| CHAPTER | PAGE | |
| I. | Something New | [ 1] |
| II. | An Absent-minded Visitor | [ 10] |
| III. | The Missing Satchel | [ 20] |
| IV. | The Railroad Wreck | [ 30] |
| V. | A New Mystery | [ 39] |
| VI. | On Boston Common | [ 48] |
| VII. | Rivals in Action | [ 57] |
| VIII. | A Trick of the Enemy | [ 67] |
| IX. | A Glowing Prospect | [ 76] |
| X. | Fire | [ 84] |
| XI. | The Hero Friend | [ 93] |
| XII. | An Amazing Statement | [ 100] |
| XIII. | The Ships of the Desert | [ 107] |
| XIV. | Plymouth—Derelict | [ 115] |
| XV. | High Hopes | [ 123] |
| XVI. | The Lost Camels | [ 130] |
| XVII. | A Grand Success | [ 141] |
| XVIII. | The “New Idea” | [ 149] |
| XIX. | Done with a Click | [ 155] |
| XX. | Pep a Prisoner | [ 163] |
| XXI. | A Grand Success | [ 173] |
| XXII. | A Fearful Loss | [ 180] |
| XXIII. | “Getting Warm” | [ 188] |
| XXIV. | The Movies Camp | [ 201] |
| XXV. | Excelsor!—Conclusion | [ 209] |
THE MOTION PICTURE
CHUMS’ NEW IDEA
CHAPTER I
SOMETHING NEW
“Boys, it’s a splendid idea!” cried Frank Durham.
“What is?” asked his friend and business partner, Randolph Powell.
“You look as if you had something big to tell,” chimed in Pepperill Smith, moving his chair nearer to his two comrades. “Out with it, Frank.”
The motion picture chums were seated in the cozy office of the Empire photo playhouse on upper Broadway, New York City. It was “their” playhouse, they might proudly say. Their energy, patience and genius had made it a success. They were lively, up-to-date boys, the kind who work as well as dream and play. They had learned business ways. The animated yet earnest face of their leader just now showed that it was a genuine business proposition that he was bringing to the notice of his companions.
“Why,” returned Frank, “you know what our motto has always been—to keep abreast of the times.”
“And a little ahead of ’em, Durham!” added a new voice, as a bustling man of middle age entered the little office. It was Mr. Hank Strapp of Butte, Montana, the liberal, cheery-hearted financial backer of the boys. “It appears to me that this last venture of ours up at Riverside Grove has about capped the climax.”