Boy's Cinema (1939-40)

is barn and drove a hard fist to the side of his jaw. Nevis grunted with pain, and tried to bring his gun to bear. Mike hit him again, putting his whole weight behind the blow. Nevis went over backwards as though he had been poleaxed. In an instant Mike was on top of him. and had wrenched his gun away. Then he got to his feet again and backed away. '■Come on—get up!" he said curtly. Nevis groaned, but made no attempt to obey. 'Get up. or I'll slug you," Mike con- tinued grimly. "I'm not in the mood for fooling around." Nevis rose slowly to his feet. Mike hefted the gun in his hand. "Get over in the light," he ordered. "Wave to that pal of yours to come on over. Go on—wave!" Nevis glowered but obeyed. There was a pause. While they were waiting Mike said in a low voice: '•All right. Get back now. Whafs your pal's name? Is it Frankie Lewis?" "Yeah," replied Nevis sulkily. "Okay! If he speaks, you just sing out to him to come back here—and that's all. Get me?" Nevis just nodded. Ellen suddenly spoke. She was staring down at where 'Mike had laid Phil Arno. "He hasn't made a sound," she whis- pered. "One of those shots must have " "Where are you, Joe?" came a voice. It was Lewis. He was almost tip to the barn. Mike dug his gun deep into Nevis' side. "Over here. Frankie," Nevis answered. Lewis' footsteps could be heard coming towards them. Then, suddenly, he appeared round the corner. Mike got in behind him. "Stick 'em up. Frankie," he said softly. There was something deadly in the way he spoke. Lewis obeyed, swift fear clutch- ing at his heart. The only time he had any courage was v/hen he was on top of a situation. "All right, the pair of you!" Mike went on quickly. "Back up against that feed- ing trough. And keep your hands high. I'm nervous, and if I ■ see either of you making a wrong move—well, it's going to be just too bad." The men did what they v/ere told. Mike said: "Ellen, get over there behind Frankie and take his gun away from him." Ellen nodded and went forward. She was careful not to get between Mike and the two crooks. She felt in Lewis' pockets. "Try under his armpit," Mike called out. She obeyed, and took out a heavy forty- five. • "That's the girl!" Mike said enthusias- tically. '• You'd better let me have it." She rejoined him and stood by his side. "I'll keep it," she said. "I know how to handle a gun all right." She was looking at the two men as she spoke. "And I'm like you. I'm nervous. If they do any- thing I don't like—well, it will be just too bad!" Mike chuckled. "You're marvellous, Ellen!" he said, and he could not keep the admiration out of his voice. He turned again to the two men. AH right—you'd better pick up young Phil Arno and carry him back to the truck. And when we get there Miss Frazier will demonstrate some plain and fancy taping. Come on—get a move on!" They all returned to the truck, and Mike drove back to town. He went straight to the " Guardian " building, and slung Phil Arno over his shoulders. Then, with Ellen driving the two crooks before her with a gun, they all went to the machine- room. Davie Bryant was waiting there for them. When he saw the procession come in. he said; "What the " novfiu'jer 25Ui, 10".'.t. BOY'S CINEMA Mike cut him short. "This is no time for talking, Davie." he said. "Ellen, make those two lugs sit on the floor, and tie their feet together. Davie, get on the phone to Dr. Gordon Stewart and have him come over here right away and see to Phil Arno." Thsy obeyed. Mike ran upstairs to the editorial rooms and came back carrying a typewriter and some copy-paper. He sat down and began writing his story. Things moved fast. As soon as Davie had finished with the doctor he went to one of the linotype machines and began setting up. While he was still at it Mike went to the display cases and picked out the type for the headlines. At the end of fifteen minutes Davie stood by the starting button of the giant presses, while Mike made a few last- minute adjustments. Then Mike stood back. "All set?" Davie called out. " All set!" Mike roared. "Let her roll!" Davie pressed the button, and the huge presses began to revolve. They picked up speed rapidly, the reels of paper began to feed across the cylinders, and at the other end of the machine copies of the "Guardian" began to fall out of the folders ready for the streets. "Kidnappers Caught!" screamed the headlines. "Case Solved by the 'Evening Guardian'!" Mike grabbed Davie by the arm. "Stick to the machines, Davie," he shouted above the roar. " I'm going to get on the phone to the distributors. When the paper hits the street I'll send for the police." "Go to it!" roared Davie. Mike went back to the composing-room, where Ellen was still standing over Nevis and Lewis, the gun steady in her hand. "Hear that rumbling, Ellen?" Mike called to her. She nodded. "The job's done!" Mike went on. "We've scooped the city, and we've got the biggest story since the Flood!" He reached for the telephone. Ellen gave him a feeble smile, and went on standing there motionless. Presently the newsboys could be heard clamouring outside. The news of the sensational issue of the " Guardian " had spread quickly. Ti-ucks drove up, and Davie could be heard yelling for the crowd to come and get as many copies as they could handle. The din was increased a few minutes later by the wail oi a police sii'en, and Mike turned to Nevis and Lewis. "Well, gentlemen, your car has arrived for you," he said. Ellen made a funny choking sound, and Mike turned to her quickly. She was swaying, and her eyes were half-closed. "Mike," she said in a shaky voice, "now that it's all over, I think—I think I'm going to faint." Mike jumped forward to catch her as the police burst in and yanked the two crooks to their feet. The crowds outside the "Guardian" building grew larger and larger. Many of the newspaper staff, hearing that another edition had been printed, were milling around the main entrance. The news got round to Cooper also, and he leapt into his car and went along to see for himself. The crowd of employees fell grimly silent as he appeared. Then, as he tried to push his way through to the building, one elderlv woman—a proof-reader who had been with the paper for many years ^stepped forward. "Well, Mr. Cooper, I'm certainly glad to meet you!" she said bitterly. "My name's Mary Anderson. I've been on the ' Guardian' for over thirty years, and this is the first time I've ever been ashamed of anything cormected with it! " Cooper tried to push past her. but she clung to his arm. Every Tuesday •And I mean you!" she finished. "Kindly take your hands off me, madam," Cooper snapped. "Maybe I'd better," she replied, and let him go. " You go upstairs and hide your- self before anybody sets about you!" A newsboy rushed out of the building. Cooper stopped him and bought a copy of the paper. Quickly he glanced over the headlines. Then, an enigmatic smile on his face, he fought his way into the building. Inside, Ellen was opening her eyes. Mike was kneeling beside her, a glass in his hand. •Here! Drink this!" he said. "It'll make you feel better." She gulped some of the liquid down, and coughed violently. Then she sat up. "You know, I owe you my life," she said. "If you hadn't come after me " "Forget it!" Mike interrupted. "I came after you for the same reason that I almost made you lose your life. I was after a story for the paper." He sighed and got up. "Well, I suppose I'd better take you back to school, teacher." She looked disappointed. "School!" she said. "Do you think I could go tamely back to all that after what's happened? I was hoping that— well, that you'd be able to give me a job. Do you think you could?" Mike laughed. "A job, eh?" he said. "Is that all?" "Then you will?" "Why, of course." "Oh, you darling!" She flung her arms round him and kissed him full on the mouth. He went the colour of a ripe tomato, and eased himself free of her. "Wait a minute!" he said. "I got that under false pretences. I've just remem- bered that I can't promise you a job after all. I'm out of a job myself." He waved his hands around the composing-room. "All this is—well, I just wanted the old ' Evening Guardian ' to go out in a blaze of glory. And it has! But it's all over now. The paper has ceased publication." Ellen looked as though she wanted to cry. But at that moment a terrific burst of cheering went up from outside. Mike ran to the door to see what it was about. A man—one of the paper's employees- had climbed on to a box and was waving his arms for silence. Cooper was standing by his side, smiling. "Listen, folks!" the man on the box roared. "Mr. Cooper's decision that the paper goes on means that we owe every- thing to our old chief, Mike Cassidy. But for him catching those kidnappers and giving the ' Guardian' the scoop of its career, we'd all be on the breadline this minute. Three rousing cheers for Mike Cassidy!" The row nearly shattered Mike's ear- drums. He turned back into the compos- ing-room. "Ellen," he said, "that job's yours!" Ellen let out a whoop of delight and flung herself at him again. He grinned down at her. " But I'm not quite sure how long you're going to hold it," he went on. " From what I can see of things, you're going to have a job of quite a different kind before long —looking after me. Maj'be if we could get away from the crowd for a while, I'd be able to tell you more about it." She grinned back at him. But this time she was the one who went a deep red. Well, she would rather be Mrs. Cassidy than a schoolteacher, anyway! By permission of Metro-Goldwyn-]\Iaycr Pictures, Ltd. Based on the film "Tell No Tales," which has the following cast : Melvyn Douglas as Michael Cassidy Louise Pratt as Ellen Frazier Gene Lockhart as Arno Douglas Dumbrille as Cooper Halliwell Hobbes as Dr. Lovelake Harlan Briggs as Davie Bryant Hobart Cavanagh as Charlie Daggett Tom Collins as Phil Arno