t her.

CHAPTER XII

BOUND FOR THE NORTHWEST

Because of the accident in which Ruth might have been seriously hurt,
the company was delayed for a day in New York, Altogether the various
shots (some of them of and in one of the tallest office buildings on
Broadway) occupied more than a week--more time than Mr. Hammond wished
to give to the work in the East.

Nevertheless, Ruth's finished script, as handled deftly by the
continuity writer, promised so well that the producer was willing to
make a special production of it. The money--and time--cost were
important factors in the making of the picture; but the selection of the
cast was not to be overlooked. Jim Hooley had chosen the few acting in
the Eastern scenes with Wonota, including the hero, whom, to tell the
truth, the Indian girl considered a rather wonderful person because she
saw him in a dress suit"

"Yes, it is true! No Indian could look so heroic a figure," she
whispered to Ruth. "He looks like--like a nobleman. I have read about
noblemen in the book of an author named Scott--Sir Walter Scott.
Noblemen must look like Mr. Albert Grand."

"And to me he looks like a head waiter," said Ruth, when laughingly
relating this to Helen and Jennie.

"Don't let Mr. Grand hear you say that," warned Helen. "They tell me
that he refuses to appear in any picture where at least once he does not
walk into the scene in a dress suit. He claims his clientele demand
it--he looks so perfectly splendid in the 'soup and fish.'"

"Then why laugh at Wonota?" demanded Jennie Stone. "She is no more
impressed by his surface qualities than are the movie fans who like Mr.
Grand."

"Well, it is a great game," laughed Ruth. "Some of the movie stars have
more laughable eccentricities or idiosyncracies than that. I wonder what
our Wonota will develop if she becomes a star?"

The development of the Indian girl was promising so far. She had feeling
for her part, if it was at first rather difficult for her to express in
her features those emotions which, as an Indian, she had considered it
proper to hide. She did just enough of this to make her feelings show
on the screen, yet without being unnatural in the part of Brighteyes,
the Indian maid.

Mr. Hammond was inclined to believe that "Brighteyes" would be a big
feature picture. The director was enthusiastic about it as well. And
even the camera man (than whom can be imagined no more case-hardened
critic of pictures) expressed h