“TO-MORROW’S CHILD”

Manawatu Times, Volume 64, Issue 138, 14 June 1939, Page 8

“TO-MORROW’S CHILD”

Synopsis of Preceding Instalments: Va. Clarke, engaged to .Robert Greeley, goes to New York from New Manchester to shop. At Kate Hollister’s, her cousin, a fashion magazine editor, she meets Hugh Malcobn, playwright; Bret Gallishaw, New Manchester boy, who on a New York newspaper, wrote a best seller; Leslie Crawford, Bret’s half-brother, and Winifred Sperry, who are starring in Hugh 's “End of Tears,” and Guy Williams, who inherited millions and has a small part in the play. Bret, engaged to Kate, married wealthy Evelyn Garfield. He hates Leslie after losing a will contest and Leslie resents Hugh’s interest in Winifred. Guy takes Val to Pete Gaboriau’s luxurious place near Philadelphia. Louise (Lecze) Cameron, who is with Crandall Scott, greets Guy with kisses and later strikes Val who defends herself so well that Guy has to assist Leeze out. Cran drives Val back. During a stage storm scene Leslie drops dead, shot through the heart. Hurrying from the theatre, Val sees Hugh who says he’s just come from the corner cigar store. Bret had left to catch a train. Leeze goes with Cran to see Val and Val’s aunt orders her out for smoking. Val goes along. Returning she finds a wire from Kate, goes to New York and clears Hugh-by saying he was just leaving the cigar store when she saw r him. Val’s aunt sends her trunks to Kate’s. Hugh had seen a play in Val’s personality and offered her a salary to remain in New York. She accepts now and soon learns Hugh loves her, but thinks he returns Winifred’s love. Bret admits he was in the theatre when Leslie was shot.

Hugh put Kate in a taxi, be at the theatre at nine,’

“We're tc he told her

iShall I send up for you and Val?

“No . . . thanks, } ’ Kate said, li hands tightly locked in her lap. Sh tried to smile, quickly turned her head and stared straight before her as the cab started. She was trying to remember clearly what had happened that night when she and Bret came out of the theatre. They had stopped in tho lobby for a moment and j?he had said something about going backstage to give Leslie a light-talk. And then tliej were out on the sidewalk and she said good-bye and almost before she heard his own hasty good-bye he had turned his back on her and was gesturing for a taxi . . . And now he admitted he had not taken the taxi, had not gone to the Grand Central—had confessed that he was in the theatre when Leslie Crawford was murdered ... 1

There ■ seemed to be no loophole through which she could pull Bret to safety—as Val had done for Hugh. Bret had hated Leslie as he hated no one else in the world . . . “Men have been killed for doing less than he did to me."

. . . She remembered how Bret had looked when he said that to her in tk< apartment, the hard, brittle quality of his voice. And she had been frightened —and the fear had never quite left her, even when she had been assured that the police had checked Bret's alibi and found it water-tight. Suddenly she closed her eyes and tried to shake off this feeling of hopelessness . . . She must see Bret, talk with him, before he went to the theatre to-night. There was a time when she knew his every thought; perhaps he would still be honest with her ... at least tell her something she could do. But though she called his his hotel throughout the afternoon, she did not hear Bret's voice until she was one of thirty-four expectant persons in the theatre.

Val and Kate were the very last arrivals except for Guy. Hugh met them as they crossed from the stage door to the wings. He said under his breath to Kate, “ This is all nonsense, but try to take things as they come. Walter Kellogg's iu a rank mood."

The district attorney came up and spoke to them. Val saw Winifred talking with Bret.

Val's eyes fixed on Hugh's face, waited for him to look at her. But he would not.

“Are we to have all the pyrotechnics?" Kate asked him.

“Everything, down to the minutest detail," Hugh replied. For lack of something better to do, he showed them the mechanical equipment with which the storm effects were produced, twfl property men on a scaffolding holding large bags of peas which were to be poured out into a trough below—the “rain machine," Hugh called it; a stagehand leaning on an enormous bass drum which was to deafen them w r ith

“thunder"; an electrician, looking rather • bored, inspecting the simple apparatus for lightning production. It was this last that most fascinated Val. In one hand the man held an ordinary file, in the other, a contrivance with a hard rubber handle with a piece of carbon fitted into the top. Both the file and the carbon wero wired to the switchboard, separately, and to give off a flash of light, Hugh said, the man would simply draw' the carbon across the file. The electrician wore heavy gloves and glasses such as are worn by welders.

“But," Val said, puzzled, “that doesn’t make any noise to si>eak of and there was a sharp crash —like the breaking of glass."

Hugh nodded, still avoiding her eyes. He showed them a box-like affair walled with heavy guaze, There was a piece of canvas over the top and when he lifted this they sa.w, resting on two metal arms about ten inches below the top, a largo piece of common wundow glass. Hugh explained that the operator held a hammer in a gloved hand, slipped his hand under the canvas and, at the director's signal, struck the glass a sharp blow between the supporting arms. The heavy gauze sides let out the noise but not, fortunately, the glass.

Behind them the district attorney's voice boomed: “To your places now—

By Julie Anne Moore

Instalment 20.

everyone exactly where and as he was when this scene w r as last played." Guy appeared just then and went to the box with Val. In the seats they had

occupied that memorable night, Kate and Bret Gallishaw’ sat side by side. Val could see that Kate was talking rapidly in a low voice, but Bret was not looking at her. Winifred came through the door of the stage shack, followed by the district attorney and the director. The district attorney took a notebook from his pocket and said, “All right, we're veady . . ." He nodded to Winifred

and she began to speak her lines. The director read Leslie's lines from the

script. Kellogg called for silence and came to the end of the stage. “You were using opera glasses, Miss Clarke — where are they?" he said.

“Of all the imbeciles!" Guy said under his breath. He leaned forward.

‘ ‘ We were sharing a pair of binoculars. If you want 'em, open the door and call for Jerry. They belong to the show. ’' The director left the stage and came back almost immediately with the binoculars and gave them to Kellogg who tossed them to Guy.

Winifred’s voice floated through the theatre once more, clearly audible above the bass drum's thunder. Now as the director read Leslie's part Winifred slowly turned her head until she caught Bret's eye. Val wondered what wordless message was passing between them, watched Bret's profile for some visible sign that would tell her; but perceived none.

As if drawn by her own intense gaze, Bret ’s head came around presently and his half revealed eyes stared up at the box until Yal, strangely uneasy, looked away. Why did he glare at her like that? . . . Her consciousness caught up 0 the drone of the director's voice again, r tried to follow the lines; but almost against her will her curious dark gaze , r returned to Bret at the moment that he e and Kate rose and started toward the ntre aisle.

Instantly Kellogg was over the footlights. “Just a moment —is this where you went out before?" “Yes. ’’ It was Kate who answered. Bret stared up at the district attorney in silence.

“Very well/ 7 Kellogg said. “You come backstage now, Miss Hollister." Kate nodded, looked back at Bret for a moment, then stepped into the aisle and walked off. Bret started to follow, but the district attorney's voice stopped him:

“Just wait where you were, Gallishaw. As soon as we finish the scene, we ’ll check yours and Miss Hollister’s movements when you left the theatre.’' Kellogg turned away then and was about to signal the director to coutinue with Leslie’s lines when Bret almost shouted:

“I’ve had enough of this idiocy, Kellogg. When you decide to conduct this inquiry with at least a semblance of sanity, you will find me at my hotel ..." Stiffly he stepped into the aisle and moved toward tfie back of the theatre.

Kellogg neither spoke nor moved to stop him. But four men emerged from the shadows beneath the balcony, two in the centre aisle, two in the aisle on the opposite side of the section in which Bret and Kate had been sitting. \\ hen the two men in the centr.e aisle met Bret, the three stopped. Val could not hear what was being said, but presently when one of the men put a hand on Bret’s arm, Bret wheeled and faced the stage, standing there with clenched fists.

The district attorney said, “I asked you to stay here until we completed this scene, Gallishaw. ’ ’

“By what authority?" Bret demanded in a loud, strained voice. *‘Am Ito understand I am under arrest?" “You will be if you refuse to do as I say."

Bret advanced toward the stage, shaking a finger at Kellogg. “Do you think you can get away with this outrageous farce!" tie shouted, angrily* 1 ‘ Why don't you tell these people the truth ’ You know who killed my stepbrother. So do I. And I know why you are so loathe to your duty. Money—" Bret s arms were suddenly pinned behind him; a heavy hand was clamped over his mouth. There was a brief struggle—then, as if he realised the futility of resistance, he was still. All right, boys, ’ ’ Kellogg said quietly. And as the two men released Bret and stepped back: “Go to your seat until this is over, Gallishaw r . If you have anything of importance to say then, you 'll bo given ample opportunity to say it." Bret returned to the seat ho had occupied when Kate was with him near the centre of the row. At either end of the row two detectives sat, immobile, grim. Val and Guy had been watching Bret so intently that neither was aware that Winifred had come up to the edge of tho stage until they heard Kellogg’s voice: “Go back to your place, Miss Sperry. ’ ’ Winifred was standing there with hands tightly clasped before her, her lovely face almost colourless, her small eye fastened on Bret. For a moment, she did not move; then she turned, slowly, and recrossed the stage. “All right," the district attorney said, sharply, “Let’s get this over with." Now the drone of voices again ... tho lightning flashes became more frequent, the roll of thunder increased in volume . . „ Then Winifred made her exit. Kellogg followed her to the door, threw it open and stood where he could see both the stage and behind the back wall of the cabin. At last the director faced the window, took a step towards it. Peas from bags into a tin trough, and there was rain. A padded stick beat a bass drum and produced realistic thunder. Lightning flashed brilliantly

as a piece of carbon was raked across a

iile. At last the director stood close to the window and slowly lifted his free hand . . . With a little shudder, Val put her fingers in her cars and closed her eyes. The stage was dark when finally Val’s lids came up. ,Shc dropped her hands in* her lap. “A rotten performance, compared, with the last,” Guy said. Then, as the lights came on, “What’s become of the, great Kellogg %’* The district attorney was no longer in the doorway, but in a moment he reappeared. He stopped to study his notes, abruptly shoved the book into a coat

pocket and crossed to the footlights. Now-, Val thought, there’ll be a scene. She kept her eyes on the stage, not wanting to see Bret’s face. But when the silence lengthened, she turned her head. She saw the district attorney standing on the edge of the stage, staring open-mouthed at the limp, huddled form of Bret Gallishaw. (To be Continued.)