Picture-Play Weekly (Apr-Oct 1915)

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14 PICTURE-PLAY WEEKLY had picked up in tlie skims and made liis office boy. Tommy was as sharp as a steel trap; Detective Cuff had often turned over minor parts of cases on which he was working to him, and Tommy had proved by the capabihty with which he had handled these assignments that one day he himself was going to make a first-rate detective. Now Detective Cuff told the urchin to go to No. 688 Newberry Road, and see what he could 'find out there that might lead to the discovery of the identity of the mysterious assailants of Abelwhite and the money lender. Three hours after Tommy had departed, Franklin Blake and Rachel Verinder called on Detective Cuff. They liad come to inform him of the result of the experiment they had made, which had proved that Blake was the innocent thief of the Moonstone. "Then you ha\-e recovered the diamond?" the detectixc in(|uircd of Rachel. "No," she replied ; "I ha\ e not." And at that moment the door of Detecti\e Cuff's pri\ate office flew open, and Tommy burst in. The boy's eyes were shining with excitement, and he was breathing as though from a hard run, "Guvnor," he blurted to Cuff, "come along with me, an' in a 'urry, if you wanter be in at the finish. There's soniethin' comin' orf — T found out who them men was as trussed up Abelwhite an' Luker in that "ouse in Newberry Road. They was 'Indus. An' here's how I got on to it. I s;)ied a footprint in the dirt on the doorstep o' that 'ouse. It wasn't made by no shoe, 'cause there wasn't no heel mark, an' no nail marks, neither. So what kind o' footgear did make the print? That's what I couldn't figger out. An' tlien, as I was on my way back 'ere, I 'appened to get a flash at three dark-skinned fellers walkin' along the street in their long coats and turbans. I looked down at their feet — an' I had the answer. The kind of a foot-coverin' that wouldn't leave no heel or nail marks was a slipper! Tommy stopped for breath. "I saw that these 'Indus was trailin' a man with a beard and a satchel in his hand," he continued. "They follered him to a water-front lodgin' house, an' I follered thciii. The room he got was No. 10. One o' the 'Indus had follered him into the place, and he spied the number of the room on the brass tag of the key the owner of the lodgin' house passed to him over the bar. That room's on the top floor of the 'ouse, and with a skylight in it, o' course. And when I come away, to gi\'e you the tip, them dark-skinned heathens was climbin' across the roofs to get to that skylight. One of 'em had a blowpipe in his hand — and they're bent on murderin' that man, whoever he may be, as sure as you're born !'' Detective Cuff, followed by Blake and Rachel, ran out of the office after Tomm}', who led them to the lodging house in question. But when they entered the door of room No. lo they found that they were too late — Tommy's prophecy that the Hindus meant to murder the occupant of that room had been fulfilled. The man was not yet dead, though he had only a few more minutes to live, it being a poisoned arrow with which the Hindus had shot him through their blowpipe. "They got the diamond," he gasped out his story to Rachel, Blake, and the detecti\'e. "I expected to take a boat for .Amsterdam to-morrow morning, where I was going to have the stone cut up. A money lender — but I won't mention his name — to whom I showed the diamond, advanced me a sum of money on it yesterday which I had to have at once; he placed the stone in the safedeposit vault of a bank as security for the loan. I paid him back to-day, and he returned the diamond to me. Those Hindus must have seen him give me the thing, and they followed me here, and — and got the stone — and got mc," He struggled for breath with which to continue. "You — you took the diamond in }'our sleep, Frank," he addressed himself directly to Blake. "I came out of my room, and saw you ■walking out of I\Iiss A'erinder's door with it in your hand. Your eyes were shut, and I knew you didn't know what you were doing. So — so I just reached out and took it from your hand. You were a thief, and didn't know it. "But it was I who really stole the Moonstone — I, Godfrey Abelwhite!'' Eight Thousand in MasterpictLre Cast. 'piGHT thousand persons were used ' by Director W. Christy Cabanne in the staging of several scenes in "The Failure," the four-part Mutual masterpicture produced by the IMajestic studio. In one scene, showing the in side of a theater, fourteen hundre<I persons were necessary, while in another scene, showing a street parade, more than four thousand participated. John Emerson, former star of the legitimate stage, is featured, playing the part of an aggressive reporter, directly responsible for the exposing of an unscrupulous theatrical manager. Supporting him are such noted stars of the screen as A. D. Sears, playing the part of the crooked theatrical manager, Olga Grey, and Juanita Hanson. "Enoch Arden," "The Outlaw's Revenge," and "The .Absentee." Alutual masterpictures, were also produced by Director Cabanne. California and Movies. OO popular have the various motionpicture communities that have sprung up lately in southern California become that it is reported steps are to be taken by the railroad companies with a view to handling the tourist traffic. Within two years half a dozen moving-picture "towns" have mushroomed up in the immediate vicinity of Los .Angeles and the beach cities. The originator of the town idea was Thomas H. Ince, the Mutual directing genius, who fi\e years ago "located" on a promontory on the coast, near Santa Monica, and evoluted if into a town of five hundred inhabitants. Ince's village soon became by-talk over the country, and created such interest in motion-picture circles that other companies followed suit, and began laying out film subdivisions. Then along came Uni\-ersal City, the latest addition to the Los .Angeles suburbs. The "film town'' idea traveled with such speed that the southern California "real estaters" saw an excellent chance of exploiting their subdivisions to motion-picture people. One enterprising town builder coaxed a motion-picture concern to locate on his tract, conveying a free location for the purpose. A studio was erected .there for experimental purposes, and was no sooner up than the real-estate people advertised broadcast that such and such a place was to be the motion-picture center of the world, and lots went fast at fifty dollars each. Life's mysteries: .A seat in the motion-picture theater.