Boy's Cinema (1930-31)

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8 back," he remarked calmly. '"I see here that you want to get married."- "Professor, you're uncanny! Am I going to be married and live in a big liousc ?" "You'll need one! I fehall have to gaze in the crystal for that. Pardon me !" He .stared into the crystal, still holding her plump hand in his. "Ah!" he said dreamily. "Yes. Ah! 'Tis evening time. Your husband comes home from a hard day's work. It's a big liouse, but he's a little husband. Pie leaches the gate. He whistles for the dog—and you come running out! All, tlio crystal clouds! I can tell you no more without knowing your exact age within thirty or forty years." "Well, professor," said the fat woman, with a self-conscious snigger, "I'm just seventeen." "In that case," obscrvod Doc, "I'm gohig to be born ne.xt Friday \" He looked at the crystal again. "I sec a littb church," he declared. "The altar! I hear the wedding bflls. I see " "And shall I IsS happy?" "To answer that question," said Doc, with a grimace, "I shall have to go into a double trance, and I only do that oiico a week on account of the strain on my nerves. The strain will amount to exactly two dollars and eighty-five cents." "Oh, but that's very reasonable," cried the woman delightedly. "I shoidd so love to .see you in a double trance !" "I'm a bear in a double trance," declared Doc, and he closed his eyes and swayed from side to side ; nd backwards a,nd forwards in his chair, utteriiig strange sounds. The sounds became stranger and stranger, the swayings became almost violent, and the fat woman shrank back in alarm. "Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh!" groaned Doc— and was totally unaware of the fact that the flap of the tent had been raised, and Sheriff Hopkins had stepped from the sunshine into the gloom. " I see it all— I see it all! The stars above—the stars above tell me that you're going to take a long trip." The woman had risen to heir feet. The sheriff waved her away with an arm, and she tottered from the tent. Doc, his eyes still closed, continued. "Yes," he chanted, "a long trip. The siars tell me so." "What does Ifiis star tell you?" rasped the sherifF, and Doc opened liis <'yos, to find himself staring at a little star of germaii silver beneath the lapel of the sheriff's coat. He gulped and lose. "That star," said he dolefully, "tells me that I'm going to take a long trip. I am now packing, sheriff—now pack- ing." "Have you got a licence?" demanded the .sheriff, tugging at his ginger mous- tache. " Licence ?" echoed Doc. " What kind of a licence ?" " You must have a licence to tell for- (unes in this town." "How am I supposed to know that?" foniplaincd Doc. "I'm no mind reader." The sheriff smiled grimly. "Come on," ho said. "I'll give yon twenty minutes to get out of this town." Doc shed his robe, took off his turban and his .square-rimmed spectacles, and depositing the crystal on the ground, dosed the folding table. The sheriff jerked his tlumib in the direction of the tcnt-f!ap, and together they stepped out into the sunshine. Dec blinked. Rosie was sitting on the tail-flap of the van beside an attractive October lOtli, 1031. BOY'S CINEMA and clean-shaven young man, and both were swinging their legs. "Don't forget," said Billy, "I'll see j'ou to-night. Remember—tliat's an appointment !" "And remember you promised to have your fortune told," Rosie reminded him. "Okay, " said Billy joyouslj', and went and clambered into his two-seater. The sheriff, who had failed to note these things, turned officiously to Doe, wluD had stopped short. "Understand," he said brusquely, "I give you ton minutes to leave this town. If you're here at the end of that time, it's the gaol-house for you !" Evelyn, the brown mare, lifted up her head and xicighed complainingly, while the sheriff .stalked off to seek for other frauds and fakers. Rosie came running over to Doc, just as he was about to coax Evelyn between the shafts of the van. "What evcr's the matter now?" she cried. " There arc two people I hate in this world," responded Doc, " and both of them are sheriffs !" "Are we leaving town?" she asked quickly. "In ten minutes," he nodded. "I don't know what I'm going to do with that other eight." Much to his astonishment she reached her hands up to his shoulders and, clinging to them, exclaimed : "I wish we could have stayed a little longer. I get so tired of moving around from pillar to post, and never knowing where we're going to be next." It was the very first time she had ever complained against their fate, and he, being an observant person, im- mediately linked her protest with the astonishing spectacle he had witnessed on leaving the tent which he must now strike with the utmost dispatch. " But, honey," he reproved, " that's our life—always on the go. New faces, new places—excitement—adventure. 'Why. it's in our blood! Why, honey, the world is our home." She looked out of the fair-ground into the street it adjoined, and he followed her gaze with his eyes. She was look- ing at the shops and houses with a wist- ful air. "Home!" she whispered. "Geo, what I'd give for a home.!" She sighed, let go of him, and looked up into his face. "It's selfish of me, I suppose," she sighed. "Selfish?" he echoed. "You selfish? Say, how do you get that way, honey ?" And his arnis embraced her, held her close. "Gee, Doc," she remarked, mainly to the spotted bow against which her head was nestling, "you've pot a great gift of the gab—you can sell anything ! Why don't you settle down in some little town ?" "What little town?" he inquired. "This little town." A New Line of Action. THE tent was dismantled in less than five minutes, the canvas was stowed in the van, the poles were tied to the roof. With the parapher- nalia of his calling packed away in trunks. Doc and Rosie sat on the trunks, side by side. The sheriff had disap- peared. Doc, gazing thoughtfully at the shops beyond the fair-ground, said abruptly: "Everything's rosy—we'll stay." Evelyn was harnessed between the shafts of the van, the trunks and cases were bundled on board, and the pair left the fair-ground with their posses- Every Tuesday sions. But instead of driving oul of Arcadia, as the sheriff had ordered, ihey proceeded to the Union Hotel, where an ostler attended to the van and % porter attended to the luggage. Ten rninutcs later Doc and Rosie walked side by side along Main Street, and paused before the premises of Adolf Oberdorf, jeweller. "We are now in the jewellery busi- ness," proclaimed Doc. "You know, it's funny, Rosie, but I told this old man's fortune a while ago. He's having trouble with his affairs. I told him he might expect me, but I was thinking I'd have to pawn this ring again." He indicated a signet-ring on the little finger of his left hand, a ring which had often proved a friend in need during their wanderings. "But now," he went on, "I've got a different idea." "You don't know a thing about the jewellery business," said Rosie. "Don't I? Honey, there's millions in it—millions ! Wait for me, I'll be back in a minute." He plunged into the shop. There were no customers in it, but Oberdorf hini- self was standing behind the counter, and his face- brightened considerably. Here, possibly, was the visitor the fortune-teller had predicted ! Doc talked, and Oberdorf listened not merely readily, but almost greedily. The jeweller was persuaded that what his store needed was young blood, a live wire, someone to stimulate business —in other words, Doc ! And in the end Doc's proffered services were accepted.. He examined the books; he examintti the show'-ca.ses and their contents.-'' ?='' "We'll have a sale," he decided. "That's it—we'll have an auction sale." " Do you know anything about auc- tions?" inquired Oberdorf dubiously. "Do I know anything about auc- tions!" exclaimed Doc. "Why, my dear man, do you know that my uncle, the King of Spain, would never think df buying a crown unless I passed it ! Jewellery, auctions—oh, just wait and see what I can do for you !" It was arranged that the auction should take place the next day. and Doc svi'ept Rosie back to the hotel and went off to fix up details such as the printing of bills and the posting thereof. Incidentally he acquired the services of four men, through a labour bureau, who were told to meet him at Ober- dorf's establishment at seven o'clock that evening. Rosie, elated at the prospect of stay- ing indefinitely in Arcadia, kept her appointment with Billy Lowe, while her guardian interviewed the men. Ho iKid acquired an auctioneer's hammer in tho town, and with this instrument he waved the four men into seats. They were not a prepossessing quartet, but he decided that thoy would do for his purpose. He took down their names —Quinn, Young. Shill, and Willis. "Now, boys," he said, "I, think we ought to have a little rehearsal of what we're going to do to-morrow. At the present moment bills are being stuck all over the town; to-morrow afternoon there is going to be an auction sale on these premises. Hence the bills, and hence your presence." "What's an auction?" inquired Young, eyeing a, large safe which bore the jeweller's name. Doc laughed. "I can see right now that I'm goinK to have a lot of trouble with you," be remarked. "An auction is a sale at which the most important thing is io keep raising the price by bidding. Raising the price will be your job.