Boy's Cinema (1939-40)

Every Tuesday (Jaliliy grinned and put a finger to the side of his nosp. "Deduction." he answered. "The paporH wore fnll of your escape from the train, and how the police were informed that you wore on it by soinpoiic tlirowing a message out of the window. I guessed that some of tlio Silver Slipper guys were ou the job again. So I askod a lot" of questions, heard that there was a Saitta Margarita up in the mountains near here, and came right over." Bra.ss nodded his admiration. "Nice work !" he said. "You said you had to come along to look after me, and I guess you were right. Listen, Gabby. I've found the fellows we're after, and 1 vo got enough to hang them with. Every scoond we lose gives them a better chance to duck." "And you want nie to get you out of the can, huh?" Gabby said. "Well, now, that shouldn't be difficult. I could probably think of a hundr^'d difTerent ways." "Jnsl think of one," Brass implored. "Right! There's a bunch of cops down at the cantina. Tliey don't look too sniart to me. Why, with a deck of cards, I reckon I'll get you oul of here in no time." "Then go to it. What are yo\i waiting for?" Gabby nodded briskly, and started off. Then ho turned and came back. "You'd better give me my book hack," he said. "Just now I got myself into trouble through not having it. I tried to ask a girl the way to the police station, and she clouted me over the ear!" Brass took the book from his pocket and thrust it through the bars. "There you are," he said. "And it's as well you lent it to me. It saved my life." Gabby looked at the bullet hole interestedly. "I'll bet its ruined all the things I want to know," he said. "Well, I'll manage." He hinried down the street, and turned into the cantiiui. Some police were sittmg at a table having drinks. Gabby went over to them, and got them into a game of strip poker. It was easy to play—just ordinary poker, and the loser had to part with his clothes one by one. Gabby managed to make them understand the idea. He reckoned that before long he would have a complete police uniform, and with it would be able to secure Brass's release. But his reckoning went wrong somehow. Tho.se policemen weren't so dumb as he thought. After ten minutes of play. Gabby had parted with everything but his hatl He snatched up a tablecloth, and started to beat a hasty retreat. But one of the policemen went up to him and tapped him on the shoulder. "I am sorry, senor, but I have got to arrest you," he said. "Hey? What for?" "For indecent exposure. Vamoose!" He grabbed hold of Gabby, and began to march him through the street towards the jail. Gabby began to get desperate. If he was flung into the cooler, too, it wasn't going to do^ Brass anv good. "Look."" he said to the policeman who arrested him, "you can't take me through the streets like this. I'll tell you what. Let's go round the back of the cantina, and I'll see if I can borrow a pair of pants." "Very well, senor," said the policeman with a shrug. They dodged into a deserted yard. It was all Gabby wanted. He suddenly clouted the un- suspecting policeman behind the ear, and the policeman went down with a crash. Gabby dragged him into a shed, and hurriedly took his clothes oflf. A few minutes later, he marched out into the street again, and made his way to the jail. BRISK WORK! HE walked into the police station boldly, trying hard to keep his knees from knocking together. Three or four men looked at him curiously. Gabby blinked at them, and racked his brains for some Spanish. In the end he managed to rap out: "El gringo por el Capitan!" One of them nodded. The captain wanted to interrogate the stranger. Very well. "Muy bien," he answered rapidly, and took some keys from a nail in the wall. "Sepa BOY'S CINEMA u.sled quo eso es un liond)re nniy poligreuo." Gabby swallowed liai'd. Was the guy n.skiii){ him a qneslion? Hi' had to hope thai ho WUHu't. "Si!" ho said cri.sply. It .seemed to work. The man gave Gabby the keys, and added : " Eiicierreli) tan pronto como el Capitan acabe do Inlerrogarlo." "Si!" said Gabby hopefully again. Ho grabbed the keys and hurried to Ihe cells. Nobody stojiped him. and he breathed ea.sily again. ("ttlmly he unlocked the door of Brass's cell. Brass stared at him in astonishment. " Ih)w did you nuuiage it?" he asked. "Say, I had those guys eating out of my hand," Gabby answered modestly. "There- wasn't a stilch of clothes amongst the lot of them when I left Iheie. Say. wait a nn'nute." He produced a pair of bandcnfl's. "J'fl better l)ut these things ou you, .so they'll thiidv every- thing is legal." "Have you got the key to them?" Brass asked cautiously. "Have I got the key?" Gabby said, and produced it. "Why, another ten minutes at poker, and I'd have got the key of the city." They walked into the police-room, and the policemen there stared at him. He tossed the cell keys on to a table. " Hasta la vista." he said glibly, and he and Brass walked out. They had not gone more than a dozen paces before a terrific din broke out behind thetn. Gabby tinned and saw a man in his underpants shouting and waving his arms about. "Stop them!" the man bawled. "They have stolen my clothes! I have been robbed! Stop them!" Brass gave Gabby a hard look. "So you won them at poker!'' he said. "I think this is where we get a move on." Tliey broke into a run and came to the market place. It was covered with stalls and \jas crowded. They disappeared under the nearest stall, and Brass hurriedly freed himself from the handcuffs. "There's going to be trouble," he said grimly. "Not for you there isn't," Gabby answered. "YoH get out of here as fast as you can. I'll hold the wolves at bay. When you've cleaned up that counterfeit gang, you'd better come back and hail me out—if there's any- thing left of me." And before Brass could stop him, he had bounded into full view of the pursuing police- man, let out a yell, and rushed off in the opposite direction. Brass heard the pursuit die away and began to crawl mider more of the stalls. Suddenly he was spotted by a dog, and the animal started yapping at him. He scooped the dog up, and tried to hold on to its jaws to prevent it from opening its mouth. Then he heard a girl speak. "I suppose you can't be called a kidnapper," she said severely. "Perhaps dog-napper would be more to the point." Brass looked up and gasped. She was mar- vellous. She had fair hair and a skin as smooth as rose-petals. Brass got up suddenly. But he had for- gotten that he was underneath a stall, and the stall got up with him. There was a terrific crash, and the street was ankle-deep in broken crockery. A perspiring Mexican, obviously the pro- prietor, began to wave his arms about furiously. " Senor, ha arruinado! Mi negocio y ahora que voy a hacer? No tengo dinero!" "What's all that about?" Brass asked. "He says that you've ruined his business, and he wants to know what he's going to do. He says he hasn't any money to buj' more pottery, and that you must pay for the damage you've done." The proprietor burst into another torrent of Spanish. The girl sighed deeply. "He also says that if you won't pay, I shall have to. He says we're conspirators." "Tell him that I had nothing to do with it." The proprietor did not wait for any ex- planation.?. He waved his hands in the air. "I'olicia!" he licllnued. "I'olicia!" ItruHit Haw thai the lime had coirie (or uclioti. lid put the heel of bin hand ugaiimt the man's chesi. and sliovefj. 'J'he fiiiii\ tol- leiod barkwards, tripped r)vcr Ihe edge <»f Ihe wreirkeil Htall, and .sub.suled with a craHli. "Let's go," he Huid brihkly lo Ihe girl, grabbed hold of her and raced off down u couple of sidi- sIreel.H with her. He did it so suddi'idy that she did not have enough breath lo picilest at lir.>t. Iti ibe end she managed to get out: "If you don't let me go iMstaiiHy, I shnll scream." Jirass stoi)ped and lix)ked at her wearily. "You may as well," he said. "You're aboid th(! only one who hasn't, so far. Every- one seems to .s<ream in this noisy country." She looked at him cnrimisly, firrding herself rather liking him. "Well, why shouldn't I scream if I «arit to?" she asked. "You're the man the police are after, aren't you?" "That's right,'' Bra.ss admitted. "They're certainly after me. But, believe me, I'm not a criminal." "No?" She smiled, and two dimples appeared on her cheeks. "Well, you're giving a pretty fair imitation of one." "Perhaps I am," Brass said. "But it's rather iinportant that the police don't arrest me right now." "T see. Well, I'm going straight to the police station to turn you in." Bra.ss grabbed hold of her. He still had the handcuffs and the key to them. He snapped one of the citff's about her wrist and the other about his own. Then he grinned. "Remember me?" he asked. "I'm the man they're looking for, and if there's one place we're not going, it's to the police station. Sorry to be so definite about it, but there you are. Our first stop is the telegraph stati(jn. I believe it's a longish walk, but there's no help for it." She blinked at him. She saw that it was no good arguing with him any more. In any case, she was not sure that .she wanted lo. Nothing like this had happened to her before, and she was rather enjoying herself. Besides, she found herself liking him more and more every minute. "How far is this telegraph station?" she inquired. "I don't know. Perhaps twenty-five miles." "I see." She thought for a minute, then asked: "But do we have to walk? Wouldn't it be much more sensible to take a car?" "It would," Brass agreed. "But, except for those at the mission, there hasn't been a car around this town for years." "Hasn't there?" She looked at him inno- cently. " Do you think you could bear to be wrong for once?" Brass looked at her curiously. "I supjxise you're going to tell me that you're a fairj' godmother, and can make cars with a touch of your wand," he said, with heavy irony. "No. I couldn't do that,'" she answered. "But it happens that I drove my dad's car over from the ranch." Bra.ss nearly fell over backwards. "Why didn't you say so before?" he de- manded. '"Where is it?" "Just outside the town. If yoi\'d like io try coming nij- way for a ch.ange, I'll take you to" it." Brass gave her a shrewd look and decideii that he could trust her. She wasn't going to let him down now—he was sure of that. He was right. The car stood just off the main street, and they got into it. He un- locked the handcuffs and threw them away. "I don't think we are going to need them any more." he said. "At least. I hope not." "We won't," siie assured him, started the engine and drove off. She followed the load that led to the tele- graph station. For a long tirne they were silent. Then she glanced at him and said: " I suppose I oughtn't to ask you what all this is about. That would be too much. But I think I ought to know your name. I can't just say 'Hey, you!' every time I want to speak to you." "The name is Brass," he said. She laughed. January 2"tli, 1940.