There, on the screen, the children saw the very man they had watched act in the green meadow that morning. Ned Weldon, the cowboy actor with whom the children had talked, was in it, too. Of course these were not the scenes they had watched being filmed, for that picture was far from being finished. But it was very exciting to see the people they had so recently watched.
“I wish Portnay were here in person instead of only in the movies,” remarked Mr. Martin, as they left the theater. “I’d ask him for those rare albums. But I suppose we shall have to wait until we meet him at Cub Mountain.”
The next morning, after a quiet night, the Curlytops resumed their tour, and made a safe trip to Cub Mountain, on which was a small country settlement. The scenery was just wild enough to be the right background for moving pictures.
“Where are you going to inquire about Mr. Portnay?” asked Mrs. Martin, as her husband stopped his car on what appeared to be the only, as well as the main, street of the village.
“Right here in the post-office,” he answered, for it was in front of the post-office that they had stopped. “They’ll know here about the moving picture people, I guess.”
But again Mr. Martin was doomed to disappointment. For when he inquired of the postmaster that official said:
“Yes, there was a company of movie people here. But that was early this morning—about three hours ago, I reckon.”
“Have they left?” asked Mr. Martin, wishing he had made an earlier start.
“Yes, they went on to the Dawson Farm. They’re going to film some scenes there, so I heard ’em say.”
“Where is the Dawson Farm?” asked Mr. Martin.