Boy's Cinema (1939-40)

Every Tuesday day after toinoirow and he's in pood shap«." "Think ho'll win?" Mushy asked. "I don't know. It's an oven cliiince. That's what the boys arc saying, anyway." " Wliich nioiins that you'd Ret evons on the hettinpf. You'd have to have twonty-fivo tliousaiul dollars to meet your boy's deficiency." (junner paced up and down a while longer. Tlion lie snid : "I'm going to talk to liim." lie went out and took a street car up to the Park Avenue district. Jefl lived in a large and expensive apart- ment ovcilooking Central Park. It was lu.xmiously furnislied. Gunner gave liis name to a butler, and tlio butler said he would .see if Mr. Grey was in. Gunner knew that if the man took in his name Jetf might rofu.sc to see him, so he took hohl of the man by the ear. " I,ead the way, mister," he said. "And don't make too much noi.se, or you'll be hard of hearing by the time I've finished with you." The butler went a delicate shade of grey and took Gunner along to the library. Gvumer shoved him out of the way and opened the door. He went inside and closed it quickly. Jeff was sitting at a carved writing-table. looking through his accounts. Gunner was shocked at the change in him. He had gone thin and was looking desperately worried. "Hallo, Jeff I" Gunner said quietly. .Jeff looked up and stared at him in amaze- ment. But Gunner was glad to detect that the boy was glad to see him all the same. "Hallo, dad," Jeff replied. "I—I " "I've just been hearing things," punner said gently. "You're in a jam over some stocks known as Iron Deeps, and you're in trouble to the extent of fifty thousand bucks." •Jeff's eyes opened wide. "How did you know?" he asked. "I get around," Gunner answered. "I may be a has-been and I may not be much of a fighter, but I've got a lot of friends. They tell me wliat's good for me to know." .Jeff got up. He was trembling .so much that he could hardlj' stand still on his feet. "It isn't as much as fifty thousand. I've got thirty thousand in cash," he muttered. "All I need is twenty thousand and I'll be all right. I can easily weather the storm if I get the money within the next two days. You see, I got a tip on these Iron Deeps. They were due for a quick rise, and " "Instead, they did a quick fall," Gunner said. "It's all right, I can see how it hap- pened." He paused, then cleared his throat. " How about Doris. Maybe she's got some jewellery tucked away somewhere." .Jeff went dead white. "I haven't told her anything about this," he said. "I daren't. She'd—she'd " "Do what?" Gunner shook his head. "That ain't any way to go through life, Jeff," he said. " Your mother may not have been in Doris' class, but if I'd got myself into a jam she'd have stood by me to the limit. So would this girl you've married if you took her into your confidence. If she doesn't, tljen the sooner you find out she's not much good, the better. You love her, don't you?" "Enough to land myself in this mess," Jeff answered. "All right. And does she love you?" " I'm sure of it." "Then wliat are you waiting for? Go and tell her. She'll help you out. Go and find her now and I'll wait here to see what happens." .Jeff still hesitated. Then he. made up his mind. "I'll do it," he said, and rushed out of the room. Gunner wandered about restlessly. This apartment was certainly an expensive place, but Gunner doubted whether Jeff was any happier in it than if he'd had something less pretentious. Certainly Gunner and his wife had been happy enough in their funny dump uptown. Half an hour passed, then Jeff came back. With him was Doris. Gunner could see the way things had gone BOY'S CINEMA I want to dispose of this," he said. " I had it given to me when I won the championship in 1915 " the moment Jeff entered the room. His eyes were shining and he held the girl by the hand. "This is my father. Gunner Grey," .Jeff said. "Dad. this is Doris." Doris laughed happily as she held out her hand. "I know you, Gunner," she said. "We've often had talks together outside the club." "That's right, miss—er—ma'am," Gunner stannnered. "I'm your daughter-in-law," she said gently, "and my name is Doris." And she bent forward and kissed him on the cheek. Gumier blushed the colour of a beetroot and twisted his cap in his hand. Doris went on ; "You're a grand person, Gunner, and Jeff has told me everything." .Jeff shuffled his feet awkwardly. "I feel a rotter, dad," he said. "After the way I've treated you, for you to come here and " Gunner gave him a poke in the ribs. "Shucks!" he said. "What are families for, if not to hang together when there's trouble brewing." He thought swiftly for a minute, then said: "How about that other matter ?" .Jeff shook his head. "It's no good. Even w-ith Doris going the limit for me, I'd still be ten thousand dollars short. And I can't raise it now. You know- how depressed the stock markets are. Nobody has any money to spare." Gunner nodded briskly. "Then here's what we do. I've got a fighter meeting the champ in a few days. Raise what dough you can and we'll back that fighter for the limit." "What?" Jeff stared at him in amaze- ment. "Risk what I have left?" Doris turned to him purposefully. "Jeff," she said, "if you lost every penny you couldn't be worse off than you are now. And if you win—why. you're straight again. And whichever way it goes I'm with you to the end. You know that, don't you?" Gunner grinned so widely his face looked as though it would fall to pieces. "You hear that?" he said. "Doris tal'^jJ sense. How about it?". Jeff nodded. "I'm there!" he said. "I'll give you the thirty thousand in the morning." And thej' shook hands on it. THE BIQ FIOHT GUNNER had never handled money of that size before, and he hardly knew what to do about it. It frightened him. It was going to be all right if Bob won, of course, but if he lost Gunner shuddered to think of the conse- quences. It wasn't as though Bob was a practi.^ed fighter. He was pretty good, of course, but his rise to the front had been very rapid and he was not used to championship bouts. If he got nervy it was going to be just too bad. Gunner was still feeling jittery when he saw- Mushy late the following night. He had the thirty thousand in his pocket. Mushy saw that he was looking worried and asked him what was the matter. Gunner pulled a long envelope from his pocket. "Mushy, there's thirty thousand bucks in this." he said. "Thirty thousand bucks!" IMushv ex- claimed. "Now I know why you've been see- ing so nervous. You stuck up a bank." "I'm putting on a bet for a friend." Gunner went on. He was so dithcry he hardly knew what he was saying. He took out a pencil and paper and wrote something down. Then he put the paper inside the envelope. "The instructions are inside. Do you knort where to go ?" CTAMPe TREE. 35 CATALOGUED 13/-. ^ ■ #inir^ incl. ROYAL VISIT CANADA. Complete Srt. Colonials, etc., to approv.Tl app^icac^^^ send- ins;2d.—P.Cockrin,13,MoiitrellRd.,London,S.'W.2. DIFFERENT STAMPS, iDCludins; Trianon- rnrr I lar, Eectanirular sets and British Cols, [ntt Just send 2d. postaire, requesting appros. * LISBTTRN & TOWNSEKD (TTJS), Liverpool, 3. All applications for Advertisement Space in this pablicatloD should be addressed to the Advertisement Manager. "BOT*S CINEMA." The Fleetway House. Farringdon St.. LondoB. E.C.i Jannary 6th, 1940. 130