Boy's Cinema (1930-31)

26 ■*-•*■•*■ •*■ ■»■■♦•-It- j "THE CRIMINAL CODE T (Continaed from page 18.) T The Fight in the Dungeons. IT was !-oiiio hours before Brady oveiitnally left hi? office to go and see Mary. He vas worried. He liated himself for what he had done, because he appreciated Graham's point of view. The trouble was that they were both workiiipr luidor two different types of law—Brady from the law of the State, and Graham from the law of the criminal. Graham, of covu'se, was wrong. That wa« understood. At the same time, Brady saw there was no chance of making any change in the present position. When he ultimately went into Mary's room, ho. found her impacking her things. Tough and hard-bitten though he was, there was just one thing in iiis life about which lie was really human, and that was the daughter who had filled his life since his wife hud died ten years back. She looked up as he entered and ran to him. "Is everything all right?" she asked anxiously. "No more trouble?" He shook iiis head and forced a smile. "No; no more trouble.'' he replied. ■ "I don't believe you,'' she said. "You've got such a worried look on \our face." She paused, thinking. "By the way. who \\as that awfully nice young man who called for me at the station to-day? I rather liked him." Brady winced. The last thing lie wanted to thiidi about at the moment was Graham. "Just one of '■,he tru.stics." lie replied ofThandedly. "He's a nice lad. but I'm afraid I have had to get rid of liiin. You won't be soeing him any more." He ^^as startled by the sudden change that came over her face. Her smile vanished, and was replaced by black disappointment and unhappiness. To his amazement, he distinctly detected the quiver of her lips. "What's the matter?" he said sharply. "I—I—oh. I want to sec him again!'' she cried. " I know he is a convict. but he's the onl_\ real man I have ever met!" Brady snorted angrily. "Don't be a fool!" he said. "You've never seen him in your life before to- day. This is nonsense!" He stopped abruptly at the look wliich had appeared in her eyes, and drew his breath in sharply. "Gosh!" he muttered. For the first lime in his life, he fouiul himself face to ;";ice with a phenomenon which coidd be guided by neither argu- ment nor reason. By some strange twist of fate liis daughter. M.iry Brady, had fallen in love at first sight with a San Quentiu convict, Robert Graham ! "Gesh!" he repeated again. "I reckon I am too tough and nnthinking to know much about such thing-, but flo you reallv foel (he way you look?'' She nodded. No words were necessary. For two whole clays after that lie wandered about in a l)rown study, un- able to think what to do. For l\Iary's sake there was hardly anything he would stop at. yet lie knew that if he capitu- lated ,-ind had Graham released from solitary confinement his action might be taken by (he convicts as a sign of weakness, and they would revolt in a determined ofTort to oseape. Suddenly he hit iipon a plan. He July 4th, 1931. BOY'S CINEMA gave Gleasoii instructions to spread throughout the prison the story of Graliam's captivity—of Iiow a man due for freedom was iying in the dungeons because h(> refused to give the name of a murderer. The new - had sw ift effect. Galloway, working in the prison kitchen the following morning, was told the story by a follow crook. As he listened his black, glowing eyes glinted. "So that's it. is it?" he said. "Well, I reckon it's up to me to do something about it. Graham's not going to take the rap for anything I've done.'" "What's on yom- mind?" asked his companion. GaJloway's face set iji an expression of hatred. "I'll tell you. There was a time when a certain man in this prison got me sent to the dungeons for something I didn't do, anti I swore I would level up. I've got to go under over that Rundi business anyway, so I can attend to tlie otlier matter at the same time. Give me a knife !"' He took the broad-'uladed carver that wa< hold out to him, and hid it in his clothing. Then he deliberately picked up a bucket of water and flung it at the nearest .guard. The cookhouse was in an uproar. Other guards rushed in to find out what the trouble was about, and quickly ranged themsoives on each side of Galloway. "What's the big idea?" asked one of thciTi. "Notln'ng." replied Galloway. "I just felt that way.'" The guards looked at each other sig- nificantly and nodded. With a con- certed action, they seized Galloway and pinioned his arms. "You're for the dungeons, Galloway,"' one of them said. "It suits mo," Galloway replied. "Get busy!" Thev dragged him olT. and took him down into a d.irk chaniljor below the main part of the prison. On each side of this chamber -ivoro steel doors, behind which offenders against prison law suffered the agonies of solitary confine- ment. One of the guards unlocked a door, while the other jammed a revolver into the small of Galloway's back. "Get inside, Gallowa.v !" said the man with the giui. Galloway calml.v took a step forward, then twisted round. His hands, moving with the speed of lightning, closed o\ or the gun and wrenched it from the guard's grasp. The two guards hurled themselves forward, and sinniltaneously Galloway pressed the trigger. The bulli't wont wide, but the crash of the explosion stopped the attack. The two guards hung back, and Galloway surve\ed them witii a sardonic smile, "Get'out of here!" he said. "I will surrender only to Brady and Gleason." The two guards did not stop to argue. They cleared out to the end of the dtm- geons, and while one hurried to Brady's oflfice, the other remained on guard to ensure that Gallowav did not escane. A minute later Brady and Clleason arrived, followed by two nu-n with a tear-gas pistol and a tommy-gun. Brady held the others back. He was not able to see Galloway for the moment. "f'ome out of there. Galloway!" he shouted. "You've got no chance!" Galloway's voice came from the open doorway of the roll that had been intended to receive him. "I'll come out when I feel like it. Brady." he replied. " ileaiiwhile. listen to wiiat I have to say. It was me that Every Tuesday killed Runcli. I did it because he was a low-down, squealing rat. Our code demands that a iuan who squeals shall die, and maybe .vou won't understand it. Brady, but the same code also demands that none of us shall allow somebody else to take the blame for what we do. So .\ou can send Gleason in here and get him to release joung Graham. When yo\i have done that I'll talk about surrender." Brady hesitated the merest fraction of a second. "You've got a gun, Galloway," he called back. "Tiivow it out!" "I will throw it out when Graliam's free." Brad.v said no more. He made a sign to Gleason, and Gleason entered the dungeons. There was the sound of a key rasping in a Icxk, and of a steel door being flung open. The moment CJraliam had appeared from the interior of the coll there was a clatter as Gallo- way's gun hit a wall and fell on the groiuid. "Now. Gleason," came Galloway's voice, "I'm ready for you." He stepped out of the cell in full view of the man with the toimny-gun and looked at its barrel with "faint amusement. "Quite a little partv, Brady," he .said sardonically. "You'll need the irons on mo !" Gleason eyed the crook grimly as lie approached. He reached out to snap handcuffs over Galloway's wrists, when suddenly he felt himself grasped in a powerful grip and spun round. Tiie guard with (he tommy-gun pressed his finger on ihe trigger, but Brady's voice checked him. "Look out,'' he shouted, "or you will hit Gleason !" He turned to Graham quickly. "Get out of this." he said sharply. "Get up to my office and wait for me. I am allowing that parole warrant to stand, and there is a lot I want to talk to you about befoi'c von leav(f here. It's going to have a lot of influence on what you do in your future life." Graham looked at Galloway uncer- tainly, but did not move. "Co on. Graham." said Gallowa.v. "Do as he sa\s. I'm all right. Good luck!" "Good luck!" replied Graham, and slowly made his way up the steps to the main part of *he prison above. .\s soon as he had gone, Brad.v turned to Galloway sternly. '" Now see here, Galloway," be .said. " I don't want you to get hurt. You've played the game over Graham, and I'll see to ir that you don't go to the elec- tric chair for Runeh. Stop making a fool of yourself and surrender." "And spend the rest of my life in this joint?" scofT'd Galloway unrepentantl.v. "Not on vour life. Brad.v! I've got a knife at Gleasoii's back, and even at this moment he's wishing lie'd been a better man. He's for it, and nothin.g .voii can do is going to save him!" Even Brady tiirneil sick just then. He sprang forward, but he was too late. Gleason's face suddenh went grey, and he started slipping to (he floor. "Tjet him have it!" Brady roared. The tommy-gun started to chatter. Galloway throw up bis hands with a cry. Brady watched him fall, his eyes hard and merciless, "It was coming to him," he s;i»d briefly. He surveyed (ho two bodies befor«* him for a minute, then calml.v turnecJ awav. and walked with slow steps in the direction of his oflfice. (By permission of United Artists Cor- poration, featuring Walter Huston, Phil- lips Holmes, and Constance Cummings.)