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Station L-o-v-e

INSTALMENT NO IS. “Judy’s voice brings in the letters.” Elton Day said to Jenks. “Means more business than you ever had in your life. But —” Day leaned forward, his thin bands like knives pointing at the little man. \on haven’t got a contract with Judy. Or with me. We could both walk off your show to-morrow and now that you’ve established Judy’s voice and my copy as your stuff —” Flavin, the advertising man, panicstricken, interjected. “Day! Wait a minute! Listen.” A wave of Elton’s band silenced him, as it had silenced Jenks. “This is no hold-up,” Day said, smiling a little. “Not exactly But forty a week tor Judy Allison isn’t enough. Or a hundred a week for me. Judy’s going to have to work on another beauty programme, I guess, to make a decent living. So will I. So I’m getting a script ready right now for the New Youth people and Judy’s going to talk on that one too.” “New Youth?” Jenks harked, forgetting that people were staring from other tables. “Why, they’re my highest competitors. They—” “Exactly.” Elton agreed, smiling a little. “Your biggest competitors. And you know their stuff is as good as yours any day.” “That’s not so,” the little man remarked. “Never mind, Ad,” Elton said. “Good, bad or indifferent, they’ve heard how well your Beauty Builders’ show is doing.” “You told ’em, eh? Went right over to my competitors and showed ’em the figures on my programme?” “Ad, I’m not in this radio business for my health. Neither is Miss Allison. We’re in it to make money. That’s the same reason you’re in business. And you get markets where you can, don’t yon? Well, we’re doing the same thing. Got to.” We. We. Over and over, that word. As though they were partners, as though she were a party to what she was hearing. Judy’s cheeks flamed, her hands moved restlessly, she knew that in a moment she would shout to Jenks, “Nothing he says has anything to do with me. I don’t want more money, I’m satisfied.” But how could she? The letter from her mother. Send money home? on forty a week? You can’t. But with a little more? It was Dick who said, “There’s no sentiment in radio. Get what yon can!” Wasn’t that what everybody said about the business? “You do a show for that New Youth crowd and I’m through with you for good. You hear that, Elton Day? You hear that, Miss Allison?” the little man snorted. “Can’t bluff me!” He pushed back his chair, started to rise. “Wait!” Elton day commanded. “Sit down, Ad. No use going away like that. I’m being fair. I’m telling you In advance. I didn’t have to. I could go on the air without telling you. But we’ve done business together for a long time. I’m putting my cards on the table with you, that’s all. And”—quickly—“and Miss Allison is putting her cards on the table, too. Sit down, v»on’t you? If you say it’s O.K. to go ahead on that other show—” “It isn’t O.K. and you know it. You’ve got no right—” “No use arguing about it,” Elton skid calmly. “You say if we work for New Youth we can’t work for you. But they’re going to pay a good deal more than you’re paying. And I told you, we’ve both got to have money. Much as we can get, soon as we can get it. So we’ll just finish out the week tor you, Ad. Don’t even need to pay us. I like you, and I don’t want to leave you without a chance to replace the script and the voice.” “You’ll finish out Hie week, eh?

By CRAIG CARROLL

NEW SERIAL STORY

and then go right on the air Monday for my competitors?” “Not Monday. Thursday. Can’t get the rehearsals over in time for Monday, Miss Allison wants to investigate the script more care fully, you see. About Thusday, I think. Maybe Wednesday. Think you can be seady by then, Judy';” “No!” Judy said loudly. “No! And you know I won’t he ready. Why—” He cut in with, “Sorry, Judy, I forgot. You wanted to go home for a week, didn’t you? That’s right. But we’ll he all right for a week from Monday, then. With a 52-iyeek contract, we can afford to take a week off, caq’t we?” “Fifty-two weeks!” Jenks yelped. “Yes. With a renewal clause for another year. They’re no pikers, over at New Youth. They know Miss Allison is good add they like my scripts and they’re willing to spend, Ad. Can’t blame them. The test you’ve given the script and the voice shows what can he done.” “Elton! Miss Allison 1 ” “Yes,” EK:n answered for both. “I don’t want you to work for those people. I want you to keep on with the Beauty Builder show.” “But—” Elton said. Nothing more. Except for that eloquent movement of his hands that said so much. “So you just forget about that New' Youth show. I’ll meet everything they’ve offered. And top it.” “Fifty-two weeks. Ad?” Elton asked. “Sure. Why not?” “But you can’t pay it. Too heavy for you, Ad. A big company like New Youth could. But you—” The little man bristled. “I can pay anything they can pay. Look up my credit rating if you don’t believe me.” Softly, Elton murmured the question Judy had known was coming: “Can you pay Miss Allison 100 dollars a week. With a 52-week contract?” “Yes. I’ll do better. I’ll throw in a bonus. Two hundred dollars extra, I’ll pay, if Miss Allison stays with us. You hear me, Miss Allison? A hundred dollars a week you got, and 200 dollars extra when you sign the contract. Is that enough?” “That’s satisfactory," Elton answered for her. A hundred it is. And 200 dollars tor me.” “Two—” “Yes,” Elton said, almost sadly. “Two hundred for-me. I’m tired of drinking gin, Ad. I want to see it Scotch tastes the way it ought to taste." The little man waved his hands helplessly. “All right. All right. You win. A hundred for Miss Allison, two hundred for yon. Starting Monday. And Miss Allison isn't to work on any other beauty programme.” “Flavin’s a witness,” Elton said, “That right, Flavin?” “Yes,” the advertising man said, staring at Elton. “Then we’ll go over to your office right now and get the contracts signed and sealed,” .--'.lton said crisply. “Here, waiter. Buy a home in the country with the change. Come along, Judy. You’re a rich woman, now.” Nothing about Elton Day’s manner or his few words as they left Jenks' office an hour later said, “Look what I’ve done for you.” Nothing. Yet Judy Allison knew how lie felt. She knew, too, that Elton Day was the most cruelly clever man she had ever know. For, knowing she hated him, ho had deliberately set about putting her under an obligation she could not disown. He had got more money for himself at the same time. He had assured an income for a year to come, for himself—-and for Judy. And he had forced her, by the act of signing the contract Jenks made out, into a partnership with him. She walked along with Day, silent. And he was oddly silent, too. And oddly, he watched Judy, when

she did not know lie was watching. With a now look in his eyes—something almost pitiful. As though he v,-anted to say things that were not natural to him, words he was not used to. He tried, finally. “Judy, here's an orange-drink stand. Let’s have some?’’ “I'm not thirsty.'’ “I know. Neither am I, Judy." “All right," Judy said. And the girl behind the counter put two damp paper cups before them. The throngstreamed past on Madison, just outside. People hurrying somewhere, people belonging to Chicago, as Judy belonged now. Because she had a job, a good job, a job better than anybody back home in Hiawatha had. Because for a year now Judy Allison’s voice would go all over the country six mornings every week. The impossible thing had happened. And she was not glad. “Judy,” Elton Day said, “You think I played a rotten thick on Jenks, don't you?” “I don’t know.” Judy replied leaning against the orange-stand counter. “Well, I didn’t. He’s a chiseler.” “A chiseler?” “Yes. He gets an act for as little as he possibly can. You’re worth every cent he’s going to pay you, and then some. If nothing else, it’s worth the money to him to he sure you don’t take any other jobs. Because you could gel other radio jobs now, Judy.” “How do you know?” “I do know. It's my business to know. It’s my job to find out how an act of mine is getting along.” An act of mine! You, Judy Allison, working Cor Elton Day. No use clouding it with words or evasions or excuses. Elton Day is your employer, really; he got you the job with a trick, he got you more money with a trick, and yet you can do nothing but accept it. “You don’t like (he. way I do business, do you, Judy?” “No.”. “Do you think I like it?” His voice was earnest, honest, for the first time since Judy had met him. “Listen, Judy. 1 told you I hate this business. I do. I hate pulling strings and playing politics and being a chiseler like some of the others. But it’s the only way I know to get what I’ve got to have. I can’t save money, Judy. Never could. Unless I get more money than I can spend. And now I’m sure of more than I thought I could get. And Jenks will get value for what he’s paying. Don’t ever doubt it, Judy. The show will pull profits and more profits for him. You mustn’t feel that he’s being cheated. Because he isn’t. He’s used to doing business that way, that’s all. And I had to meet him at his own game. No other way. If I talked to him, just said, “We’re worth more," he’d laugh at me and at yon. I tell you it’s true, Judy. (Every word of it!” “Yes,” she said dully.. “I suppose so.” “But don't really think so. Yon think you’re under obligations to me and you don’t want to be..” “Do you blame me?” “Of course I don’t. You’ve got a right to think anything you like, Judy. There’s plenty wrong with me. I know that. But this time I’m on the level. Honestly.” “Yes.” “Won’t you say something else?” He was actually pleading. Elton Day, the unapproachable, was pleading with a Judy Allison, of Hiawatha, to understand things that he—whose job was words—could not pm. into any hut halting, broken phrases. “There’s nothing else to say. Except, Thank you.” And you don’t mean that.” “But of course I do. The money is going to help my family a lot. And having a job for a year—it’s more than I ever counted on. So, of course I must thank you.” “Must!” he said eloquently, bitterly. “That’s just it. ‘Must!’ Not because you want to. Not because you’ve changed a bit in the way you think about'me. Just because it’s the thing you-ought to do.” fTo be continued!

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Permanent link to this item

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/BOPT19370422.2.44

Bibliographic details

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume LXV, Issue 12307, 22 April 1937, Page 4

Word Count
1,892

Station L-o-v-e Bay of Plenty Times, Volume LXV, Issue 12307, 22 April 1937, Page 4

Station L-o-v-e Bay of Plenty Times, Volume LXV, Issue 12307, 22 April 1937, Page 4