Boy's Cinema (1935-39)

2S £*SX*5aOCXXXX*3C%*X*X***%*5 "That," he gasped, "is a figure of ' Forest King,' Tony Brett's horse. He gave it to me, and it is in my stables now. You remember the Tony Brett scandul. His younger brother committed a crime, and Tony took the blame and disappeared, goin^ to Russia where, we learnt., he wae killed. Last summer his younger "brother died after an accident, but before the end ho confessed." 'Venetia looked, at him, her face pale but her eyes flashing with hope. "The man that, gave mo that horse is "a legionnaire," she said. '"'An English 9 gentleman.' Sergeant Victor must be .Tony. Brett!" "Impossible!" her uncle cried. "Toiiy Brett is dvad —but Wait—where is this Se.rge.ant. Victor,? I'd know. Tony any- where." "He went with Colonel Doyle's bat- talion," sho whispered. But there was nothing her uncle could do to get Tony Brett back now. The wounded men were coming in rapidly by this time. Venetia, torn with a ghastly fear, rushed„dpwn to where tho camel ambulances were being unloaded. Cigarette was there, scanning the faces of. each wounded legionnaire for (he same reason. She saw Venetia, and she, said bitterly: ''If you are looking for Sergeant Victor, you need not look any more. He's not coming back!" Venetia grabbed her by the arm and demanded what -she meant. Cigarette told her. ' 'You love him,-- too?" Venetia asked weajcly. . / "Yes, I love him, and he would have been mine if you had not come!" "You say you love him," said Venetia, "and you can save him by talking to Colonel Doyle. If you love him, how can you let him die?" • • • ■-".*» On the hills of Ghardia dawn broke in e cold mist, and in the shadow of the jrust seven ..legionnaires, gaunt and haggard, their clothes in tatters, lay behind a stone -wall. They were all that was left of the 'detail of twenty men serit out by Colonel Doyle under Ser- geant Victor. In the sand, on the hills, and in the deep jravines, four thousand Arabs waited lor the break of day before com- pleting the carnage of the remaining men of the .detail. Ghastly and brutal would be this last charge. Victor moved among "the men, trying to give words of encouragement. The day before he had sent a message to Colonel Doyle: "This time the bad penny won't turn lip-" The colonel had received it in silence; he admired the courage of his sergeant! he had liked him "as a man, and still liked him, in spite of Cigarette BOY'S CINEMA One of Victor's men, lying behind the shattered wall, called out: " " I.Ajok! The Arabs are coming!" Through the mist horsemen appeared, but they were not Arabs. It was Colonel Doyle, leading the relief column. The Arabs also saw the column and disap- peared behind the hills, waiting to mow it down from ambush. Victor saw the death-trap, but there was no way to warn the colonel, and they had to lay and .w'atch' the Arabs swoop down on the column and cut it to pieces. Colonel Doyle fought like tev men until a bullet took him in the shoulder and he went down. Lieutenant Petairi helped him up, and, gathering the seventeen remaining members of the column round them, the colonel and lieutenant led the retreat to where Victor crouched behind the broken wall. All day the battle went on, the legion naires defending their position doggedly, and as night came on tho Arabs drew away- and the rattle of machine-guns and rifles'ceased. - : Victor donned the cloak and head- dies: of adead'Arab and silently wormed his way to. -a .hill-and saw that their position was 6tirrounded. When he got back he reported to Colonel Doyle. * '•'Good work, Victor!" he said, all his former jealousy wiped out. "But why did,you try to steal m3' girl?" "So that's why you wanted me dead!" Victor laughed. " There was a girl, but not Cigarette. But what* difference does it make now, we'll soon be dead?" " If we could only hold out until noon to-morrow,"-said Doyle, "there is a large relief column on its w 7 ay " "You'll; get the. extra time," inter- rupted Victor. "That is—if you give me permission?" Doyle nodded. . "All right, go ahead," ho muttered. Victor slid over the wall and was lost in the darkness. Two hours later he was ushered into the tent of Sidi-Ben Youssiff. " Vict,or threw off his robe and stood in his tattered uniform. Sidi-Ben-Youssiff blinked in amaze- ment, and then said: - • " This is amazing, Brett—old Oxford classmates meeting here like this— enemies. May I oner you a drink?" -Victor nodded, took the drink. He was"playing for time and told Youssiff that he was a fool, that tho British Army was helping the French, and that they were even then marching on his camp. Sidi-Ben-Youssiff fell for the bait and sent spies to find out. He in- formed Victor that if he was right he would live; if he wasn't-p.well, he'd have to die. Sergeant Victor was wrong. He knew he was when he went to Sidi-Ben- Youssiff, but his ruse had given Colonel Doyle the time that meant "life to them. Out on the desert, Cigarette, who had ridden hard after Colonel Doyle, had seen the battle from afar off, and, turn- ing, had ridden her horse as hard as he -would go back towards Abeshe. Then the horse grew weary, and so she had led the exhausted animal. She made a pathetic figure as she Eve. ^Tuesday stumbled along—so small and helpless in that vast expanse of sand. Then, faintly to her ears came the sound of horses' hoofs. She topped a sand dune, and there, in the distance, was the relief column of Chasseurs. She shouted and waved her arms wildly until the column stopped, and she staggered up to the colonel. " Back in his tent, Sidi-Ben^YoussifT confronted Victor., "You lied to me," he said, "and that means, I am afraid,your; death'.-" Victor shrugged'his shoulders. "I am amazed that you foil for tho trick at all." ■ - v - ■< - - - Sidi-Ben-Youssiff scowled, then he smiled. * • - - --" "Remember the old Soccer game?" he said. "Well, we are about-;to have a game now, with horses. ; But there will be a little difference, because,. I am afraid, my dear Brett, that vou will bo the ball!" -«*-*-*•• ■ As the Arabs grabbed Victor the sound of horses' hoofs and shouting came from outside the tent.. It; was the Chasseurs, and at their head rode Cigar- ette—kneo to -knee .with the. colonel: The battle was brief, and as. the Arabs, routed and defeated, galloped away from the scene, Victor rushed over- to' where Cigarette lay and gathered her in his arms. -• , , "" - "Cigarette!" he cried. . , Sho opened her eyes and smiled weakly up at him. • "I have seen so many men die," she murmured brokenly, "so I know what this is. But there is something I mu6t say. She said—your ..English la,dv—if J. loved vou—I would—save you—tell her— I tried!" "I will tell her, my dear,"- whispered. Cigarette nestled closer in his arms, and ho bent down and kissed her. She smiled faintly and closed- her eyes—— ' The remnants of tho 5th Battalion were assembled on the parade" ground at Abeshe. A coffin sat on a caisson in front of them, and on it lay Xjigai- ette's kepi. Two flags, the French and the British, waved over her as a French field-marshal_stepped forward. "We are assembled here to do. honoltr to a.soldier of France,"., lie said. "killeit in action against the ..enemy.-In life she was a devoted friend and companion to tho Foreign Legion, and by her latest heroic action she saved the remnants of the 5th Battalion. "On. behalf of#fhe Government of France, I hereby confer on Mademoiselle Cigarette the Medaillo Militaire." ' ^^ Under an awning stood the Ute^pei'- geant Victor, now released from his service, and Venetia. As the last notes of the bugle died away he glanced at the girl. Tears were in her eyes, and as their glance met thy saw the future —and a promise of happiness made pos- sible by Cigarette; (Adapted from the 20th Century-Fox picture, from the screen play by W. P. Lipscomb and Walter Ferri. starring Ronald Colman, Claudette Colbert and Victor McLaglen.) BESTRONG STAMMERING! I promise VOU RohllKt- Health, Poublrd SirenRth, Stamina, ami Dashing EutrRv in 30 dayK or uioury back! 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BE SURE TO MENTION "BOY'S CINEMA" WHEN COMMUNICATING WITH ADVERTISERS Printed in Ore;it Britain and published every Tuesday by the Proprietors, TitK Amalgamated PBB3S, T.td., The I'icetwav House, l'arringdon Btrtefc, London, K.C.4. Advertisement Offices : The FlOetWfty Rouse, Fnrringdon Street, London, E.C.4. Subscription Kates : Inland and Abroad, 11/- per annum ; 5,(1 for sis months. Sole Agents for Australia nnd-Neu* Zealand : Messrs. Oordon ,fc Gotch, Ltd, : and for South Africa : September 12th, 1930. Central Ncwi Agency, Ltd. Ecgtatered for transmission to Canada at Magazine RatQS. S.G.