Boy's Cinema (1939-40)

Record Details:

Something wrong or inaccurate about this page? Let us Know!

Thanks for helping us continually improve the quality of the Lantern search engine for all of our users! We have millions of scanned pages, so user reports are incredibly helpful for us to identify places where we can improve and update the metadata.

Please describe the issue below, and click "Submit" to send your comments to our team! If you'd prefer, you can also send us an email to mhdl@commarts.wisc.edu with your comments.




We use Optical Character Recognition (OCR) during our scanning and processing workflow to make the content of each page searchable. You can view the automatically generated text below as well as copy and paste individual pieces of text to quote in your own work.

Text recognition is never 100% accurate. Many parts of the scanned page may not be reflected in the OCR text output, including: images, page layout, certain fonts or handwriting.

6 "I'm going dizzv and blind from read- ing want-ads. I can't stall the landlady much longer, so I might as well " "Oh, don't talk like that!" Virginia broke in sympathetically. "I've been in the same fix myself—I know how it feels." Laura was wearing one of her plainest frocks and one of her oldest hats, but both were expensive, as any member of her own sex would realise. "Say, you sure keep up a good front," remarked Virgina. "Hanging on to this outfit seemed my only ichance," explained Laura. "But why should I bother you with my hard luck story?" They walked a little way along the pave- ment togetner, and Virginia reached a decision. "Listen, honey," she said abruptly, " maybe I can put in a word for you with my boss." "Oh, would you?' Laura asked eagerly. "I'll do any kind of work." "Okay. Meet me in front of that demonstration windoy/ to-morrow morn- ing, at the same time, and I'll let you know how I come out." Laura thanked her warmly. "You don't know what this means to rne," she said. On the following morning the two met, as arranged, and Laura was taken to an hotel in Madison Avenue where she was interviewed by Red Barrett, who was on a visit to New York. She had lunch in a cheap restaurant with Virginia, after the interview, and then the two parted com- pany and Laura returned to her own office and sent for Harley and Bowman. " Well, the bait worked," she told them. "It's an out-and-out racket—a whispering business." '■ You mean to say that someone is actu- ally paying people to whisper?" asked Harley, with well-assumed surprise.. "Exactly," she replied. "And I'm in on it! They put me through a regular third degree, but I got the job—whispering against myself!" "Did you find out who was behind it?" Bowman ventured to inquire. " No, not yet, but I'll figure a way. I'm going to live with Virginia Daniels—that's the girl who got the job for me. She knows me as Betty Martin; so you'd better tell everyone I've left town." Neither Bowman nor Harley liked the scheme upon which she had embarked, but they did not dare to argue. "And what do you want us to do in the meantime?" Harley questioned. "You take a swing round the country to see every big buyer and tell them the truth about what's happening to us," she directed. "Freddy, you map out the big- gest advertising campaign we've ever had. We'll spring it the minute I get enough evidence to hang these whisperers on." ON THE SIDE OF THE ENEMY FOR the next two or three days Laura did her share of whispering against the products of her own firm in New York and in Jersey City; and then she and Virginia were called to Kansas City, and on the morning after their arrival pro- ceeded to a big loft under the roof of an empty warehouse in Liberty Street. The loft had been converted into a sort of lecture hall, with a platform at one end of it, facing a central gangway be- tween rows and rows of chairs; and most of the chairs were occupied by men and women when Laura entered with Virginia. They found a couple of vacant seats in the back row, and Laura gazed about her with interest. The platform was deserted; the assembly was a strangely mixed one. Some of the men were well dressed, some were shabby. Several were taxi-drivers. The women were equally assorted and o^ all ages. "Whenever the boss starts a new di-ive," Virginia confided, " he calls us all together like this." "He certainly has an organisation," mui- mured Laura, and she nodded her head Novemhri- 2.0th, lOTO. BOY'S CINEMA in the direction of a white-haired old lady who was knitting placidly in a chair to the left. "Don't tell me she's a whis- perer !" "She is, and one of the best," Virginia replied. "She works the sightseeing buses and sends the hicks home v/ith an earful. Ill bet she's whispered herself about five thousand miles right here in the city." A door to the right of the platform was opened, and Steve walked briskly in at it, followed by Red Barrett. Steve mounted the platform and sat down behind a table on it; Red retreated to a stool by a window. "The boss!" whispered Virginia. "Why, he looks half decent," said Laura in surprise. "I thought he'd carry a machine-gun and have a lot of scars." "He might as well," said Virginia, "when he gets sore." Steve linked his hands upon the table, where he had deposited his hat, and began to speak. "Ladies and gentlemen," he announced, "I've brought you all here to instruct you on a new campaign. You can forget about Crandall's; the public's carrying on with that campaign. But this next one isn't going to be so easy." He paused, and the old lady dropped her knitting in her lap. "It's the Basque Steamship Line," he went on. "You've all heard about their boats. They are modern, luxurious, and the fastest boats between here and Europe. They're perfect—and that's our trouble! You can't sidle up to anybody and say that these boats aren't m.odern. They'd just laugh at you. And that goes for the luxury angle, too. So we're left with only one point—speed! And that's what they talk about, so that's our approach." He looked round at the attentive faces of his audience, the barest suggestion of a grin upon his lips. "You can see for yourselves," he said smoothly, "how those high-powered plants, running at full speed, put a strain on those long lean hulls. Pretty soon a seam opens. Then another one. Water seeps in. Finally they take a dive." "Dat is a-terrible," boomed a big fellow in the second row of chairs, dark-skinned and evidently of Italian origin. "What are you going to tell your countrymen, Joe?" encouraged Steve. "Weil," was the reply, accompanied by gesticulations, "I tell-a everybodees to write to their familee on da other side and tell 'em to stay dere, because if dey don't dey get-a drownded if dey take a Basque- a boat." ■Why?" "She'sa puffa and puffa so hard on da top, some day she bust-a loose on da bottom." "Well," approved Steve, "I think Joe's hit it for the foreign representatives here. If we can stop third-class travel that'll hurt 'em a lot. You taxi-drivers!" There were six men dressed as taxi- drivers and they deserted their seats to line up against a wall. "Tell all your customers about those ripping hulls," Steve said to them. "If you hear of anybody planning to take a Basque boat—scare 'em!" The laxi-di-ivers nodded and trooped out. "You upper-cru.st people," said Steve, "are going to have tougher going, the men especially. You're liable to run into some arguments on horse-power and hull strength, so be careful what you say and keep on your toes." His grin reappeared and broadened. " I'd like to bet there isn't a woman here who knows the difference between a ship's hull and her elbow. Miss Daniels, will you come up here?" "Yes, sir." Virginia rose and moved into the gangway. "And you, too." Steve motioned to Laura. "Let's see what we can work out." The two girls ascended to the platform. "Everybody pay attention," commanded Steve, and tie said to Laura: "Now you're supposed to be in a travel agency, about Every Tuesday to make a trip to Europe. You gel the conversation around to where you want it, then say something like this: ' The Basque Line ships are so punished by speed that each trip is expected to be the last.' Don't say anything about engines or hulls. Just make a statement. No\v let's see how we can go." Laura looked at Virginia as though hor<i rified. "Surely you're not planning to take a Basque Line?" she exclaimed. "Yes, I was," returned Virginia. "The boats are lovely." i'. "But haven't you heard? The boats are so punished by speed they're expected trf sink any minute." "No!" Steve banged a hand upon the table. "Their boats just sink. There isn't any ' haven't yoti heard' about it.'-' Laura's blue eyes met his dark-brown ones defiantly. "But I put it in the form of a question on purpose," she stated. "Well, don't you do it!"' he snapped. "Mr.—Mr. I don't know your name, but if you'll have the decency to listen I think you'll agree with me." He made a little grimace, but sur- rendered. "All right," he said, "go ahead." Laura went ahead. "Well, there are two reasons for putting it in the form of a question," she con- tended. "First, none of us can be ar- rested for asking a question. Second, statements are always open to arguments, but if a woman is asked about something she hasn't heard she thinks she's missed some gossip, and she wants to hear what the whisperer has to say." Steve chuckled. "I think you've got som.ething there," he said, and addressed the other females present. "All of you bear that in mind." He stood up. "That's all for to-day. Keep plugging that speed talk. And now get busy!" The loft began to empty, and Laura was on her way to the door with Virgmia when he called Virginia back. "Who is that girl?" he questioned. "Betty Martin," she replied. "Pretty smart." He rubbed his chin and frowned. "Maybe a little bit too smart. What do you know about her?" Virginia glanced round, but Red Barrett had disappeared. "Well, after all," she said defensively, "I wouldn't have brought her here if she hadn't had a thorough check-up." "H'mm!" Steve picked up his hat. "Well, re-check on her," he instructed, "and if she's all right bring her round to my office." Three days after the meeting in tha loft, Steve was in his office with Red, going through some reports that had just come in from agents in the San Francisco and Denver areas, when the buzzer of the dictograph on the desk sounded. "Yes?" said Steve. "A Miss Daniels to see you," responded the voice of the girl clerk. "Have her come in." Virginia entered and the door was closed. "Did you check on the Martin girl?" asked Steve. "Yes, sir," she replied, "from every po.s- sible angle. She's okay." Steve compressed his lips. "I'm not thinking of her as one of our operatives " he said, " but here in the office, Do you think she can be trusted?" "Absolutely," declared Virginia. "Where is she now?" "Outside." "Have her come in." " Yes, sir." Virginia went out to Laura whom she had left in the general office. "Mr. James wants to see you," she stater with quite an envious note in her voice, "Me?" Laura's eyes widened. "Whai about?" "You'll see. Best of luck." Laura entered the hiner room, and R©