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Aunt Jane's Nieces Out West

"

"The fact is," added Flo, "no one will employ us when we have lost our

youth. So we are taking advantage of these few fleeting years to make hay

while the sun shines."

"Do many stage actresses go into the motion picture business?"

asked Beth.

"A few, but all are not competent," replied Maud. "In the 'silent drama'

facial expression and the art of conveying information by a gesture is of

paramount importance. In other words, action must do the talking and

explain everything. I am told that some comedians, like 'Bunny' and

Sterling Mace, were failures on the stage, yet in motion pictures they

are great favorites. On the other hand, some famous stage actors can do

nothing in motion pictures."

On their arrival at Santa Monica Mr. Merrick invited the party to be his

guests at luncheon, which was served in a cosy restaurant overlooking

the ocean. And then, although at this season it was bleak winter back

East, all but Uncle John and Aunt Jane took a bath in the surf of the

blue Pacific, mingling with hundreds of other bathers who were enjoying

the sport.

Mrs. Montrose and Uncle John sat on the sands to watch the merry scene,

while the young people swam and splashed about, and they seemed--as Miss

Patsy slyly observed--to "get on very well together."

"And that is very creditable to your aunt," she observed to Maud Stanton,

who was beside her in the water, "for Uncle John is rather shy in the

society of ladies and they find him hard to entertain."

"He seems like a dear old gentleman," said Maud.

"He is, indeed, the dearest in all the world. And, if he likes your Aunt

Jane, that is evidence that she is all right, too; for Uncle John's

intuition never fails him in the selection of friends. He--"

"Dear me!" cried Maud; "there's someone in trouble, I'm sure."

She was looking out across the waves, which were fairly high to-day, and

Patsy saw her lean forward and strike out to sea with strokes of

remarkable swiftness. Bathers were scattered thickly along the coast, but

only a few had ventured far out beyond the life-lines, so Patsy naturally

sought an explanation by gazing at those farthest out.

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