Reel Life (1916-1917)

The Girl and The Game MUTUAL SPECIAL FEATURE Chapter VII. — Spike’s Awakening — Produced by the Signal Film Cor¬ poration ; starring Helen Holmes IT is not enough for Helen Holmes, “the darling of the rails,” the fearless star of the Mutual special railroad feature, The Girl and the Game, that she has jumped on horseback from open drawbridges into the swirling water of the rivers beneath, that she has leaped from one thundering train to another, that she has swung herself, suspended by her two hands on a wire stretched across a railroad track, and dropped to the top of a moving train. In chapter seven, the dauntless heroine of the rails is dragged over a rope from the rear end of a box car to an automobile, both of which are moving at the rate of fifty miles an hour. She lands safely in the swaying machine. When making the picture of this daring feat at Las Vegas, Nevada, the star of miles and miles of thrilling film thought nothing of the stunt, and repeated it twice to be sure that it would come out all right. Delivering The Goods The personal guarantee of Samuel S. Hutchinson, the master producer and the president of the Signal Film Cor¬ poration, that each succeeding chapter of The Girl and the Game should contain a bigger and thrillier thrill, is being proved each Monday with the release of a new chapter of the Mutual’s special feature. Chapter VII is the greatest thriller of all. The plot follows : Rhinelander, to avoid future trouble, moves his camp to Baird. Coincidentally Helen is transferred to Las Vegas, a nearby station. When the new wires are up, Rhinelander and Storm telegraph to Helen that important contracts are expected on Train Number 19 on Sunday. The plan is for Helen to bring them to Baird where Storm will meet her and drive her to the camp. Seagrue, following Rhinelander’s new move, had located secondary headquarters at Las Vegas and he learns of the right-of-way contracts expected by Rhinelander. He is de¬ termined to get these valuable papers in order to embarrass his rivals and sends peremptory orders to Spike at Oceanside to hurry to Las Vegas. After a drunken debauch, Spike accidentally lands in Oceanside, being thrust off a train by some of the crew. Helen Holmes happens on the spot and taking pity on Spike’s plight insists on paying his fare so that he can continue his journey. Spike, greatly moved by Helen’s generosity, vows that if he ever gets the chance, he will prove his gratitude. The Plot Thickens Then Spike discovers that he is in Las Vegas and leaving the train, wanders about the streets until spied by Seagrue. When he joins them, Seagrue demands that Spike take measures to get the contracts away from Helen the follow¬ ing day, which is Sunday. “Then I can tell you,” blazed Spike, “you don’t get them.” Seagrue looked at his tool in amazement. The convict’s face darkened. “The man that harms that girl — ” he raised his voice ominously, “reckons with me.” The villains kidnap Helen from a speeding train This so enraged Seagrue that he sprang on Spike, but the powerful railroader bore him down. The interference of Lug and Bill saved Sea¬ grue, and Spike was per¬ mitted to go on his way un¬ molested. Seagrue instructed Lug and Bill to kidnap Helen on Train Number 19, stating that he would overtake them at milepost No. 49. The two villains climb on top of thetrain by means of a rope, and later, when they noticed the coast was clear, they let themselves down to the win¬ dow, climbed in, overpowered Helen and secured her with stout ropes. By this time Seagrue’s car was speeding along¬ side the rear platform of the train. Bill, an old sailor, con¬ nected the automobile to the train with a rope, and over this dizzy, vibrating, hazardous flying span Helen’s limp form was transferred to the automobile. Storm met the train at Baird, but missed Helen. The conductor stated that she had surely been on the train when it left Las Vegas.. Keen for possible knavery, Storm hastens to Las Vegas in the cab of the locomotive. Mean¬ while, the dashing automobile has nearly run over Spike in Las Vegas — he knows its destination is Seagrue’s shack, and guessing the rest, he dashes forward. Storm and Spike meet before the shack at the same time. Storm throttles Spike until a complete explanation is made and Storm, amazed, announces that if Spike proves his friendship, he will forgive everything that has gone before. “I mean it,” snaps Spike, “stow the gab.” Then the Big Fight Storm goes to the roof and Spike forces the door. Spike gets into the room first — where Seagrue and his men are baiting Helen. Seagrue has threatened to search Helen — after the papers taken from her are discovered not to be the wanted contracts. Spike’s sudden entry results in a terrific fight, during which Spike is floored. Helen spies some explosive cylinders and seizing one of them threatens to kill them all. This doesn’t daunt Seagrue — who is only kept from his foul purpose when Storm’s leveled revolver comes in through the window. Helen covers the gang with a revolver while Storm climbs in, but when she momentarily relinquishes vigilance, they escape. However, the contracts, also a lot of Christ¬ mas mail for the men at camp, have been recovered and Helen, Storm and Spike return happily to Rhinelander. The rugged old construction boss is amazed at the story — espe¬ cially at Spike’s awakening. As the regeneration of the former criminal impresses itself upon him, his old enmity fades away and a bond of real friendship springs up be¬ tween the two. REEL LIFE — Page Eleven