“He told me that he was Major André,” chuckled Willie. “He is a Number One spy. The sheriff knows him well and knows there isn’t a mite of harm in him.”
Later it came out that the old man had been living on the island for some time, having found the cave there. The smugglers of opium and the Chinese found him there and made use of him. But when the court proceedings came on, Pond was merely used by the prosecution as a witness. His harmlessness was too apparent for the court to doubt him.
That particular day had to be a day of rest for Ruth and her friends, for they had had no sleep the night before. But while they slept Mr. Hammond’s representative went in search of Totantora and Wonota and the two Osage Indians were brought back to the moving picture camp before night.
The work of making the last scenes of “The Long Lane’s Turning” was taken up at once, and until the last scene was taken Ruth and her associates were very busy indeed. The Cameron twins spent most of the ensuing time with the Copleys and the other summer visitors. And it was noticeable that Helen was attended by Chess Copley almost everywhere she went.
Tom saw this with some wonder; but he found very little opportunity to talk to Ruth about it. And when he tried to question Helen regarding her change toward Chess, she quite ignored the subject.
“Looks to me,” Tom said to himself, “as though I was shut out in the cold. I wish I hadn’t come up here. I might as well be slaving in that old office. Gee, I’m an unlucky dog!”
For Tom, no more than Helen, could not see that Ruth’s attitude toward the matter of strenuous occupation for a wealthy young man was a fair one. Tom certainly had none of Uncle Jabez Potter’s blood in his veins.
The big scene at the end of the picture—the throne room of the French king—was as carefully made as the other parts of the picture had been. And because of Ruth’s coaching Wonota did her part so well that Mr. Hooley was enthusiastic—and to raise enthusiasm in the bosom of a case-hardened director is no small matter.
“The Boss is rather sore on the whole business,” Hooley said to Ruth. “It has been an expensive picture, I admit. We have gone away over the studio estimate.
“But that is not my fault, nor your fault, nor the Indian girl’s fault. Mr. Hammond is not to be blamed either, I suppose, for feeling worried. The motion picture business is getting to that stage now where lavish expenditure must be curtailed. I fancy Mr. Hammond will make only five-reel program pictures for some time. And where will your big feature pictures come in, Miss Fielding?”