'Say It With Songs'

Waipa Post, Volume 40, Issue 3133, 3 April 1930, Page 8

'Say It With Songs'

A HLINEr 7 ?HAAS -

hadn't stopped loving her. And through the long months that followed Katherine found herself time and time again thinking over that message from her husband. Sometimes she believed that Joe had meant it. But no word ever came from him. She never knew that each day, through all those months, a telephone call came into the hospital and a man's voice inquired concerning Joseph Lane, Junior. She never knew that once a week Dr Merrill held conversation with this same voice. Several times the doctor had repeated a question. "Shall I tell Katherine you called? "

And each time the same answer came: "No, doctor, please. It's best not to." Each day Joe waited eagerly for those few moments when he would hear news of Little Pal. When he was scrubbing dirty dishes in a big, dirty sink to earn eight dollars a week he even hummed a bit, thinking of the moment to come when he could dry his hands on his bespattered apron and then go into booth, take a receiver off a hook, drop in a nickel, and then hear that cool, pleasant voice at the other end. He didn't mind being a dish washer. For a while he even didn't know what he was doing, save that he went through motions and tried not to drop the china. He stuck to his job as though his very life depended on it, He never thought, any more about the Joe. Lane that was. Instead, he was James Laing, just a dish washer, and once in a while a waiter in a dingy colourful cafe on the East Side, when the manager gave him a chance. Almost nine months had slipped by. Nine long months of loneliness and inward struggle for Joe. It was the day he made his weekly telephone call to Dr Merrill. He began his eager questions as soon as he heard the surgeon's voice. . " We're going to take Junior home," Dr Merrill informed Joe. "He's well enough to leave the hospital." "Is there —is there any change in the—the other? I mean his voice? Could you do anything ? " "Nothing," came the answer. " Junior walks perfectly all rightthere isn't a thing the matter with him. But he can't talk—his voice seems absolutely paralysed. I've tried everything I know. He could have gone home long before this, but I wanted to see if there wasn't something that could be done." Slowly Joe put the receiver back on the hook. He had been hoping against hope, but nowl He leaned his head on his hands, thinking. Little Pal still couldn't talk. And to-morrow they'd take him home—home with Katherine. And then Katherine would marry Dr Merrill and he'd never see his wife nor his child again. It was better that way, though—better for them. But whyhe could see them! In the early afternoon sun that was warming the spring greens into bloom, Little Pal walked down the step 3 of the- hospital, his mother holding one hand, his Uncle Robert the other. It was still a little chilly, and the child was buttoned up in a heavy coat, his cap pulled well down over his forehead. He was taller; he had grown during his stay in the hospital. But he looked as chubby as ever, Joe thought as he ducked back around the corner of the building, keeping out of sight. And he walked! Just a little unsteadily, perhaps, but that would be only temporary. He walked! As Dr Merrill lifted the child into his car beside Katherine and got in himseif, Joe signalled a cruising cab. " Follow that car! " He pointed out to the driver the surgeon's motor just starting down the street. He slipped five dollars into the man's hand. That five dollars meant a lot to Joe, but it was worth anything just to catch another glimpse of the child he loved. So that's the way it would be from now on. Joe stared hard at th« automobile his own driver was ao carefully trailing. Katherine and Dr Merrill and Little Pal. Those three together. And he standing always on the outside looking in. " Surprise, Junior!" Katherine tried to make her voice gay as she ushered the way into her apartment. " See what Uncle Robert brought for you." She uncovered a most intricate mechanical toy doll made of wooden balls that walked and jumped.

Junior nodded. But his eyea were searching the room and a troubled frown appeared on his'chubby face. He disregarded the toys and reached for his slate, printing carefully in chalk on it, and then held it up to his mother. -..«-,., . "Wy dady not kum? " Katherme read. She hesitated for a moment. "Daddy's gone away on a long trip, J[unio|r," she said at last. " But he

sent you his love and said he would be back." Now run along and play with your toys while mother talks to Uncle Robert." Katherine drew Dr Merrill aside. " Isn't there anything you can do to restore his voice, Robert? " Dr Merrill shook his head. "There isn't anything that surgery can do, dear." He had answered this same nuestion a thousand and one times. " Well, aren't there any records of such cases being cured ? " the girl persisted. " Sometimes a shock will do it. But science is helpless. I've tried everything. You know that." " Isn't it possible to devise some shock, then? " Dr Merrill smiled patiently. "If it were, I'd do it. But it's usually just something that happerfe. Meanwhile, I'll keep looking after him, and you take the week off and stay with him. After that we'll decide what's to be done."

(To be continued.)

SYNOPSIS. XN, a quarrel involving his wife, Katherine, Joe Lane, ex-pugilist and radio singer, accidentally kills Arthur Phillips, his manager. Joe serves a year in prison for manslaughter. Unwilling to disgrace Katherine and their son, Little Pah Joe forces his wifeto seek a divorce by. accusing her of intimacy with Dr Merrill for whom she is a nurse. Upon his release Joe visits his boy in school. The child follows his father, is run over and his spine injured. Joe rushes him to Dr Merrill, who, believing Joe kidnapped him, recuses to operate unless the singer turns Little Pal over to Katherine. Otherwise his fee is five thousand dollars.

CHAPTER XI.

A SDr Merrill locked his car, got /out and ran* up the hospital steps; he decided he'd tell Katherine exactly what he thought and believed. < " Oh, Robert! Have you found out anything?" i "Yes, I've found out a lot. The baby's safe." Dr Merrill caught arm, supporting her, and led her to the rear of the hall-way. Gently he piloted the girl to a broad lounge and the two sat down, side iby side. ",Tll have to begin at the begining. When I got to my office, after leaving you this morning, Joe was waiting to see me, and he had the baby with him. '.-■■■ Junior isn't well, Katherine. I examined." He < was trying to break the" news with as much grace as possible, leading up to it G&silv '' ' "He's not welll What's the matter? He's not—not hurt? Not ' dead?" '; "No, no, nothing of the sort!" Dr Merrill hastily shook his head. " He's not dead—far from it. He's going to be all right. Junior has had an accident. His spine's been injured, but I can perform an operation which, I believe, N will entirely cure him. /There's a pressure on a nerve which has temporarily paralysed him, and caused the loss of motion in his legs, and the loss of speech." "Oh, Robert!" With a little cry, Katheiine's eyes closed and the tears spilled over their rims and streamed down her face. "How—how did it happen?" -"He was run a truck—not exactly run over but thrown. The story that Joe told me was-that he had been to the school to see the boy and had gone away again. As he walked down the street he heard a commotion, turned round, and then saw Junior lying near the curb, hurt. Personally, I don't believe the story. I think Joe took the child with the intention of keeping him." , "No, Robert, no 1" Katherine exclaimed quickly. "If Joe says he didn't take the child, I won't believe that he did. But you've got Junior now—you're going >to operate right away!" ■ / "No," Dr Merrill shook his head. "Joe's got him. I'm doing the best thing in, my jaower. At present I have the upper hand, and Joe knows' it. He's got to bring the baby back to me. He'll bring him back, or else I don't know human nature." For Joe one day dragged wearily into another. Nothing was real; nothing was material, save those few dollars he kept in his pocket and counted over and over again. He could scarcely think, except for arid about Little Pal. The child lay there on the big, white iron bed in the cheap rooming house Joe had found for shelter, never complaining, never murmuring." : Oh the first three mornings of their stay there Jo* had gone out systematically to look for work. He frequented the East Side, and one morning went along Sixth Avenue where the streets were plastered with signs advertising employment agencies. He had /Stood in lines for hours at a time.' Clerks had taken his name aridF/iddress at some of the places, butihe was always a little too late fed: a job; But 1 money—he must have'money! / Threes more days passed. Three dayiCSof Joe stood by the window looking down on the crowded streets, watching children running arid playing. / His eyes grew moist. His Little Pal, who couldn't play any might never play any more'; something were done quickly.:;: If he had the money—if he only had the money!' Joe walked back to the bed where the child lay staring at the ceiling. "Aren't you sleepy, darling? " He safxdown on the bed, pushing back the child's hair and rubbing his forehead. "Want daddy to sing to you?" \ A vigorous nod came in answer to the question. Smiling a drawn, wan smile, the song- plugger lifted the child in his aririsfe and began to walk back and forth across the floor with him, crooning the favourite words: " I'm putting my faith and my hopes all in you, To do all the things that your dad couldn't do . . . I want you to sing and to laugh and to play ..." Little Pal's eyelids were fluttering. He was going off to sleep, lulled by the gentle voice he loved. Quietly Joe laid him back on the bed. There was one thing he must do. He must get enough money to pay for an operation. If he only had a gun he'd go out and take the money. He'd have to do it. It was for his baby. He'd go back, to prison again after

SERIAL STORY . \) ,

Copyright.—To " The Waipa Post."

A Novel Based on the Warner Bros.' and Vitaphone Picture, starring Al Jolson.

that. He didn't care what happened if only Junior could run and play again. He'd get a gun. He had enough money still. He walked back to the window, again. /What was he doing, Joe suddenly demanded, talking to himself in whispers? He was keeping his baby away from his rightful heritage, that's what he was doing. Here Junior could have everything that other- children had, and just because of his father, he didn't have them! He had been thinking only of himself! Joe's eyes widened, staring into space.' That was it—only of himself! He hadn't been taking into consideration either his child or his wife. He had been doing just what he had sworn not to do when he had thought things all out in prison. But it wasn't too late—it wasn't too late!

" Mr Lane's here- with his little boy to see you, doctor." Dr Merrill swung around lin his chair, staring at the figure of the nurse standing in the doorway. Then: " Show him in right away," he said. ; "Well, you win, doctor." Joe ' walked slowly y stiffly, into the consul- ? tation room, Little Pal in his arms. \ His eyes were downcast and he shift- ' ed uneasily. This was one of the hardest tasks he had ever performed i in all his life, and it was taking every j ounce of his courage. But nothing \ could have turned him back.

"And you've won, too Lane. I congratulate you,. Sit down." Dr Merrill motioned to a chair. Joe sat down. darling, I'm gonna let Dr Merrill fix you all up and make you feel right," he spoke to the child. " Yes, we'll have you all right in no time, Junior," Dr Merrill shook hands with the baby, smiling down at him tenderly. Joe smiled a little. "Well, doctor," he began, " I guess I'll be going. , You—yqu can explain things to his mother. I guess you understand. You won't be bothered with me any more. I won't come back." He turned and started toward the door. "No, no, Lane." The doctor caught hold of the man's arm and handed him a slip of paper. " I

want you to feel that way about it. Here's the name and address of the hospital and you can call up there whenever you like and find out how he's getting along." " That's, decent of you, doetor." Joe swallowed a lump in his throat. "I realise it ain't best for the boy —for me to come and see him, I mean. Good-bye, Little Pal." He went back to the child again, bending over him and kissing the round little forehead. " I—l suppose you'll be seeing Katherine ? " Joe didn't look at the surgeon. "Yes," Dr Merrill answered. "I'll give her a message if you like." " Would you, please ? " Joe hesitated a little and then went on. "Will you tell her—tell her that I never stopped loving her—tell her that." He reached for the doorknob, about to go*, when the door wss nung open. As he stepped aside the door just screened him from the sight of the person entering. With a cry Katherine rushed into the room and made straight for the couch where Little Pal lay. She flung herself on her knees beside the child, gathering him into her arms. "My baby! My little baby! " she was sobbing. His finger on his lips, Joe signalled to Dr Merrill for silence. Quietly he slipped around the door, and quietly closed it behind'him. >' ' Dr Merrill waiteat until Katherine looked around. !> ;" i * "Joe just brought him here," he said. "Joe—jUst brought him?" Katherine questioned quickly. " Howhow was he? " And Dr Merrill suddenly realised something he hadn't quite realised before. "He looked somewhat tired," he said briefly. "This has been a strain on him, too. ' Somehow, I felt this morning that he had been telling the truth when he. said that he hadn't taken Junior away from the school." ' v ;. "Oh, I'm certain he was," Katherine agreed. " But that's all over now. How soon are you going to operate ? " " To-morrow, probably," Dr Merrill answered. "You can take Junior over to the hospital right away, if you want to." ",I'H take him now," Katherine decided. " I'll' get a cab and go right over." She picked the baby up in her arms. " You're going with mother, Junior. We're going to a nice place where Dr Robert is going to make you well..' Junior smiled up at his mother, his face beaming. Katherine stopped as she reached the door. " Did Joe—did Joe say anything about me? " She questioned hesitantly, averting her eyes.

Dr Merrill came over and stood beside the girl. "He left a message for yoU," he said. " I promised I'd deliver it. He said to tell you he'd never stopped loving you." There was a moment's pause. " Now run along." He opened the door. "I'll see you in about an hour." Katherine nodded and went out, the child in her arms. She felt

stunned, insensible. Why had Joe left that message about loving her? After the way he'd acted that day in the prison. What did he mean? But she must put Joe out of her mind for the present and think only of Junior. And yet—he had said he