“What do you mean?” inquired Mrs. Martin.
“Why, I mean Mr. Portnay isn’t here.”
“Not here!” echoed Jan’s father. “Why, I thought this was his moving picture company and that he’d surely be here. The postmaster at Cub Mountain told me he had come on here.”
“Some of us did after the scenes there were taken,” explained the actor cowboy. “But Mr. Portnay didn’t. He isn’t in these pictures that are going to be taken at the farm. Or, at least, he doesn’t come in until later. So, while this is his company, or the company of which he is the star, he isn’t needed just now; so he went back to New York. He left just a little while ago to take the train.”
“Dear me!” exclaimed Mrs. Martin. “It seems we are never going to catch up with that man.”
“It is rather unfortunate,” said her husband. “But perhaps he left my box here,” he went on to Mr. Weldon. “He wouldn’t take that back to New York with him.”
“No, he wouldn’t if he knew what it was,” admitted the movie actor. “But he leaves all such matters to his helper, Jim Lewis. And Jim probably packed your box with the other baggage belonging to Mr. Portnay and shipped it to New York.”
“Is there any one here I could ask if the box has been left?” inquired Mr. Martin.
“Oh, yes; our director, Tony Birch. He’d know if any one would,” said Mr. Weldon. “There he is over by the chicken houses. They’re going to take a picture of Miss Marcell feeding the hens, I believe.”
“Is Miss Marcell the young lady who jumped into the river?” asked Mrs. Martin.