Boy's Cinema (1933)

20 "I'm frightened of that man," Josie cried, gazing at Junior appcalingly. "He was beastly to me last night. He asked me where the diamonds were hidden, and he kept on asking about them as if he did not believe me when I said I did not know. Must I talk to him again? All he seems to care about is the finding of those awful jewels that ruined poor father." "Do you know where the diamonds arc hidden, Josie?" Junior wanted to know. The girl gave him a long searching glance. "I am certain the murderer of my father didn't get them." Voices below put a finish to all further talk. A shout for them brought the two young people to the trapdoor. Junior lifted it, went down the rickety ladder first, and waited to give Josie a help- ing hand. "Mr. Wilkins wants to have another talk with you, my dear," called the sheriff, "I've told him I know nothing about the diamonds," Josie had gripped tight on Junior's hand. Junior scowled as if something were perplexing him. She was scared of Wilkins of the Jewellers' Association, and Junior was working with the detective. Somehow he wished he weren't. "You know where the diamonds arc hidden." Wilkins' eyes were narrowed. "Are you, or are you not, going to tell us where they are hidden?" "Someone killed my father," cried Josie. "That doesn't seem to be half so important to you as the diamonds." "Answer my question!" rasped the croolc. "I don't know where the diamonds are hidden," flashed the girl. "If I did, I wouldn't tell you." "Hear that, sheriff?" Wilkie shouted with assumed indignation. "Open defiance ! Unless she conies over with the whole truth, I've only got one course left to me." "What course is that, Mr. Wilkins?" the sheriff asked. "I shall have to take her to Chicago to answer the questions of an inquiry board." The crook saw the girl's look of terror. "Unless she speaks, she will accompany me to Chicago as my pris- oner." "You're not taking Josie to Chicago !" shouted Junior, clenching his fists. "You haven't the right." "Keep this fool boy quiet," was the exasperated complaint of Wilkie. " Well. sheriff, if you can't persuade this girl to talk now, it will.be my duty to take her. I can't fool around here for days." "I don't know what father did with the diamonds," Josie appealed to the sheriff. "You won't let him take me to Chicago?" "I'm afraid the law " began the sheriff. Junior had his great idea. "Sheriff, I got a hunch where those diamonds are hidden," he cried, and at once every- body stared at him. "I've been helping Mr. Wilkins solve this mystery, and I'd like to consult with him alone." The crook shot the boy a suspicious glance. But if this young fool was wast- ing his time, he'd give him such a hiding ! "All right, sheriff, I'd best hear what lie has to say." He held open the outer door. "Better wait for me outside." The two were alone. "Mr. Wilkins, when Josie says she doesn't know where the diamonds are hidden she's speaking almost the truth." "What. you mean, 'almost the truth ' 7" cried the baffled scoundrel. "She don't know the actual place, but she knows they're still where her father hid them." Junior was very serious. "Her father didn't say where they were June 10th, 1033. BOY'S CINEMA hidden, but he gave her an idea. She told mo all this herself." "I couldn't get a tiling out of her." " You got to treat some girls different " Junior nodded in his own pecu- liar way. "No good treating 'em rou^h or barking at 'em. She told me that the diamonds are hidden somewhere in the grounds and she thinks they're in the blasted oak." "You trying to pull my leg?" Wilkie's voice was ominous. "No, pard, why should I?" Junior opened his eyes wide. "I thought we could meet after dark and look for the diamonds. Josie only told me a few minutes ago." "If you're sprucing me, I'll " Wilkie scowled at Junior, who returned the gaze unflinchingly. " AH right, I'll take one more chance. If this fails, I'll take Josie to Chicago." "Yeah," whispered Junior, under his breath. "And if you do, I'll be going with you. you big baboon!" Junior was definitely beginning to dislike his partner. Josie wanted to know what Junior had been telling Wilkins, and what was all that nonsense about pretending to knew where the diamonds were hidden. She confessed frankly that she had never seen them. She wheedled the facts out of Junior. "And no telling anyone." insisted Junior. "Maybe we'll find the diamonds and maybe we won't, but we don't want the sheriff nosing round." Later that evening Josie decided that she would feel happier if she made a confidant of Junior's mother. The Diamonds. JAMES WILKIE was not in a good mood when he met Junior Scott at nine that night near the gar- dener's shed. When Junior flashed a torch Wilkie was so jumpy that he darted a hand to his hip-pocket. "Don't do that!" was his vicious out- burst. "And why the blazes did we have to meet here and not at the house?" "We got to do this thing right," Junior spoke hoarsely. " 'Tis a night for dark deeds." " Stop talking nonsense or there will be a dark deed," threatened Wilkie. "Where's this cursed oak?" "Blasted," corrected Junior, and in a hissing whisper added: "Follow me." "Talk naturally," growled the crook. Wilkie cursed when Junior led the way over a particularly rocky rock garden and he barked his shins. When the crook asked why they had to come this way Junior made no answer. An owl hooted and that, made the man jump. They came at last to a large tree trunk, which had at some time been struck by lightning. "Funny kind of oak tree," snapped Wilkie. "Looks to me like a beech." "Don't sound well to talk about a blasted beech," Junior answered. "Are you telling me," raged the man. "Arc you fooling me?" "No. pard. I'm serious." The torch went out. "You stay there because I think we're close to those diamonds." Junior vanished, and except for inut- terings and scraping noises, Wilkie had no idea where he had gone. A light flashed in his face from above and a hissing whisper made him jump. "Are there any knife marks?" "What the thundering " Wilkie's scare bereft him of speech. He flashed, his torch up and found Junior peering out of a great hollow above him. "Are you trying to scare me?" he yelled. "No, pard." Junior blinked his eyes. "But I've got a hunch that if Mr. Ward hid the diamonds it was near, or in, this hollow trunk. Are there any knife marks on the bark?" Every Tuesday "No, of course there aren't." Junior poked his head farther out and craned his neck. "What are those marks ?" "The initials of some loving couple, you young fool," was the exasperated answer. "I think we'll have to do some dig- ging." "Some what?" gasped Wilkie. Junior retired like a snail into his shell, or rather into the hollow tree. "Come out of it," barked the crook, "or I'll get 60 mad I'll—— Where are you?" "Here I am!" spoke Junior behind him, and once again Wilkie did a spas- modic jump. "If you creep around like this I'll wring your neck!" spluttered the rogue. "And don't try any more fool tricks with trees." "We'll try the copse near the pond." Junior was wise to move away. "We must leave no stone unturned." James Wilkie followed, and a few moments later found himself wading through slimy mud, and clawing his way under tree branches that would whip and sting his face. "What's the great idea coming through this muck?" Wilkie.called out. Junior was flashing his torch around. "We got to look for any signs of re- cent digging. There's an old summer- house that must be searched." "But why come through this mire?" grumbled Wilkie, who was beginning to wonder if this boy had any idea at all of the whereabouts of the diamonds. The old summer-house was musty, and Wilkie used very strong language when his feet went through the rotten board- ing, and he sat down making contact with a nail. He was in a murderous mood when he crashed out of that hut. Already a good hour had been wasted. Wilkie knew that every moment thai he stayed in Renville was fraught with danger because somebody would be sure to find out that he was nothing to do with the Jewellers' Association, and proper detectives might be sent down from Headquarters. This fear, and the fact that the diamonds must be some- where near drove him nearly mad with chagrin and baffled greed. They tried all kinds of other places, and when Junior led the way into a thicket of brambles Wilkie gripped him by the throat and threatened to strangle him. "You don't know where the diamonds are?" lie raged. "You've kept me out here because you're sweet on that Josie kid. She didn't tell you a thing. You're trying to stop me taking her to Chicago." "Mister," gasped the half-stifled Junior. "I ain't razzing you. Josie knows they're in the grounds somewhere and in some place hard to find. Let me go. I know a place where " Wilkie released his grip. "Try another joke like the last and it'll be your finish." Junior's latest idea was an old well, which was very smelly and half blocked up. Scout started to bark as Junior peered down and Wilkie kicked the little animal. "You cut that out!" shouted Junior. "Or the partnership is through and you can find the diamonds yourself." "Don't you talk to me that" way!" cried Wilkie, and struck the boy a vicious punch in the chest. Junior staggered, lost his balance. tripped over the edge of the well, and with a yell disappeared from sight. Luckily, it. was only about twelve feet (Continued on page 28.)