Scene 16. _Despatch-office, as in 8.

Call-boy sitting in reckless position, reading novel. Carson orders him to put up signal lamps--no ears. Carson tosses heavy object on floor near him and boy nearly falls out of chair; starts off on “hot-foot” with lanterns.

[The audience must now be kept in touch with events happening at different points. The flashes of the desperados will show them moving toward a definite object, and we are satisfied. If we were shown the despatch-office, however, with Carson seated idly at his key, the scene would appear unnecessary, so the author introduces such “business” as that of the call-boy above. The author must hold his audience’s interest while bringing his characters together for the climax. However, don’t let such “business” be important enough to distract the attention from the main plot.]