Still they kept up their acquaintanceship and friendship with the company. Just a word about the various members, and I will resume this story.
Mr. Jacob Ringold was the proprietor of the Film Theatrical Company, and some of the members were Henry Robertson, who played juvenile leads, Harris Levinberg, the “villain,” Miss Nellie Shay, the leading lady, and Birdie Lee, a pretty, vivacious girl, who took the lighter feminine parts in the dramas. And there was Christopher Cutler Piper—oh, yes, we must not forget him.
Mr. Piper did not like his name—that is, the two first sections, and his friends, to oblige him, had shortened it to “C. C.,” or else they called him just “Mr. Piper.” Sometimes, however, he was referred to as “Gloomy.”
This name fitted him to perfection. He was a gloomy comedian—that is, he was gloomy off the stage; not on it. He would raise a laugh by his action, or lines, and, coming out of the scene, would be in the most doleful state of mind imaginable.
In this book you will find many references to “filming” a scene, exposed, unexposed and developed films, cameras, and the like.
For a full explanation of how moving pictures are taken, I refer my readers to the previous volumes of this series.
And now to resume the story.
Blake stood there, his ear fairly glued to the receiver, and the expression on his face constantly changing. But, though it did change, a certain worried look, that came over it almost from the first moment of the spoken words, did not leave it.
“Say, are you going to talk all day, without giving me a hint of what it is?” spoke Joe, in a tense whisper. “Let me listen in; can’t you, old man?”
“Right away—yes,” answered Blake, in an aside. “All right,” he called into the transmitter. “Yes, I’ll tell Joe all about it. He’ll come with me, I’m sure.”