Boy's Cinema (1930-31)

22' struggling round, he saw the Irishman being carried across the track. The doctor laid a hand on Bob's arm. "Don't worry," he told liini. "Your friend will be all right." "Is ho badly hurt, doctor?"' asked June's father. "A dislocated shoulder-blade, 1 think," the medical man replied, "hut he'll soon mend. His kind take a lot of killing," he added with a twinkle in his eye. Bob was now trying to rise, and willing hands helped him to his feet. He swayed a little, so that Juno and her father clutched him anxiously. "You ought to lie down for a spell," June pleaded. "You've had a bad shake-up. Bob." "No, I'll be okay," Bob answered gamely, and managed to steady himself. Juno's father gripped him by the arm. "Darrow," he said gratefully, "you were magnificent. The Brown Special's victory will make motoring history, and, incidentally, a fortune for me. As for that, ten thou-sand dollar bet I made, with Dan Mitchell, it's yours. You've earned every cent of it." Bob scarcely seemed to he listening. "I've got to get to the hospital and find out just how seriously Pat ha = been injured." he faltered. "If he's badly hurt, the race hasn't been worth wirniing." "That's a fine thought, Darrow," Madison declared. "We'll all go and see that he's taken care of. I'll get my car out of the parking ground." He hurried off. leaving Bob with June. Dan Mitchell remained, too, a silent figure standing with lips com- pressed into a thin, vicious line. The Face at the Window. A CAR drew up out-side the imposing iron gates that opened on to the drive of the Madison home. A figure stepped out of the aut.omobile and slipped stealthily through the gate- way to plunge into the dense masses of shrubbery that covered the grounds. It was the burly figure of tlio ruffianly Ppike Behlon, Dan ]\iitcheir,« henchman. Night had fallen an hour previously, a night without stars or moon, and the gloom favoured Si)ike as ho advanced towards the house. Creeping through the bushes, ho made his objective a light which gleamed in tho sitting-room win- dow, and. after a cautious approach, 111' reached the sill. The .sound of music came from beyond tho window, and as Spike raised his head warily and peered into tho room ho saw June Madison's profile. She was sitting at a piano, and her finerers were running delicately and skil- fully over the keys. Beside her stood Bob Darrow. and he was listening to her playing with keen appreciation. June brought the melody to its conclu- .sion and turned to Bob smilingly, f'rouching by the window. Spike Behlon ducked down at once, hut. lifting his )ie«-id again a moment later, he observed that tlie girl seemed too engrossed in her companion to notice any eaves- dropper. "You played that exquisitely. June." Boh was sa\ing "Thank you." "I always strive to please," Juno fold him, with a whimsical curtsey. "Have you any other favourites?" "Plenty," he rejoined, "but it would take you the whole evening to play • them all, and you must be tired, any- way. Let's talk." She nodded. "Yes, lot's talk," she said. "Let's talk about the race vou won. Oh. Bob," she added fervently, "you've no idea October 3rd, 1931. BOY'S CINEMA how I felt when I saw you open your eyes after you'd been hurt." "I guess it was my lucky day," he murmured. " By all theories, Pat and I should have been killed." "It was my lucky day. too," June mused. "If you hadn't come in first with the Brown Special I'd have been on my' way to the altar now—^and all bocau.se of a mad. reckless promise." There was a moment's silence, and then June spoke again. "If Dun Mitchell had won that ton thousand dollars," she said, "he was going to buy an engagement ring." "Yes," Bob answered. "And maybe that's why I was so determined he wouldn't win the bet." June lowered her glance. "Well, he didn't win it," she said .softly. "Dad won tho wager, and made over the ten thousand to you. What are i/o>i going to buy with it?" Bob started. Could she moan that, if he chose to make her a present of an engagement ring, she would accept him? He could see no other significance in her words, and was overjoyed to put that conception on them. But at the same time he felt tremendously embarrassed, for, like a good many men of proven courage, he fairly flinched fropn a pro- posiul of marriage. "Well." ho stammered, "I thought—I thought that—that if your father " "My father likes you. Bob." June coaxed. "Yes, ho seems to, doesn't he?" Bob agreed. "Of course, I didn't want to take that ton thousand, but. since ho insisted, I split it with Pat, and " "Yes. Bob?" "Well, you know your father has been having a now laboratory fitted out in his warehouse," Bob continued. "It's complete now, and I've got enough money to carry on with my experi- ments." .June's faco fell. "Oh. experiments!" she reiterated. "Why, yes—experiments on my fire- extinguisher," he explained. "You see, the (hemicals I bouglit were ruined that day I di.scovered tticy'd been tampered with. You remember—the day we were to have tried out the fire-bombs on that old shed in your father's grounds." "I remember. Bob." .Tune told him. "Those chemicals are pretty costl.v," Bob went on, "but with the cash your father gave me I can get hold of some more. Now Thursday's my day off at tho Fire Department, and I'm going to take the formula for my extinguisher to the warehouse laboratory then." June looked away. "And experiment, of course," she said. "Yes," he replied, "and if everything turns out the way I hope it will, there's something—I'm going to toll you. At least—Something I'm going to ask you." Their eyes mot. "Can't you ask mo now?" she urged, and then, with a slight flush, glanced away again. ^\'ith the movement her gaze travelled to the •window, and suddenly a scrcvim l)roko from her lips. Bob jerked round, but was too late to see the figure of tho man who darted from tho sill and took to his heels through the shrubbery. "June—what is it?" Bob demanded. "A faco!" she gasped. "A man's face at the window!" Boh waited to hear no more, but, cros^-iiifr the swung himse to tho grounds. Somewhere ahead of liim he heard the threshing of foliage as the interloper charged through the slirubbery, and he set off in full pursuit, running at the top of his speed. Not once did he sight the fugitive in the room in n few swift strides, g liimself over the sill and dropped Every Tuesday the gloom, but he knew he was heading for the gateway at the end of tho drive, and he dashed in the same direc- tion—only to roach it as S'pike Beldon, scrambled into tho waiting car and drove off'. Bob came to a bafHod standstill, un- able even to obtain a glimpse of the auto's number plate, and ho returned to tho hou.se empty-handed. When he. showed up in the sitting-room again it was to find that .lune had been joined by her father, who had heard her cry. "I saw a man's face at the window," Juno was saying. "Bob chased him." "Did you know the man?" her father asked, and Juno shook her head. "No," she answered. "It wasn't any- one I'd over .seen before. It was a mean, crafty face." "The fellow got clear away," said Bob, entering at that juncture. "He had SI car parked in the middle of the road. I didn't oven get a good look, at him." ' . Madison pursed his lips. "Darrow," he announced emphatic- allv, "someone is after your formula." "Yes," Bob ropoined, "someone who- probably thinks I'm still carrying Oa my experiments here. But I complete my work on Thursday, !Mr. ^Madison, and tlioii " Spike Receives His Orders.' IN the office where he alTocted to carry on business as a genuine promoter, Dan Mitchell outlined a fresh plan of action to his hireling Beldon. "Never mind alxjut June JMadison, .Spike." he siiid, as Beldon introduced the girl's name into the conver.sation. "I'll take care of her. All you've got to do is to get Darrow." Spike .settled him.self on tho edge of Mitchell's desk. "I can get him," he drawled. "Thurs- day night—^at the new laboratory in the Madi.son warehouse." Mitchell nodded. "And he'll have the formula with him. you .«ay ? Good—that's what I want. Listen, Spike, I'm trying new tactics. Once I can lay my hands on Darrow s extinguisher and got Darrosv himself out of the way. I can put our own patent over on Maiiison. And as for June—well, I know how to bring her round. " And he smiled compla- cently. Spike Beldon slid from the corner of the desk and gave vent to a scodinsr laugh. " Vou think you do." he retorted. "But I'm telling you that June Madi- son is nuts about this guy Darrow, and you ain't got a chance." Ho turned awa.v mockingly, and w.i.n lighting the stub of a cigarette (hat hung from the corner of his mouth when Mitchell jerked to his feet and gripped him by the arm. '■ Listen. Spike." he snapped, swinging him round, "If June Madison " Whatever he had intended to say was left un.said. for suddenly he clieci>e<l himself and glanced at the door of Ins office. Against the glass panel of it ho saw a woman's sh.idow. and, signing to Spike to remain silent, lie moved to the door on tip-toe and iinoxpectedl.y wrenched it open. A flashily-dr<'ssed girl stumbled across tho threshold, and tviilchell caught her viciously by the wrists as she reeovred her balance. "Trixie Farrell. huh?" ho snarled "Spying on mo. huh?" The woman's dark eyes bla/.ed oinin-i ousIt. a few monlhs before, she had, beeii a favourite of Mit^-holl's. But .sho had reason to believe that he wiis iiul.- ting her to one side, and tho snatch of ii