SYNOPSIS
READ THIS FIRST:
AFTER a long and arduous at
tempt to make her way to the top,
KIT REILLY, young singer oi
sweet ballads, is given «
for a radio audition in the Sembler
contest by
VANCE HEALEY, outstanding
young radio sport, announcer. The
contest offers a prize of $5,000 and
a one-year contract to appear in
the Sembler program as the suc
cessor of
NANA HARRIS, famous song
stress, who is retiring. While Kit
is learning from her loyal friend
and partner.
FRAN LE MAZE, that they will
do their song and dance act at an
athletic club show that night, How
ard Balch, critic and one of the
Sembler contest judges, visits
Nana.
CHAPTER TEN
Howard Balch said, “What am I
supposed to say?
“I hoped you’d say you perceive
a great spiritual change in me,’’
answered Nana Harris. “That
would be from the results of the
profound thinking I’ve been doing
these last few days.”
He inquired anxiously, “How do
you feel, Nana? Any tempera
ture?”
“How do I feel? Or what do I
feel like? . . . Don’t bother, How
ard, I’ll answer both. I feel
healthy, happy and wise. I feel
like a person instead of a person
ality and I like it. In fact, I feel
like a rather nice person. A kind
sort of comfortable person with a
heart full of good thoughts. How
do I look?”
“Smug, and smart and well fed,”
he answered. “Like a nice, sleek
black cat. And now that you’ve got
that out of me, "what’s this non
sense about your quitting the air?”
“I’m really serious about it. I’ve
got a lot of money and I can go
on making it by making records.
Maybe do a show next season.
Take a trip to Europe. I want to
stop the grind that a radio singer’s
life is. I want to quit having to
please sponsors, taking a daily
singing lesson, those deadly con
ferences with managers and ac
companists and arrangers. I want
to quit massages and diets and in
terviews. . . . Also, I have a hunch
that quitting while the quitting’s
good is a bright idea.”
“You’re crazy, Nana. You’re
right at your peak.”
“I know it,” she said quietly.
“Seven years to get there and one
slip through carelessness can fin
ish it. That’s radio.”
Howard freshened his drink
from the decanter. “I think you’re
right in a way. Some day I’m go
ing to do a Vance Healey and quit
this. He’s on the wagon he tells
me.”
“That’s good. Vance strikes me
as one of those boys who drinks
to forget something. He really
doesn’t like the taste of it and it
does such things to him. When he’s
himself, he’s fun and a swell kid,
but when he drinks he thinks he’s
the lord of the universe. That’o
how he gets into those jams of
his.”
“Speaking of jams, my thrush,
this Sembler judging is my idea
of a jam. How can a man be ex
pected to sort out A voice after
hearing a bunch of them for thir
teen weeks, I ask you?”
“Ninety-one of them, darling! I
ask YOU? Divided into sopranos
and altos.”
“Two classes,” he corrected.
“Mostly bad and worse. And to
morrow is the fatal day. Suppose
you and I team up and draw a
name out of a hat at that 6hindig
at Madame Metzgers?”
Nana gave him a sad glance.
“Sometimes I don’t think you
realize that some girl’s whole fu
ture is at stake, Howard. But what
are we going to do?”
Minnie interrupted their discus
sion to announce dinner.
They’d finished their salad and
cheese when Howard reverted to
their original subject, saying,
“This quitting talk, Nana. . .
rhere’s a great day coming for
some girl to get her clutches
around America’s little listening
cars. The crooner’s day is waning,
and the gals get the next inning,
rhis is no time for you to quit.”
Nana looked at the cream float
ing on her coffee. She hadn’t been
allowed cream since she’d started
aer career. “Not for me that in
ling.”
“Okay. . . . What du you say
ive drop in at the Kendall party
tonight?”
“Later. First we have something
else to do. We’re going to—” she
fished in the depths of her jewel
bag. “Here it is! The Boy’s 179th
Street Athletic and Uplift club.”
He refused to take her seriously.
“You made the name up yourself,”
be accused.
“Couldn’t do as good if I tried.
But anyway, there it is. What do
you think now?”
“I still think it’s a gag.”
“No, it isn’t, darling. It’s one of
the duties of being a public per
sonality. One of the things that
I’m going to get away from. I’ve
given practically my all and it’s
been some job."
“And you want some other poor
little unfortunate to get a chance
that you’re giving up!”
“There’s a lot to be said for the
money, Howard. I’d like to think
that some poor kid, who hasn’t a
nickel to her name, were in line
to win that prize. Oh, well. . . .
Look here, we’ll have to get start
ed pretty quick. It seems that 1
am to be an honor guest at the an
nual awarding of prizes at this
club. My fan club arranged it.”
Howard began to look worried.
“It won’t last long, will it?”
Nana shrugged. “I don’t know,
but I do know that there is to be
a show and we’ve got to stay to
■ ■ ■ — ■
see it, because that is only polite.
Where are your professional man
ners, my dear Mr. Balch?”
“Woman, how I’ve paid and paid
and paid for your valuable friend
ship. What with contests and boys
to be uplifted, I’m practically your
slave.”
“Are you?” she said softly. i>
“We’d better change the sub
ject, Nana, or I’ll be making a fool
of myself. A poor critic has no
business wooing a wealthy star
and I’m not going to start now.”
Nana sighed, but not as hope
lessly as she used to; it wouldn’t
be long before her starring days
were over.
“Instead of changing it, let’s go
back. I’ll tell you what I’ll do,
Howard, I’ll take all the responsi
bility off your shoulders for the
Sembler judgments. You just
watch my signal sand I’ll do the
electing.”
“Oh ho, you will! Kow aDout the
strong-minded madame?”
“I can talk her down any day,”
she retorted, getting her arms into
her sable coat..
* * *
Kit had to untie the ribbons of
her paper picture hat to get close
enough to the peephole in the bur
lap curtain to look at the audience.
When she stood on her tiptoes, her
hooped skirt rose It show the ruf
fles of her calico pantelettes.
“Any likely theatrical managers
out there waiting for us?” Fran
asked pleasantly.
“None that I would recognize,
but a woman has just come in
wearing a sable coat and bracelets
that knock my eye out.”
“Maybe that’s the radio star
Jake was talking about. Do you
recognize her?”
Kit shook her head.” I think
that’s a man with her that I’ve
seen somewhere before, but I don’t
place him.”
(Howard Balch was saying to
(Continued on Page Twelve)
THIS CURIOUS WORLD B/e«l7
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ANSWER: Nine. Quebec, Ontario, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick,
Manitoba, British Columbia, Prince Edward Island, Alberta, and Sas
katchewan.
BELA LANAN—COURT REPORTER By L. Allen Heine
Founded On Actual Court Records And You Can Be The Judge
——*1
The
Strange
Case of
TOO
MUCH
HEART
TROUBLE
•
IN SIX
EPISODES
No. 5
JUDSON ...SOUC PHYSICIAN ]
MADE AN AUTOPSY ON JOHN
STANDISH SOME SIX MONTHS
A60! REMEMBER?
VOU INSISTED HIS
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THOUGHT HE HAD
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THE INSURANCE
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OUT OUR WAY By J. R. Williams
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m. rppR. 1940 BY NEA SERVICE. tNC. T. M. REcTuTV.
LITTLE ORPHAN ANNIE
The I roselvte
( WELL. ITS NICE 1
TO SEE YUH GOtN' I
STRAIGHT, ANVIL- '
I KNEW VUH COULO
WHATCHA DOIN' ^
RIGHT NpW? M
w Jr
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ME? OH. 1
I GOT A GOOD
JOB--ER—
| TH' UTTLE
GUY—FRIEND,
^ O'YOURS? J
f LITTLE BILLY. \ S ™
HERE? OH. HE PUT ER
SURE IS-BILLY. THERE,
I WANTCHATO BILLY
MEET AN OLD -ANY PAL,
FRIEND O' MINE. J-L O' ANNIE'S ! ,
MR.-ER-, ANVIL-/ N A
/ HOW DO.
juZTil
LOOK. ANVIL- V AW. GEE—ME?
WHY DONfTCHA \ IT'D BE SWELL.
COME ALONG AND BUT I DUNNO
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WITH US? I KNOW OUGHTA—
IT'LL BE O. K.- X X
COME ON! J\-p=~
' WHAT CAN BE
KEEPING THAT BIG
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HERE ALL NIGHT
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By Roy Crane
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- BALL WITH US. WES!
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GASOLINE ALLEY
The Clean-Up
f IT'S A SWELL UELIEF TO
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IS A MAN- KILLING GAME. J
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MONDAY JUST BECAUSE
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- Copy ijrht. 1940 t ■
THE GUMPS
~ ^ The Heat Is On
! HELP/ ME ,
Murdered me/
<pBT ’iMf/
HELP//
LET ME OUT ]
\OF MERE" J
Oh /M/a/—
L> WONDER If *
He's asleep yet-.
.a.
HOURS
L&TER
Ren. 0. S. Pat. Off.: [:
Copyright, 1940. by The Chicago Tribune, t
BRICK BRADFORD—Seeks the Diamond Doll
By William Hitt and Clarence Gray
TRULY, THE GODS ARE GOOD.' BONeT'
BROKEN-THEY ARE BUT STUNNED / -
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