Radio and television mirror (July-Dec 1942)

cara out of my eyes and saw Rudy's face in my mirror, still smiling. But he had taken the cigar out of his mouth and he leaned over now so that his thick lips were close to my ear and said, "Marie, honey. Don't take it so hard. It isn't like you had to go back to the old man's hash house. Don't forget my offer still stands." I don't know how sane I was in that moment, but I thought I was thinking very fast and very straight. And I reached a conclusion that seemed suddenly the only way out of the impossible spot where my crazy dreams had landed me. I said, "Rudy, look. How about this party? Do you still want me to go?" HE said, "What do you think I've been waiting for?" I said, "All right. I'll go. Shall I wear the red dress?" He took the cigar out of his mouth again, the most extreme gesture he could make to show his pleasure. "That's the stuff, baby," he said. "You know I like a woman in clothes that hit you in the eye." "All right, Rudy." I put my hands on his shoulders and pushed him gently to the door. Might as well get used to the touch of him, the smell of that cigar — But even as I told myself that, I felt sick. "Give me five minutes, Rudy," I said weakly. I dressed with hands that shook. I knew now what I had to do. The only thing that would fix things for Eddie — and for Dad. If I could just keep my mind made up, slip out without having to talk to Eddie. But he was waiting outside the door of my dressing room. "What is this?" he asked angrily. "What's Rudy telling me about you going off somewhere with him to a party?" I saw there was no use trying to put anything over on him. I said, "Why not? Doesn't my old boss rate one final celebration?" I tried to make my tone flippant, off-hand, and maybe I overdid it, for his thin face looked as shocked as if I had slapped him. But I didn't stay to look at it. Rudy's hand was dragging me out the side entrance of the Clover Club. I thought I would never forget that white sick stare that followed me. The place where Rudy's friend was giving the party was one of the biggest and noisiest places I had ever seen. It occupied the whole second floor of a square block, and it seemed at first that it was solidly filled with brassy blondes and that all of them knew Rudy. They gathered around him like bees around honeysuckle, clamoring for champagne. "Rudy, don't leave me out," I said, holding out my glass. "Say . . ." His beady eyes gleamed. "Now, this is how I like to see you, kid. Sort of friendly . . ." "Naturally I'm friendly to you," I told him after I'd downed a swallow of the sharp, stinging, fizzy stuff. I held my glass out again. "One good drink deserves another," I said inanely, trying to laugh up at him. "That's my baby," Rudy said, pouring with the half-smoked cigar held between two fingers that sparkled with big diamonds. "Rudy," I said quickly when I had the second glass down. "Rudy, do you mean that? I mean, do you still want me to — to marry you?" "Marie, baby!" Rudy took the cigar out of his mouth and peered into my face. "You mean you've finally got wise to where you belong? You're going to sign up under my management for life?" I wished he wouldn't rub it in that way. I said, very loud, "That's what I mean, Rudy. I've seen the light." "Marie!" A low voice spoke above my shoulder. "Marie, have you gone crazy?" I looked up and somehow I was not surprised. Eddie was standing there staring down at me, his eyes dark with horror. Rudy was hardly aware of us; he was standing up to make the announcement to the table and they were all shouting responses. I looked down, away from Eddie's blue eyes, and sat there gazing at my glass, concentrating on not feeling sick at the knowledge that Rudy was beside me, blandly jubilant, and Eddie's blue eyes on us both. Then I heard Eddie say, very quietly, to Rudy: "Mind if I have one last dance with Marie?" Honoring Mutual' s Double Or Nothing program for its series of salutes to the United Nations, Fred Sammis, Executive Editor of RADIO MIRROR, presents Walter Compton (left) with a scroll. Announcer Alois Havrilla is at right. "The Personality-Foot himself on our trail!" Rudy laughed amiably and moved his hand in consent. He was in a generous mood. I said, "No. No, Eddie, I don't feel like dancing — " Oh, I didn't dare! But Eddie had taken my arm in a grip that hurt. I didn't dream his slight body could hold such strength. I found myself out on the floor with him, held against his solid slenderness, moving in time with his lithe graceful feet, swept into the rhythm of the waltz the band was playing. It was wonderful and terrible all at once, too wonderful and too terrible. Eddie said, "What's got into you, Marie? I don't get this at all. You don't love Rudy Scallare." I said in numb stubbornness, "I'm going to marry him." "You're not." Eddie spoke in a tight, low voice, so that I could tell his teeth were clenched. "Now you tell me why you're letting him think you will." "I'm letting him think it because it's true," I insisted. "Please, Eddie, don't cross-question me. It's my business why I'm doing it — " "It's mine, too." I wouldn't have thought Eddie could talk in that fierce furious way. His arm was around me tight, so tight my ribs ached and I loved the pain. 1 DON'T see why," I said with all my strength. But a great big hope was coming up in me, weakening me, choking me, making me faint. "Because I've made it my business," Eddie said. "Didn't I make you my partner? You can't run out on a partner, Marie." The hope collapsed with a miserable plop inside me. It was just the contract he meant. "You're better without me, Eddie," I said dully. "Everybody knows it only hurts your act to have me in it. You were just being kind — " "Kind," Eddie laughed. "Sure, I was just being kind, the way a man usually is, when he's trying to get himself a wife — " "A wife!" The hope came up in me again, and I guess the champagne coming on top of too much that had happened tonight did something to my control, but there I was dancing with Eddie and laughing and crying all at once. Still I tried to protest through my tears. "Eddie, you mustn't. Remember, he travels fastest who travels alone — " Eddie's fierceness came back and his arms tightened around me so that I felt real pain, joyous wonderful pain. "Suppose I don't care about traveling so fast?" he asked almost angrily. "Isn't it up to me if I find the scenery better going slower? How about it, Marie?" I didn't have a chance to savor this perfect moment. For I felt Eddie's body tense against me and I saw that he was no longer looking with that warm loving intensity down into my face. He was staring back toward our table and my eyes followed his. Rudy was standing now and the generous smile had gone from his face, leaving an expression that scared me more than any I had ever seen him wear. It froze me so that I couldn't move. "Oh, Eddie," I gasped. "Rudy might do something terrible." "Come on!" Eddie started dancing me toward the door. The crowd was thick, but it was harder for Rudy to force his bulk through the dancers than for Eddie Continued on page 52 50 RADIO IVTIRROR