Boy's Cinema (1930-31)

and I ani afraid the staff in my labora- tories is too busy with other rescarcli work to devote time to it. I'm sorry, Darrow." Bob drew back, and made a brave show of concealing his disappointment. " That's all right, Mr. Madison," he said. "I'm sorry to have wasted some of your time." He made his way from the office and took the lift to the gro\md floor. As he stepped out on to the pavement a car drew up outside the entrance to the building, and a fashionably dressed girl climbed out of it. Bob touched her on the arm as she was passing, and lifted his hat politely. "Excuse me, miss," he told her, "hut you caji't leave that car there." The giil looked at him, in amazement at first, and then in indignation. "Who says 1 can't?" she demanded. "I do," Bob answered. "You see, there happens to be a fire-hydrant just where you've paiked it, and if there weie an outbreak here the brigade would have to liave your car shifted, which would mean a certain amount of delay." The girl's expression was chilling. "I'll leave my car where I please," she said defiantly. "And you can't make me shift it." "Perhaps I can't, miss," Bob ad- mitted, "but I can call the attention of that cop over there, and get him to make you shift it." 'I'he girl bit her lip, realising that she must sooner or later acquiesce. With an angry glance at Boh she turned on her heel, marched back to her car and drove it a few yards along the street to an authorised parking-place. Then she re- tmned to the spot where the young fire- irian was standing. "Now I hope you're satisfied," she said bitterly. "Perfectly," Bob told her, and grinned as she lirushed past him in a pas- sion. The Madison Laboratory. THE wilful young miss who had been involved in the altercation with Bob on the sidewalk took the lift to the floor occupied by the Madison (Jliemical Company. "Is my father in?" she asked of James Madison's secretary. "Yes, Afiss ]\Iadison," was the reply. "Mr. Alitchell is with him just now." Not for a moment had Bob Darrow dreamed that the girl lie hud met ouL- »'n\e the building was Jime Madisou, daughter of the man on whom he had just called. Nor would it have made the slightest diH'eience to him had he been aware of the relationship. As it was, Jlob had already half forgotten the incident, his mind drifting back to the disappointiufj result of his interview with the well-known scientist. June Madison had not forgotten the incident, however, and as she entered ht>r father's-office her pretty face slili held traces of amioyance. "Hallo, my dear," Madison exclaimed as his daughter came into the loom, and the greeting was echoed in suave tones by Dan Mitchell. For apart from moie material ambitions, Mitchell had long nujsed the hope tiiat June would come to rcgaid him in the light nf a suitor. ^1 "Hallo, daddy; hallo, Dan," Jnn(> le- turned. "I happened to be calling in at the building to k<>ep an appointment with Monsieur Henri, the beauty specialist on the top floor, and 1 thonglit I'd just step out of the lift aiul see you for a moment." "Speaking for myself,' drawled Mitchell, "I can assure j'ou, June, that it is a most unlooked-for pleasure." Scptcinbor 5tli, 1931. BOY'S CINEMA "Thanks, Dan," the girl answered, and, still dwelling on her encounter with Bob Darrow: "It's a pity eveiybody couldn't be so charming as you." "Who could be anything else but charming to you, June?" Mitchell said. June pursed her lips. "Well, I've just been insulted by one of your .sex," she declared. "He told me to move my car clear of a fiie- hydranj; outside the main entrance, and threatened to call a policeman when I shewed resentment." Her father looked at her doubtfully. "CTear of a fire-hydrant, eh?" he mused. "Well, you know, June, that wasn't quite the place to leave your car, and I dare say the fellow was acting with the best of intentions.". "Right or wrong," put in ^Mitchell, with a great show of loyalty, "ho must have been pretty insolent about the affair. I can quite understand you feel- ing upset, June." June could not really admit that the young fireman'.s manner had been inso- lent, so changed the subject. "What I really came in for, daddy," she said, "was a little money. I've just been doing a lot of shopping, and I've spent every cent I had." Her father laughed good-naturedly and, taking a wad of notes from his wallet, peeled oft" several of them and handed thorn to her. "Thanks, daddy," she said, ki.ssing him, and then left the office to lesunie her jouniey to the top floor. She had not long been gone when the telephone bell rang, and James .Madison picked up the receiver ami hearri the voice of his wife. It .sounded peculiarly agitated, and he soon learned the reason why. "What's that you say?" Mitchell heard him ejaculate. "Jackie A fire- engine Jackie nearly run over! Good heavens! Is he hurt?" "No," came the reply, "thanks to a fireman who climbed down to the front of the engine, he's safe and sound. I brought him home at once, and he doesn't even seem to be shaken up. But listen, Jim, I want you to get in touch with Captain Wilson and find out the name of the man who rescued Jackie. We owe him a debt we can never re- pay." "Wo certainly do," Madison agreed fervently. "But so far as it's possible we will repay it, my dear. I'll make a special point of getting in touch with Wilson this evening." lie hung up, and repeated to Mitchell his wife's conversation over the 'phone, Mitchell expressing concern as it Wiis related to him. "I'll see Wilson personally," Madison added. "Yes, as soon as I'm througii at the office here I'll .see him personally. Dan, will you excuse me? There's rather an important experiment being carried out in the laboratory this afternoon, and I asked them to hold it up so that I could be present at it." "I guess I'll have to be running along, anyhow," Mitchell told him. "Got some business to attend to down-town." He took up his hat and cane and said "goodbye," and almost immediately after his dcpart,urc Madison's secretaiy appeared again. "The head chemist just rang thr.<)ugh from the laboratory to say he is ready to begin with the experiment, sir," she informed her employer. "I'll be right alon,g," Madison answered, and, passing through the offices of the clerical staff, ho walked the length of an intervening corridor and entered the laboratory, where the atmo- Every Tuesday spher^ was heavy-laden with the smell of chemicals. The head chemist and one or two assistants were gathered at a bench on which some scientific apparatus had been arranged. Madison entered into some technical conversation with the analysts, and then stood by while a bunsen-burner was placed under a retort containing a yellowish liquid. The flame from the gas-jet had been playing on the glass only for a few seconds when, with an unexpectedness that took the onlookers completely by surprise, the contents of the retort ex- ploded with a deafening report and a blinding flash of flame. The apparatus was shattered to a thousand fragment.s, and Madison and his employees spi'ang back, several of them burned about the face and hands, and one or two of them cut by the fly- ing particles of glass. But those were the least disastrous effects of the explo- sion, for certain inflammable chemicals close by immediately took tire, and almost instantaneously the entire bench was blazing furiously. Madison and the chief chemist rushed forward in a vain attempt to quench the flames, but in the .space of a few seconds they realised the futility of their efforts, and the personal risk they ran in per- sisting with thorn. For with alarming rapidity the fii-e gained a hold on the floor, and on the neighbouring benche.*. Amongst the innumerable bottles on the- shelves above the benches there were many deadly ingredients that wore fuel for the fire, and, in an eventuality like thi.i, weapons of death and destruction. Two of them burst not far from Madi- son's head, and, with a hoar.se cry, the chief chemist dragged liis employer in till direction of the door, for which the assistants were already making. "We've got to got out of here, sir!" he shouted. "In another ten .seconds we'll be trapped, with the whole lab. ablaze around iis." He was right, for the flames were working round in a dual column tow;ards the only way of escape, threatening to imprison Madison-and his chief chemist within a raging, lurid wall extending from floor to ceiling. The two men blundered after the flee- ir.g assistants, darting between the benches that filled the long room. They reached the door as evil tongues of flame were coiling out to blister them and singe their clothes, and their, last impression was of a fierce inferno at their heels. ■ . ' Once clear of immediate peril, how- ever, Madison's thoughts were not con- coinodwith his own safety, but with tJio safety of the clericiil staff, as yet un- aware of the outbreak. The clerks wore warned, and aban- tlonod their desks to ihiong corridors and stairs. By the time they- had . evacuated the eighth floor the alarm had spread, and occupants from the other stories bcgairto march out of tlie building. . - T' There was no panic, and, though .■ there were white faces in plenty, thero was not a single case of hysteria, even among the girls. ; The personnel of the various com- panies occupying the block trooped into • the street and mingled with the crowds of passers-by, who had scon the flanips raging first of all in the laboratory windows, and now. watched tlicin spread- ing to those on the other floors. "This is goin' to be one o' the worst fires .you ever saw," someone in the crowd was heard to say. "The chemicals in the Madison laboratory have given it a roaring start, and the I