Black Legion Page #6

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You missed church this morning.

Oh, well, it's a fine world if neighbors

can't help each other.

Frank wanted to sleep late this morning.

- Run along with this before it gets cold.

- All right.

- Frank go to that lodge again last night?

- Yeah.

What time does he roll in from those?

Oh, pretty late. I don't bother

to wait up for him anymore.

Must be important things they do

at that lodge.

Seems important to Frank.

But he never tells me anything.

- It's one of those secret organizations.

- Yeah, it sure is.

- What do you mean?

- Oh, nothing, Ruth. Forget it.

Ed, you've got something on your mind.

Now, what is it?

Well, Frank's been acting

pretty strange lately.

Every time I go to talk to him

he stalls me off.

Ruth, I don't mean to poke in your business

but somebody's gotta talk to that guy.

What about?

About those new friends he's running with.

That Cliff Summers.

I don't like that guy.

And I don't like those rumors that those

beatings have been done by some gang.

You don't think

Frank had anything to do with it?

Where was he the night

that Grogan got his?

Ma, Pop wants something to eat.

I think you'd better come over right away.

Tell the folks I'll be back

as soon as I get something for Frank.

When you take care

of your own home?

Do I have to eat cold junk...

...just because Grogan got himself beat up

in a drunken brawl?

- Why do you say it was a drunken brawl?

- That's what they're saying around town.

Quit worrying

and get me something to eat.

- Frank, it's you I'm worrying about.

- You don't have to worry about me.

You were angry at Grogan that night,

weren't you?

Quit gabbing about Grogan.

Get me something to eat.

You were sore at Dombrowski.

- What if I was?

- You were out the night his farm burned.

- I was at a lodge meeting.

- And you were when they beat up Grogan.

Yeah, that's what I said and it goes.

Not anymore, Frank.

You've been lying to me.

- Don't you call me a liar.

- You are.

You had something to do

with those things.

- You and those new friends of yours.

- You shut up.

I won't. Only dirty,

contemptible cowards...

...would do a thing like that.

- Why, you...

Do you think Grandpa will let me help

milk the cows like he used to?

I guess so.

That is, if he's up and about.

Is he very sick?

Well, the telegram didn't say.

But I thought we'd better go there anyway.

Well, when Pop comes up

we can go fishing, can't we?

He may not be able to come up

for some time.

Not even for a weekend?

Well, we'll see now.

Now read your book, dear.

Oh, yeah.

"It was nothing to nothing

at the end of the 9th inning...

...when Frank Blakewell,

cool as a cucumber...

...came up to bat

with a look of do or die on his face. "

- Oh, hello, Eddie.

- Hello.

Say, wait a minute.

Isn't your new girlfriend afraid

to let you out at this hour?

No, I came here to buy medicine.

Hey, wait a minute, Eddie.

What am I, poison?

When am I gonna get to congratulate you

on your marriage?

I don't know. Soon. We're not sure yet.

I hope your new wife will give you

a chance to see some of your old friends.

You know how it is.

Wives are funny about that.

You'll find they're funny

about other things.

Maybe it won't be so bad if you learn

to handle her good right at the start.

I'll smack her whenever she needs it.

- Can I depend on that?

- Sure. I'm starting already.

- So long.

- So long.

Hey, Frank.

- Hi, Cliff.

- Hey, wait a minute.

Where you going? Come here.

What are you trying to do, high-hat me?

Me? No. Why?

You've been acting kind of funny.

I haven't seen you with the boys.

- I've been having trouble at home.

- What's that got to do with the gang?

Say, Cliff, I'm glad you said that.

I don't think I'm gonna be able to give

that organization the time it needs...

You're not trying to crawl out on us,

are you, Taylor?

No, not exactly that.

But I gotta have time

to get myself straightened out.

You'd better get yourself

straightened out.

You don't want any real trouble, do you?

No.

Now you're getting some sense.

You're getting wise to yourself.

Go on, loosen up, have a good time.

I got a date with a dame. See you later.

Why, hello, Mr. Taylor.

Oh, hello.

How's Mrs. Taylor these days?

I wouldn't be knowing.

Well, what do you mean?

You don't mean she's left you?

Aw. You poor, lonely man.

Come on, tell me all about it.

Shut up. Hey, shut up!

- That ain't the way you sing that.

- Why not?

- Listen.

- Yes, darling.

That shameless woman.

I bet she had him fired out of his job

on purpose so they could carry on like that.

I'd like to slap her face.

Oh, Ed, this is terrible.

What's got into Frank?

I don't know but I'm gonna find out.

Oh, hello, Eddie. Come on in.

You're just in time for a little drink.

Come on, you, get out of here.

Oh, Eddie, don't be silly. Heh-heh.

- You heard what I said, didn't you?

- Hey. Hey, what's the idea talking...?

- I'll tell you about it later.

Hey.

I'm not fooling.

- Hey, listen. I'm a guest of Mr. Taylor.

Hey, let me go, you big brute.

Hey, Frank, let me out of here.

Let me go. Let me take him. Hey, let me go.

Frank, let this big...

Let me go. You're hurting me.

- Put me down. Frank, if you'd just...

- Don't come back.

You needn't think you can beat me

like you do your girl.

Come on, snap out of it.

What's eating you?

Who do you think you are,

throwing my friends around?

Don't you think it's time you laid off booze?

What's it to you?

Enough to keep you out of the gutter.

You still got a wife and kid.

Oh, yeah?

Fat lot she cares, running out on me.

Oh, so she's left you.

- Yeah, what can you expect from a dame?

- You ought not to talk about Ruth like that.

- She's the best thing that happened to you.

- She ran out on me, didn't she?

Whose fault was that? I suppose she

started you running around with thugs.

- Who says they're thugs?

- I do. Tell them I said so.

Yeah, well, I wouldn't go around shooting

my mouth off like that if I was you.

- We don't like it.

- Oh, we don't?

No, we don't.

- And the sooner you learn it, the better.

- You ought to know I don't learn easy.

Yeah? Well, you will if you get a dose

of what the Dombrowskis got.

- Yeah? What did they get?

- Plenty.

And anybody else that monkeys with

the Black Legion will get the same thing.

The Black Legion.

So that's what your rotten gang calls itself.

It ain't a gang.

- It's an organization of real Americans...

- Real Americans.

Running around in nightshirts,

ganging up on people.

The cops are gonna be glad to hear

about this. Go on, tell me some more.

What?

Now, wait a minute, Ed.

You can't go to the cops.

I can't, huh?

That's what I'm gonna do unless you quit.

They'll kill you.

They'll kill me for telling you.

- Those Black Legion guys don't fool.

- I'm not fooling. You're gonna quit.

I can't get out. I've tried.

They won't let me out.

Nobody ever lived

to get out of the Legion.

Ed...

...I swore a sacred oath to stick to them.

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