“If we start in here at Seaside Park,” went on Frank, “we have got to fix up right up to date or we’ll find ourselves nowhere in a very little while. There’s electric fans, expensive advertising, a big license fee, more help and the films—that’s the feature that worries me. As we learned this morning, we have got to have the latest and best in that direction.”

“But twelve shows a day, Frank,” urged Pep. “Think of it—twelve!”

“Yes, I know,” responded Frank. “It looks very easy until some break comes along. I wouldn’t like to pile up a lot of expenses, and then have to flunk and lose not only the little capital we have but the outfit we’ve worked so hard to get. Truth is, fellows, any way I figure it out, we’re short of the ready funds to carry this thing through.”

Randy and Pep looked pretty blank at this. It was a decidedly wet blanket on all their high hopes.

“Couldn’t we get a partner who would finance us?” finally suggested Randy.

“Why, say, give me that chance!” spoke an eager voice that brought the three chums to their feet.

CHAPTER IV—AN OLD FRIEND

It had grown nearly dusk while the three chums sat at the window of their room animatedly discussing their prospects. None of them had thought of lighting the gas and the night shadows that had crept into the room prevented them from recognizing the intruder whom they now faced.

They had left the door of the room leading into the corridor wide open to allow a free current of air. The doorway framed a dim figure who now advanced into the room as Frank challenged sharply:

“Who’s that?”

“Why, it’s me—Peter,” came the cool reply. “Don’t you remember?”

Peter—Peter Carrington—stalked closer to the window with the superb effrontery that was a natural part of his make-up. He ducked his head and grinned at the chums in the most familiar manner in the world. There was a spare chair near by. Peter moved it near to the others and sat down as if he owned it.

“Feels good to rest,” he enlightened his grim and astonished hosts. “Had a message for you, and the hotel clerk directed me to your room. Say, you must fancy climbing four flights of stairs!”

“You seem to have made it,” observed Randy, in a rather hostile tone, while Pep seemed bristling all over.

“Glad I did,” piped Peter, cheerfully. “Wouldn’t have missed it for worlds. Just in time to hear you fellows going over your dandy scheme, and say—it’s a winner! Photo playhouse on the beach! Why, it’ll coin money!”

Nobody said anything. Frank was minded to treat the intruder civilly and resumed his chair. Suddenly Pep flared out:

“Have you been waiting out in the hall there, listening to our private conversation?”

“Guess I have; glad I did,” chuckled the thick-skinned Peter. “I heard you say you were short of funds and something about a partner. What’s the matter with me? I suppose you know my aunt is rich and we’re some folks here. We live up on the Terrace—most fashionable part of the town. Why, if I had an interest in your show I could fill your place with complimentaries to the real people of Seaside Park. They’d advertise you, my friends would, till there’d be nothing but standing room left.”

“Think so?” observed Randy, drily.

“Know it. I’m my aunt’s heir, you know, and she’s got scads of money. She’s been drawing the tight rein on me lately. I smashed an automobile last week and it cost her over four hundred dollars, and she’s holding me pretty close on the money question. But in business, she’d stake me for anything I wanted. Says she wants to see me get into something.”

“You got into the water when the motor boat blew up, all right,” remarked Pep.

“Hey?” spoke Peter, struggling over the suggestion presented. “Oh, you mean a joke? Ha! ha! yes, indeed. Business, though, now,” and Peter tried to look shrewd and important.

“We have not yet decided what we are going to do,” said Frank. “As you have overheard, we need a little more capital than what we actually have. I will remember your kind offer, and if we cannot figure it out as we hope I may speak to you on the subject later.”

“I wish you would come right up to the house now and tell my Aunt Susie all about it,” pressed Peter, urgently.

“I couldn’t think of it,” answered Frank. “No, you leave matters just as I suggest and we will see what may come of it.”

“Say, Frank,” whispered Pep, on fire with excitement, “you don’t mean to think of encouraging this noodle; do you?”

“I want to get rid of him,” answered Frank, and all hands were relieved to see the persistent Peter rise from his seat.

“Oh, say,” he suddenly exclaimed—“I came for something, that’s so. My aunt wants to see you, all three of you. Miss Porter gave her your names and addresses and she wouldn’t rest until I had come down here. She wants you all to come to dinner to-morrow evening and she won’t take no for an answer.”

“Why, we may not be here then,” said Frank.

“Oh, you must come,” declared Peter, “now I have a chance to go in with you. I couldn’t think of your not seeing her. Look here,” and Peter winked and tried to look sly—“Aunt Susie is no tightwad. She is the most generous woman in the world. She’s minded to give you fellows a fine meal and treat you like princes. She considers that you saved her life and she can’t do too much for you. Say, on the quiet, I’ll bet she makes you a present of fifty dollars apiece.”

“What for?” demanded Frank.

“For getting to that burning boat and saving all hands, of course. Why, I wouldn’t take the risk you did of being blown up for a thousand dollars.”

“No, I don’t think you would,” announced Pep, bluntly.

“I’ll tell you,” went on their guest—“if you’ll give me a tip on the side I’ll work up Aunt Susie to a hundred dollars apiece. There, I know I can do it.”

Frank bit his lip and tried to keep from losing his temper with this mean-spirited cad. Then he said with quiet dignity:

“I think you had better go, Mr. Carrington, and I shall expect you to tell your aunt that we were only too glad to do a trifling service for her. Please inform her, also, that I am quite certain we shall be too busy to accept her kind invitation for to-morrow evening; in fact, we may leave Seaside Park for our home at Fairlands early in the morning.”

Dauntless Peter! you could not squelch that shallow nerve of his. In a trice he shouted out:

“Why! do you live at Fairlands?”

“Yes,” nodded Frank, wondering what was coming next from this extraordinary youth.

“Then you know Greg Grayson?”

“Oh, yes,” admitted Randy.

“I should think we did!” observed Pep, with a wry grimace.

“Why, then, we’re regular friends,” insisted Peter, acting as if he was about to embrace all hands. “He was my roommate at school. We were like twin brothers.”

“Maybe that’s the reason!” muttered Pep.

“His folks are big guns in Fairlands, just as we are here. Say, if you know Greg Grayson, that settles it. You just ask him if I ain’t all right—up to snuff and all that—and if I wouldn’t make a fine partner.”

Frank managed to usher their persistent visitor from the room, all the way down the corridor the latter insisting that he was going to “put the proposition up to Aunt Susie” forthwith, and that they