Boy's Cinema (1939-40)

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8 prone body of his chum, hoisted him over his left shoulder, and staggered out from the gas with his burden. The ambulance men had a stretcher ready, and Ted was borne upon it to the hospital of the airport. Oxygren was used, artificial respiration was tried, but after prolonged efforts a perspiring doctor straightened liis back and shook his head. "You can't give up, doctor!" cried John in a voice that cracked. " You mustn't ! Y'ou've got to save him !" "I'm sorry," murmured the doctor, and then John seemed to go completely crazy with grief. Jlembers of the airport staff were looking in at an open window, and the youth of the ice-cream tricycle was amongst them. They saw John fling himself upon the body an interne had covered with a white sheet, screaming at the top of his voice: "He can't be dead! He can't be! Ted! Oh, Ted !" The doctor put an arm round him, tried to draw him away. "Steady, old man," he urged. "Ted! Ted!" John shook the shrouded body violently till ho was dragged away from it and forced into a chair. His frenzy passed, his chin fell forward upon his chest, and he became limp in the hands of those who held him. His eyes were closed when the doctor raised his head, held a medicine glass to his lips, and commanded him to drink. Almost automatically he swallowed the fluid that was in the glass, and for some time he was ijcrfectly still. Then he opened his eyes and stared about him in a vacant fashion. "Who are you?" he asked in a strange voice. " Why are you staring at me ? What place is this? What happened?" "You've suff'ered a shock," the doctor told him soothingly. "There was an accident." "Accident?" he edioed blankly. "What kind of an accident?" "Your assistant was killed." "Assistant?" John put a hand to his head. "I have no assistant." A newspaper.reporter who was in the room ran to the window. "Out of the way there!" he cried, heaving himself over the sill. "I've got to phone my paper !" • Arnold Wilson, general manager of the American Chemical Company, had been present at the demonstration and was in the emergency room. He and the doctor helped John to his feet. "Come," said Wilson, "I'll take you home." "Home?" John stared at him as though he did not understand. "Home?" "Come along." He was led out from the hospital, and Press photographers took pictures of him as he was helped into a car. "Where are we going?" he asked. A VISIT FROWI MADELON MARTIN THREE hoiir.s aftcrwaids the car drew tip outside a massive apartment-house in Vermont Avenue, and Wilson turned to John, who was on his left in the back seat. "This is where you live," he said. John looked out at the red-brick building as though he never had seen it before. " 1 don't want io go home," he muttered. "Let's drive inotind .*ome more." "But you've been driving aroimd for hours," Wilson expostulated. "What you need is rest. Professor Leonard." In a wide and carpeted coriidor on the third floor of the Imilding the general manager rang the door-bell of the flat the real profe.s.sor had occupied, and Eleanor opened the door. "Well, here we are," said Wil.son. John looked at his fiancee as though she were an utter stranger. W'ilson said to her: "Remember what I told you on (he phone? He needs plenty of rest and quiel." " I undei stand." she nodfjed gravely. "T need a rlriidc," said John abruptly. "Have one before you go?" " \o, thank you, profes.sor." Wil.son shook his bend. "I've got to got back to the office. Good-bye!" "Oood-bve!" said Eleanor, and she marched January 6th, 1940. BOY'S CINEMA John into an exceedingly well-appointed sitting-room. Ted Hall was sprawled on a chesterfield of gigantic proportions, looking a picture of health, and with a very broad grin upon his lips. " W^ell, drink, drink, drink!" exploded John. "Here you are, professor." Ted reached out to a little table and held up a tumbler half- full of whisky-and-soda. "I got it all ready for you. What's been keeping you for the last three hours?" John took the tumbler from him and swallowed Tnost of the drink at a gulp. His vacant manner disappeared completely. " W^e had to do a little stalling," he replied, perching on an arin of the chesterfield, "to give you time to get here before we did." Ted rose to mix a drink for himself. "W'ell, how did everything work out?" he inquired. "You ought to know—you were there." " But how much could I see," complained Ted, " with that doctor pulling a sheet over my baby green eyes?" "You played your part beautifully." " You wereu't so bad yourself. You know, you're more natural crazy than sane." " Thanks," said John dryly. Eleanor sat down on the chestei-field between them. "Do you really think you fooled everybody?" she wanted to know. "Everybody that wasn't in on it." John gave a chuckle. "You should have seen them when the bomb exploded — they were pop- eyed !" "Pop-eyed?" snorted Ted. "What about me? You know, that screwy pilot nearly dropped the thing on the back of my neck!" " I told him to drop it close," said John. "You must've told him to hit me! I nearly choked to Heath before you got me out of that smoke! What took yoiv so long?" "Stop moaning! You weren't in it over a minute." "It was the longest minute I ever spent. Y'es, and I nearly fell off that operating table when you went into your 'Ted! Oh, Ted I' act." "It sounds like you two had a good time." remarked Eleanor. "What do you do now?" John raised her face with a hand under her chin and ki.-sed her on the lips. "Well," he said. "Ted's dead, so we'll have to stay out of sight until this thing's over." Ted put down his glass and got to his feet. "Yeah." lie drawled, "I'm going to catch up on some long-neglected sleeping." "And while he's doing that," said John, "I'll have to remain an amnesia victim. In other words, my memory has completely gone as a result of the shock of losing him. If my hunch is right, the eminent brain specialist. Dr. Carter, will try to get in touch with me." "I see." Eleanor made a face at him. " And while voti're in this trance of yours, what- do I do ?" " Just remain your own dear, sweet self, in your own very nice flat, until I round up this .spy ring, and then " "I'll be best man!" proclaimed Ted. "You're making an awful lot of noise for a corpse," reproved John. "Beat it. ghost!" "All right. I'll beat it," said Ted. "But while I'm (jlayiiig dead. I'm going to write your biography—' How to catch spies, or thirty \eais a siifl'erer from amnesia.' " With that parting shot he went off, and John slipped an arm round Eleanor's shoulders. "I'm expecting an operative fixjm head- quarters to act as my mother," he informed her with a grin. "I'm a very sick man, you know, and I must have someone to look after me." " That should be my job," .she objected. "No, dear, it's too dangerous. We may have to go into the eneiny's camp." "That's just what I'm thinking." She looked up at him with troubled eyes. "Phil went into the enemy's camp—and I'm going with you !" "No. it's impossible!" "No, it isn't!" .She sprang up with an air of determination. "Professor liconard is go- ing to have a sister. John. I want to help— I'm going to help! Your mother can be my mother, too." The expected operative arrived within an Every Tuesday hour, and she proved entirely suited to the part she had to play. No one would have dreamed that sl>e was a Secret Sorvk-e agent; she was a plump little woman, fe.is than live feet in height, with a gentle face, gentle manners, and snow white hair. < Eleanor took to her at once, andJohn found it ea.sy to call her "mother." Eleanor had her own pei-sonal belongings brought over from the flat in Twenty-Eighth PKice, iHid the three settled down as a small but harmonious family. Ted made him.self scarce after dark. Nothing moie of any importance happened that day; but in the afternoon of the follow- ing day John—in a diessing-gowfi—was look- ing out through a Avindow of tha pitting-room, his newly appointed mother w«8 knitting placidly in an armchair, and Eleanor was Tiiaking out a shopping list at A httle desk, when the front door-bell rang. John would have answered tlio door, but Eleanor jumped up and stopped him. " Better let me answer that," she said. "Remember you're a sick man! Sit right down there." John sank into the indicated efwy-chair, and she went to the door. !Madelou Martin was outside, bareheaded and looking extremely attractive. She was an utter btranger to the girl whose biotber she had betrayed, and to John as well, who had assumed a vacant expression. "I'm so sori-y to disturb you," •said the star of the Club International, "but I've just moved into the apartment across the hall there, and my phone hasn": been connected yet. May I use yours to report it?" "Why, certainly." Eleanor pointed. "It's right over there." Madelon Martin thanked her and- crossed the room to the little desk, bowing afightlv to the supposed Mrs. Baxter and to John on the way. She spoke into the telephone: "This is Miss Martin. I'd liko to have my phone connected, please. The address is Alton House, Vermont Avenue—Apartment Twenty-six. Yes—Martin. To-morrow? Oh, that will be fine! Thank you!" As she turned awa.v from the desk she looked rather fixedly at John, who was sitting motionless and expressionless in hi* chair. "I beg your pardon," she said to Eleanor, " but isn't that Professor Leonard t" "Yes," confinned Eleanor. "I atii his sister —and this is his mother." " Mrs. Baxter " nodded. John did not move. "I've seen your brother's picture in the paper," said Madelon Martir. sympathetically. "I hope his condition isn't as serious as "they say." "Well, we've had a number of specialists, but so far they haven't been able to help him." lamented Eleanor. "I know just what vou're e:oing through from personal exf)crience," lied the girl. "One very dear to me suffered for years from loss of memoi-y—visited every speciali.^t in Europe —until we found a Dr. Carter, right here in this city. He cured him in two inotiths." John's face remained a mask, although inw.nidly he was elated. Eleanor said: "Dr. Carter? Where can I reach him?" Madelon hesitated. " Well—er—I really don't know his address. or if he is still in this citv." she said, "hut if I can use your phone again I can call a friend who may know." "We'd be very gratefu! if .vo« would," declared Eleanor, and Mrs. Ba.Kter endorsed that statement. So Madelon Martin used the telephone again, not once but twice; and fts a lesult of the second call she announced tliHfc Or. Carter would see the sufferer from amnesia at eleven- thirty next morning. IN THE ENEMY'S HANDS MADELON MARTIN dc/wnpanied "mother," "sister." and "patient" to the sanitarium in Elm Street, and Dr. Carter received them in his office. "How do you do, Miss Martin?" he mur- mured as he rose from ht< desk. " It's a pleasure to see .von again. And this is Professor Leon.Tid?" He studied- John nar- i-owly. "T read about his case in the papers." "Miss Martin thinks j'ou n;a.y be able to I