Boy's Cinema (1930-31)

Every Tuesday ti'.aining that the royal army was bis- b.mded twelve kings ago." " But the revohitionaiy army " began Wendell. "The battles of the last eleven kings," interrupted the baron, "have been fought on this table. It saves need- los.s bloodshed I" Zap picked up a fallen soldier on his side of the table. "This man is drunk!" he exclaimed humorously, and sniffed. "Son, you've got to stop drinking that hair tonic ! (.lot in the guard-house and sleep it off." "Here," said the baron, jabbing a finger at a collection of miniature build- ings on Zup's side of the table, "is the town of Azazaz." "Serves it right," retorted the irre- pressible Zup, "And here," pursued the baron, jab- bing a 6nger of his other hand at a col- lection of tiny buildings on Wendell's .side. " is the town of Ecp. From Eep to Azazaz is twentv miles as the crow flies." '"My, my!" murmured Zup. "Twenty miles as the fly crows." "No," mis-corrected Wendell, "twenty miles ns the cry flows." "I hope I can control my nasty temper !" cried Zup indignantly. "Listen, youth—ab.sorb this! It isn't ' cry flows,' it's twenty miles as the flow cries." •""Ball!" thundered the baron. "I've had enough of this. I'll not be annoyed by two men who oan't say a simple sen- tence like ' Twenty miles as the—as the cjy frose." "Please yourself," responded Zup. "Fight your own battle I" bellowed the baron, nnd went out and banged the door. "Now we're getting together." said Zup with an air of relief. "This, as you will already have surmised, Wen- dell, is a comic kingdom. Shall we fight?" " I'd .sooner change my clotlies. We'll have the battle on—er—well, say Mond.iy." BOY'S CINEMA "No," .said Zup, shaking his head emphatically. "Monday is a holiday, celebrating the death of King Louis." "How about Tuesday?" "Fine! We'll have the battle on Tuesday." "You might just as well go back to New York." "Not me! I'm the king!" "No. I'm the king!" The nrgiuTient might have ?ontiiuied indefinitely, only Wendell began to shiver yiolently and to feel that he didn't much care whether he was king or not so long aj, he had a hot bath and a change of clothes. So the argument was suspended, and Zup marched his chum across to the palace, where a chill was averted, and the two subsequently sat down to a meal they thoroughly enjoyed, the question of kingship having been shelved. That afternoon the royal minstrels were playing in the palace grounds as Wendell sat by himself in a marlile seat beneath a .spreading palm, gloomily occupied witli his thoughts. Aunt Minnie, elaborately gowned, descended the stone .steps from the palace, with Betty beside her. Aunt Minnie was seeking the Baron Bogardus, to obtain from him a definite statement as to the affairs of El Dorania and the well-being of her plan- tations. She had not found him in the palace, and for this circumstance—as for all other disagreeable circumstances—she held Wendell largely rcs[X)nsible. "Wendell Graham!" .she exploded on the steps. "A fine specimen for a zoo! I told him an hour ago that you wanted nothing more to do with him." "But, auntie." expostulated Betty, "we're engaged!" "No, you're not! I've made up your mind for you on that point. And if 1 find you two together again. I'll pull his ears and throw liini out ! You stay here! I'm going to find that baron, wherever he's hiding !" The bottom of the .steps had been reached, and Aunt Minnie stalked off " I Win I along a curving path and was lost to sight. Betty, with « sigh, seated her- self on the bottom step. Wendell crept over to her, seated liimself beside her. "I heard what she .said," he told her miserably. "Honey, I guess we'll never be married." "Don't worry', Wendell." she urged. "Everything'll turn out all right. You know, they say ' all the world loves a lover ' " "All the world except Aunt Minnie!" He held her hand, and if sadness v^as in his soul, at least the sound of romantic music was in his ears. She snuggled against him. "Hear that music'?" he said, after a while. "Let's dance! Come on!" "I don^t feel like dancing," she declared, but he coaxed her to her feet, and they began to dance a tango all about the broad expanse of paving at the bottom of the steps. Both had forgotten their misery in the joy of dancing together when Aunt ilinnie, who had failed to find tho baron, reapproaehed the steps. She glared, rushed forward, and stamped viciously on one of Wendell's feet. He swung round and saw her, and promptly stamped on one of hers. She stainiied back, but it was the toe of Betty's left shoe that was caught beneath her heel. Betty cried out with pain, stared at her angry aunt, and stamped back, then limped away up the steps, with tears in her eyes. Regrettable as it may sound, Wendell straightway kicked out at Aunt Minnie's ankles, and flew upwards after Betty, and Aunt Minnie, groaning loudly, tried to follow, but fell sideways and rolled down again. J Wendell Wins a Gun. THE court official who had assured Aunt Minnie tluit Baron Bogardus was not in the palace had lied to her, but that was not the oflficial's fault. The barou had given him instructions. exulted Wendell. '* I win I Look ! Don't I win ? " Seiitember 12tli, 1931,^