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it, that's only 780 people a, week.
Why, I'll guarantee' there won't foe an
evening that 300 won't attend the
show. If we make a hit we'll put
our profits in starting a regular string
of these shows through the country."
"And the capital?" mildly suggest
ed Frank.
"You'll have to supply it If I didn't
know you had $500 saved up at the
bank, of course I wouldn't have come
to-you."
Franli liked Barnes, and was of an
adventurous spirit Once he began
to look' up the "movies" business it
fascinated him. The outfit Barnes had
mentioned he found out was cheap
at the price offered, and the supply
houses were very anxious to co-operate
with a new recruit in the field.'
At the end of two weeks behold
Frank and his friend at Parkville, and
the Palace Theater in full blast
The first thing that Frank did after
arriving at Parkville was to do about
the worst thing that a young man
with a shifting, uncertain income
might do. He fell in love with the
sister of his partner, Etta Barnes.
The Palace Theater was a" big
draw for nearly a week. In the first
place, it was a novelty. A good many
had never seen a moving picture
show before, and were not particular
as to quality. The partners knew that
in order to make a success, they must
induce the farmers and inhabitants
of minor villages around Parkville to
become patrons. Now many of these
had been at shows of the kind in
other and larger towns. They were
educated and critical as to the pic
tures. As a matter of fact, the ma
chine Barnes operated was old and
defective. The apparatus flickered,
the reels worked badly, there werej
many breakdowns, and they could'
afford to lease only two old films; and
when the month ended they came
out barely even.
"I see the trouble," explained
Barnes ''we're not up to date. We
have either .got to get' a first-class
outfit oe close shop."
"Where will we get it?" propound
ed Frank "I have a bare $50 in the
bank.
Rather disconsolately they kep
the show going, but pretty wellxQn
vinced that it would run out. Then
one evening circumstances, accident,
fate, changed the whole current of
events. '
It was market day, and a good
many farmers had remained in Park
ville to take in the movies. Just asJ
the first series of films was reeling
off, a man came to the entrance. He
was a neighboring storekeeper, bare
headed, and in a hurry.
"I just got a message over the tele
phone from the Bartlett farm, about -two
miles out of town," he advised
Frank. "His haystacks are all on fire,
and the house is threatened. His '
hired man thinks he is in the show
here.
"All right," replied Frank. Then
he. hurried into the iron booth.
Within the space of two minutes he
had prepared a plate for Barnes to
slip across the lens of the machine.
The showing film was retired, and
there suddenly flashed across the
screen the sentence: ,
"If Farmer Bartlett is in the audi
ence, hurry home at once haystack
on fire." v
"What's that!" crie'd out the indi
vidual named, and there was a mo
mentary bustle. Not only Bartlett
himself, but his family and several of
his neighbors hurried from the show
to their teams hitched outside. Then
as the exhibition film was replaced,
the incident was soon forgotten by
the audience.
It was the following afternoon, and
the two partners were rather desper
ately discussing their situation and
prospects when Farmer Bartlett en
tered at the doorway of the photo
playhouse.
"Well, my friends," he exclaimed,
shaking hands with them heartily,
"you flashed that message to me last
night, just in the nick of time, and,
dM a big thing for me." .
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