Radio and television mirror (May-Oct 1940)

try and see how it works out." Mother O'Neill laid her rough, work-worn hand on his. "If you think it's the right thing to do, Danny— why, then go ahead." But Eileen Turner's reaction was different. He called on her the evening of the day his first "piece" about Peggy appeared in the paper, and found her with her eyes bright green, the way they always got when she was angry. "I should think it was bad enough, Danny O'Neill, having your sister accused of murder, without boasting about it in the newspapers!" she burst out as soon as he was in the room. "But, Eileen, I'm not boasting! I thought maybe, by writing these articles, I could help her." "Help her! For Heaven's sake, Danny, don't you realize you're just as likely to hurt her?" She took a ■ Janice Gilbert and J my Donnelly, who ploy Collins twins, Janice Eddie, have grown up the O'Neills show since it started on the air. 32 deep breath, tried to speak more calmly. "Of course you don't think Peggy is guilty — but I hear things around town that you don't. And a lot of people — have their own notions. Seeing her brother leaping into print isn't going to change those notions any, because that's exactly the sort of thing people don't like. I don't like it myself!" Something about Eileen's tone had struck into Danny's brain like a knife. "Of course you don't think Peggy ^is guilty!" He had hardly heard anything she said after that "Do you think she's guilty, Eileen?" The sudden question startled her. "Why, I — " Her angry gaze faltered, slid away from his eyes. "Of course not," she said, almost sullenly. The lack of conviction in her words was more revealing than her hesitancy. "I see," he said slowly. He got to his feet and stood looking down at her. "I think I'll go on home now, Eileen," he said. "It doesn't matter what I think, anyway," she said petulantly. "Because there's something else I've got to tell you, Danny. You know for a long time I've wanted to go to New York and study dramatics. Well — next week I'm going. I won't even be here when the trial starts." He knew, then, that Eileen had not really been so angry about his newspaper venture. She had seized upon it eagerly, as an excuse for a with quarrel, to give her announcement that she was going away the point and drama her actress's soul hungered for. "Did you ever really love me?" he asked bitterly. She turned in simulated anger. "No, don't lie to me," he interrupted. "You didn't — or if you did, it wasn't the kind of love a man could build his life on. . . . All right, Eileen. I hope you have lots of luck in New York." "Danny ..." Her voice was pleading, timid; but he was already leaving the room, and he did not go back. Walking home, he was amazed to find that he felt nothing — no real, sorrow, no anger. This wasn't like the last big quarrel he and Eileen had had. Then he had been crushed, unable to think of anything but the hope that she might return to him. Now . . . why, now he didn't even care! THE trial began. Three day^ of wrangling between the attorneys as the jury was picked. And after ■ that, endless hours of testifying, questioning, cross-questioning. Chris Momanos, owner of the Glass Slipper, his head waiter, his chef — all testified that they had seen Peggy at the road house that night, had heard her quarreling with Gloria Gilbert, had seen her leave, just before Gloria's body was discovered ., in her dressing room. She had left t the motor of the car running, they said, in order to make a quick getaway. Even Monte's brilliant crossexamination was not able to break down their testimony. The prosecution brought into court the pistol that Danny always carried in the side-pocket of his car — a pistol with one bullet fired from the chamber. Experts testified that Gloria Gilbert had died of a bullet fired from that gun. As if all this were not bad enough, the District Attorney called to the stand friends and neighbors of Peggy's— ^Trudie Bailey, Morris Levy, little Janice Collins. Yes, they were forced to admit, they had heard Peggy threaten Gloria's life — ^but only as the rash remark anyone might make in the heat of anger. Even Monte was called to the stand and forced by adroit and merciless questioning to tell the whole story of his estrangement from his wife, and of Peggy's jealousy. It was a sad O'Neill family that gathered around the supper table the night after Monte's testimony. Try as they would, they could not overcome the feeling of despair that hung over the whole house. When the front (Continued on page 54) RADIO AND TELEVISION IVEIRBOR