Boy's Cinema (1930-31)

20 crept up to one of the windows and listened. Duko was inside, and Betty was with him. "Duke, you must do something," JBetty was saying. "If you don't, they'll take Buck away and hang hini." "Nothing can be done, Betty," Duke replied. "It's no good worrying about liiui, Botty^ic's finished." He paused for a moment, and when he spoke again his \oico liad changed. "Why don't you forget about him? I always said that if anything happened to him I'd look after you, and I'll keep my word. I've got enough money for us both." "Why, what do you mean?" "Marry me, and we'll go away to Ne'v Mexico, where there's a ranch I intend to buy and run on my own. What do you say?" > Buck nodded, satisfied with what he had heard. He went to the door and opened it. "Duko! Duke!'' he called out. "Where arc you?" He went inside, and found Duke and Betty in a small living-room. Chairs and a table formed the main furniture, while against the left wall was a bookcase, and over in a corner was a largo cupboard. When Betty saw him she went to him quickly. "Oh, Buck!" she cried happily. "Have they let you go?" "No," replied Buck. "I broke gaol." Duke looked quickly out of the window to see if there were any signs of pursuit, and was disappointed. "You're crazy to head this way," ho said. "Why don't you head south and make your get-away?" "I came to warn you." replied Buck. "Kane's been askin' Gorman a lot of questions, and Gorman handed out some story that you shot Bill Dakcrs." "I held up the pay-roll car?" Duke looked incredulous for a moment, then let out a shout of laughter. "Gosh, that's funny !" "Funny or not," said Buck, "Kane fell for it, and he's on his way out here now, with a posse behind him. They're goin' to search this place for the stolen money." Duko hesitated for the merest fraction of a second, but his face was expression- less. "That's Just too bad !"' he said. "They'll be wasting their time." Buck made no reply, but turned away to talk to Betty. He took her away to the other side of the room, pretending not to see what Duke was doing. Duko looked round furtively and, thinking that he was imobscrvcd, moved step by step to his bookcase. Casually, as though unmoved by Buck's warning, ho drew a volume from the shelves. Calmly he opened it and started to read. But Buck, watching, saw him take something from the book and .stuff it into the opening of his shirt. He swung round, strode across the room quickly, and jerked the book from Duke's hand. "Hollow, ell?" he .said. "So that's where vou had the inonev hidden, was it. Duke?" Duke's face changed. Hate smoi.idered in his eyes as ho reached for his gun. Buck closed with him and caught hold of his wrist, forcing his gun hand high into the air as he pressed the trigger. The gun exploded and the bullet buried itself harmlessly in the rough timbers o^ tlie cc>ilirig. "You're too darned smart to live. Buck Allen !" swore Duke, and dashed his fist into Buck's face. Buck released his hold and staggered backwards. Duke saw his advantage, and brought his gun hand down quicldy. December 26th. 1931. BOY'S CINEMA Buck knew that he stood no chance, unless he could shield himself. He dodged sideways, gi-abbed the door of the cupboard, and swung behind it. Duke fired. The bidlet struck the door and ploughed into the stout wood, spending itself without damage. He started to change position, in order to get a clean shot, and in that moment of delay Buck slammed the door. With a snarl of rage Duke pressed the trigger again and again, while Buck crouched flat on the floor of the cup- board. A succession of shots rang out. Suddenly there was a metallic click. Duke's gun was empty! Buck leapt to his feet and flung open the door. As lie did so, Duke raised his right hand and hurled the empty gun sfraight at Buck's head. Buck ducked, but not quite in time. The butt caught the top of his scalp, temporarily dazing him. He clapped his hand to his head, and tried to shake off the blur before his eyes. Buck shook himself and regained pos- session of his senses. He rushed to the door in time to see Duke, his horse in full gallop, racing down the south trail as hard as he could go. He jumped into the saddle of his own animal, and bent low over the mane as lie followed. A Running Fight. GUN in hand, he pounded along, now and then, when conditions seemed favourable, taking aim and firing. But the motion of his horse made any chance of success seem re- mote at that distance. He emptied the gun; then, finding that he had no other weapon but his own bare fists, he flimg it aside and settled down to a steady chase. Slowly, foot by foot, he overhauled Duke Porter until he was almost on top of him. At last they were gallop- ing neck and neck, and Buck saw his chance. He raised himself in his saddle, keeping only the extremities of his rid- ing boots in the stirrups. He launched himself full at his quarry, and wound his arms round the other's body. The two horses swerved dangerously, and for a sickening moment it looked as though they would both come down. "Let go, you fool!" Duke cursed. "Can't you see where we are going?" Buck saw, but too late. A steep precipice at the side of the trail yawned under them suddenly, and they found themselves hurtling downwards. Buck released his hold on Duke and tried to dig his fingers into the dirt and rock over which he was sliding. A clump of bushes checked him, and he came to a halt. Looking about him. he saw that he had pitched into a thick evergreen; while, not ten paces away, Duke Porter lay on the ground, groan- ing. He extricated himself and crawled over to his quarry. Then, realising that Duke was not likely to make any further attempt at escape owing to his injuries, he sat down by his side to await the arrival of Kane. Not more than five mimites passed before Kane appeare<l on the trail aliove. accompanied by the sheriff, Betty, and several others. He set his horse to the steep gradient, and rode down, finally dismounting at the bot- tom The others followed his lead. "Hell!" said the sheriff gleefully. " I guess we've got you now, Buck Allen. I arrest you in the name of the Deople. Stick 'em up!" Every Tuesday Kane came forward, and knocked the sheriff's gun aside. "Hey," he said, "leave my deputy alone!" The sheriff blinked in astonishment. "Your deputy," he stuttered. "Yes, my deputy," said Kane, mock- ing him. " There's the man you want —Duke Porter. And I guess you don't need any Tiandcuffs," "You mean to say that Duke Porter held up that pay-roll car and killed Bill Dakers?" said the sheriff incredulously. "Say, what are you tryin' to do—make a fool out of me?" "Nature saved me that trouble," re- plied Kane calmly. The sheriff shook his head sadly. "I guess you're right," he said. "I might have known there was something phoney in the way you kept lettin' Buck Allen escape the way he did—an' you the best shot and the pluml>- cusscdest man-hunter in three States. Even so, I still can't believe it." Kane made no reply just then. He motioned to Buck, and Buck produced the wad of money from Duke Porter's shirt. ''Maybe this'U convince you," said Kane, holding the wad out. "An' per- haps you'll remember what I said about not jumpin' to conclusions when a man first comes imder suspicion. Two men could have done that murder job—Buck here, and Duke Porter, because they were the only two who knew that tuo pay-roll cars were being sent; one as a dummy. See?" "Yeah, I see. But why Duke?" "Because Buck is my personal deputy hereabouts, and was put in the employ of the Development Co. specially to stop the robberies that had been goin' on in this district for some months past. I already had Duke under su.*;- picion, you see, but I couldn't fix any- thing definite on him. It wasn't until Gorman, who gets a split from Duke, tried to kill Madge as she was goin' to tell Buck all about it. that I got the real low-down on the whole affair. Even so, what she said wasn't enough to bring Duko to justice, because she'd only heard about the killing of Bill Dakers from Duke and Gorman talkin' together." " Gosh, then my chasin' after Buck was all hooey!" said the sheriff dis- gustedly. "I guess so," said Kane, with a grin. " You see, I had to make Duke convict him.self, an' that's where Buck came in. By pretendin' friendship an' bein' sus- pecte<l himself, he'd never rouse Duke's suspicions that he was really my deputy. You see. Mister Hank Bates, it wasn't Duke I was .scared of, but you. You do too much thinkin', an' that ahvaya starts trouble. 1 found that out tlie fii'St day I met you." "Is that so?" replied the sheriff, riled. "Well, let me tell you " "Aw, give it a rest!" said Kane. "Get your prisoner an' come a«a.v. Can't you see Buck an' Betty want to talk to each other?" The sheriff looked and saw. Solemnly he closed one eye, and what he tliought this time was right. "ITeh! Heh! Heh!" he guffawed. "I get you, Kane. Gimme a peanut, an' we'll be goin'." The posse rode away, leaving Buck and Betty alone. (By permission of Butchers' Film Ser- vice. Ltd., starring Buffalo Bill, Jun., as Buck Allen; Joan Jaccard as Betty Thorpe; Yakima Canutt as Utah Kane; Jack Mower as Duke Porter; Frank Ellis as Gorman; Fred Burns as Hank Bates; Violet McKay as Madge.)