white figures in Indian file came stalking up
the long dock. They approached the camp in a spectral procession and had
she been awakened to see them first of all, Ruth might have been startled
herself.

Helen peered over her chum's shoulder and in teeth-chattering monotone
breathed in Ruth's ear the query:

"What is it?"

"It--it's Heavy's ghost."

"Not mine! Not mine!" denied the plump girl.

"Oh!" gasped Helen, spying the stalking white figures.

It was the moonlight made them appear so ghostly. Ruth knew that, of
course, at once. And then----

"Who ever saw ghosts carrying garbage cans before?" ejaculated the girl of
the Red Mill. "Mercy me, Heavy! do stop your wailing. It is the chef and
his two assistants who have got up to dump the garbage on the out-going
tide. What a perfect scare-cat you are!"

"You don't mean it, Ruth?" whimpered the plump girl. "Is that _all_ they
were?"

Helen began to giggle. And it covered her own fright. Ruth was rather
annoyed.

"If you had remained in bed and minded your own business," she said to
Jennie, "you would not have seen ghosts, or got us up to see them. Now go
back to sleep and behave yourself."

"Yes, ma'am," murmured the abashed Jennie Stone. "How silly of me! I was
never afraid of a cook before--no, indeed."

Helen continued to giggle spasmodically; but she fell asleep soon. As for
Jennie, she began to breathe heavily almost as soon as her head touched
the pillow. But Ruth must needs lie awake for hours, and naturally the
teeth of her mind began to knaw at the problem of that bit of paper she
had found in the sand.

The more she thought of it the less easy it was to discard the idea that
the writing on the paper was a quotation from her own scenario script. It
seemed utterly improbable that two people should use that same expression
as a "flash" in a scenario.

Yet, if this paper was a connecting link between her stolen manuscript and
the thief, _who was the thief_?

It would seem, of course, if this supposition were granted, that some
member of the company of film actors Mr. Hammond had there at Beach Plum
Point had stolen the scenario. At least, the stolen scenario must be in
the possession of some member of the company.

Who could it be? Naturally Ruth considered this unknown must be one of the
company who wished Mr. Hammond to accept and produce a scenario.

Ruth finally fell into a troubled sleep with the determination in her mind
to take more in