Author! Author!

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Marcellus Peckinpaw is the celebrated author of a best seller book, "The Lure of the West." Peckinpaw is offered a handsome sum by the president of the Titan Motion Picture Company for the film rights to his masterful writing. In addition to the money named, Peckinpaw insists that he be allowed personally to superintend the production of the picture. Accordingly, when Director Montague is ready to proceed with a selection of types for the production, Peckinpaw arrives at the studio and bad luck camps on Montague's trail. Peckinpaw's knowledge of the west is limited to observations from a Pullman window and a visit to a Wild West show. Despite his ignorance, the author insists on having things done his way and each thriller that Montague plans to inject in the picture is spoiled by the obdurate author's insistence, "it isn't in my book; it isn't in my book." Friction between author and director becomes acute and Monty, driven half frantic, declares, "I'll give fifty dollars to be rid of the pestiferous man of letters." Buck Parvin, cowboy actor, hears Monty's statement and concocts a plan. Solemnly Buck tells Peckinpaw of the ferocious bloodthirstiness of Peter Lone Wolf, a real Indian who is a member of the company. Buck fixes it with the Indian, who, in reality, is as civilized as Peckinpaw himself, and Peter Lone Wolf agrees to aid Buck in his designs on the thoroughly hated author. Buck fills the latter full of weird stories of Lone Wolf's warpath antics until the writer jumps half out of his skin at the slightest unusual sound. In the distance is heard a rumbling roar and then a whoop, and over a hill, in full war paint and feathers, comes Peter Lone Wolf. The whole company disperses. There is a mad scramble and all but Peckinpaw reach a place of safety. The Indian singles out the author and pursues the little man until he hides up to his waist in slime. Then Lone Wolf returns to camp and he and Buck and others of the company split their sides with laughter at Peckinpaw's expense. After dark a weary and bedraggled author crawls into camp and makes his way to the director's tent, where he hears familiar voices. He listens. Peter Lone Wolf is disparaging Peckinpaw as a writer and his book as a work in fluent and well-chosen words of English. Peckinpaw hears Peter say, "When I was at Harvard," and then a great light dawns upon him. He realizes he Has been duped, and decides to return to civilization. Amid roars of laughter, Buck agrees to split the fifty "fifty-fifty" with Peter Lone Wolf, provided of course, he can collect from the mirth-shaken Monty.