f the negatives of the
first important play in which Ruth and Alice had appeared, it was a
success. Of course how it would "take" with the public was yet to be
learned.

Meanwhile other plays were being considered, and Mr. Pertell repeated
his promise, that if "A False Count" was successful he would give
Ruth and Alice real "star" parts. They were eager for this, and, now
that their father had seen how well they did, he was enthusiastic
over them, and very glad to let them go on in the moving picture
business.

"Who knows," he said, "but what it may mend the broken fortunes of
the DeVere family?"

One evening Russ came over to the apartment of the girls.

"Come on out!" he called, gaily.

"Where?" asked Ruth.

"To the moving pictures. I've got a surprise for you. They are going
to try my new invention for the first time."

"May we go, Daddy?" asked Alice, anxiously.

"Yes, I guess so," he answered, absentmindedly, hardly looking up
from the manuscript of a new play he was studying.

So Russ took the girls.

"Oh, let's see what is going on!" begged Ruth, as they came to a halt
outside a nearby moving picture theater.

"No, don't bother now!" urged Russ, gently urging them away from the
lithographs and pictures in front of the place. "We're a bit late,
and we want to get good seats."

He got them inside before they had more than a fleeting glimpse of
the advertisements of the films that were to be shown, and soon they
were comfortably settled.

"I wonder what we'll see?" mused Ruth, looking about the darkened
theater. The performance was just about to start.

"I wish we could see our play," spoke Alice. "When do you think we
can, Russ?"

"Oh, soon now," he answered, and the girls thought they heard him
laugh. They wondered why.

The first film was shown--a western scene, and the girls were not
much interested in it, except that Ruth remarked:

"The pictures seem much clearer than usual."

"That's on account of my invention," said Russ, proudly. "I'm glad
you noticed it." Then the girls were more interested. A little later,
when the title of the next play was shown, Ruth and Alice could not
repress exclamations of pleased surprise. For it was "A False Count!"

"Why, Russ Dalwood!" whispered Alice. "Did you know this was here?"

"Sure!" he chuckled.

"Oh, that's why you hurried us in without giving us a chance to see
what the bill was," reproached Ruth.

"Yes, I wanted to surprise you."

"We