Screenland (Jul-Dec 1948)

LITTLE LULU "I'd rather watch KLEENEX* jump up!" Little Lulu says . . . Only Kleenex has the Serv-a-Tissue Box— pull just one double tissue— up pops another! Compare tissues, compare boxes— you'll see why Kleenex is America's favorite tissue. across the face three times. Then when it was over he went to a corner table and sat down. He couldn't believe it at first when Nora followed him. He believed it even less when her hand went out and found his. "I'm sorry about what I said upstairs," she said. "He might have killed you and you knew it. Maybe it is a rotten world, Frank, but a cause isn't lost as long as someone is willing to go on fighting." "I'm not that someone," he said. "But you are," she said quietly. "You may not want to be, but you can't help yourself. I know from the way you look and talk. And from things George wrote me. He knew the kind you are." They sat there a long time and nothing seemed to matter any more. It was almost as if they could hear the storm going. He leaned over and kissed her hair and she smiled. "Will we ever see you again?" she asked. They didn't know Temple had wheeled himself over to them until he spoke. "Stay right here, why don't you," he said. "You tell him, Nora. We'd be proud if you'd look on us as your family." He couldn't speak above the lump in his throat. Then there was no chance to answer for the door opened and Toots came in. He held the door half shut so they didn't see the little group of people huddled on the porch. "The boat, it's gone!" he cried. "That dirty skipper took it away. What are we gonna do? We can't stay here . . now." Rocco walked to the door and looked down at the Bay. "There's a boat down there. It'll get us to Cuba. And the soldier can run it. He said he was hankering for a boat." "No," Temple called. Then suddenly he saw the Indians on the porch and started towards them. But before he reached the door one of them got up motioning to his companions to go. And as they started away, M'Cloud saw that two of them were women and the others, except for the one other man were children. "You, Mr. Temple," the Indian said stoically. "You're not a good man. You don't let nobody in. That's no good. My brother, me, us not do like you say any more. No go Ben Wade. That man," he pointed to Curly, "he say you no let women and baby in house." It did no good to call after them. It did no good for Temple to give way to his fury either, with the gunmen laughing uproariously. Then suddenly the door opened again and Ben Wade stood there. His face was white as if he had had a shock. "I came looking for Sawyer," he said grimly. "And I just found him outside. He was murdered." "Those Indians you were talking about," Rocco said. "They were here." "No," Temple shouted. But Wade just gave him that contemptuous look and left. M'Cloud started after him but Rocco's gun held him back. "You're going with us, soldier," he said. The shot came, followed by another. © International Cellucotton Products Co. It seemed an eternity, but it was only a minute before Wade came back. "They tried to get away," he said. "I killed 'em both." Temple's gnarled hands went up to his face as though he were trying to shut out not only the Osceola brothers, but the whole world and everything in it. He didn't even move as Wade left and Rocco motioned to M'Cloud. "Well, soldier?" he asked. "I'll go," M'Cloud said unexpectedly and again he saw the disappointment flare into Nora's eyes. But this time it was different. This time he was right with himself. "There never has been," he told himself and this time he knew it was true, "and never can be a successful compromise between good and evil. Only total victory can reward the champions of tolerance and decency and freedom and faith." And it was funny how it had taken the Osceolas to make him see it so shining and clear. Gaye's voice cut in on his thoughts then as Toots and one of the others came down with the bags. "Where are my things?" she asked. "Oh, I forgot to tell you," Rocco grinned as he swaggered towards the door. "You're not coming. Here," he shoved some money into her hand. "On this you can stay drunk a month." "Johnny, please!" She threw herself against him. "I'll stop drinking! I'll be good luck for you like I was before." Rocco flung her away from him and at the time it seemed an accident that she fell against M'Cloud. But afterwards he knew it was no accident. For when he •T. M. Reg. U. S. Pat. Off. put his hand in his pocket he felt Rocco's gun in it where she had placed it. They were on the boat when he found it, the war surplus Navy launch Temple had bought. But he didn't do anything about it then. He waited until they were far out at sea. They couldn't take the choppy water, those tough guys. They were sick and went below. But M'Cloud waited his chance. It was Ralph who came up first staggering to the rail and as he bent over M'Cloud veered the boat sharply and the man swung out into the sea. But first he screamed. There was just time to hide behind the wheelhouse before the others came up. He picked them off, one after the other and one of their bullets got him in the shoulder. But it didn't matter now that the world was wiped clean of them. Only he had to get back, back to Nora. He swung the boat around and that was all his bad shoulder could take. So he lashed the wheel and set the boat's course. He saw the telephone then and he began babbling in delirium even before he took off the receiver. He tried to keep the words from all running into each other and couldn't. But they made sense to him. At long last they made sense to him. "Hello, Nora," he said. "You were right. As long as we fight, George didn't die for nothing. We've got to keep fighting. But first I'm heading for home. Home being Key Largo." And it was funny how as he talked, it seemed as if Nora's arms were already around him, holding him. ScREENLAND 63