Ruth suddenly awoke to the fact that one of her best scenes in the “Seaside Idyl” was likely to be spoiled. She talked with Mr. Hooley about it, and when the day’s run was developed and run off in one of the shacks which was used for a try-out room, Ruth saw that the manager had not put the matter too strongly. The sewing circle scene lacked all that snap and go needed to make it a realistic piece of action.
Of course, there were enough character actors in the company to use in the scene; but naturally an actor caricatures such parts as were called for in this scene. The professional would be likely to make the characters seem grotesque. That was not the aim of the story.
“I thought you were not going to take any interest in this ‘Seaside Idyl,’ at all,” suggested Helen, when Ruth was talking about the failure of the scene after supper that night.
“I can’t help it. My reputation as a scenario writer is at stake, just as much as is Mr. Hooley’s reputation as director,” Ruth said, smiling. “I really didn’t mean to have a thing to do with the old picture. But I can see that somebody has got to put a breath of naturalness into those ladies’ aid society women, or this part of the picture will be a fizzle.”
“And our Ruth,” drawled Jennie, “is going to prescribe one of her famous cure-alls, is she?”
“I believe I can make them look less like a lot of dummies while they are cutting out rompers for cannibal island pickaninnies,” laughed Ruth. “Tom, I am going to the port with you the first thing in the morning.”
“By all means,” said Captain Cameron. “I am yours to command.”
Her newly aroused interest in the scenario at present being filmed, was a good thing for Ruth Fielding. Having found nothing at all in the submitted stories that suggested her own lost story, the girl of the Red Mill tried to put aside again the thing that so troubled her mind. And this new interest helped.
In the morning before breakfast she and Tom ran over to the port in the maroon roadster. While they were having breakfast at the inn, Ruth asked the waitress, who was a native of this part of the country, about the Union Church and some of the more intimate life-details of the members of its congregation.
It is not hard to uncover neighborhood gossip of a kind not altogether unkindly in any similar community. The Union Church had a new minister, and he was young. He was now away on his vacation, and more than one local beauty and her match-making mamma would have palpitation of the heart before he returned for fear that the young clergyman would have his heart interests entangled by some designing “foreigner.”