eg Morton is. We don't mind havin' our Celia go so much with
Sallie Morton--though her mother does say that Sallie puts crazy notions
into our Celia's head. But I reckon all gals is kinder crazy, ain't
they?" pursued the farmer, with one of his sly glances and chuckles.

"Always!" agreed Bess, heartily. "Half of our girls at Lakeview Hall have
to be kept in straightjackets, or padded cells."

"Mercy, Bess!" whispered Nan. "That's worthy of extravagant Laura
Polk herself."

"Thank you," responded Bess, as the farmer recovered from a fit of "the
chuckles" over Bess Harley's joke. Bess added this question:

"What particular form of insanity do your daughter and Sallie Morton
display, Mr. Snubbins?"

"Movin' picters," ejaculated the farmer. "Drat 'em! They've jest about
bewitched my gal and Sallie Morton."

"Goodness!" gasped Nan. "There aren't moving picture shows away out here
in the country, are there?"

"Oncet a week at the Corner," said Mr. Snubbins. "An' we all go. But that
ain't so much what's made Celia and Sallie so crazy. Ye see, las' fall
was a comp'ny makin' picters right up here in Peleg's west parster.
Goodness me! there was a crowd of 'em. They camped in tents like Gypsies,
and they did the most amazin' things--they sure did!

"Dif'rent from Gypsies," pursued the farmer, "they paid for all they got
around here. Good folks to sell chicken an' aigs to. City prices, we
got," and Mr. Snubbins licked his lips like a dog in remembrance of a
good meal.

"An' I vow ter Maria!" the man went on to say, with some eagerness. "We
'most all around here air in them picters; ya-as'm! Ye wouldn't think I
was an actor, would ye?" And he went off into another spasm of chuckles.

"Oh, what fun!" cried Bess.

"Paid us two dollars a day for jest havin' our photographts took, they
did," said Mr. Snubbins.

"And they paid three to the gals, 'cause they dressed up. That's what set
Celia and Sallie by the ears. Them foolish gals has got it in their heads
that they air jest cut out for movin' picter actresses. They wanter go
off ter the city an' git jobs in one o' chem there studios! Peleg says
he'll spank his gal, big as she is, if she don't stop sich foolish talk.
I reckon Celia won't go fur without Sallie."

"My! it must be quite exciting to work for the pictures," said
romantic Bess.

"Sure it is," chuckled the farmer. "One feller fell off a hoss while they
was up here an' broke his collarbone; an' one of the gals