish of ice cream, spoke slowly. "Then that -means someone is deliberately trying to cripple the company?" - -"It means someone is doing it. That flyer pulled out; refused to take his -plane off the ground again and some good shots are already 'in the can' -with his plane in it. Means they'll have to get another plane and fix it -up like his or shoot over a lot of footage. Either one will be -expensive." - -That night Henry Thorne called the company together. Their location was -at the edge of the ghost town of Sagebrush, and members of the company -were sheltered in the three or four habitable houses which remained. All -of them had grumbled a bit, but there was nothing that could be done -about it for the nearest town of any size was too far away to make the -drive back and forth daily. - -Helen's father spoke plainly. - -"There have been a series of accidents," he said. "These have slowed up -production and put us almost a week behind schedule. All of you know what -that means on a picture of this size. I am convinced that someone in the -company is aiding in this sabotage and I am giving fair warning now that -this town will be patrolled at night and that all equipment will be -watched. The guards are armed and have orders to shoot first and ask -questions afterward." - -That was all, but it started a buzz of conversation that lasted nearly an -hour. When the company finally broke up to go to quarters, Janet happened -to be watching Bertie Jackson and she saw the blond actress, slip between -two buildings and vanish into the night. - -Helen was some distance away and Janet, playing a hunch, followed Bertie -at a safe distance. - -There was no moon, but the sky was studded with stars. The walking -through the sand was hard going, but noiseless, and Janet, keeping low, -could discern Bertie's silhouette. - -Suddenly the older actress stopped and whistled softly, a long, a short -and a long whistle. The sound could not have carried back to Sagebrush -and Janet, vaguely alarmed, waited. - -Almost before she knew it another figure joined Bertie and she could hear -the two conversing, but she didn't dare move closer. The newcomer struck -a match to light a cigarette and carefully shielded though it was, Janet -was close enough to glimpse his face. It was that of a stranger. The -match went out and the night seemed darker. - -Janet wanted to get closer, but as she moved forward she stumbled over -something in the dark and plunged headlong into the sand. - -Before she could regain her feet she heard a muttered exclamation and -knew she had been discovered. - -Then the thin beam from a shielded flashlight struck her face. - -Janet knew her only chance was to run for it and she tried to rise, but -her feet were entangled in a tough creeper. - -"Look out! She may scream!" warned Bertie. - -Janet opened her lips to cry out, but before she could do it, the man -with Bertie leaped forward and thrust a heavy hand against Janet's mouth. -Suddenly the world went black, the stars vanished, and she dropped into -the sand. - - - - - _Chapter XXVI_ - BOMBS FROM THE SKY - - -It was later in the evening when Janet was missed. Helen thought her -companion had gone to visit some other member of the company and it was -well after ten o'clock when she became alarmed and started making -inquiries. - -"Looking for someone?" asked Bertie Jackson, who seemed to be everywhere. - -"I haven't seen Janet for several hours." - -"Maybe she's got a date with a boy friend in the desert." - -"Janet hasn't any boy friend and she wouldn't be dating in the desert," -snapped Helen. - -"Have it your own way," retorted Bertie, but as she turned away a sneer -distorted her vapid face. - -Helen finally communicated her fears to her father. - -"I've gone over the entire camp and no one has seen Janet for at least an -hour and none of them are sure it was that recent. I'm worried." - -Henry Thorne, busy working with one of the writers on a difficult bit of -script that needed smoothing up half way dismissed Helen's fears with a -wave of his hand. Then he stopped. - -"You're sure she's not in camp?" he asked. - -"I'm positive, Dad. Do you think anything terrible has happened?" - -"Of course not. She's probably walked out into the desert and has gone -too far. I'll rout out some of the men and we'll start a searching -party." - -Curt Newsom was one of the first to answer the call and he muttered to -himself when he heard the news. - -"There's trouble brewing," he told Helen. "You stick close to me." - -"What do you mean, Curt?" asked Helen, her voice filled with anxiety. - -"I mean this picture promises to be too big and someone is trying to -throw a wrench in the proceedings." - -"Some rival company?" - -"It could be that. I'm not saying, but I'm certainly going to keep my -eyes open." - -Under the brisk commands of Helen's father, the ghost town awoke. Men who -had been asleep were routed out, cars commandeered, and parties swept -away over the desert in search of the missing girl. - -Curt Newsom, who had brought several horses with him, preferred to ride -and Helen went with him. Curt saddled the horses and they swung away into -the desert together. - -Across the almost level floor of the desert they could see the cars -swinging in great circles. - -"They won't find anything," said Curt, and after that they rode on in a -silence broken only by the steady shuffling of the horses through the -sand. - -At intervals they stopped and Curt's great voice boomed through the -night. - -"We'd better turn back to camp," the cowboy star finally advised. "Maybe -some of the others have news." - -But when they gathered in the ghost town, Helen knew that the search had -been fruitless. - -Each searching party brought back the same report--no trace of the -missing Janet had been found. - -"Everyone try to get some sleep now," said Helen's father. "We'll resume -the search at dawn." - -Helen went to the room assigned to her and lay down, fully dressed, to -try and rest in the short interval before dawn. But sleep would not come -and thoughts raced through her head. Something was decidedly amiss and, -like Curt Newsom, she could now sense impending disaster to the company. -Just what it was or how it would strike she could not determine, but a -terrible uneasiness gripped her. - -Breakfast was served at dawn. Most of the women in the company were on -hand to aid in the search, but Henry Thorne called only upon the men. - -Half a dozen cars were manned and they swung out again to comb the desert -floor. - -"Let them go," said Curt Newsom to Helen. "We'll ride. If there are any -tracks, we'll be able to follow them easier." - -The tall, well-built cowboy star swung into his saddle and they trotted -away between two tumbledown houses of the ghost town. - -Shadows of the morning were long and heavy, for the sun was just topping -the mountains, but Helen, riding close behind the cowboy, glimpsed a -footprint in the sand. She reined in her horse and called to Curt, who -whirled quickly. - -"Someone's been through here," she said, pointing to where the sand was -fairly hard packed. - -"Anyone could have left a print like that," replied the cowboy star. -"Your nerves are getting the best of you, Helen. Steady up." - -She smiled and they turned again toward the desert, riding at a steady -pace and scanning the sand intently for anything unusual. - -They were less than a quarter of a mile from the old town when Curt -pulled his horse up sharp and leaped from the saddle to bend down and -scrutinize a tough creeper which had been pulled out of the sand. - -"Get down here, Helen. Here's something the others have missed." - -Helen dismounted and ran to Curt's side. In his hands he held a tough -section of the creeper and his eyes were fastened on a brown stain. "What -is it?" demanded Helen. - -"Looks like someone got caught in this and scratched," said Curt, trying -to pass the remark off lightly. - -"You mean it might have been Janet?" - -"It might have been," agreed the cowboy star. "Look back toward the -village. This is in a direct line and although you may not have noticed -it, we've been following footprints all of the way. Two came out and only -one returned." - -Helen looked at him, her eyes showing her fear. - -"Then someone in the company was responsible for Janet's disappearance!" -she gasped. - -"Right," snapped Curt. "The first thing is to find Janet; then we'll -catch up with whoever was responsible." - -"Hadn't we better tell the others?" asked Helen. - -"They're not used to tracking; I am." He grinned. "Even if I am a movie -cowboy most of the time, I know a few tricks about the range and the -desert. Come on!" - -They remounted and Curt led the way, scanning the ground closely. Even -Helen, as inexperienced as she was, could see the signs now. Someone had -left deep prints in the sand. - -"He was either an awful big man or he was carrying someone," said Curt. -"One thing, he won't be able to go far." - -The trail led toward the hills back of the ghost town and it was evident -that the man they were trailing had rested frequently. Curt saw another -of those brown stains, but he made sure that Helen did not see it for -there was no use in increasing her fears. - -The trail led on, perhaps half a mile altogether, and ended suddenly in a -tiny depression where the sand was smooth and hard. - -Curt dismounted and made a minute survey of the bowl. The trail came in -all right, but there were no tracks going out. In the center were two -marks, about four inches wide and 12 or 14 feet long, but that was all. -Beside one of these was a tiny smudge of black and Curt got down on his -hands and knees and sniffed keenly. - -"What is it?" asked Helen. - -Curt shook his head. "Can't tell yet and there's no use in guessing." - -He mopped his forehead with a large bandana and scanned the heavens. The -sun was blazing down and shortly the temperature in the little bowl they -were in would be stifling. - -"We'd better get out of here," he said. - -"But Janet? Where can she be? We've followed the trail but it's simply -vanished." The questions tumbled from Helen's lips. - -"I wish I could answer them all," said Curt. "Maybe I can later." - -They rode back to the ghost town at a brisk trot and Curt cornered Henry -Thorne and told him of their discovery. Then he led a searching party of -half a dozen into the hills back of the town while the other members of -the company assembled for the day's work under the boiling sun. - -Helen attempted to join the searching party, but was told it was no place -for a girl so she went with the company out into the desert where the -airport had been laid out and a dummy hangar erected. - -Shooting went ahead on schedule until just before noon when someone -shouted an alarm and they turned toward the ghost town. The remaining -houses were rapidly being consumed by flames and before they could reach -them there was no hope of saving anything, including a number of valuable -cameras, sound equipment and hundreds of dollars worth of costumes. - -Henry Thorne fairly blazed for he knew now that a deliberate effort was -being made to stop the production of "Kings of the Air." - -But before they had recovered from that disaster, another befell with -startling swiftness. There was a dull boom from the valley and they -turned to see a fast, black plane swinging over the set on the desert. A -cloud of dust was rising near the hangar and as they watched, another -explosion echoed in their ears. - -"That guy's bombing the set!" yelled a cameraman, leaping into a car. - -The third bomb was a direct hit and the hangar collapsed. Over to the -right were half a dozen planes which were being used in the picture and -the unknown flyer turned his attention toward these. - -"If he blows them up, we can figure a hundred thousand dollar loss right -there," groaned Helen's father. - -But the unknown flyer had reckoned without the resourcefulness of Curt -Newsom. The lanky cowboy, riding hard by in the hills, had heard the -first explosion and the roar of an airplane motor. They saw him flash out -into the desert at a mad gallop. - -"He's crazy; someone stop him!" cried Henry Thorne, but there was no one -near enough to reach Curt. - -Helen saw him drag a rifle from the scabbard on his saddle. The flyer was -apparently disdainful of the lone rider for he dropped another bomb. It -missed the planes by only the narrowest of margins and the pilot of the -black ship swung around for another try. He swooped toward Curt and waved -jeeringly as Curt leaped from the saddle. - -They were too far away to hear the report of the rifle but they could see -the little puffs of smoke from the muzzle. Suddenly the black plane -heeled sharply, its motor sputtering. The pilot shot over the side, his -chute billowing out and Curt, jumping back into the saddle, rode like mad -toward the hills. - -The plane gyrated uncertainly, then dove toward the ground. It struck -with a tremendous explosion as the bombs still aboard let go. - -Helen saw Curt whirl back into the valley and sweep down on the flyer, -who had landed in a tangle of cord and silk from the parachute. All -thought of resistance was gone from the flyer's mind and the cowboy -captured him easily. By the time the others arrived, Curt had the -situation well in hand. - -"I think a confession out of this guy will solve our troubles," said the -cowboy star as Henry Thorne stared at the flyer. - -"What have you got to say for yourself. Who employed you?" demanded the -director. - -The flyer was sullen. "I'm not talking. I want an attorney." - -Curt rocked back and forth on his heels. - -"So you won't talk?" He grinned, but it was a mirthless grin that struck -terror to those who watched. Curt was living in real life the role he had -played so many times on the screen. With a quick jerk his lariat was free -from the saddle and before the flyer knew it, he was in the coils of the -rope and his feet had been jerked out from under him. - -Curt swung into the saddle, twisted the rope around the saddle horn and -looked down on the helpless man. - -"Going to talk?" - -The captive shook his head. - -Curt spoke to his horse and the magnificent sorrel moved ahead slowly, -dragging the captive after him. - -After bouncing over the desert floor for a rod, the flyer cried for -mercy. - -"I'll talk; I'll talk. Get this rope off quick." - -"And you'll tell us what you did with that girl last night and where we -can find her?" - -The captive nodded emphatically and Curt shook the rope loose. - - - - - _Chapter XXVII_ - THE SHOWDOWN - - -When Janet regained consciousness she was aware of a roaring that filled -her ears. It was as though a great storm was sweeping down upon her. -Then, from the motion, she realized that she was in an airplane. Her head -ached terrifically and she made no attempt to move for several minutes. - -As her eyes became accustomed to a dim glow of light ahead she could -distinguish the figure of a man at the controls in the small cabin they -were in. - -Janet shifted her weight and the man turned instantly, focusing a -flashlight on her. - -"Keep still or I'll crack you again," he warned and from the fierceness -of his voice Janet knew that he would not hesitate to carry out his -threat. - -The pulse of the motor lessened and she felt the craft sinking, to settle -smoothly into a little circle of light. It was then that she learned they -were in an autogiro. - -Her captor opened the door and ordered her out. - -Still with her head throbbing wildly, Janet managed to get out. There was -a bad scratch on her left leg that had bled rather freely. - -To her anxious questions, the flyer gave only the same answer, "You'll -find out later, maybe." - -Janet was forced to allow her hands to be tied behind her and then was -led to a small shelter tent. There was a blanket on the ground and the -flyer tossed another over her. - -"Don't make any attempt to escape," he warned. - -The portable electric light which had guided the autogiro down into the -basin was snapped off and Janet passed the remainder of the night in -desperate anxiety, wondering what was happening back at camp and the -meaning of her abduction. - -With the coming of dawn she hoped to learn more about the camp, but she -was doomed to disappointment for her captor appeared and dropped the -canvas fly which covered the front of the tiny tent. - -It was well after daylight when she heard another plane approaching. It -landed nearby and a few minutes later she heard men's voices, one of whom -she recognized as that of the flyer who had brought her there. Then the -plane which had just landed roared away and it was shortly after that -when Janet heard a series of booming explosions. - -Suddenly her tent flap was jerked roughly aside and her captor, a stocky, -heavy-set man with a mass of black hair, ordered her to her feet. Janet -struggled to get up, but she was numb from being in one position so long. -The man half cuffed her upright and then hurried her toward the autogiro. - -The motor of the queer looking plane responded instantly and they rose -almost straight out of the valley, which Janet judged must be some -distance from Sagebrush. As they gained altitude she looked across the -desert. Although it was several miles away, it seemed almost a stone's -throw to Sagebrush, hardly recognizable now with the flames still -consuming the few structures left in the village. Janet saw that the set -for the desert airport had been destroyed. But what was more important -was the swarm of planes which were climbing off the desert floor. - -Like angry hornets they were buzzing around. Suddenly one of them shot -toward the autogiro and the rest followed. Janet heard her own pilot -shouting in anger, but the autogiro was slow and the movie planes were -around it almost instantly. - -In the foremost was Curt Newsom and Janet felt her blood chill as she saw -the rifle in Curt's hard hands. - -Under the warning muzzle of the gun, the autogiro settled toward the -floor of the valley and in less than three minutes the other planes were -down around it while cars raced toward them, clouds of desert dust rising -in their wake. - -Bertie Jackson was in the first car and when she saw Janet her face -blanched. Helen and her father were in the same machine. - -"Are you all right?" asked Helen anxiously, for Janet was white-faced and -deep hollows of fatigue were under her eyes. - -"A little tired," confessed Janet. "What happened? Was this something in -the plot I wasn't supposed to know about?" - -"Tell us where you've been and why?" said Henry Thorne, and Janet briefly -related the events. She didn't like to do it, but there was nothing else -she could do under the circumstances and her story implicated Bertie -Jackson. - -"She's jealous, that's all," snapped Bertie. "The whole story is trumped -up." - -Then Curt Newsom took a hand. - -"Let's look at this thing squarely. How much were you and these two -flyers paid to slow up production on 'Kings of the Air'?" He shot the -question at Bertie. - -"You're impertinent," she blazed. - -"Sure, but you're likely to go to prison. Setting fire to buildings is -arson, you know." There was no humor in his words and Bertie looked from -one to another in the group around her. Each stared at her with scornful -eyes. - -Defiant to the end, she flung her head back, "Well, what of it?" she -demanded. - -"Only this. You'll never work in another picture for anybody." It was -Henry Thorne speaking, quietly and firmly, and Bertie turned away. - -The two flyers, the one who had abducted Janet and the one who had bombed -the set, talked. Janet didn't hear the whole story, but she and Helen -learned enough to know that another rival company was implicated. It was -Bertie who had set fire to the dry old houses in Sagebrush and who had -supplied the flyers with information on the plans of the company. - -When they finally returned to what little was left of the village, Henry -Thorne spoke quietly to the girls. - -"Don't worry now," he assured Helen. "There'll be no more delays. We can -erect another set on the desert without too much loss of time and we'll -have to live in tents, but that is endurable." - -Turning to Janet, he surprised her. - -"Janet, I'm going to put you in Bertie's role. We'll shoot the scene in -the field restaurant over again when we get back to Hollywood, but I need -someone right now to step into Bertie's place and you can handle the -part. What do you say?" - -"I'll do my best," promised Janet. - -"I know you will." Then Henry Thorne hurried away to attend to one of the -hundred details that are the worry of a successful director and Janet and -Helen faced each other. - -"It looks like 'Kings of the Air' is going on to a successful conclusion -now," said Janet. "I'm so happy." - -"And I'm happy that you are getting Bertie's part. Do you suppose we're -going to be able to keep on in the movies?" - -"That," smiled Janet, "is something I couldn't even guess. If we don't -we'll go home this fall with the memories of the most thrilling summer -any two girls could have had." - -They turned to rejoin the rest of the company, unaware of the further -adventures in Hollywood and in New York which were to befall them before -winter came. - - - - - * * * * * * - - - - -Transcriber's note: - ---Obvious typographical errors were corrected except for a - few amusing ones. - - - -***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK JANET HARDY IN HOLLYWOOD*** - - -******* This file should be named 42069.txt or 42069.zip ******* - - -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: -http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/4/2/0/6/42069 - - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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