As Ruth accepted the pictures from Mr. Hammond and looked them over with Tom, she registered a mental vow that in a short time and with sufficient capital behind her, the Fielding Film Company would be run with as much efficiency as the Alectrion Film Corporation or any of the other larger producing concerns.
Take these photographs now! What an improvement that was on the haphazard system of setting out personally to hunt up locations. What a saving of time merely to have these pictures filed away where they might be brought out at a moment’s notice for reference! Why, one could choose locations enough for the filming of the entire picture without actually moving from the room! However, Ruth thought it would be possible to stop at just one of these points along the Yukon—a small settlement, preferably—and with one such place as a base it ought to be an easy matter to discover locations in the immediate vicinity of the settlement that would satisfy the requirements of the script.
“May we take these with us?” she asked, looking up from the photographs. “Tom and I will want to look them over carefully——”
“Of course!” said Mr. Hammond heartily. “We and everything that’s ours belong to you for the present, Miss Ruth.”
“Where do we meet the rest of the company?” Tom asked.
“They have been taking some of the interior scenes at Hollywood and will meet you at Seattle. From there you can take a steamer that will carry you to your various locations up the Yukon. Miss Ruth—what is it——”
For Ruth had made a sudden dash for the door and was tugging at it frantically.
“Some one,” she gasped, “is out there spying on us!”
CHAPTER V
AN OLD ENEMY
While Ruth Fielding had been in conversation with those in the office she had noticed a curious thing.