If they come to-night we'll be ready for them."
"An' can't yo'-all take a picture ob de chicken coop?" asked Eradicate. "Dat feller may came back t' rob mah hens."
"With the lens pointing toward the shop," spoke Tom, "it will also take snap shots of any one who tries to enter the coop. So, if the chicken thief does come Rad, we'll have a picture of him."
Tom and Ned soon had the flashlights in place, and then they went to bed, listening, at times, for the puff that would indicate that the camera was working. But the night passed without incident, rather to Tom's disappointment. However, in the morning, he developed the film of the first pictures taken in the evening. Soon they were dry enough to be used in the moving picture machine, which Tom had bought, and set up in a dark room.
"There we are!" he cried, as the first images were shown on the white screen. "As natural as life, Ned! My camera works all right!"
"That's so. Look! There's where I hit you with a snowball!" cried his chum, as the sky-larking scene was reached.
"Mah goodness!" cried Eradicate, when he saw himself walking about on the screen, as large as life. "Dat shorely am wonderful."
