Ace in the Hole Page #7

Tell your papers Chuck

Tatum is available.

Looks like there's gonna be three

or four more days of hot copy.

Exclusive. And Tatum

is sitting on it.

So let's hear their bids.

Come on, fan.

Of course, it's hard to say

what we might run into.

You hit rock and then

those layers of shale.

That's what we call a stratified

formation. And that means...

Wait just a second! There's Mr Tatum

making his way toward the cliff dwelling.

I'm going to try to get

him on this microphone.

Mr Tatum! Mr Tatum!

Good. He's coming

over this way now.

Mr Tatum, could you spare

us a few moments, please?

Just a word or two about Leo and the

way things look to you down there.

Well, we're making

progress, good progress,

but every second counts

in this rescue operation,

and I'm sure your radio

audience will excuse me,

as well as Mr Smollett here if he

goes back to his post at the drill.

I don't know why they have

to use a drill at all.

They don't have to go from the top.

There's a quicker way to

get that man out of there.

- What's your name, sir?

- My name is Kusac.

I did a lot of mining in my day, silver

mining, that is, up in Virginia City.

Now, the way I see it...

Yes, go ahead, Mr Kusac.

We're very much interested.

Well, we had cave-ins,

quite a few of them.

One that I know of was

further in than yours.

Were you ever in a cave-in

yourself, Mr Kusac?

- No, not personally.

- Well, I was.

Course you might not call

it a cave-in exactly,

but I was stuck in

an elevator once,

in the store I work in, between the

basement and the sub-basement.

It was six hours before

they could get me out,

and they had to use a

blowtorch to do it.

Right from the top. Just like here.

I'm afraid I gotta be

getting back to my crew.

As I was trying to say,

we didn't have no big drill.

We didn't need it.

We just hauled in the timber and

shored up the walls all the way back.

Now, if we did it that way in Virginia

City why can't we do it that way here?

You're not telling me

anything I don't know.

I know all about

shoring and bracing...

Mr Kusac, you see, this is a cliff

dwelling and not a silver mine.

Well, I think it's all the same. A man's

underground and you got to get him out.

Did you get your man out, Mr Kusac?

I'm afraid we didn't.

We were too late.

Well, then, suppose we let Mr

Smollett do it his way, from the top.

Thank you, Mr Tatum. Thank you very

much. And thank you, Mr Smollett.

I know I speak for my

entire radio audience

when I express my great

admiration for both of you.

Mr Tatum is now approaching the

entrance to the cliff dwelling

to start another one of

his perilous journeys

into the underground mazes

of this dread mountain.

As he waves to the crowd, you

can hear the tremendous cheer!

Hiya, Leo. What do you say?

Five minutes late this morning.

Sorry. What's the matter?

- Did you eat anything?

- I'm not hungry.

- Take your pills?

- Yeah.

This afternoon,

when the doctor comes,

you better give yourself

another injection.

I don't want any injection.

It's that drill.

You gotta keep telling yourself, Leo,

they're getting closer all the time.

I can't stand it. It never stops.

It's like somebody was driving

crooked nails through my head.

Listen to it! It's enough to

wake up the dead, I tell you...

Stop!

I'm sorry.

Here. I brought you the paper.

Thanks. Yesterday, I read there

were 2,000 people outside.

Today there's over 3,000.

Well, who are they?

What do they want?

- They're your friends.

- They are?

I guess everybody's got a lot of

friends they don't even know about.

Like those guys drilling for me.

Or like you, Chuck. I didn't even know

you were alive this time last week,

and now you're my friend.

I guess you're my best friend.

Leo, when we get you out of here

I'll be going to New

York more than likely.

Then I won't be

seeing you any more?

No. I was just about to say

when I'm in New York, I'll bring you

out to visit me for a couple of weeks

or as long as you want.

Stay right with me.

Hey, you ever been in New York?

Been in Baltimore.

Never in New York.

We're really gonna have a great time.

You'll see. We'll live it up a little.

New York. Lorraine told

me a lot about New York.

Does she talk about me?

Is she upset?

Sure. Everybody's upset about you.

- Say, Chuck, what day is this?

- Wednesday.

Think there's a chance they

can get me out by Friday?

Because Friday's something special.

We're doing all we can.

Because it's gonna be five years

that Lorraine and I were married.

You know, things haven't

been so good between us.

Maybe this'll make a difference.

Maybe we can start all over again.

Maybe I can take her along

on that trip to New York.

She's so pretty.

Here you are.

Get yourself a red hot!

A show-stopping monster for a dime!

We can't let them come in here,

Lorraine. Not the carnival!

Quiet, Papa. I told

them it was all right.

It is not all right.

I won't have them here.

They're paying for it. Good money.

Look at them. Selling balloons

here, ice cream, hot dogs.

Everybody's paying for it.

Why don't we just lock up this place

and tell everybody to go home?

Because they won't go home.

They'll just park on the other side of

the highway and eat someplace else.

Why shouldn't we get

something out of it?

I don't want their money.

All I want is Leo.

Who do you think the money's for?

It's for him when he gets out.

He's always wanted to make

some improvements around here,

build some cabins for tourists, buy a new

car, have a little money in the bank.

It'll make things easier for him.

Doesn't that make sense, Papa?

Mr Tatum!

- How is he?

- Pretty good.

Does it hurt him bad?

Is he getting any sleep?

Sure, he's fine.

Well, you ought to see him smoking

a cigar, reading the paper.

He's making plans.

All the doctor says is he's doing

as well as can be expected.

- What does that mean?

- Means he's gonna be fine.

Means everything's gonna be

fine, doesn't it, Mr Tatum?

- How is he, mister?

- Did you see him?

- Is he holding out?

- Is he all right?

- What did he have to say?

- When do you think they'll get him out?

Go ahead. I guess you need a drink.

Care to join me?

Looks like the only other glass we

have is one of these candle jiggers.

Sensational copy you've

been sending in.

- Glad you like it.

- Had to get out an extra every day.

Circulation jumped 8,000.

What did you come down for?

To pin a medal on me?

You've got a medal,

and I know how you got it.

What else do you know?

Heard a few things in Albuquerque

about how you're handling this story.

I didn't like it. Now that I'm

here, I like it even less.

Suppose you stop beating

around the bush.

Tatum, you've been putting a halo

around that Kretzer sheriff,

so you could hog the whole story.

That's the setup, isn't it?

Oh. For a minute, you had me scared.

I thought I did something real bad.

You have. Kretzer should be

kicked out, not re-elected.

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