The Key West Citizen Newspaper, September 24, 1947, Page 3

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ee ee ee Chapter 7 RUCE went to the desk, got a pad of paper and a pencil and said: “We Meo to telegraph Homer, What will we say?” T’nette hunted for words. “Why, just say--say you're grate- ful for the scheme Homer and I planned.” Bruce wrote out a telegram; or rather, he and T’nette worked at several before they finished one that satisfied them. “T’nette and Julie and lL thank you for releasing me from contract. Stop. You and T’nette kept your secret well. Stop. Good luck.” The message was handed to Homer when he and the members of the band checked in at the Palmer House in Chicago. Ho- mer’s face became livid as he read it. “Why,” he choked. “The low down dog! Where’s a phone?” Gail, who had been reading the telegram over Homer’s shoulder, curled her lips downward in an ugly snec r. : “Don’t blame Bruce,” she said. “T'nette's responsible for that usiness. “Wait till I get him on thc *phone,” Homer snarled. “Where is a telephone?” Gail pushed him into an eleva- tor. As they got off on the floor on which the suite the band was to occupy was located, Gail, with uncanny intuition, said: “I can just see her, pulling that dumb baby act of hers and mak- ing that fool believe you two planned for Bruce to quit.” The hotel corridor was a long one. With each step Homer took along the carpeted way with Gail at his heels, the memory of that woman’s lovely face silhouetted against the brilliant blue of the California sky became stronger. Her eyes seemed to haunt him— as did her voice: “You wouldn’t do that to Bruce!” When he reached his room, he Swung through the door, his eyes darting hither and yon in search of the telephone. He saw _ it ab up the receiver, asked or an operator; and when he got the operator he demanded harsh- ee eee ae —r Intuition Saves | Year-Old Son: j PHILADELPHIA, Pa. — Al-| though workmen, cutting down’ a tree near his home, assured! Benjamin Blank that it would fall into the street, Blank, after a moment’s not to take their ward for it and} removed his year-old son from a playpen in the yard. A few seconds later the trees came crashing down on the play- pen. LAUGH AWHILE! | a e : ‘ Business First An Irish priest offered six-| pence to the boy who could tell ; him who was the greatest man in history. “Columbus,” boy. “George Washington,” answer- ' ed another. | “St. Patrick,” shouted a bright little Jewish boy. “The sixpence is yours,” said answered one ! | | the priest. “But why did you} say St. Patrick?” “Right down in my heart I! knew it was Moses,” said the! Jewish boy, “but business is busi- | ness. Trout Eating Pelicans Get Sportsmen’s Goat | ENNIS, atont--(AF) Sports | men in this area would like some help in getting rid of white peli- cans that have been getting fat er trout at neraby Meadow Lake. Low-flying airplanes frighten- ed them away only temporarily | and then dynamite booby traps | were used but they only thinned | them out a little. Meanwhile about 300 birds gobble an estimated four pounds each daily. Longer Men CHICAGO.—(AP).—Men’s suits, as well as women’s skirts, are getting longer. A State street store reports that 35 per cent of the men’s suits sold this season were “longs” compared with 20 per cent before World War II. } The survey affirms scientific studies showing men are getting | taller. Well Protected “How did Jim get that black | eye?” if te { “He was waiting at the stage | door for a chorus girl, and—” “And her fiance came along?” “No. Her grandson came ovt and licked hell out of him.” The number of locomotives | used on U. S. railroads reached ! a peak of 64,949 in 1921; the de- | cline to 43,489 by 1945 being due! largely to increased power for , each locomotive. | Subscribe to The Citizen, $ MUS 3 EO ED SD Gee I hesitation, decided’} THE KEY WEST CITIZEN CC I et ta OF (cD By ‘Frank Riordan ly that she connect hir. with Los geles, California, AIL waited. She became tense when Homer, having been connected with the Los Angeles operator, after a long moment of hesitation asked for the Knicker- bocker Hotel in Hollywood. In- voluntarily Gail moved a step closer to Homer; and when, in bewildered unbelief. she heard him ask for String Jackson, in a quick, catlike movement she reached out tc snatch the instru- ment from Homer’s hand. “You fool!” she hissed. Homer knocked her arm away; and she had to stand by and lis- ten as Homer insolently offered String Bruce’s old job—tempo- rarily — knowing String would jump at the opportunity. As Homer hung up, Gail cried: “Do you realize, that you can write the band off as a loss. Why, without Bruce—” _ “You're so _ smart,” Homer jeered. “How’re you going to make a man do what he don’t want to do?” “Sue him. Sue him for every red penny he’s got. That'll bring him running back to .Chicago.” “IT couldn’t do that.” With an effort Gail controlled herself, “Since when,” she spat at him, “have you become so pious?” Ho- mer turned away and walked over to a window. stood Starin glumly at the traffic below. Gai followed him. She had to make him bring Bruce back to her. “Maybe you would like to be a gentleman about it, Homer; but how about the band—and the radio show. Bruce started this idea of swinging the classics. Our band is famous for it.” Her fingers closed on Homer’s arm like a trap. “What are you going to tell the crowds on opening night? What are you going to do when they start booing String Jackson nes elling for Bruce?.. What are— “Shut up!” He turned on her; but she could see she had made an impression. She hammered away. her love for Bruce and her new fear for her own future urg- ing her on. ‘Hold the threat of a suit for damages over him,” she persisted. —_—_ OCC ne ——S—=— | PURE Piace You REAL iCE « ull AP Newsfectures | Ea “Get on that berg riage again, and when Kpok rey is house on the wire—that is, if you can get past that dizzy little Tnette Homer's arm shot out, atid he slapped Gail across the b with the back of his hand. “Don’t ever again,” he said with deadly calm and thru white lips, “Don’t ever again dare speak of T’nette that way.” Gail’s eyes popped. With her er mouth gin- left hand she felt gerly. And an evil smile trembled on her lips when she removed her hand. Without a word she shrugged. turned away, and stalked out of the room. For a long time after she had gone Homer stood motionless, He knew her motives were question- able. Her kind of gutter-snipe never cared what happened te other people. Regardless of that, what she had said about kissin off the band as something | was true. One by one the members of the orchestra trooped across his mind. All of them except Bruce and Austin—and Gail, of course—had been with him since the day he had started out playing for pen- nies in that joint on Los Angeles’ East 5th Street. They were all closer than brothers in a way; and they had all welcomed Brtce into their group. The women singers had come and gone, from f the ones away back that had been * called “torch singers” on down ‘to Gail, who was billed as a “chan- teuse.” Homer had lost count of the women. And the tenors had been almost as transient. But the boys—they had stayed with him, _ and through some pretty tough times. The boys were still trying to be loyal. in another room down the hall. But Gail had delivered a good speech. ‘It’s one beautiful time to be- | come magnanimous,” Joe Taggart was saying. “There’s ot one thing to do. We'll go to Homer. We have a stake in the outfit, the same as he has. Let’s tell him that unless he forces Bruce back. we will—” “Go ahead and say it,” Gail prompted. ees “We'll go on strike.” (To be continued) {Copyright 1947 by Frank Riordan) . ° ation ‘% Refrige on a REAL ICE BASIS and You Will Get GUARANTEED Refrigeration Service is More Economicall It Is PURE Healthy and Safe Thompson Enterprises, Ine. (ICE DIVISION) PHONE NO. 8 WEST. FLA. a tn ne eo ? ee ee a a eae a rt Overseas Transportation | Company, Ine. Fast, Dependable Freight and Express Service Between MIAMI and KEY WEST Also Serving ALL POINTS ow Florida Keys (No, Stops LEAVES KEY WEST DAILY (EX- CEPT SUNDAYS) at 6:00 P. M. Ar tives at Miami at 12:00 o‘clock Mid- nighi. LEAVES MIAMI SUNDAYS) at night and arrives at Key West at 6:00 o’clock A. Bi. Local Schedule: {Stops At All Intermediate Points) LEAVES KEY WEST DAILY (EX: CEPT SUNDAYS) at 8:00 o'clock A. Between Miami and Key West Express Schedule: En Route) DAILY (EXCEPT 12:00 o'clock Mid- M. and arrives at Miami at 4:00 o’- clock P.M. LEAVES MIAMI SUNDAYS) at 9: DAILY {EXCEPT 00 o’clock A.M. and arrives at Key West at 5:00 o'clock P.M. FREE PICK-UP and DELIVERY SERVICE | FULL CARGO INSUKANCE Oltice: 813 Caroline Street WARE y vist eye t Phones: 32 and 88 HOUSE: Corner Eaton and Francis Streets Ns decd

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