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Show said quickly, "there's a limit to this sociology business, you know." Jeff Hartnett, who was probably prob-ably Johnny's closest, and certainly his most disinterested friend, had grown morose and cynical through seeing his own and Johnny's lives continually taking the wrong turn. Jeff drank constantly, to forget things; but drunk or sober, he never for a moment hesitated to say what he thought of Johnny's actions. When he criticized Garnet, Johnny's girl friend, the latter walked out of the apartment In a huff. "Lots of people think I'm just a stooge for you," muttered Hart-nett, Hart-nett, balancing a highball on the palm of one hand. "They don't know I'm a modern Boswell, recording rec-ording for posterity the doing3 of a uDique individual." Johnny had heard reports of a rv4 7 j v I , . '7 ' .- M "1 think it's rather an imposition." Eager for ones was off guard. "Well, now," he said lamely, "I know It seems strange what just happened and all " "Don't lie to me, Mr. Eager," said Lisbeth, her lips pouting. " haven't the slightest intention ol talking to Mr. Verne." Johnny, puzzled as to what to say next, grasped her arm. "I better take you home," he declared. de-clared. He was aware of the fact that her eyes were soft and melting. melt-ing. When he had escorted her downstairs, down-stairs, and stepped into his car, he said: "Better tell me where you live." "Holbrook Hill," answered Lisbeth. Lis-beth. "Just off Marley Road." ' Johnny stared at her, then spoke sharply. "Let's stop all this nonsense," non-sense," he said. "You don't want me to take you home and you know it." "Of course, I don't," answered Lisbeth, hardly conscious of her words, as Johnny crushed her to him and kissed her. John Benson Farrell, looking more grizzled and tigerish than ever, stood facing Jimmy Courtney In the study of his home, as the bands of the clock showed 4:25 AM. "I'm licked," said Jimmyt "I've been every place in town." "Well, I suppose this is the modern scheme!" said Farrell sarcastically. sar-castically. "Nowadays, you hand your girl over to another man for the entire evening and a drunk at that!" "You know your daughter, sir," said Jimmy calmly. "You brought her up." "Well, but now it's up to you!" j ji ffii Rfi ryn frn njp tmJ Vij Jill. ij L Ji iJ iLi ilili Adapted from the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Picture byHALSEY RAINES Chapter One Johnny Eager's taxi driver uniform, uni-form, and subservient manners, were discarded when he returned to his luxurious private quarters near the Algonquin Park Dog Track. Except for a few undercover associates as-sociates no one knew of Johnny Eager's use of these elaborate offices of-fices as a "front" for his own told by the feminine caller, a secretary in the office of the chief parole officer, Mr. Verne, Ver-ne, that he'd better rush to his cousin Peg's house, his supposed sup-posed domicile, and await an official call. Garnet, listening in, murmured: "Say, Is there any activities. Racing, and the betting that accompanied it, were prohibited pro-hibited commodities at the moment, mo-ment, and John Benson Farrell, who had recently been elected City Prosecutor, had publicly avowed with a tenacity that those who knew him feared and respected no track would under any circumstances circum-stances be opened during his period of office. Farrell was white-haired white-haired and in his middle sixties, but with an iron will. Eager's own handsomely decor- aame you naven t got in your pocket?" "Lucky thing I know 'em in the right places," grinned Johnny. John-ny. "Don't feel crowded, crowd-ed, do you sugar?" When Mr. Verne, who checked up on all ex-convicts in his "district" "dis-trict" for a year after their release, called at cousin Peg's house, everything was the psspnp.p nf rpRTiprtnhil- CAST OF CHARACTERS Johnny Eager ..... Robert Taylor Lisbeth Bard Lana Turner John Benson Farrell . . . Edward Arnold Jeff Hartnett Van Hej Jimmy Courtney .... Robert Sterling Garnet Patricia Dane Mae Blythe Glenda Farrell Mr. Verne Henry O'Neill Judy Sanford Diana Lewis "non-dividend" under-cover gambling gam-bling set-up at a club called the "Porthole" and he decided to make an unannounced call there with Hartnett and another aide. A full-fledged dice game was in progress, with Tony Luce, the owner, acting as master of ceremonies. cere-monies. He had a huge stack of money, evidently representing undeclared un-declared profits, on the table in front of him. Johnny, without a word, walked over and delivered a punch that sent him scrambling to the floor. "Watsa matter?" cried Tony, finding his voice. "You my friend and you slug me." Johnny's voice was cold and brittle. "You didn't send it in, Luce," he answered. "You aren't kicking through. That's a perfect way to stop being friends with me." almost shouted Farrell. "Love making mak-ing isn't always gentlemanly. Look beyond that patrician nose of your:: and realize you still belong to the animal kingdom!" "If you were a little younger, sir," said Jimmy, "you'd get a left hook for that." With a scraping of brakes, a car drove up outside. Jimmy hurried hur-ried to the outer vestibule, and in the arc light saw Lisbeth in Johnny's John-ny's embrace. Lisbeth herself, filled with tumultous tumul-tous new emotions, seemed oblivious oblivi-ous to the tense atmosphere as she came up the steps. "This is Jimmy Courtney, Mr. Eager," she said. Her eyes faced Jimmy's unwaveringly. "Floyd van-1 ished and left me with the check," she said. "Mr. Eager got me out of a lot of trouble." Inviting Johnny inside with her, Lisbeth repeated her introduction. Johnny's eyes bulged as he caught sight of John Benson Farrell. "You're her father?" he said incredulously. in-credulously. "Her step-father," answered the other. "Well, I guess everybody in the world knows John Benson Farrell," Far-rell," rejoined Johnny, lips set tightly. "Especially you, eh, Eager?" retorted re-torted the old man. He turned to Jimmy and Lisbeth. "We're acquaintances ac-quaintances of long standing," he said. "I had the pleasure of helping help-ing prepare the case that sent Eager to the penitentiary. Not for as long as he deserved. I served as special prosecutor without a fee as a public service. For the pleasure of helping rid this city of vermin." Lisbeth placed a hand softly on her step-father's arm. "Oh, Dad, now, Dad," she said remonstrat-ingly. remonstrat-ingly. Johnny Eager turned grimly and walked to the door. "Well, good night," he said to Lisbeth. aicu o.io.x L.iiu i, buuut:i.ucu miu lllG suite of offices, served as the private pri-vate rendezvous for the sullen, gorilla-like Lew Rankin, who had grown up with Johnny; for the jockey-sized, flashily attired Benjy; Billiken, a swaggering, clumsy chap with a persistent childish look; Jeff Hartnett, who tried to forget his aversion to racketeering by drinking; and Marco, his swarthy features betraying no expression ex-pression whatsoever. When Rankin pulled a large envelope en-velope from his pocket, Johnny Eager sat down and slowly counted out the enclosed banknotes. bank-notes. An odd expression came over his face, and Rankin looked up quizzically. "What's wrong?" he asked. "I'm hot holding out." Johnny pursed his lips. "Nobody said you were," he replied. Rankin turned to Marco, as if anxious to obtain confirmation of his statements. "The way this town's shut down," he said, "there's nothing to hold out. It's even hard to keep a good slot machine going." go-ing." Johnny turned to Marco and said in a truculent tone: "I've got over half a million bucks in this layout. We got to open, understand? under-stand? When are you going to get that injunction lifted?" "Johnny, I been in front of 'five judges," said Marco nervously. "Every one of 'em's refused. It's ity. Peg's pert seventeen year-old year-old daughter Matilda was pouring over some textbooks. Johnny was in his cab driver's uniform, reading read-ing the paper. Lisbeth Bard, a girl with a dark sensitive face, who had accompanied accom-panied Judy Sanford and Mr. Verne on this confidential tour of inspection, seemed very constrained as she greeted Johnny and sat down on the chair facing him. Both Lisbeth and Judy, girls of social background, were studying social conditions in the city. "Lisbeth didn't want to come here at all, said Judy, with a nervous laugh. "Well, I think it's rather an imposition," im-position," returned Lisbeth. "I'm sorry, truly." "Don't be," smiled Johnny. "When you've been where I've been you can never get enough company." com-pany." The visitors chatted pleasantly for about fifteen minutes; then Verne rose with the girls. He had been highly impressed by the serious ser-ious domestic scene unveiled to him. Johnny, for his part, had been impressed by the mysterious, challenging chal-lenging look in the eyes of Lisbeth. Lis-beth. He wasn't the only one aware of it. "Uncle Johnny," said Matilda, When the party had left, "that Miss Bard any time you want to whistle, she'll come running." "But I do send in every week!" cried Tony in apparent candor. "Yesterday night I give Lew Rankin Ran-kin five grand." Johnny looked him over and decided de-cided he was talking the truth. "Rankin, eh?" he echoed. "All right then." His eyes fell on Lisbeth Lis-beth Bard, who was standing beside be-side the other table with a frown on her pretty face. She looked as though she had been arguing. He motioned to Hartnett to take Tony outside, then he turned to the girl. "There's nothing to be frightened about, Miss Bard," he said casually. "I'd sort of like to know what you're doing here, though." Lisbeth's eyes were a challenge. "My own escort couldn't come with me tonight," she said. "The gentleman gentle-man who took his place became quite drunk and wandered away, leaving a bill for eighty-five dollars. dol-lars. Mr. Luce suggested that I leave some of my jewelry as collateral, col-lateral, but I couldn't quite see it that way. I've been trying to explain ex-plain that the young man is manv times a millionaire and would send a check in the morning. So far, no luck." She paused, quite calm and collected. 'What are you doing here, Mr. Eager?" on account oi tne (Jity .frosecuior, I Farrell." , "Farrell," muttered Johnny bitterly. bit-terly. "I've got to run into him Ia second time." Marco nodded. "He helped the i D.A. send you away once," he re called. "He isn't any pushover, so go easy." ' The blonde girl who had just entered the room was sharp-eyed, 6velte and obviously infatuated with Eager. When she put her arm around Johnny, and he remained i impassive, she pouted her lips and said: "You might say you like it." "Any time I don't like it," rejoined re-joined Johnny, "you'll hear me talk loud and clear." The phone rang, Johnny was Johnny Eager pulled out a roll of bills and handed one to the youngster. "Forget that," he said. "Now go cut a rug some place." Judy, on her way home with Lisbeth Lis-beth in her car, turned to the other girl and said; "Isn't that Eager individual the handsomest thing you ever saw?" Lisbeth hesitated. "I don't think handsome is just the right word," she replied. "His face is well cut, but once for a moment there it became hard. You know, I think he'd beat a woman if he became angry." She mused and continued:' "I wonder what sort of women he goes about with." Judy sat erect. "Hey, chum," she When he had closed the door, and Farrell had stepped back into his study, Jimmy said to her: "You don't have to say anything, any-thing, Liz. I guess I better not come around any more. Right?" Lisbeth took his hand. "Oh, Jimmy," Jim-my," she replied, "I buried it right in your back, didn't I? You're such a darling." "You're going to get hurt, you know," said Jimmy. "But good luck anyway." Slowly he turned and walked out of the house. (To be continued) Printed In V. 8. Copyright 1941 by Loew's Ine. |