Boy's Cinema (1930-31)

Every Tuesday nioney could have made possible. So, it seemed, he was in a position to wreak his threatened vengeance upon the man who had determined to send his brother to the chair. But would O'Rourke dare ? The Wireless Warning. THE voice of the wireless announcer broadcasted the startling news: "The public are advised rluit Mike O'Rourke. brother of Killer O'Rourke, has just escaped from (he State Prison, and was la.st seen on the top of a train headed for the city." Then, after a brief interval, came an announcement that added thrill to thrill, as if the news of this amazing exploit were not sufficiently startling : "An aeroplane played a part in his escape, and it is believed by the authori- ties that it had been specially char- tered for his rescue, as the pilot could not bo identified. Watch is being kept upon all aerodi-omes and police and public are requested to report anything of a suspicious character which may bo considered to bear upon 0"Rourke"s escape." " ?o that's that \" exclaimed Warden Thompson, after having made every possible arrangement for the apprehen- sion of the elusive Mike, if and when discovered. "This," he remarked to Conncll, who ha<l since returned from his satisfactory interview with the Press, "this is where / come in." "This," corrected Coimell, "is where wo all come in !" " No, you doa"t quite grasp it, for ■ it all boils down to quite a. personal matter. O'Rourke is the charming gentleman who remarked to the judge, to the v/arders, and to his prison chums, tha.t if ever he escaped, his fust and most ' pleasant' duty would bo to settle mo, once and for all. * "Well, warden," grunted Conncll, "now that wc know, ifs up to us to BOY'S cinema: You^ll do this for me, won't you ? And here's your auto on time, just like a railway train, and with a fine, smart rig-out that makes me respectable again. What a bunch of pals to have, you boys!" Within half an hour the former con- vict was speeding to the homo of one of his associates. "Well, Mike," they said, after mutual congratulatior.s, "you're a smart lad to mal<o so clean a getaway." "Smart?'' replied O'Rourke. as the refreshments circulated and the con- gratulations had began to grow irk- some. "It was the only chance, the only way to cheat the chair of my brother." "But," they replied in hushed voices, 'Killer did it, didn't he? You'd have to be the governor to save him."' "I know," came the surly answer, "I know that Killer did it. .Just, the same, I'ni going to save him. What d'you think I broke prison for? / got out, didn't I ? Got away from the closest- guarded prison in the States! And whether Killer's got a double guard ov not, he'll he here in this very house before another day's pas.scd.'' 'They listened to this grufF-voicod colleague as if to a worker of miracles. "Now, see here." .And they drew closer as the desperate man outlined his plans. "I'm going to Warden Thomp- son's place to-night. And, what's more, if ho doesn't go*- busy and tell the governor that Killer was innocent, then Mister Thompson's number's up !" "Well. Mike," observed his bosom friend, "a brother's a brother, and blood's thicker than water, as someone said, but there's no sense in putting your head into a noose, too." " Shut up !" was his reply, and fur- ther comment became frozen. show Ma.stcr Mike going to get off." The Warden's Ruse. this." said the warden, ressing his men: "I sh.T.11 soe to it that all the evening papers carry a front-page paragraph to ~ " ' "to the city ffiy ^ Y plan is IVl address! 21 this evening. Then T want you to pass the word to Gippy Wilson, our man in the underworld, that the trip to the city is a ' blind.' I want it to be given out to him—and he knows how to pass on the news—that I am working on a case at 325, Edgewood Road." ''Edgewood Road ?" repeated Conncll. "What sort of place is that?" "It's Sam Lovering's house. His family is out of town, and I can borrow the place for a day or two if necessary." "A nice little trap," was Connell's comment. " and I hope it keeps fine for Mike and his cronies. But it's risky, chief." "We are always taking risks," came the reply, "and this time I'm the cheese iu the mousetrap !" The telcphono-boll rang at O'Roiirke's hideout, and Red Wolff, 'uosom friend of the redoubtable Mike, answered the cajl. "Funny," was all Red could say. "It's Gippy WiLson on the 'phone, aiid ho says that Thompson's visit to the city is a blind. He's working on a case at 325, Eugewood Road, and he's going to lie low there until you're back in gaol." "Oh, he is. is he?" commented O'Rourke. "Well, Red. you can tell Gippy just whore I'm hiding, just to show how • frightened ' I am of Thomp- son and his men." "But, Mike, it's sheer madness." "You heard wh.it I said. Red?" "Have it your own wav, then." \ Mike's friends eyed each other as If doubting the sanity of the man. Reck- less, that was the only word for it! Asking for trouble, and he'd get it for sure ! j Xot very long afterwards, a tele- phone bell rang in the apartment at Edgewood Road, where Warden Thompson had elected to "hide." for reasons of his own. His caller was Gippy Wilson. "Hallo 1'' said Thompson. "What's — *y, Meantime, in a secret, unsus- pected landing-place, far away on the outskii-ts of the city, the aeroplane came to rest, and almost as soon as its wheels had touched the earth a mud tere<l saloon car, that seemed as if it had passed through several campaigns, raced to meet tho machine. In a trice the convict was out of the 'plane, bundl(<l into the closed car. where he stripped every stitch of his prison garb a n <f changed into the smartly cut garments of a man about town. " Gee, Ben," O'Rourke said to the mau at the steering- ing-wheel, "everj-- thuig worked like a clock. The simple . message in your let- ter—even the warden read it, and didn't Suspect anything — . kept me fully pre- pared. Tho 'plane eame on the tick. I ; haven't had a chance J to thank the pilot yet, just whore /(c'» 1 the cfTcct that I am called There came from the pen a puff of white smoke deafening explosion. Kovembet 21st, 1931. i