Boy's Cinema (1930-31)

Egbert hadn't the ghost of a notion, but with his ready wit he covered up his ignorance. "Well," lie said brightly, "they had a (litrcrenco, but they've made it up now." "Bahl" snorted Wattcrs, while Toininy laughed aloud. " Mrs. Tallcy, you understand, of course, that wo can supply you with no further drugs i.ntil all bills are paid. I'll see you in thirty days!" "Have a bean?" inquired Egbert. "Bah!"' roared Walters, and strode to the door. But the little iron doorstop was in his path, and ho stumbled over it and nearly went sprawling on to the pavement, so that his exit was extremely undignified. Tommy walked over to the mat, picked up the doorstop and kissed it. The Sheriff Reappears. NOW Lockville, in addition to its shorifT, boasted a chief of police and quite a considerable force of constabulary. The sheriff was a survivor of an ancient regime, whereas bulky Chief Morton considered himself thoroughly up to date. But Morton was worried, for in spite of all his efforts, speakeasies existed in the town, and bootlegging was rife. The newspapers had made a dead-set at him and his organisation, and that afternoon he held a sort of conference in his private office at police headquarters in New Street. All his plainclothes men were present, and all the uniformed men above the rank of patrolman. Ho waved in their faces a copy of the day's paper which had driven him nearly frantic. He stabbed its glaring headline with a fierce forefinger. Chief of Police Morton Unable to Cope With Bootleg Situation ! "A fine state of affairs!" he howled. "Now let me tell you men something. There's an election coming on in this town in a couple of months, and unless we show them action, there's going to bo a lot of new faces in this depart- ment, including my own. That's all ! Now got out and show mo some results !" The men trooped off, glad to escape. Chief Morton flung the paper from him with something uncoinmonly like an oath, and worried his chin with his hana. He was muttering to himself w'.ien the door opened and a brown-haired and very dainty little slip of a girl peeped round it. She was Peggy Morton, the chief's daughter, sweet and twenty, and lier extra large blue-grey eyes regarded her red-faced ijaront quizzically. "Oh, daddy," she said, entering the room and closing the door, "did I hear you laughing ?" He swung roiiml with a frown, but Peggy was his pet, and he made a valiant effort to speak calmly. "Oh, it's you!" he said. "You'd better run along, Peggy—Pm kinda out of sorts this afternoon." "Those nasty bootleggers been bother- ing you again?" she inquired. ^"Veah!" "What a shame! You know there ought to bo a law against those fellows." " Yeah—what ?" A telophonc-bell shrilled, and he reached for the instruin<'nt on his desk, while Peggy perched beside him and swung her shapely legs. "VValters, eh?" he barked into the transmitter. "All right, send him in!" He put down the receiver and grinned at his daughter. "It'.'? Harry Wattcrs," ho said. "That's it—go ahead and blush." "I wa-sn't blushing!'' she declared indignantly. J)encnil)er Ifttti, 1031. BOY'S CINEMA ' "No? Then ilioy must have found another name for it." Watters was ushered into the room by a sergeant, and his face lit up at sight of Peggy. He greeted Chief Morton, but took two slender hands in his own and seemed to have forgotten the reason for his call. "Perhaps I'd better clear out?" sug- gested the chief slyly. "Sit down, Harry, and tell me if I'm in the way." Watters sat, relinquishing the hands with obvious reluctance. " Chief," he said, " as a member of the Better City Movement, I've got a little tip for yoir. May not amount to any- thing, of course, but as I always say— ' better safe than sorry.' " "What've you got?" asked Chief Morton briskly. "Two suspicious-looking characters from the East—all the earmarks of racketeers." "Yeah?" Morton leaned eagerly forward. "Got anything on 'em?" "No," admitted Watters. "I'm afraid that's up to you. But these two fellows have taken over a dilapidated drug-store—one that hasn't made a penny in two years. No sane business person would have taken it as a gift, and just between you and me, it looks like a liquor racket." "Yeah? Who owns the store?" "An old lady named Mrs. Talley." Peggy gave a little exclamation. " VVhy, I know her quite well," she said. "Surely you don't think that dear little old lady would " "No," Watters broke in hastily. " No, indeed. My idea is that these fellows are taking advantage of the situation. Personally I have been trying to help the poor old soul out. She owes us a considerable sum. I've been trying to help her along. Just can't help mix- ing sentiment with business in a case like hers." Peggy put her hand approvingly on his shoulder. "I think that's just lovely of you, Harry," she said. "Thanks for the tip, Harry," chimed in the chief gratefully. "I'll keep an eye on them. These bootleggers are getting my goat." Peggy reached down to kiss her father, declaring that she must go, and Wattcrs rose hopefully to his feet, but she waved him back into his chair and told him she would see him later. "Movies, to-night?" he suggested. "Uh-huh," she nodded, and left them together, and out in the busy street, lioardod a tramcar bound for Allison Avenue. By this time Egbert and Tommy wore quite busy in the drug-store, which stood prominently in that thoroughfare—not busy serving customers, but busy dusting and cleaning and re-arranging the wares. Egbert had appropriated an- other oigar: Tommy had discarded his coat and cleaned out several show-cases. "You know. Egbert," he said earnestly, "we've got to do something now. D'you realise we kept mother from getting that three hundred doUai-s from Watters?" "Sure." nodded Egbert, "but do you realise that that mug isn't passing over throe hundred berries for nothing? He's no bargain." "Then why did ho offer her tlie money ? You know, we may be wrong —he may be a regular guy, after all." "I don't Irko that fellow" declared Egbert, looking up at an inoffensive trout in a glass case above .some shelves, " and I'll find a reason j'ct T' He clam- bored on to the counter with a duster in his hand and addressed the trout. "Hold still, Minnie," ho said, "while I clean your little homo for you." Every Tuesday "Service!" barked a voice in the doorway Down sprang Egbert from the counter, and he ducked low behind it—an ex- ample promptly followed by Tommy. For the voice belonged to none other than the austere Sheriff Flint. "It's old Thirty-Days himself," groaned Egbert. " Wonder what ho wants." "What he needs is chloroform!" whispered Toimiiy. "You go and wait on him." "No, 2/O'i go and wait on him." "No, J/oii go and wait on him." Egbert was stooping before a shelf on Avhich reposed a number of masks and false faces, some of them decorated with moustaches, some with beards. "Wait a minute," he whispered, and tore a ginger moustache from a papier- mache mask, while Flint pounded im- patiently on the counter. Some tubes of rubber solution were handy, and Egbert rose up disguised. "Coming right up, sir," he said. "Coming right up. Nice day—nice day.'- 'The sheriff stared at him, and just then Tommy uprose, wearing not only an imitation moustache, but a false nose to boot. Ho began to polish some cheap watches with a piece of chamois leather. "Giinmo a stamp !" barked Flint. Now in all self-respecting American drug-stores postage stamps are sold as freely as in a post-office; but Egbert hadn't any idea where they were located. He found some, however, in a drawer. "Ah I" he said triumphantly "Hero we have some nice greon ones—and on the other hand we have some pink ones. Lovely stamps, too—you can't lies 'em— I mean beat 'em." "I want a two-cent stamp!" bellowed the sheriff. His want was supplied, but he seemed in no hurry to go. He glared at Tommy, he glanced about the shop. " We're expecting a new shipment of stamps next week," Egbert informed him. "You might tell your friends, will you ?" "I haven't any friends," retorted Flint, "and I don't want any. Give mo change for a dollar." Egbert rang up two cents on an ancient cash register, but in the drawer there was no money, only a few pins and buttons. " Now, isn't that funny !" he re- marked. "Nothing but twenty-dollar notes ! I've simply r/ot to go to the bank to-day !" "Dirty stamps, no change!" snorted Flint. "Bah!" "Oh, Mr. Tanner,"' called Egbert to Tommy, "have you placed on display all that merchandise we're going to sell at fifty per cent, below wholesale?" "Yes, Mr. Higginbotham," replied Tommy instantly. "But wo won't have 'em long at those prices." Sheriff Flint's beady eyes glistened. "You're selling out below cost?" Ho demanded. "Yes, sir," said Egbert "It's our Annual Prosperity Sale—everything to be sold at fifty per cent below Npyv hore we have some nice bath-salts-^if ■ you go in for curiosities. We're letting these bottles go at the astoundingly low price of one dollar." "I'll irivo you scvcntj'five cents," offered Flint. "Sold!" boomed Egbert. Tommy came forward with a box full of bottles of patent medicine. "Mr. Higginbotham," ho said, "did vou wish to sacrifice these?" "Absolutelv, Mr. Tanner," responded Egbert. "Everything in the store is to be sacrificed." Ho took out a bottle, road its label. "Ah !" h<- exclaimed.