Jane Stewardess of the Air Lines Part 23

"Probably Gary Macklin," said Sue, naming the latest Hollywood favorite.

"Good guess," said Grace.

"Do you mean Gary Macklin is going to have the leading role in the picture here?" demanded Alice, now thoroughly awake.

"That's just what I mean, and his leading lady is going to be Claudette Barrett. She came in on the same plane."

"My favorite combination," breathed Sue. "I think I'll ask for a leave of absence."

"Not much chance of your getting that, for business on the line is picking up every day," said Jane.

"You should comment, with only one trip scheduled next week. How about trading schedules?"

"I should say not. I'm just as anxious as you are to see how a film is made," smiled Jane.

"Does anyone know what the story is about?" Alice asked.

"I heard Mr. Macklin and Miss Barrett talking about it when we stopped at Rock Springs. Miss Barrett is going to have the role of a stewardess and Mr. Macklin plays the part of the ace pilot of the line."

"Charlie Fischer should have that role," put in Sue.

"Charlie's going to do the stunt flying," said Jane.

"If Miss Barrett's going to be a stewardess, we ought to see quite a bit of her," Alice said hopefully. "If there's anything dangerous to be done, we might even get a chance to double for her."

More members of the cast of "The Sky Riders," as the film was tentatively t.i.tled, arrived over the week-end and on Monday morning the company was ready to start shooting the scenes.

The Cheyenne airport had been given a thorough cleaning and everything from fences and lights around the border to the wind sock on the beacon tower had been touched up.

Jane, due out on the _Coast to Coast_, watched the company a.s.sembling.

Roscoe James, the director, was a giant of a man, well over six feet in height and broad of shoulder.

A taxi rolled up and Claudette Barrett, the leading woman, stepped out.

She was a trifle taller than Jane, with brown hair and brown eyes, and Jane was surprised to see the film star wearing the uniform of a Federated Airways stewardess. It was perfectly tailored and Miss Barrett even had the jaunty little beret fitted snugly over her carefully marcelled hair. She had a pleasant smile and spoke to several members of the company.

Another cab arrived and Gary Macklin, tall, dark and strikingly handsome, jumped out. He gave Jane the impression of always being in a hurry and of having an abundance of energy.

A camera crew had its equipment ready and when the _Coast to Coast_ came into view, started grinding away. The big plane landed smoothly and rolled into the hangar.

Jane forced herself to turn to her duties and she went forward to relieve the stewardess who had come in from Salt Lake City, taking over the pa.s.senger list and making sure that her own supplies were placed aboard the plane. She was stowing the lunch away in the pantry when someone spoke to her and she turned to face Claudette Barrett.

"I hope I won't bother you," said the film star, "but since I'm supposed to be a stewardess, I've got to learn something about the business." She had a pleasant smile and Jane felt an instant liking for this attractive girl of the films.

"I'll be glad to show you whatever I can. I'm Jane Cameron."

"Why, I've read lots about you. You were the stewardess who was with Mrs. Van Verity Vanness when bandits tried to abduct her. I was in New York at the time and read all about it in the _Globe_. What a thrilling experience that must have been."

"I wouldn't want very many of them," confessed Jane.

"Go ahead with your work. I'll just watch and ask questions." Jane stowed the contents of the large hamper away in the pantry and looked at her watch.

"We've only three more minutes here. It's time now to get the pa.s.sengers back into the plane."

Jane led the way outside. Over in front of the commissary Sue, Alice and Grace were watching the proceedings enviously.

"My roommates are all anxious to meet you," Jane said, "and they'll be glad to give you any a.s.sistance possible."

"I'm going to need it," smiled the film star.

The girls were almost overwhelmed when Jane brought Miss Barrett to meet them, but they found her so natural and interested in their work that they were soon conversing with her freely.

The last Jane saw of them as the _Coast to Coast_ roared away, they were taking Miss Barrett into the stewardess headquarters.

When Jane returned on Wednesday, the film company was in the midst of active shooting. Two of the big tri-motored transports had been chartered for use and were landing and taking off for special shots of the field while camera crews on the ground photographed them.

At dinner that night, the girls told Jane how they had been drafted as extras for a crowd scene in the hangar.

"It was thrilling," said Alice. "Just think, actually in the movies."

"We even got paid just for standing around. I'd almost have been willing to pay them," put in Grace.

"The worst of it is," mourned Sue, "more crowd scenes are scheduled for shooting tomorrow and we're all scheduled out."

"All except lucky Jane, who's in for the rest of the week," said Grace.

"I'll try and skip around in the crowd scenes and take the places of all of you," Jane consoled them.

"Mrs. Murphy's going to be the Cheyenne star in the picture," chuckled Sue. "The director saw her at the field and he drafted her for a comedy role. It was taken this morning and was as funny as could be. They dressed Mrs. Murphy up in an old-fashioned outfit with a bonnet and a parrot in a cage. She was taking her first trip by plane and all she had to do was to look fl.u.s.tered and talk about her fear."

"Yes, and Mrs. Murphy's never been up," added Grace. "When she started toward the plane she forgot all about being in a movie and began to get scared. By the time she reached the steps, she wasn't acting and Miss Barrett and Mr. Macklin had to almost force her into the ship. Mrs.

Murphy's brogue was so thick you could cut it and the whole film crew laughed until they were just about worn out. Mrs. Murphy got a hundred dollars for the scene and she's tickled to death."

All the girls were scheduled out on early ships the next morning and Jane went to the field with them. Even at that hour, Director James was on hand making plans for the day's schedule.

After the early planes had cleared the field, Jane saw him talking to Charlie Fischer, who had been given a leave of absence to do the stunt flying. A few minutes later Charlie came over and joined her.

"This is my big day," he said. "If I do all of the tricks they want me to, I'll go crazy."

"What do you have to do?"

"They're practically re-enacting the scene of the bandit plane attacking us, and I've got to fly the bandit ship. They had a chap from Denver slated to come up and do that while I flew the army plane which arrived just in time. Now I'll have to fly the bandit plane through a lot of maneuvers and then come down, get another ship which will be painted like an army plane, and do some more stunts all around one of the tri-motors."

"But that won't seem like an aerial battle."

"The director says they can cut the film in the laboratory so it will look all right. Of course he'd like to have both the bandit and the army ships up at the same time, but he's short a pilot and the scene must be filmed this morning. Hiring these big tri-motors is cutting heavily into his expense budget."

"Why not let me fly one of the ships?" suggested Jane. "If you were in the other one, I know I'd get along all right."