Wedding Present Page #4

That's the spirit.

Give your all

and leave the rest to us.

We're heading

into the storm.

Then we're heading

towards the Mary Ann.

That's swell!

No. There's no news

of the Archduke,

and there's no news

of Rusty and Charlie.

The next news will be

when I murder them.

Please,

you are the City Editor, no?

Whatever you're selling,

I don't want any.

I have a message

from Rusty and Charlie.

What? Where is it?

Where are they?

Do they think

they can get away with this?

Please, you mustn't get angry.

It is bad for your temper.

They told me

I should give you this.

Get me the composing room.

Is the first page made up?

That's fine. Well, unmake it.

Two-column spread on Archduke

coming up.

And make up a cut.

How do I know this is true?

How do I know they wrote it?

Where are they?

They went up in an airplane.

Who are you?

Did you ever hear of Smiles

Benson of New York? That's me.

Sure.

And I suppose

you're the missing Archduke?

Yeah, but how did you guess?

The issing-may ince-pray.

He ibs-nay in person.

Get me a cameraman quick.

The old baboon

is in my office now.

Old?

Did he say I was old?

Say, why didn't you tell me

you was the Archduke?

I'd have treated you

like an equal.

It's no use.

We'll have to turn back.

Why?

We've only enough gas

for an hour's flying.

That'll just about get us

back to the field.

But what about the Mary Ann?

There's no chance of

finding her in this storm.

Maybe he's right.

I know I am.

Oh, don't turn yet. Maybe we

could land along the shore.

In a treetop?

No, thanks.

I'm not really

dressed for it.

Mr. Blaker,

I believed in you.

We're turning back.

You're throwing away

a great chance.

But I'm saving your life.

The Globe Express would

rather have us than the story.

I doubt it.

Peeved?

Why the maternal care?

Oh, Rusty, that hurts me.

Particularly since you know

how I feel about you.

I go haywire

when I look at you.

It's the altitude.

Maybe.

I love you, Rusty.

I'll curl up and die

if you don't marry me.

I'll put you

in jail for this.

Brother, if I live to see the

inside of a jail, that's what I hope.

A nice, dry,

well-heated jail.

Look out the window, you mug,

and keep looking out.

With all the income tax

we pay,

don't you think the government

ought to provide their post offices

with better pens?

Be brave, Charlie. Post office pens

were made to try a man's character.

This is Mr. Stagg.

Mr. Stagg,

I was having a bit of a wash

and a brush-up this morning

and I found this key.

Get out.

But you are Mr. Stagg,

aren't you?

Will you please get out?

The boy said

you were Mr. Stagg.

Please get out!

I don't want to murder you.

Let me save my strength

for Charlie Mason.

I don't know Charlie Mason.

Will you please get out?

Please get out.

There's Mr. Stagg now.

I found this key.

Mr. Stagg.

I didn't lose a key.

But Mr. Stagg...

Get out!

Mr. Van Dorn,

we've got to have a show-down.

What's the trouble now?

Those two lunatics.

It's a week since

they got the Mary Ann story

and they won't come back

to work.

What do you suggest?

Fire them.

That won't get them

back to work.

They may be great reporters but they're

not bigger than the Globe Express.

I tell you,

we've got to fire them.

We'd be the laughing stock

of Chicago if we did that.

This morning I got a wire

from the American Institute.

This year, the gold medal for

the best piece of news writing

is being given in duplicate.

One to Charlie Mason

and one to Rusty Fleming.

I don't care

about gold medals!

I'm still the City Editor

of this paper!

Take it easy, Stagg.

You don't know the way

to build morale.

It would be nice

to have a formal party

for the presentation

of the medals,

but those maniacs

might not even show up,

so we'll do it right here.

Maybe you'd like to make the

presentation speech yourself?

I don't think you'd like

the words I'd use.

Let me say that these two medals,

which are a symbol of the fact

that journalism is more than a fleeting

or transitory thing of the moment,

are an honor

that we inscribe proudly

in the annals

of the Globe Express.

I regret that I do not see Mr. Mason

among this array of smiling faces.

Miss Fleming,

the Globe Express will recognize

the honor you have brought us

by giving you

a month's vacation with pay.

No vacation for Charlie?

I'm afraid not.

The Globe Express couldn't

spare you both at the same time.

Mr. Van Dorn.

Mr. Van Dorn... Didn't I

tell you not to disturb me?

But it's the White House calling.

The White House in Washington.

The President wants

to speak to you.

Oh, that's different.

The President of the United

States does come first, doesn't he?

I am sure

you will all excuse me.

Hey.

Three cheers

for the President, boys.

Three cheers

for the President!

Hooray! Hooray!

Hooray.

Hello.

Yes, this is Mr. Van Dorn

speaking.

Yes, of course I can wait.

How would you like to be

an ambassador's secretary?

Hello. Hello.

Sorry, Mr. Van Dorn, the

President has been called away.

He wanted to consult you on the

possible effect on public opinion

of the shortage of gardenias

in Bolivia.

Never mind it, Mr. Van Dorn.

He will write you later.

Oh, what country

are we going to, Mr. Van Dorn?

Bolivia.

It worked like a charm,

Charlie. You're a hero.

You don't know

how much suffering you saved.

After an hour,

Van Dorn was just beginning

to go into the history

of the printing press.

Hey, let me see my medal.

And what about a vacation?

Do we get a vacation?

Coffee and donuts for two. And

make Charlie's coffee strong.

He'll need it.

That, Charlie,

is your medal.

Whee! In regard to yours of even date,

about your vacation, you don't

get a vacation. I get a vacation.

What?

A month off with pay.

Your services are too

valuable. You can't be spared.

A fine thing.

Now, if it had been me

and Mr. Van Dorn had offered

me a vacation all by myself,

do you know

what I'd have said?

"No. No. A thousand

times no, Mr. Van Dorn.

"Let Rusty go and make merry

while I toil in loneliness. "

Then everything's turned out all

right. That's just what's happening.

You wouldn't know what to do

with a month's vacation, anyway.

Suppose you do get

a permanent.

What are you going to do with the

other twenty-nine-and-a-half days?

Get another permanent.

Then I'm going to New York.

You know, the modern Babylon?

What are you going to do

in Babylon?

Well, first I'm going to see a lot

of shows and catch up on my sleep,

then I'm going to a lot of night

clubs and catch up on my sleep,

then I'm going to catch up

on my sleep...

I catch up.

Here, you got me saying it.

Oh, now that I think about it, I got

a lot of catching up of my own to do

while you're gone.

Prize fights, wrestling,

poker and books.

It must be almost a year since I've

read a book or bluffed on a four-flush.

I thought it had been longer

than that.

You're having a lot of fun,

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