l's enclosure. "We sometimes have them fellers
to bother us; but not so much in summer. They're afraid of bein' put
to work."

The three men made a more thorough search of the barn, but could find
nothing that looked suspicious.

"Whoever it was must either be here yet, in hiding, or else they got
away while we were looking around," said Mr. Pertell. "Unless you
believe in ghosts, Sandy."

"Nope. Not a ghost do I believe in. And I hope this won't spoil the
barn for you folks to get your pictures from."

"Oh, no, it takes more than a noise to scare a theatrical troupe,"
laughed the manager. "Well, we'll have to give it up, I suppose."

There seemed to be nothing else to do, and the party returned to the
house, the girls joining them on the way back.

"After all, it might have been some loose board, or plank, falling
down. The place is nigh tumblin' t' pieces," declared Sandy. "But
I'll keep a watch around. I don't want any tramps on this place."

"I might use one in a moving picture," said Mr. Pertell, musingly.
What he could not use in a moving picture film was small indeed. "I
believe that would make a good scene," he went on. "A tramp comes to
beg at the farmhouse. He is told that he must saw a lot of wood, or
do something like that. Then, let me see--yes, I'll have him eat
first, and then refuse to saw the wood. He thinks the lady of the
house is home alone. But he makes a mistake, for she proves to be one
who has taken physical culture lessons, and she is a match for the
tramp. She stands over him until he saws all the wood.

"That ought to go. I'll cast Mrs. Maguire for the strenuous lady, and
Mr. Sneed can be the tramp. He has a sour enough face. That's what
I'll do!"

"I can just imagine Mr. Sneed in that role," said Alice to Ruth, with
a laugh. "He won't like that a bit!"

"I suppose not. Still, we have to do many things in this moving
picture business that we don't like."

"I like every bit of it!" Alice declared. "I think it's all fun!"

"I wish I had your happy way of looking at things!" sighed Ruth. "It
is a great help in getting through life."

"Why don't you practice it?" Alice asked. "It's easy, once you
start. There are so many funny things in this world."

"And so many sad ones!"

"Bosh!" laughed Alice. "Excuse my slang, sister mine, but you ought
to read fewer of those romantic stories, and more joke books. Oh,
there goes Paul, and with a fish pole, too. I'm going with him!"

"He h