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About Capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1919-1980 | View Entire Issue (April 25, 1936)
Between The Lines By Grant Milton Sassaman 0 When Reporter I AM indebted to Lafferty for most of thla; Lafferty, the aa slatant night city editor. He waa in the office the night that Bill McDade underwent his baptism of remorse. It happened a long time ago on a hot summer night when neither air nor news was stirring. Ten years ago tonight, to be exact. To understand how the thing could have happened, one must know McDade, Lafferty explained. McDade, he said, was young and good-looking and as brilliant as he was courageous. The kind of fellow who would face a firing squad and calmly jot notes upon his cuff while the executioners aimed their weapons. In those days the general as signment men on the Morning Call were paid on apace rates. McDade was a space writer and he let his imagination carry him away sometimes, according to Lafferty. His nimble mind and long lean fingers would convert a bonfire Into a conflagration and a riot into a civil war. But that's the trouble with space writing. It always did en courage padding; to the point at times, when you couldn't tell fact from fiction. But McDade got away with it because he wrote so convincingly. Lafferty told me the reporter actually seemed to believe much of the nonsense he wrote. At least he believed it while he was pounding It out ON THAT night ten years ago Bill McDade sat at his type writer plucking away Industri ously. The rest of the staff was in misery, but McDade was ob livious to the suffocating atmos phere pressing downward like a heavy pall. He must have been writing something that grazed his sense 1 of humor. A villainous briar was clamped between his teeth, but his Hps were twisted Into a half grin. Whatever it was he had been writing, McDade stopped at once when Ogden, who was night city editor then, called his name. With the grin still on his face he walked up to the city desk. "Just got a tip from the jani tor up at the Arcadian Apart ments," said Ogden. He swung around on his swivel. "Believe it's exclusive. Some young artist woman took a fool notion to fall off a third story balcony and get killed. Don't know whether it's suicide or an accident." In an instant Ogden was busy with the proofs on his desk. He failed to see what Lafferty saw. Lafferty was at the switchboard behind Ogden. He saw McDade wilt suddenly, aa If the heat had got him all at once, and the grin had vanished like magic from his lips. Then oome district reporter on the phone was clamoring for at tention. When Lafferty finally looked up from the plugs, Mc Dade had gone. The first Intimation anyone had of McDade's return was when Lafferty heard the mad clatter of the reporter's typewriter over in the corner where he had his desk. McDade usually wrote fast and furiously, but now he was pound ing the keys like a stenographer gone berserk. ' Others In the office took notice then and looked up. They saw McDade leaning over his machine with a face deathly white, hia fingers working like pistons. Not once did he glance up from his copy; not even to light the pipe lying on the pulled-out board of his desk. Lafferty probably waa the first to realise something was wrong. He missed very little that went on in the office, just as he missed little going on outside of It. He's still a hellion for details, is Laf ferty. And like an elephant, he never forgets. He said McDade seemed to grow thinner aa he watched; that the poor chap's very blood seemed to be draining from hia veins as If to moisten the type chattering madly across the pagea of copy, That'a the way Lafferty put It He studied jour nalism at a university, and hasn't yet been able to rid himself of such things. IT WAS close to midnight when McDade handed his copy to Og den, together with the cut lines for the photograph he'd already sent In to the art department Ogden fell upon the copy vo raciously. Time and time again he poised hia murderous blue pen oil as though to slash out a word CLASSIFIED MANUSCRIPT! WANTED WtNTIOl OK10INAL POIMI. WHO,, MMM PnblWm. Dipt AH. IMndto Stdi. (Vttud. On RELIEF FOR EF1LEFTIC1I D.MI bJj Ink nlM lor htntwrni. 8fcUFU horn, and .brawl foiled. All ktttn amweroL Mit Qta. ttemntr. ApL 4. MOO Utottto Bird.. Wt Detroit Mich McDade Wrote From His Heart A Complete Short Story or a phrase, only to nod a grudg ing approval and then read on. And well he might approve, for McDade had written a story that was to burn itself upon the minds of its readers forever. Never be fore had Ogden read copy on a story that ran so relentlessly on ward to its close, trailing off at last reluctantly, like the last sob at a grave. McDade even had reproduced a letter which apparently prompted the girl to commit suicide. Ogden let it stand, though his brow wrinkled with puzzlement when ho read this: "... and all the color fled from her face as she finished reading her sweetheart's letter. With bloodless lips and staring eyes she stood motionless like a marble goddess in the cen ter of the room. For fully a minute she stood thus before moving, wraith-like, out upon " the veranda. "Leaning over the low balus trade, she slowly tore the let ter Into tiny fragments. They dropped from her hands and fluttered like snowflakes to the court below. "With a moan of indescrib able anguish she covered her BUD: Well, another hour and here's the first contestant to try for the prize money. I see by the application that you're a "con versation juggler." AMATEUR: Yes, sir. BUD: And what would that be? A: It means I'm a vocal con tortionist. BUD: Um-hum now we're getting some place. But, if I'm not too Inquisitive, what is it that you really do? A: To get right down to it, I'm a ventriloquist. BUD: Oh, one of those fellows who strews language hither and elsewhere? A: Yea, air. I can throw my voice out and step on it. BUD : Marvelous. And you think that sort of entertainment is suitable for radio? A: From the standpoint of economy, it's a natural. BUD: Well, anything that will cut down talent costs is always good for an amateur hour. A: Sure I can be the whole hour. I just surround myself with a strong cast of cloth'r.g sore dummies. wSe, 1M . Remember the old Chinese proverb, "One picture is worth a thousand words"! The gay bird n the left here believes In signs, but "all clothing one-half off" doesn't even Interest his limber-legged pal, who has found a picture that shows all clothing a good nine-tenths off. face with her initialed handker chief. Her body swayed for ward against the railing and toppled over it. She made no outcry as she fell, and her 1 . white evening gown glinted like silver in the beams of a horri fied moon. ..." Not until he had sucked in the last morsel did Ogden raise his head. ' "McDade!" he bellowed. "That'a the best " But McDade was no longer standing at the city desk. -Lafferty had looked up from his plugs in time to see the reporter gamble listlessly from the room. Some, ' time later a copyboy t tossed the city edition of the Chronicle upon Ogden's desk. He pounced upon it like a hawk on a chick, ready to gloat over the rival paper's meager display of the night's big story. - Suddenly he jumped to his feet with a startled oath. His face was comic In Its bewilderment and dismay. Rushing over to the night editor's desk, he shoved directly in front of Wilton's horn-rimmed spectacles that part of Down- ' ing's story which read: "It was believed she lost her balance while sitting upon the BUD LAN PIS' BUD: Yes ... A: Then I act as master of ceremonies. For each tryout I prop one of the figures up In front of the microphone. BUD: I see then you juat toss the repartee over to him. A: Exactly. All I need is a J or Miller joke book. I feed the gags and then pull the answers in one of my assorted accents. I can even manipulate the gong. BUD: Do tell! But haven't you forgotten the studio technicians? A: No, Indeed. You see, I'll carry on the program dialogue by talking with my fingers. BUD: That would eliminate thp sound, all right. But there's the listening audience to consider. A: Shucks, the listener could snap off his radio and go to the movies, couldn't he? - BUD: Not a bad Idea. And that leaves only you to contend with. A: Well, sure so under the circumstances, even T wouldn't have to show up. BUD: I'm in favor of that A: And you could just mail me the prize money check out to the house. SOUND: BONO! Bargain Hunters! balustrade, and fell backwards to her death. Her body was so battered that Identification would have been impossible if it hadn't been for the handker chief clutched in her hand. "Dora Wayne, despite her youth, was considered one of America's, most promising women artists. She waa se cretly betrothed to William Mc Dade, a newspaperman. ..." LAFFERTY said Wilton's pale face turned a greenish hue. Without a word he got to his feet and strode 'over to McDade's desk. Lying in the confusion of papers on the desk waa an unfin ished letter. McDade must have snatched it hastily from the type writer before he went out on the story; or after he came in. Dearest: the letter read, By the time you get this yo'u may have been amply repaid for the scare you gave me last week. I hardly think you've fallen for it though, because you know what a journalistic liar I've become. In Uiat case you may have had more than a suspicion, sweetheart, that the letter I sent last night was a plain farce. But you -must admit my bitter denunciation of you was rather convincing. Women are intuitive and have the faculty' of reading between the lines With studied care old Wilton took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. Lafferty always swore that Wilton brushed away tears. "That explains everything," Wilton muttered slowly. "He knew. He knew, while the others only guessed." The unfinished letter dropped from Wilton's fingers to the floor. It lay there with edges curled up wards like mocking fingers. "You think she read between the lines." breathed the night edi tor tonelcssly. "By God. boy. she didn't!" A newsroom Is calm after the - deadline, like the calmness that ' .follows a storm. The quietness was doubly intensified now by the dumb misery In every man's eyes and the pity in his heart. Lafferty said Wilton seemed to crumple together. He went back to his desk and sank limply into the chair, mouth working sound lessly. Ogden stood like a graven image in the middle of the aisle, hurt bewilderment still upon his faae. Tragedy, pain and suffering were not new to him. But up to now he had regarded death with clinical detachment; until tonight, when the ugly specter had stalked unseen through this very office. Lafferty was the first to re cover his wits. Without aaying a . word to anyone, he went out of the newsroom and down the Btarra to the street where he hailed a taxicab. He gave the driver the address of the Arcadian Apart ments and told him to keep the pedal down. While the speeding taxi 'tossed him around on the back seat, Lafferty shaped his plans. He would find McDade and inveigle him into a speakeasy. Get the fellow so drunk he'd forget everything until the keen edge of . remorse had worn off a bit. AT THE apartment house Laf ferty told the driver to wait. In the hallway he found Dora Wayne's apartment listed as C4. He pushed the button and waited. When the inner door buzzed, he pushed through it and hurried up the stairs, not bothering to look for an elevator. On the third floor he found a door standing open with a ruddy faced cop leaning against the frame. "Hello, Regan," said Lafferty, glad there was a cop on guard he knew. "Is anybody in there?" " 'Lo, Laffy. "The cop scratched his chin and nodded. "Yeah. Mc Dade's here. He was all broke up, I put 'em to sleep." The' cop turned and re-entered the room. Lafferty followed, clos ing the door behind him. "How'd you do it, Regan ?" He went over to where McDade lay sprawled upon a divan and looked down pityingly upon the haggard face Regan came near chuckling. "I got Oswald, down at the corner, to rig up one o' his forgetters. He put everythin' In It but arsenic. The 'janitor fetched it for me. He's an obligin' chap, that jani tor." McDade's coat was unbuttoned. Lafferty saw that an envelope had worked itself halfway out of the coat's inside pocket. He leaned down to push It back into place and noticed it was sealed and ad dressed, but not stamped. He started to put the letter In his own pocket meaning to post lr for McDade; but the name on Mexico "Coming Into Own" As Tourists Discover Its Wonders THROUGH Pullman trains bring ancient Mexico City within four days of the Pacific Coast cities. Steaming down the coast to Acapulco are comfortable steamers at frequent Intervals. Passengers leave the ship at, this port, proceed by motor cars over excellent highways to the capital situated 7000 feet above the sea under the snow-capped summit of mighty Popocatepetl. After several days in Mexico City the return is made to the coast, touch ing the beautiful cities of Cuer navaca and Guadalajara. The ride by train from- Guadalajara to Manzanlllo is through mag nificent mountain country over a spectacular piece of railroad building passing the quaint city of Teplc and Tequila, surrounded by miles of plantations growing the type of cactus from which the potent liquor of the same name is made. , To the student of history and ethnology, as well as to the casual pleasure-seeking visitor, Mexico Is fascinating. Centuries before the Spanish Conquistadors came, it had a civilization comparable QUESTIONS WERE ANSWERED, BUT- UNIVERSITY of California pro- feasors at Berkeley are try ing to decide whether or not col legians , are working with their tongues In their cheeks or well 'or something." "Certainly the answers to some examination paper questtona couldn't bo written by stupid stu dentsbut listen' to this," said one instructor giving the follow ing examples: A 'hot cargo" Is a "shipment of chorus girls!" The Time ot Henry IV was "be tween Henry III and Henry V." The Christian era "was a Roman goddess who waa Con verted." To the question "What gives us our rights and what takes them away?" one student answered: "God gives them to us and the Democrats take them away." 'HENS BRING HEALTH AND WEALTH TO HIM TO KEEP himself from thinking of himself, Olen C. Hudson, San Diego, youthful victim of In fantile paralysis, started raising chickens and finds that even so ' small a thing can lead to fame. He has now achieved honors for his Columbia Rock fowls In a national egg laying contest held at Moun tain Grove., Mo., where a pen of A dark-haired young woman halted abruptly on the threshold. She was slim, strikingly beautiful, and vaguely familiar. the envelope caught his eye and held it. Miss Dora Wayne! Why, this must be the fatal missive! A low exclamation of astonish ment fell from Lafferty's Hps. McDade had forgotten to send it! Unless Lafferty turned around. "Regan," he asked excitedly, "were there any bits of paper, like a torn-up letter, aroupd the body7" ' Regan scratched his head thoughtfully. "I was one o' the first there," he said. "I didn't see any, an' there wasn't no wind to carry 'em away." The other straightened up, put ting the letter In his hip pocket "What's that over there?" he asked, pointing across the room. In front of the fireplace stood an easel bearing an unfinished can- to that of the Egyptians, the Chaldees and the early Greeks. These peoples developed amazing arts and crafts, reared mighty temples, towers and pyramids, which today are the problem of ' historians. They had a written language of hieroglyphics and the examples of sculpture and painting reveal an art consciousness far beyond any thing of the time. In engineering, In architecture and in science, these Mayans, forebears of the Toltccs and the Aztecs, left in disputable evidences of their achievements. The ruins of the vast Temple of the God of Rain, not far from Mexico Qity, with the adjacent pyramids of the sun and of the moon, indicate a mighty metropolis once flourished here. Mexico, our southern neighbor, takes one back to the dawn of time it is as foreign in lan guage, In atmosphere, as any of the countries of Europe Is pic turesque in customs and inhabi tants and amazing in its variety. It is a grand place for a winter holiday. Ave fowls laid 927 eggs in 51 weeks. Twenty-three contests were conducted by agricultural colleges in America last year, and accord ing to the American Poultry Journal Hudson's entry has the distinction of having been the highest Columbia Rock pen and also the highest individual pen record for all contests. Hudson has won many blue rib bons on his pet hobby, and has fought his way to health and hap piness in the bargain. NO. SUHI SOUTH HAS NO CORNER ON COON HUNTS COON huntin' Is a fine art 'round about Sacramento that Is if you "know how," says W. A Wilson and Jack Mochan, of that city, who recently bngged five raccoons In two hours. With their prize coon dogs the pair went out In the Moltchimic nvor district one afternoon re cently and the dogs treed five In almost no time "It's easy when you Know where to get them." Wilson said. "In the east coons stay in wooded sec tions, but in California they bed down in marsh : and briar sec tions." "Hides aro valued at $:i and $4 each," he Bald, "while the car casses bring about seventy-live cents from those who like the meat. vas. It was a life size portrait of a young woman in a white eve ning dress. Regan looked from the easel to Lafferty. "An" you'd be asking me that, Laffy?" he reproved mildly. "Can't you aee what it is?" "I know, Regan. I know," said the newspaperman wearily. "What I mean is, what Is it doing here? This is no studio." "Oh," the cop brightened. "The janitor told me she waa flnlshin' the picture here because her stu dio's way down town. The girl doin the modelln is havin' trou ble with her appendix or some thin'. She lives close by here somewheres an' can't do too much runnin around. They was to fin ish the picture tonight so she could go to the hospital tomor row." A NOISE at the door brought Regan and Lafferty spin ning about. The door swung open. A dark-haired young woman In a pale blue dress halted abruptly on the threshold. She was slim, strikingly beautiful, and vaguely familiar. "What are you doing here? What what has happened?" She was plainly startled at the sight ot the coatless newspaperman and the uniformed cop. Regan and Lafferty were speechless. They tood thcro like idiots, staring at her. But even in his befuddlement Lafferty noticed the tiny brushes the girl held in her left hand. A frown of Impatience tinged with apprehension, gathered on the young woman's brow. "What is it? Where Is Dorothy? "Dorothy?" echoed Lafferty. "Yes. I was delayed down at the studio, but Dorothy has a key. She was to come at ten to get some rest before starting to pose. But why am I telling you all this? Miss Winert is my model." Then the girl's worried eyes wandered to the sprawled figure on the divan. "Bill!" she cried. "Bill! Oh, don't toll me he's hurt!" She ran past Regan and Lafferty and dropped to her knees at the divan. Lafferty's legs threatened to collapse under him, but he man aged to reach the telephone over In the corner. As he dialed his number he heard Regan say: "There's nothin' wrong with 'im, Miss now." "For God's sake!" barked Laf ferty weakly when Ogden came on the phone. "Stop the pr oases t The dead woman is Dorothy Wi nert, a model. Not Dora Wayne . . . What? ... Of course I'm sober . . . Yeah . . . Scared of an , impending operation. And cut out that letter business entirely even the fragments . . , Yep, I'm at the apartment now . , . What is she doing?" Lafferty turned around toward the divan. Dora Wayne had her ' arms around McDade. She was kipsintj him, shaking him gently, and then kissing him again. "What la she doing?" echoed Lafferty. "She'a resurrecting a dead man!" Copyright, t9W. Help Kidneys Don't Tok. Drastic Drugs lour Kidney oonlaia tt million tiny lnm or hittm whkh may be enintrred by neaket or rlrullc, irriut 'M drug! Be careful If function) Kidney or nUrlder ilMnrrter make you wffer from Get tint Up Nlihta. Nwvoummi. lM-of Pro. 1j Pain-. Khetinutte ISmw Ifciiin. Circle l.'mhv Kyee Nmmlna. An.htv fturmnc flmarlini or It-hine. you rfon'l ml to uk eban-ea All driiul now have the mart modern Arinnrcf treatment for I Kern troublm Do-inr' pre-enptton alM Cyitei fSwe-Tei) Wnrk fwt fe nd mire In 41 hour n mint lirw ww vitality and i BtMrutiteed 10 nuke you feel yenra younser in nrw money bark on return of empty pack Cytet eeoRti only 3a a Jom at druiwuM nnd the punran! DrotecU you, aK .PAGE &EVENB
