Boy's Cinema (1930-31)

Every Tuesday "There you are," lie snid, "and I tiope you'll bo very happy in the Old Ladies' Home." He went off, nodding to Clancy a.% lie passed that oflScer, and Mrs. 'Talley, thoroughly upset, bowed her head in her hands and wept. The police tender meanwhile had drawn up outside the imposing block of service flats in Madison Street, known as the Sanderson Apartment House, and Peggy, Egbert and Tommy had followed the Chief of Police into the building. But in the hallway on the ground floor tlie chief rubbed his chin and rema^ted gloomily : "Wo can't break into all these apart- ments without any warrant, you know. We can only knock and ask questions." Egbert promptly knocked at the front door of a ground-floor flat, and a middle- aged woman opened it and looked out. '' Are you acquainted with anybody who makes lemon syrup?" inquired Egbert pleasantly. Tlie woman stared at Jiim, glared at the Chief of Police, gave vent to an emphatic "No!" and slammed the dooi' in their faces. A bad beginning, but worse was to follow. The quartet ascended the stairs, calling at all the flats on the way np to the smallest and chcapt>st set of rooms under the tiles, and they took it in t.irn to ask questionSj but drew blank every time. It was on the top floor that Peggy's father really lo>t his temjier. " Raj', what do you mean by wasting my time like this?" he howled. "Come oil! Let'.s get out of here !" They trooped down the stairs—eight flights of them—and Tommy and Egbert were wret<:liedb/ silent during the descent, while I'eggy declared at inter- vals that she was positive the man they sought had helped to cari-y boxes into the building. They reached the ground floor again, and had they reached it two seconds earlier than they did, they would un- doubtedly have passed straight out into the street. But a.s they were crossing the hallway to the front door, they were startled by a crash which .seemed to come from somewhere below. They had not thought of the basemen^ before, and there was no visible stair- case to the lower regions. Opposite the fiat of the woman who had slammed her door in their faces, however, was another door, and they crouched before it in a row, listening intently. It sounded to Egbert, who was nearest the door, as though someone down below was sweeping up broken gla.ss. BOY'S CINEMA He sniffed at-the keyhole, and savoured the reek of spilled spirits. "Follow your nose, chief." he cried triumphantly. The chief turned the handle of the door cautiously, and the door was opened on to an iil-lit flight of stairs. One after another the four crept down the stairs. At the bottom was anotluM- door. Avide open, and beyond it was a spacious cellar, lit by electric lamp*, fitted with shelves, and furnished with a desk and cliairs. In the cellar, bu.sily engaged in sweeping up the fragments of a number of broken bottles, was Clarke, with a broom. The chief sprang, and liis hand en- circled Clarke's throat, nearly throttling the startled bootlegger. "Well, well I" gried Egbert jubilantly. " The old syrup king himself'." Morton ran expert hands over the crook's person, while taking in at a glance the prej-ence of a considerable ciuantity of unlawful liquor in bottles and casks upon the slielves. "What a sweet ses.sion you're in for'." he said grimly, and he produced a si.v- shooter from one of fiis own pockets, which he dug into Clarke' ribs. "Who else is in on this?" demanded Morton. "Try and find out'" snapped Clarke. "There's somebody coming;'' ex- claimed Pi'ggy. There inis somebody coming.. The door above had been reopened, and heavy footsteps were descending the ill- lit "stairs. "Get back there—get back!" lii^sed the Chief of Police. "And not a word out of you. either !" Clarke dropped his arms and stood there, while the others backed hur- riedly behind the door and waited. The door swimtj back, nearly knocking tlie gun out of Morton's hand, and Harry Walters burst excitedly into the cellar. "Well, it worked!"' he cried. "Chief !Mortou fell for the whole thing—and I've got iho drug store!" "Watters!" thundered Morton, emerging from behind the door. " ,So it's you, <;li ? Well, I always was sus- picious of you !" Watters gaped at tlie gun, became aware of the ti-io behind the Chief of Police, and ma<le a rush at Clarke. ''So you squealed, eh?" ho howled. "You rat!" ^(ortou thrust his weapon into Tommy's hand, ordering him to keep both the miscreants covered while he liandcutTcd them to one another. 27 The liandcufYs clicked, the discom- fited crooks glared at eacli other as if about to tight, and then Egbert per- ceived a legal-looking document project- ing from Watters' breast-pocket. He grabbed it, examined it, and laughed mockingly. "Ha, ha!'' he jeered. "W'hat's the difference between monoxide and dioxide, oh?" " Yah '." snorted Watters savagely. Chief iJorton recovered his gun from Tommy. "Come on!" lie snapped. "Get ouil of here ! March 1" The two prisoners moved reluctantly before him to the stairs, and up the stairs, urged forward by the barrel of the six-shooter. "You go ahead, you three."' said Mor- ton to Peggy, Tommy, and Egbert when the doorstep was reached. "I'll send word to Clancy to release Mrs. Talley." "' Fine, chief—and many thanks," said Egbert. "Good-bye, benefactor! Good- bve, Lemon Syrup! Merry Christ- mas !" Sergeant Clancy was at the door of the drug store, and two uniformed men were on the pavement when Peggy, Tommy, and Egbert burst into the premises. Utterly ignoring the aston- ished representatives of the law, they made for the chair in which Mrs. Talley sat weeping. "^Mother," cried Tommy ecstatically, "it's all over! Everything's okay, and you're free!" " B-but I've sold the drug store," stammered Mrs. Talley in bewilder- ment, and she held up the cheque. "Is that so?" said Egbert, and. with a flourish, he handed her the document >he so recently had signed. "B'but I—I've got his cheque!"' Egbert, with the unlighted stub of a cigar in his mouth, caught hold of the fheque and tore it in halves. "Mother," he said, "you mean you liad his cheque!' And he tore the halves into .-.hreds and tossed the shreds into the air. while Tommy put his arm round Peggy's wai-t and hugged her. (By permission of Radio Pictures, Ltd., starring Bert Wheeler as Tommy Tan- ner; Robert Woolsey as Egbert G. Hig- glnbotham: Dorothy Lee as Peggy Morton; Lucy Beaumont as Mrs. Talley; Jason Robards as Watters: OeWitt Jennings as Chief Morton; Charles MIddleton as FUnt; Bill Scott as Clarke.) BILLIARD TABLES Remember you are dealing direct—we finance our own system. V- Perfect reproduction ol FnU-SIze Tables, BrassFrame Pockets, Leather Covered, Adjustable Feet to ensure a perfect level surface. Complete with two Cues, three Turned Balls, Guar- anteed Unbreakable. MarkingEoard.Spirit Level, Rules & Chalk. SPECIAL OFFER roL\"l'"Tu?^ld Slate Bed Billiard Table J^/ZeVR^ Board, Rules and Sins. Complete with Balls, Spirit ■«■«/■ Chalk, «*«*/ ■ GEO. GROSE & CO., 8, New Bridge Street, London. Semi lor Comvlfte llluslraled List ii:ith Xmas f^uvpleniriit ol Jol;rs aiul Games. ■savvAFI AF OnA Interesting Stamps, such as Persia rAKvblB Ur ^UU Siam, Koumama (Boy King), Triangular. etc price 3fl. with Approvals oDiy.-W. A. WHITE. 30. Engine Lane. LYE, Stourbridge. " BE SURE TO MENTION "BOY'S CINEMA" WHEN COMMUNICATING WITH ADVERTISERS. B£ TALL Your Height Increased In 14 days, or money bark I .Miiazing Course. 5;-. Send STAMP N<1W for Free Book -STEBBING SYSTEM. 28. Dean Road. toTiflon TI W 2 nl IICUIMn SHYNESS, TIMIDITY. Fi.r FREE rnrliciilars KLUOni**U. simple home puro,|=cn(i st.imp.—MR. HUGHES, i* 26, HART 'street (ROOM 16), LONDON, WC.1. Collei'tor ha,'? numerous genuine PRE-WAR STAMPS tor siiie. Many Briti.-sh Colonials. 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