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Show once, they heard a commotion from outside. Stealthily they went to the door. There was a big crowd in front of Patsy's house. Steve spoke to a small urchin. "What'a the excitement kid?" The boy chewed his gum feverishly. fever-ishly. "Two Welfare dames is put-tin' put-tin' the finger on little Patsy Eastman. East-man. They salted her old man in the clink this afternoon for blackmail." black-mail." There were three Inaudible thuds as the hearts of the boys dropped down into their shoes. Blackmail! That meant Cartwright! Well they Just had to save Patsy, and fast too. Snap got things going by setting set-ting off the horn of the social worker's car. The whole neighborhood neighbor-hood came running and in the midst of the excitement, Steve was able to tear Patsy loose from the Welfare Worker, yank her down the street and get her into the abandoned Rathskeller. Eight-ball Eight-ball was already there with the food. i 4 , jT I .. - . . - : - . - ' ! '' .. l4m . i ".:' ... , 4 ' . ' r ''.,' ,4, : . .;f t,. : i. t ft, ' ! ' M- y c V4 - ;.-1 r.-r; rt ' j farjy uai eelln' TUcfc, wide and handsome. She knew she'd break into that jail novtl ),-. e Adapted from the Metro Goldwyn - Mayer Picture by FRANCES BARBOUR CAST OF CHARACTERS Patty Eastman .... Vitglnlm Weldler Stay ....... Ray McDonald "Snap" Collins ..... .LaoGorcay Murray Saundar . . . Dougas MePhall "Grunt" . . . . . "Ragt" Ragland Pata Datrolt ... Shaldon Leonard Frank Eastman ..... Hanry O'Neill Mika Conroy ...... Larry Nunn ElC;":.-3 Joe Yulo spoke up. "Wait boss. Them k;ds saved us gettin' a slug. The flatfoots would have shot straight if iit wasn't for them." At that Pete nodded nod-ded slowly. "Okay. Pete Detroit never welched on a debt yet." He pulled out some bills and handed hand-ed one each to the boys. "Here buy yourself your-self some chewing gum." Then he turned turn-ed to the mug. "Keep them here for an hour then let them loose. I'm goin' out to the Island hideaway." A few minutes later, the boys were alone and suddenly Steve let out a hoarse "Sufferin' codfish!" He was play the music to the Judg the harmonica?" , . "Yeah," Snap shot back, and get us all life. " Steve pulled at hia lip moodily. "We can't buck Cartwright that way. He's got a theatre, scenery, lights and a band. We need something some-thing big, like a radio or a show. "Sure," Steve said defeatedly, "we're just pikers. Come on, let's go." He patted Patsy's shoulder. "Eightball will take care of you. It's all right Patsy, we'll be back." "Certainly," Snap assured her. "They don't fry people for extortion. ex-tortion. We'll be back." Mike also was cheerful. "Id about five years." They were leaving when Eight-ball Eight-ball spoke up. "Say, thes a secret way out, the Bundles used, when they was in a hurry. You goei) across the stage and down the . . ." "Across the what?" Steve asked. "The stage." Steve grabbed him. "Tou got stage in here?" "Suah." "Well where is it," Mike yelled excitedly. Eightball pointed to the picture of Hitler. "The dooh's right in back of that he-devil's picture." Snap made an ugly sound. "That mug gums up everything." He tore aside the drapes that framed the photo and there, revealed was a small but complete stage with footlights, foot-lights, a backdrop and some wings. They all stood there revelling in the miracle. Then Steve declared. "Okay gang, we're in business." "What business?" Snap asked. "Show business," Steve said. "Come on, we're finding talent." Show business they were in. There was no doubt of that In the three days that followed, the boys combed the town, visiting every youngster they knew who could sing, dance, play an instrument, or do anything any-thing at all that came under the head of entertainment. Amazingly enough, every child they rounded up was capable of keeping the secret. Their comings and goings went on early in the morning and after dark. Luckily the walls were sound proof, for Steve didn't mince words, roars or shouts, as ha sweated over the rehearsals of th acts and various other numbere that were to go into the variety show. All they were waiting for was Mr. Eastman's music and od day Patsy figured out a way sh could get into her father's cell so that she could find out whera Dad's duplicate copies of the scora were. Eightball was her partner ia crime, dressing her up in a gingham ging-ham dress, pigtails and a black face make-up. The two would be visiting Mr. Eastman disguised as old family retainers, who had coma to see him in his time of trouble. The afternoon that she and Eightball left on their mission, things were in full swing at the Rathskeller, with the boys feeling sure that their show would be the best that ever trod he boards. "Gee Patsy, you look great," Snap said. She thanked him prettily, feeling feel-ing high, wide and handsome, because be-cause she knew she was going to break into the jail today and sea her Dad. The afternoon wore on and Steve was going on all six cylinders. The kid orchestra was really terrific. Golly, all he had to do was hit a chord and the way that musio poured out. Talk about symphonlo harmony and counterpoint! Babv, this was melody stuff right smac in the groove. But in a way of course, they were just marking time. It was the other tunes, those Eastman tunes they really needed. He turned suddenly, and saw that Patsy had just come back . . . "Hold it," he called. "Here's the real music. Now we can go to work. Where is it Patsy?" Sorrowfully she shook her head. "It'll all off Steve. I haven't got it." "No copies nothing?" "No, you might as well send them home." She spoke to the gathering of children. "Look kids, I hate like blazes to tell you this, but the show's off. I can't get my Dad's music, and without k there's just no use in going on." (Now all the plans of the boys and Patsy have fallen through. There was some hope before that they could bent Cartwright at his own game. Now it looks impossible. Is there some other solution f Don't miss the concluding episode.) Printed in U. S. A. Copyright 1942 by Loew's Inc. ! BYNOPSIS: ! Steve Wilier meets his best friend and dancing sidekick, Snap Collins at the gate of the ; Reformatory, where Snap has been incarcerated for six months on the charge of "borrowing" an automobile. Back in the city, the boys have a reunion with their friend Mike who runs a newsstand. A while later, on Ninth Avenue, they are plunged into a near tragedy when Frank Eastmant a composer, attempts suicide by taking gas. The boys save him and meet his fifteen year old daughter, Patsy, who explains that her Dad had sent a musical score to Arthur Cartwright, Cart-wright, theatrical producer, and the latter has stolen the songs and is using it in his new show, y rtermined to correct matters, buys confront Cartwright who i rees to give them a thousand aollars. But just as they are ' taking the check, detectives ar-I ar-I rest them on a charge of ex- tortion. They have been tricked. Chapter Two It all seemed to happen in a j flash. The boys were rushed out I and bundled into a patrol wagon I and off they went. Snap looked ! around and said, "Fine thing. One ' day out an' I'm back in the jug." j They came to a stop. "Hey, what ! goes on here?" The back doors of the van were i opening and a scowling heavy set j man was being shoved in. They ' were off again and the newcomer j glared at them. "Say, how did you I squirts get in here?" ! Mike said importantly, "We got pinched for exertion but they I framed us." ; The big guy shook his head. I "Yep they're framing everybody in ' this burg. It's discouraging. Here I'm pinched for a murder I never , even had the fun of doing." i Snap suddenly recognized him. "Say ain't you Pete Detroit who runs the Gladiator Taxi racket?" "That's me youngster." He peered peer-ed at them. "Now listen kids, when . things begin to happen an' they're gonna happen I want you to scatter and scram. An' don't get nosey. Do as you're told." Just three minutes later, as they hit a cross section, a taxi came speeding out of one of the avenues. At the same moment, a truck tore out of another street and halted at right angles. All traffic stopped. A crowd formed magically. In the midst of it, the patrol wagon was jammed in helplessly. Instantly, Pete jumped o it the back door. The boys scrambled after him into ' a waiting Gladiator taxi. Amidst screams and shouts they got into t the clear and were off through the ' streets. Then it seemed as if just a split second had passed, when Pete was shoving them out of the cab, and into the partly open door of a warehouse uptown where a big tough looking mug was waiting for them. The mug grinned at Pete. "Nice goin' boss. I see it worked like a charm." He pointed to the kids. "But where did ya pick up that load?" Pete was about to let go at them angrily when the getaway driver staring at the money in his hand.1 "What's the matter," Snap asked. Is it a phoney?" "No." Steve held up the bill. It wasn't a buck the racketeer had given them, but a century note, a hundred dollars. Wow! "Mine's a century too," Mike yelled yel-led excitedly. "Hey Snap what's " But Snap wasnt there. He was lying on the floor where he had fainted dead away, the bill clutched clutch-ed in his hand . . . An hour or so afterwards, the boys were out in the street once more. They had just reached Patsy's neighborhood when suddenly sud-denly Steve stopped short. "Hey, look." There on the newsstand were headlines that made his scalp prickle. Pete Detroit Makes Sensational Escape Taxi Racketeer Eludes Police With Help of Three Youngsters The names of the boys were mentioned a bit further down in the story. "They've spotted us," Steve yelled. "Come on scram." Without plan or direction they dived into the coal shoot of a building nearby. There was a door at the end of the cellar and Steve opened it cautiously. Then they stared. Crumpled garlands of paper flowers hung from the ceiling and there were beer steins on the table. The place was obviously an old German Rathskeller, now , in disuse. On one wall was a framed picture of Adolph Hitler. "Huh," Snap said. "Things ain't bad enough. His puss has to be up there." He hurled a beer stein at it. The next room was a large office of-fice with heavy old fashioned furniture fur-niture showing ample evidence that this had been a Nazi Bund meeting meet-ing place. All at once they looked up. A scared Negro was standing in the doorway. "Say what you guys doin' here?" Countering, the boys questioned him and learned that Eightball was the janitor on the premises who still feeling frightened at life in general, ever since the day the F.B.I, walked in and chased all the Bundists out, had little use for strangers. Finally though, they convinced Eightball of their own integrity with a display of the century notes and sent him out for food. Then there were several blessed moments of peace and relaxation. But all at Patsy glanced around, (josn tnis is a queer looking place." Snap made himself a sandwich. "Well it ain't much but it's home right - now." Steve was looking at her anxiously. anxious-ly. "You sore at us for what we did?" In disconnected phrases he had given her the highlights of their encounter with Cartwright. She shook her head. "No, you tried to help. You couldn't guess Cartwright would take it out on Dad." "He can get in the clear," Mike said through a mouth full of food, "an' prove he didn't know anything any-thing about us. His word's as good as that slug's any day." Patsy looked at them all oddly. "That's just the trouble. It isn't. Dad's word isn't worth anything in court." As if someone had pressed a button they all stopped eating. Her chin went up bravely. "You see, he wrote that music in prison." Snap let out a whistle and the rest of them sort of groaned. "Did he croak anybody?" Mike asked ingenuously. "Yes." Her head was still high. "It was an accident. A smash-up. They sent him up for manslaughter. man-slaughter. That's why I'm so scared. They didn't ' believe him then, they won't now. That music was all he had when he came out. It was to take care of him and me. And because he's on parole, they might convict him on this, and make him serve the rest of his time." Her voice broke pitifully. piti-fully. "What am I going to do? How can I help him?" Steve stood up at that. "I'm going go-ing down to headquarters and spill the whole yarn. You mugs take care of Patsy." Now an argument arose. Patsy didn't want Steve to go because they were after him too. And when Snap said he was stringing along, Steve pointed out that he was on parole. That left only Mike. And nobody wanted him to go because be-cause he was such a nice dope, he'd be sure to wind up in jail at the end of the day. Patsy's eyes were filled with frightened tears. "I won't let any of you go. There must be another way out. There just must be." She was thinking aloud. "If only people could hear Dad's music before Cart-wright's Cart-wright's show opened. That might prove it was him." "Look," Mike said, "I'm In the clear. Why can't I go out zr? |