They had not long been home from their experiences with the perils of the deep when they were engaged to make views for “The Dividing Line,” with its battle pictures, more or less real.

“What’s the matter?  What happened?  Is any one hurt?” cried Mr. Hadley, as he ran toward the scene of the explosion, followed by Blake and Joe.  They could see, by a large cloud of smoke, that something extraordinary had occurred.  The figures of several men could be noted running about.

“Is anybody hurt?” demanded the producer again, as he and the two boys reached the place.  “I’ll send the ambulance, if there is.”  For when a film battle takes place men are often wounded by accident, and it is necessary to maintain a real hospital on the scene.

“I don’t believe any one’s hurt,” remarked Mr. Robertson, who did juvenile leads.

“Unless it might be C. C.,” remarked Mr. Levinberg, who was usually cast as a villain.  “And small loss if he was laid up for a week or so.  We’d be more cheerful if he were.”

“Is C. C. hurt?” asked Joe.

“No; but I guess he’s pretty badly scared,” answered Mr. Robertson.  “After this I guess he’ll have more respect for a smoke bomb.”

“Was that what exploded?” asked Mr. Hadley.

“Yes,” replied the “villain.”  He pointed to Mr. C. C. Piper walking along in the midst of a group of soldiers.  “It happened this way:  We were talking about the battle scene, and C. C. kept saying it would be a failure when projected because the smoke bombs were not timed right.  He said they should explode closer to the firing line, and some of the men who handled them said they held them as long as they dared before throwing them.

“Old C. C. sneered at this, and said he could hold a smoke bomb until the fuse was burned down out of sight, and then throw it and get better results.  So they dared him to try it.”

“Well?” asked Mr. Hadley, as the actor paused.

“Well, C. C. did it.  He held the smoke bomb, all right, but he didn’t throw it soon enough, and, as a result, it exploded almost in his face.  Lucky it’s only made of heavy paper and not very powerful powder, so he was only knocked down and scorched a little.  But I guess he’ll have more respect for smoke bombs after this.”

“Foolish fellow!” remarked Mr. Hadley.  “He never will listen to reason.  I hope he isn’t badly hurt.”

“It’s only his feelings, mostly,” declared the juvenile actor.

Mr. Piper, otherwise called C. C., came limping along toward the producer and the moving picture boys.

“Mr. Hadley, you may have my resignation, effective at once!” cried the tragedian.

“Oh, don’t say that, Mr. Piper.  You’re not hurt——­”

“Well, it isn’t any thanks to one of your men that I’m not.  I offered to show them how to throw a smoke bomb, and they gave me one with an extra short fuse.  It went off almost in my face.  If my looks aren’t ruined my nerves are, and——­”