Boy's Cinema (1933)

u lamb, and is inclined to be attentive to my daughter. A harmless soul. Now you shall meet Dr. Rowitz, who was the other scientist with Haines during the shipwreck." He preceded the two police-officers into a huge dome-roofed room in which a huge telescope was mounted. A man was looking into the "finder : ' of the telescope, and the noise of their en- trance made him wheel round. Stevens and O'Hallaran caught their breaths. The face that confronted them was marred and ghastly. A smoked- glass monocle .was worn to cover an empty eye-socket, whilst down one cheek was a livid scar. Professor Rowitz clicked his heels in the manner of a German cavalry officer when Dr. X made the introductions. "Allow me to present my colleague, Professor Duke," Rowitz waved his hand to a corner of the vast observatory laboratory. "Hallo, what's all the noise about?" snapped a voice, and a sour-faced old man seated in a wheel chair moved across the floor to stare at the visitors. Dr. X addressed the old man. " Good-evening, professor. How do you feel to-night?" "Horrible!" came the vicious answer. "I'm sony to hear that." "If it makes you sorry to hear things like that, then don't ask questions." And with that Professor Duke moved his chair back to his bench. Dr. X smiled at his visitors. "I think we are holding up these gentlemen in their work. If they'll excuse us " Rowitz clicked his Heels, and the three intruders departed. "Professor Duke spoke to you in a most uncivil maimer?" questioned Stevens. "We make allowances for him," was the answer. "The poor man was stranded on a polar expedition fifteen years ago, and as a result has suffered much agony from paralysis. But he is a brilliant surgeon, and we wouldn't think of parting with him." "But the face of Rowitz," cried O'Hallaran. "So far we have only one witness to any of these murders. ,A sailor who saw the killing of a police- officer, and he stated that the killer had the face of a monster. And Rowitz cer- tainly fits that description." Xavier seemed hurt at this attack. "Rowitz has given years and years to scientific research. He served in the war, where he lost an eye. That scar is the result of a duel. I don't think he could commit a crime—why he has actually published 6everal volumes of poetry." Stevens and O'Hallaran were not im- pressed. In the main office Stevens spoke sud- denly and decisively: "Doctor, if I permitted you to con- duct your own investigations, how long would it take?" The eyes of Dr. Xavier lit up with an almost startling gleam. "If you leave mo alone I can carry through a scries of tests which in forty- eight hours will conclusively prove whether the killer is a member of this academy! I have just completed a special apparatus that reveals the inner- most thoughts of a man's brain." "All right, carry on," Stevens de- rided. Boraewhat impressed. "I'm grant- ing this request, Dr. Xavier, because of the reputation of your academy, but these moon-killings havo got • to cease, so that I can only grant forty- leight hours. For your sake I wish fyou success, and if your experiments February 25th, 1933. BOY'S CINEMA prove the murderer to be in your academy I will guarantee that the Press do you as little harm as possible." " Thank you." "But," Commissioner Stevens cried, "if you fail then we walk in here, seal every door, place everybody under arrest, take finger-prints and conduct a rigid inspection—and I don't care if the whole world knows it. You've got forty-eight hours, doctor. Xow we'll bid you good-night." "Good-night, gentlemen," Dr. Xavier bowed them to the door. He watched the immobile Otto conduct them down a passage. His face became hard, con- temptuous, sneering, and softly he mut- tered: "Meddling fools!" before return- ing to his office. The Daughter of Doctor X. NOT long after the police-officers had been admitted to the house of Dr. Xavier the indefatigabfe young journalist, Lee Taylor, arrived on the scene. The iron gates were closed, so he shinned over a wall and made his way through a dank, dismal garden, which was overgrown with creepers. He reconnoitred the house, and decided that it was more like a castle than a house. A collapsible fire-escape gave him an idea on how to enter the mansion. It had been partly drawn up so that any- one on any floor of the building could clamber down it and let down the final piece of stairway—the idea of folding up the last section was to stop burglars and thieves having an easy way into the house. Keep him out, would they? Better men than they had tried to do it before and failed. Lee Taylor would show them! Up the thick ivy Lee went like a monkey. He reached out a hand, gripped a rung of the stairway and swung himself to the fire-escape. On the second floor he observed windows across which were heavy curtains, and the top of the window was open. Very gently the reporter pushed them aside to peer into Dr. Xavier's office. The police-officers must be spilling all kinds of dope. And he was pressing his head further and further through the curtains, listen- ing more and more intently, when sud- denly he heard a voice from behind and below him. "What are you doing up there?" A clear, feminine voice, and as Lee withdrew his head and glanced down he beheld in the moonlight at the foot of the fire-ladder, a young girl staring up at him. Lee sighed and made his way down the escape. He released a catch, and the lower portion of the ladder descended to the ground. He marched down it, to where the young lady was standing holding a gun. "I'm a sleep-walker," grinned Lee. "I have a passion for fire-escapes when I'm that way." He smiled, but the pretty girl did not return the 6mile. "I asked you"—she moved the gun significantly—" what vou were doing up there?" The young girl was pretty, her blue beret and the short fur-coat were most becoming. She was watching him with suspicious i Leo turned back the collar of his coat to reveal his Press badge. " Police- commissioner Stevens is up there, and I'm taking oaro of the outside," he ex- plained, and in turn asked a question : "By the way, what are jou doing out here with a gun ?" Every Tuesday The badge had done its work; plainly she accepted him as a police officer. "I'm Joan Xavier." Her voice was quiet. "The grounds are rather dismal at night, and sometimes, if I come in lato from seeing friends, I take my small gun. I understand from the lodge that a lot of people have been here— policemen. Has anything happened?" "I assure jou it's nothing to worry about, Miss Xavier," smoothly spoko Lee, admiring this girl, and yet anxious to get rid of her so that he could go back to his eavesdropping. "The police arc consulting with your father about some case—they want his scientific opinion. Don't you worry yourself—you run indoors before you catch your death of cold." "I wish people would leave father alone," the girl complained. "He hasn't been himself lately. He's been working too hard; he'll" be ill if ho does not take care." The young reporter nodded, and then spoke in an official tone of voice. "We'll not worry your father, Miss Xavier. It's very cold. I insist that you go inside before you oatch cold." "It's kind of you to say they won't worry my father." The girl put the small gun back in her bag. "I've always had a terror of policemen." She hesitated as if wondering whether she should shake hands, then turned to- wards the house. "Good-night!" So she left him, walking easily and gracefully, and Lee, staring after her, forgot all about the moonkiller case for some minutes. She possessed all the specifications for becoming the girl of his dreams. The girl glanced back as she reached the front door. The young man had a frank, open face, but you never could tell. He oughtn't to have been peering in at that window, even if he were working with the police. Cool nerve making use of their fire-ladder. Lee Taylor, after getting over tho first state of coma, began to puzzle about the girl. Joan Xavier—what sort of girl was she ? Was she as nice as she seemed? Did she bake after that strange man, her father? And what had they to do with the strange series of killings in the full moon which had shocked and terrified the whole of New York? The reporter roused himself and turned to the fire-escape again, then gave a cry of angry dismay. Tho ladder had swung up out of reach. Had tho girl done this? At any rate, some- one must be watching him, and it would be unwise to try the ivy again. He was still cogitating what to do when the police officers departed. Naturally, Lee Taylor did not rush forward and make his presence known, but next morning he called at the man- sion with a bouquet of flowers. His ring brought a maidservant to the door—a woman in her late thirties, good-natured and plain, but obviously distrustful of strangers. "Good-morning." The young man smiled disarmingly. "I'm Mr. Taylor." "You ain't a reporter, are you?" the maid demanded suspiciously. "One of those terrible fellows? Rather not." Much indignant flashing of eyes. "Is Miss Xavier in?" " What do you want to see Misa Xavier for?" "My grandmother sent me," laughed Lee, and adroitly slipped by the maid. "You tell her Mr. Taylor would like to see her." Tho maid was perplexed, but the flowers convinced her that this was not a reporter, so she allowed him to wait