"Oh, so'm I. Keep it up, I says," and Mr. Ringold did, using different cottages in turn to get a diversity of views.
Sympathy was expressed for Joe on the failure of his mission to find his father.
"But don't you give up!" exclaimed Mr. Hadley. "China is far off, but it isn't out of the world. Don't give up, Joe."
"I'll not. I'm going to write to him to-day," and he did, dispatching the latter to far-off Hong Kong.
There was plenty of work waiting for the boys, some new manuscripts of sea dramas having come in. Mr. Ringold decided to film several of them, and rehearsals were already under way.
"I'm going to have a novelty in one of the plays," said the manager. "It's going to be a fire scene. We'll buy one of these cottages, or else have one built that will do well enough for picture purposes, and set it ablaze. Then, when C. C. comes running out, carrying Miss Shay—or maybe Miss Lee, for she's lighter—we'll"
"Hold on there!" called the comedian. "Did I understand you to say I had to rush out of a burning building?"
"That's it, C. C."
"But to rush out I've got to go in; haven't I?"
"Why, naturally, C. C."
