Boy's Cinema (1930-31)

10 of tlie tail of his cj'c every time she went to the safe. Madeline van Dorn, elegantly dressed, with a costly fur collar round her slim neck, stepped into the back room from the side street and sailed up to the countei', where she studied Rosie critically. "The sale seems to be a big success," she said pleasantly. " You're Rosie, of course ?" "Yes," said Rosie. "Did .you want to buy something?" "Oh, no, I just came down to find Billy." "I think he's in the shop," said Rosie, not without a pang of jealousy. "Shall I find him for you?" "No, I'll find him. He's expecting me. Oh, by the way, he says you're coming to our party on Friday night." "He did invito us," admitted Rosie. "It's his birthday, isn't it?" Madeline nodded, and became aware of the words in Billy's handwriting on the packing-paper: "I love you." "But that's not the real reason for his party," she said. "I rather imagines he intends to announce our Rosie started as tlie beautiful visitor broke off abruptly. "Do you mean " she began faintly. "Oh, everyone knows that Billy and I are " A bottle of ink was standing beside the pa<^king-paper and a pen was in it. Rosie, in her agitation, upset the bottle, and the ink was spilled all over the words Billy had written. Madeline laughed and walked away, but^ after she had gone it was with tears in her eyes that Rosie mopped tip the ink and dealt with a bandy-legged man who had just acquired an alarm clock. She saw no more of Billy that day. He was swept off by Madeline before the sale was over, and though he tele- phoned to the hotel in the evening, ask- ing Rosie to meet him, she declined to do so, pleading that ancient excuse—a headache; It was on a Tuesday that this series of auction sales began, and from day to day thcv continued, greatly to the profit of Adolf Oberdorf, and not without profit to the man who had suggested and conducted them. Quinn and Willis de- cided to postpone their projected attack upon the safe till the Friday night. On the Wednesday Billy saw Rosie, but only in the presence of Doc, w;ho readily agreed to accept the invitation to the party. On the Thursday Biilv haunted the back room, despite Rosic's protests, and did his best to make love to her, while she took money, gave change, and packed parcels. She did not mention Madeline to him; she was far too proud to di» that; but whenever he jjicked up her pen she swept every bit of paper out of his reach—a circumstance which puzzled liiin and led Jiim to the erroneous con- ilusion that she did not welcome his iittcntions. By this time Doc had become quite a figure in the town. The sheriff had no idea that ho was the man ho had ordered to depart, and Mrs. Lowe had Ik ard so much about him that she made quite a point of his promised presence at tlic party. To a Mrs. Craig she said over the li'lcplionc: "Yes, we're entertaining Mr. Droop. Of course you've heai'd that he is of the nobility ?" "I'll be delighted to come," re- sponjiled Mrs. Craig. "I understand that his uncle is the King of Czecho- slovakia !" Octobor 10th, 1091. BOY'S CINEMA Mrs. North, similiarly informed, re- plied gushingly: "That's very kind of you, Mrs. Lowe. Mr. Oberdorf tells me that Mr. Droop's uncle is the King of Lithuania 1" Oh, Doc I At the Party. FRIDAY came; and the. series of auction sales wound up in a blaze of profit. In his bed-room at the Union Hotel Doc arrayed himself in his ceremonial (and rather ancient) dress clothes, to say nothing of a white waist- coat. He then proceeded to play with three sections of walni^t-shell and a pea, talking aloud as he manipulated them. "One, two, three, folks. It's a game called the three musketeers. 'Three little shells and one little pea. Now we place the shell over the little pea, so ! We make a few forward passes, so! Hocus, pocLis, ice-cream soda—where is the little pea? Under here? No! Under this one ? No ! Now where is that little Ah, here we are !" It was a trick he had practised at many fairs, to the complete befogment of yokels and others who had staked money on the particular shell beneath which they believed the pea to have found a resting-place. Always out to make money. Doc believed that this little trick would amuse the guests at the Lowes' party—and add considerably to the cash in his own pockets. Having assured himself that he was as adept at the trick as of yore, he put away the shells and the pea and crossed a corridor to knock an Rosie's door. She was looking particularly sweet in a frock of printed silk when he entered the room. "Ah, there you are, kitten—there you are!" he said fondly. "How does the old master look, eh? How does he look ?" "You look swell," she declared, after inspecting him. And you look sweller," he informed her, "Do you know that's the best seven dollar dress in the whole town ? Honey, we're going to knock 'em dead at that party to-night !" "I don't think I'm going," she said to his surprise. "I've changed my mind." "You've changed What did 3'ou go and do a thing like that for? Let me look at you ! Uh-huh—just as I thought ! You're tired—that's what's the matter with you. This party is just what you need. We'll have a lot of fun." He fished out the shells and the pea and began to toy with them on her bed. " I'm taking the three musketeers along," he informed her. "Oh, Doc," she exclaimed in dismay, "but you can't do that! I won't let you." " You won't let me, eh ? Shucks! Y^ou'vo got to stop picking on me, d'you hear? I'm going to have my bit of fun." Rosie had made up her mind not to go, but the sight of the "three muske- teers " and Doc's determination to ex- ploit thom at a social function caused her to change her mind again. At all costs she must try to prevent him from cheating Billy's people and their friends. So Doc and Rosie arrived at the house that was almost a mansion soon after eight o'clock, and Doc hammered on the door as became (more or less) one whoso relatives were supposed to wear crowns. Mr. Lowe himself opened the door be- cause he happened to be in (he hall and near it. "Jeeves," said Doc, assuming a grand manner, "kindly tell Mr. Lowe that wo'ro here, will you?'' Every Tuesday "I am Mr. Lowe," said that gentle- man, closing the door. "Oh!" murmured Doc, all unabashed. "Well, this is Rosie, Mr. Lowe." Mr. Lowe responded that he was charmed to meet Rosie, and then Billy came bounding towards them, greeting Rosie delightedl}'. "You two young people run away and amuse yourselves while I show Mr. Droop around," suggested Mr. Lowe. And Doc, pinching his ward's cheek, chimed in : "Yes, honey, you just run along and have a good time, while he shows mc up —I mean shows me round." Rosie departed, somewhat reluctantlv. with Billy. Mr. Lowe led Doc into the drawing-room and introduced him to Mrs. Lowe, who was there with a num- ber of guests. "So you're Billy's mother," said Doc. "Yes, thank you," said Mrs. Lowe graciously. "Don't thank me, don't thank mc," he laughed, waving his cigar. He was introduced to Mr. and Mr^. Smith, to Miss West, to Judge Wall, and to others. He had a little quip for each of them that caused laughter. The grand piano was reached, and from it he took up an exquisite vase. "Here's a prettv thing," he remarked. "Pretty!" "Oh, that," enthused Mr. Lowe, "is my pride and joy. . That vase is a genuine Survantes—it's worth a thou- sand dollars." " Its value lies in the fact that there are only two of them in the world," supplemented Mrs, Lowe, "Only two of 'em, eh?" said Doc,i!and pretended to drop the vase, but neatly caught it before it could reach the floor —though not before Mr. and Mrs. Lowe had cried out in alarm. "I never muff 'em—I never muff 'em," declared Doc. "I knew it must be valuable because you called it a ' va\yse.' Anything less than a thousand dollars in value would be called a ' varse ' !" He was introduced to others—and to cocktails. With a little group around him he gave a toast. "You know," said a Mrs. Raymond, "we feel flattered, having a real noble- man in our midst." "Nobleman?" echoed Doc in surprise. "Oh. ves, but keep that dark, won't you?"" "To think that we are talking to a i real knight !" breathed Mrs. North. "Y^eah," drawled Doc. "but don't let the nights worry you—it's the morning, after. And, oh, how I suffer!" "Did they make you ^ Knight of the Bath?" inquired Mrs. Raymond. "They wanted to," said Doc gravely, "but I wanted mv Saturdav night to • myself." They all laughed at that sally. and^J Doc proceeded to crack more jokes—an<l^l to drink more cocktails. ^ ■ Billy and Rosie had wandered awa.y- to the stairs and were sitting on them and talking when, Madeline bore jeal- ously down on them and swept Rosie off to show her around, as she expressed it. "You won|t see her again till din- ner," she said to Billy. "Come on, dear, I want you. to meet these people." Billy, beitig left high and dry. souglit his mother, who had just left her guests to have a word with the butler, "Well," he asked anxiously, "what do you think of them, eh ?" "He's & little eccentric, I think," decided Mrs. Lowe, "but she secm« rather sweet. I've been studying her.'' "Gee, but it's nice of you to say thflt, mother!" he cried. "It nuans a lot to me "