“Oh, pshaw! you are making fun of me,” declared Pep, reddening.
“Oh, dear!” observed Mrs. Carrington with a sigh, “of course I am deeply anxious for the success of that headstrong nephew of mine. Now he has got into the motion picture business I can’t quite abandon him; but I must say the National is crude and inartistic compared with your place here.”
“Peter has our best wishes, Mrs. Carrington,” declared Frank. “I can assure you of that. Of course we are business rivals, but it will be with entire fairness on our part.”
“I am sure it will. I told you so, Mrs. Carrington,” spoke Miss Porter. “Peter talks as though you were sanguinary enemies, but I knew it was nonsense as far as you are concerned. I don’t like the man he has taken in with him, a Mr. Beavers, however. I told him so yesterday, but met with a rebuff for the interest I displayed in Peter’s welfare.”
“That little lady is our champion, all right,” declared Pep, returning from escorting the ladies to their automobile.
When the boys came to reckon up the proceeds of the evening they found them to be several dollars over what they had taken in the first night. They were congratulating themselves on their continued good fortune when Hal Vincent put in an appearance. He had a great paper roll under his arm and looked brisk and contented.
“Well, Hal?” hailed Jolly, in a cheery, expectant way.
“I want to show you something,” was the ventriloquist’s reply as he opened the roll upon the table.
It contained six different four-sheet posters. They were high colored, well executed and attractive. They depicted striking and thrilling events of “The Great Flood.”
“Twenty-five sets go with the films,” he explained.