Show T lowi 0 w adventurers CLUB HEADLINES FROM THE LIVES OF PEOPLE LIKE YOURSELF death spits five times by FLOYD GIBBONS famous headline hunter H HELLO ELLO EVERYBODY here boys and girls is the story you ever read in your life the story of a lad who was called yellow and like it the story of a lad who to show that he yellow sat unmoved while they put up a wreath of flowers in his lap a lily illy in his hand while death darted at him five times across a theater stage his name is philip luongo this lad who faced his maker rather than be called a coward and he lives in new york city and if you have ever got a job to do that calls for real courage just get phil to do it after what he went through six years ago in that crowded theater up in the bronx there anything in hi the world that is going to scare him phil like to be called yellow it was a dare that started phil luongo off on his big adventure A famous french sharpshooter was appearing at a vaudeville theater on tremont avenue and every night he called for volunteers to be his human mark to wear a headgear with rive five small glass balls on it while the frenchman shot them off one by one other lads who had seen the show dared phil to go up there and be shot at and when phil said he like the idea they called him yellow phil want to be shot at any more than you yon or I 1 do but they hey call him yellow and get away with it with his friends he went to the theater ready to make them eat those sneering words of theirs they took seats in the first row of the orchestra and waited for the frenchmans French mans act to come on the fourth act had just ended and the frenchman was due next he came out suave and smiling made a short talk about his war becq recq record and showed a short moving picture of himself flying a plane in action 0 0 phil was scared to death n the western front then he went into his shooting act performing with every kind of at gun imaginable and never missing a shot volunteered to be human tar target et As his act drew to a close he warmed up to his big stunt of the evening he stepped to the front of the platform asked for a volunteer to put on the headgear but at the same time he warned the audience that anyone who did put on the headgear would be doing it at his own risk it was phils moment to speak up and darned if phil wanted to do it ile he kept thinking of what would happen if the frenchman should miss but suddenly out of a daze he found himself holding up his hand crying to the man on the stage that he would volunteer to be his human target the frenchman seemed to look surprised then he smiled phil was ivas ushered to the stage by the frenchmans French mans assistant seated in a chair over by one of the wings he was scared to death but he tried not to look it only his heavy breathing betrayed the fact that the inside of him had gone ice cold and that his heart was pounding so hard that he felt sure it must break through his chest nobody tried to make it any easier for phil in fact it seemed as though they were deliberately trying to scare him out of it they put a wreath of flowers in his lap a lily in his hand the orchestra began playing the funeral march the audience laughed apparently they th ey were getting a great kick out of it but phil he hung onto the sides bides of his chair fighting off the desire to get out of it to run off the stage and back to his seat in the orchestra but always when he thought of quitting there came before his eyes the picture of those pals of his sneering and calling him yellow suddenly the orchestra stopped playing the frenchman pushed a trunk to the middle of the stage lay down on his back and began sighting at phils head along the barrel of his rifle A new fear gripped at phils heart he known the frenchman was going to shoot at hini him from any such crazy position found himself a hero the frenchmans French mans smile disappeared his brow knit and little veins stood out like ropes in his forehead there came a sharp crack and the first little glass ball on phils headgear fell to pieces another crack and another then phils courage came back to him lie ile sat calm and unafraid while the frenchman shot off the other two balls and came toward him smiling with outstretched hand band the theater roared in thunderous applause phil suddenly found the spotlight focused on him he tried to go back to his seat but again and again he was brought back to take bows it might have been the big moment of phils life but it the real thrill came when the frenchman stepped forward to make a little speech he congratulated phil on his courage in facing his gun said it was the bravest thing he had ever seen done and then he made a confession that surprised phil himself la in all his years on the stage the frenchman said this was the first time abdone anyone had had courage enough to take such a chance usually he admitted nobody volunteered and he h had ad to use his assistant for his final feat and what a look phil gave his friends down in the front row when the frenchman said those words service |