Charles E. Van Loan

“ Best ice skating in the West. You'd better see that, it's worth while."
"New York is full of ice rinks," said Mr. Gordan.
But a night-owl cannot go to bed as long as the lights are burning, and as the thirty-seven saloons were not inviting, to the Ice Palace Mr. Gordan wended his way. There was a visitors' gallery, but Mr. Gordan believed in being seen as well as in seeing, so he sat on one of the benches reserved for the skaters and his overcoat created a mild sensation among the mackinaws and sweaters. He was too fat to skate, and soon he regretted that such was the case. ”

“ Gordan's verbal report consumed almost an entire morning and contained everything but recommendations to mercy. David Seligman, old and wise and an excellent judge of human nature, smoked black cigars and pondered before he rendered his verdict.
"Well, Izzy," said he, "you must have been a busy man. If I am to do what you say we will have no company left in Truckee at all. To begin with the camera man, he is fresh. Maybe so, but he is the first man to discover that keeping his camera frozen prevents static troubles. ”

“ If you want to walk round get behind the camera!"
"Don't be fresh, young man!" said Mr. Gordan sternly.
It was Miss Manners who said the last word on the subject of the general Western manager. Returning from her nightly spin at the Ice Palace she saw a light in the hotel parlor that Montague used as an office, and tapped on the door. Montague came out into the hall, a pipe between his teeth. His usually jolly face was haggard and lined with weariness. A director who is also an actor and a scenario author leads a hard life and burns his candle at both ends, physical and mental. ”

“ How's Montague getting along with the snow stuff?"
"He is at the hotel working on a scenario," said Miss Manners. "He can tell you better than I can."
"Oh, never mind him now," said Mr. Gordan. "Plenty of time for business to-morrow. Kind of quiet up here, ain't it? Nothing to do in the evenings. I suppose there ain't a restaurant in this town where we could have a little supper, hey?"
"If you are hungry," said the young woman, "you can get sandwiches in the railroad eating house."
"What do you do for a good time?" demanded Gordan.
"We work mostly," said Miss Manners. ”

“ Montague whistled softly to himself.
"I'm not a baby, Jim. I can take care of myself, as you know. If he was an ordinary masher I could slap his face and send him about his business; but he's the Western manager and that makes it difficult. He can make trouble for all of us, and he's the kind of a man that'll do it. ”

“ You can put a man on the witness stand and he'll lie; but if you pull a moving picture on him—good night! Jim didn't know what I was going to do and he didn't see me swing round to get the focus, but he tumbled as soon as he heard the camera begin to click, and I guess that's why Gordan wasn't licked on the spot."
"I got to hand it to you," said Buck admiringly. "You're a bear!"
"Huh!" said Dupree. "I know action when I see it. Maybe that's why the old man raised my salary."
"He'd have raised mine, too, if there 'd been any pictures of that sled trip back to Truckee," said Buck. ”

“ A fat gentleman in a cutaway coat came crouching into the picture. Mr. Gordan gasped. For an instant an unmistakable profile was silhouetted against the white background, and David Seligman shouted with laughter.
"Well, Izzy," he cried, "since when have you been an actor?"
"Stop that film!" bawled Gordan. "Stop it!" ”

“ Gordan told himself that Truckee would not be so bad after all.
"They're all alike—actresses," said he, as he turned off the light. "They're always upstage until they know you. Now this Manners, I'll bet she's a good feller when she gets acquainted."
II If Mr. Gordan had been an early riser he would have witnessed an interesting sight in the departure of a moving-picture company equipped for snow stuff. ”

“ Gordan. "I'll talk to you presently," said Montague; "just now I'm busy. Stand back, please."
In this Montague was within his rights. During the actual making of a picture the director is absolute and brooks no interference. A stage manager listens to the voice of the angel who pays for the production; a moving-picture director spends thousands to obtain novel effects, and holds himself accountable only to the high court of results achieved. ”

“ The director watched his leading woman until her door closed behind her. Then he turned back into his office, and sitting down at the table dropped his chin in his hands.
"This moving-picture game is like a lot of other things," he soliloquized. "It would be all right but for some of the people in it!"
III "What next? For the love of Mike, what next?" complained Buck Parvin, as he sat upon his sledge and eyed the seven malemutes reproachfully. "I thought I'd done about every fool stunt that a movie actor could do, but this snow stuff has got me treed and out on a limb!" ”

“ Half an hour later a very wet and vastly uncomfortable fat man awoke, to find himself careening toward Truckee behind seven malemutes.
"Don't wiggle so much!" commanded Buck Parvin. "I had to tie you on to keep you from falling off.... What happened? Why, you forgot the business of that scene you was playing. You was to dodge when she swung the gun, and you didn't do it.... Huh? Why sure it was a accident! You don't think a lady like Miss Manners would bust you that way a purpose! I was standing right there and I heard Jim run over the scene with her. 'Hit at me hard,' he says. ”

“ There's been five or six companies here this winter makin' snow pictures, but this is the biggest of the bunch. They got skin canoes, seven or eight sledges, fifty dogs, fur clothes till you can't rest, an' even a lot of Japs that they dress up like Eskimoses."
"And what do you think?" said the loafer five minutes afterward to the keeper of the bar in one of the thirty-seven saloons. "Here I'm givin' all this information to the general manager of the company—the Main Finger, just out from New York. Golly! He sure did jump when them malemutes started singin'!" ”

“ It is rather difficult to keep a dog sledge on even keel. Given a fat man for a load, complications multiply. Malemutes are uncertain brutes. This may explain why Mr. Gordan took nine headers into snowdrifts and became involved in three desperate dogfights on the way to the hotel.
The same road was traveled later by James Montague and Myrtle Manners. ”

“ Montague opened his mouth, but before he could speak Miss Manners was tugging at his parka. He turned to look at her and was arrested by a singular gleam in her eye. There was a reason for that gleam. Mr. Gordan, pursuing his usual system with "actresses," had passed from words to deeds. During the lunch hour he had attempted to kiss her behind a pine tree, and had laughed when she raged at the insult.
"You'll get over it, dearie," he had said. "They always do."
"Jim," said she sweetly, "if you will let Mr. ”

“ There's a movie outfit up here makin' Alaska stuff, and every stable in town is full of them darned malemutes and huskies. They fight all day and howl all night, but outside o' that I guess they're all right. ”

“ Of a type unfortunately not rare in certain brightly lighted precincts directly south of Yonkers, he had been associated with musical-comedy productions for many years, hence that knowledge.
"The legitimate, the merry-merry and the movies, they're all alike," mused Mr. ”