Boy's Cinema (1939-40)

Every Tuesday Mary Lou nskod whon ho had decided to leave town, and he replied ihat it was about an hour hcfore. "We talked it all over—the tiireo of us," lie added. "Are they soing, too?" "Yes.'' Ho presented lier with a larRo envelope. " 1—I was goiriH: to leave tlii.s for you. It's the deed to the property anrl a transfer of title. I'm leaving the ' Bee- ('Union '—what's left of it—to you and Pi. For payinetil on wages you both "have coiintig to you." "I don't want any part o' this doff- ponod old paper," disclaimed Pi, who was fastening the suitcase. "It ain't no good to me !" "Whore arc we going, Steve?" asked Mary Lou. "Oh, I don't know. New York—Chicago Say, what do you mean, ' we ' ?" "Wo," she repeated. "It's a pronoun; phnal of ' I '. Means ' us.' " He looked at her miserably. "No," he said, "I'm broke. I haven't any money and I haven't any job. Now, if you'll stay home, whore you can eat steady, and be patient^^ " "Be patient?" she cried, flinging lier arms round his shoulders and gidping back a soh. "With you heaven knows where? Oh, Stevo, I couldn't! Won't you change your mind? IMaybe this tioublo will all blow "over soon." "Not for three generations, baby," said Howard, who had entered unnoticed with Peter. "Yoii didn't hear the horse-laugh we got at Hcrkiinor's farm." "Fanesville's opinion of us is oven lower than our opinion of Fanesville," declared Peter. Thoy had their suitcases with them. Stevo, releasing himself from Mary Lou's arms, picked up his. "I'll write you as soon as we hght some- where," he told her. " Haven't you any idea where you're going?" Mary Lou sat suddenly dov.-n upon a chair. "Oh, yon ninnies!" she shrilled— and burst into tears. The tears alarmed all three of the yourg men, and tliov clustered round her «ith "sooth- ing words. They were still ehisterincr. and she wag applying a handkerchief of Steve's to her streaming eyes, when there came a loud knock upon the door in the partition and Martin Collins breezed in upon them with a toothpick in his mouth. His airy greeting jarred, and Steve asked brusquely what he wanted. "Practically nothing," he responded with a flip of his hand, "practically nothing. But I can sure do a lot for you. How about talkin' a little business?" "Well, you're a trifle late." said Steve. "Not for what I've got to say. I suppose you could use a number one exclusive and sensational scoop for to-morrow's edition of the 'Bee-Clarion,' eh, Steve?" Steve growled that ho didn't think there was going to be another edition. ^ "Oh, yes. there will!" Collins assured him, and took a chair at the end of the table and hooked his thumbs in the armholes of his waistcoat. "And what an edition! An extra —telling the world who killed Tad Herkimer!" "What?" Four startled voices shouted the word, and four startled young people gathered round the table. Pi Ifelly alone remained aloof. "Then ho was murdered!" exclaimed Mary Lou, her eyes no longer wot biit wide. "Come on—tell us!" clamoured Stevo. But Martin Collins was in no haste to im- part information. He said that there was a little matter of payment first. "How much?" Steve inquired. "Well, you see, it's like this. The party is willing to come clean if you guarantee three things. _ First, you've gotta print the signed confession just the way the party makes it. That's so the sympathy falls the right way. Sympathy's an awful important thing when a person's on trial in their own home-town." "I know, I know," said Steve impatiently. "But who is it?" "Take it easy—not so fast." Collins picked his teeth with the tootRpick. " Second, you've got to supply all attorney's fees." BOY'S CINEMA Steve c.-jii.sulted Howard on Ihat point, and Howard agreec! to act a.s attorney without any fee. "Fair cnouKh," agreed Collins. "Now tho third thing is one lliousand bucks." That created consternation. "But I haven't got a thousand bucks," liowled S(e\e. "And even if we had." challenged Howard, "]\ow do we know you're telling the truth?" ''Because," Collins replied, "I can get a signed confession from—well, from tho person." " Wlio is the person?" thundered Steve. Collins liold out both palms. "Pay in advance, gentlemen, pay in advance," he insisted. Mary I^ou had only seventy-five cents in her purse. Pi was called into confi-rence and pioduced eleven dollars. Steve had a few dollars and cent-s. Howard and Peter, between tliem, contributed ten dollars. Collins eyed the notes and coins with avaricious eyes. "Well, gents, how about it?" he drawled. "Make us ai; ofl'er." Steve offered fi\e hundred dollars; part down and the rest within a week. "How much on the line?" asked Collins. The sum total was twenty-seven dollars, and it was accepted. "Now, just .sit tight, and I'll bring in the one who will give you the whole low-down," said Collins, pocketing the money, and he went to the door and called out: "Come on, baby!" It was Molly Herkimer who ste)5pcd into the room, wearing a hat that had seen better days, a plaid jacket, a mended skirt, and a tragic expression. Pi shrugged and went back to the type-cases; the others stared in amaze- ment at the girl as Collins pulled up a chair and put her into it. "It's all right, kid," said Collins. "I made the deal. Now go ahead—give 'em the story." Howard flung out a hand as though already in court. "Who killed your father?" ho questioned dramatically. "I did," Molly Herkimer replied quietly, but with dramatic efl'ect, "You did it. Molly?" gasped Mary Lou. "What are you saving?" "Yes, I did it." Molly held a handker- ch.ief to her mouth and nodded solemnly. "In self-defence." "Self-defence." Three male voices echoed tho phrase with obvious i-elief. "He always treated me terrible," wept the blonde girl. "He took my money. He called me awful names. Then, that day—I'll never forget it! He came after me with a club. I ran, but he caught me. I tried to jerk away, but he was too strong. I hit him!" "What a story!" cried Steve ecstatically. "W^lat a story! A beautiful girl. Brutal father. He beats her—whips her—drives her to desperation. A white flame blots out every- thing—she strikes back. She " He broke off and looked down at the sobbing girl. "With what—h-_>r bare hands?" "No," said Collins, "with her—with her shoe." "Yeah, that's it." approved Steve. "Her slipper—hc-r dainty, shabby little slipper. Pi, pull the front page!" "She's pulled. Steve," Pi called across from the imposing-table. "What a yarn!" enthused Steve. "Molly, you're going to make history! Your face, is going to be on every front page from Maine to California ! A hundred and twenty million people will know what you eat for breakfast ■—what you wear to bed—v.-hat kind of per- oxide you use on your hair." Delight shone through Molly's tears, but she didn't like the bit about the peroxide. "It's natural, my hair," she objected. "I just touch it up a little." "You'll he the star of tho biggest show on earth—the Great American Trial." Howard tried a few flowers of speech to see how they would sound at the trial. Peter asked where he came in, and was assured by Howard that he would get marvellous pub- licity when he was called to the witness-stand and brought about the complete humiliation of Dr. Tyler. "Mary r,oii," said Sl<ne, "take a story— a real slory." Mary Lou got a pad and a pt-nci! and Rat down facing the central figure of it all, and Sieve began to dictate: "Drivi'fi by the hauntitig urge of conscience, Molly^ Herkimer staggered into the ofhce of tho Kanoj<villo ' Bee-Clarion ' last night, and Sf)bbed out the most moving story of the year. . . ." COLLINS BLURTS THE TRUTH THK most movirjff story of tlie year " appeared not "only in the "Bee- Clarion," but in vastly more iinfwrtant news- papers all over America. Steve had rung up the United Broadcasting Corjioration and .sold them the story over ttie telephone, so that it was given out on the wireless over- night. The "Bee-Clarion " carried a photograph of Molly Ilerkimcr, but to his intense annoy- ance Stove found another picture of her in the yIndianapolis Times" of the following day's date-a picture in which she looked anything but beautiful. Molly was in a cell in the town jail, because she had been sur- rendered to the Chief of Police without delay, so Steve went round to the town jail and Howard went with him. Mary Lou was with tho prisoner in the cell and was doing her best to improve the prisoner's appearance. Howard sat down on a chair and displayed the picture in the Indian- apolis paper. "Hov/ did they get hold of this?" he ques- tioned. " I thought Steve picked up all you ever had taken." Molly was contemplating herself in a liand- mirror, but she bestowed a casual glance upon the offending picture. "That's the one I gave Casov to hang in his lunch-stand," she said. "The customers liked it swell." " This case isn't going to be tried in Casey's lunch-stand," rebuked her attorney. "There's some okay guys eat i"n Casey's," she retorted. "I've been out with plenty of 'em." "You've never been out with anybody," Howard insisted. "Your father wouldn't let you. Y''ou've never had any fun. You've never been anywhere. All you did was slave your life away." Mary Lou remained in the cell with the prisoner, but Steve and Howard repaired to the office of the Chief of Police—and found him completely surrounded by reporters. He was handing out cigars, and taking all the credit for Molly Herkimer's arrest, but ho had refused to let any of tho reporters see the girl, and they transferred their attention to Steve the moment he walked in at the door. "Where's yoiu- prima donna?" they wanted to know. "VVhat's all the stalling for? Did she say anything I can quote? What did she have for breakfast? How about an inter- view ?" Steve told them that thej- would have to talk to her lawyer, and her lawyer said : "I have advised my client to make all her statements exclusively to the Fanesville ' Bee- Clarion.' " " Statements which may be quoted at the usual rate?!." added Steve. "What is this, a racket?" shouted one of the m.on. "Since when can you copyright a murder? You can't get away with this, Lewis!" Mary Lou's auburn head appeared round the door, and she said, "Steve!" and waited. Howard addressed a whole gang of Press photographers who had been kicking their heels around headquarters for hours. " If you will decide on a place for Miss Herkimer to pose," he announced, "Miss Carroll will bring her in." Facetious suggestions were made, but a leather-covered armchair ■ivas selected, and Mary Lou flitted away to the cell and returned with a gir! who looked so attractive to the eye th.at Steve and Howard were surprised, while Samuel blinked as though he suspected some stranger had been substituted for his prisorer. "Miss Molly Herkimer," annoimced Steve, January 20th, 1940