Signal Gasoline. Let every traffic signal remind you, you do go farther with Signal Gasoline. Yes, you do go farther with Signal. The Signal Oil Company and your neighborhood signal dealer bring you another curious story by the Whistler. Tonight, the man who bought death. I am the Whistler, and I know many things for I walk by night. I know many strange tales hidden in the hearts of men and women who have stepped into the shadows. Yes, I know the nameless terrors of which they dare not speak. Love makes the world go around, so they say, but it also causes a lot of trouble. Take for instance the case of Eddie Ford and Ruth Spray. They were in love, had been for a long time. Childhood sweethearts and all. The kind of thing that usually brings nothing but happiness and good fortune. But Eddie and Ruthie were born on the wrong side of town. They grew up on Second Avenue, and that's not exactly the best environment. Eddie's love for Ruth began to show itself in the wrong way. At seven, he stole an apple for her. At fourteen, he stole a car to take her for a ride. At seventeen, he'd spent his first night in jail, and at twenty-two, he is firmly established as a small-time crook about town. But he and Ruthie are still in love, just waiting for him to knock over a big enough score to get married. Meanwhile, Ruth works as a dancer in a cheap nightclub, and sometimes Eddie goes over and sits at a table with her between floor shows. Hey, what's the matter with you tonight, Eddie? Oh, I'm sick of being broke. Why don't you get a job? What do you think I am, a jerk working for twenty bucks a week? I don't know how to do anything. Yeah, I know it, Eddie. I know how I could have plenty of dough, though, if I could get some operating cash. Yeah, well, how much? All I need is a C-note. Might as well be a million. Looks like my hundred dollars, I'd give it to you. You know that. Yeah, I know. Hey, Eddie, I thought I told you to stay out of here. You told me. What do you think you are, a cop, Pete? Go on, I don't want you in the place. You're a cheap grafter, and I don't want you hanging around a girl. Oh, Eddie's all right, Pete. Look, if he don't stay out of here, I'm going to fire you too, Ruthie. All right, Eddie, take distance. I got a job for Ruthie. Yeah, what kind of a job? The kind of job I pay you for, baby. There's a guy over there who's throwing money around like confetti, and he wants to meet you. Oh, oh, that big moose with the brown suit, I suppose. Yeah, that's him. He's smiling at you, Ruthie. Is that what you call it? Hey, maybe you better go over to his table, sugar. Yeah, maybe Eddie needs some dough. Shove off, Pete. What are you looking? I'll be right over. Okay. Now, there's nothing personal unless you understand, Eddie. Just don't want you in here, that's all. I'll see you backstage after the show, huh, Ruthie? All right, Eddie. Eddie, you love me a little, huh? Ah, you know I do, honey. And if this guy's loaded, I want him. You understand? Okay, Eddie. I'll see you after the show, huh? Okay. Yes, Eddie and Ruth are in love, but business is business. So Ruthie goes to join the big moose in the brown suit. She walked up to his table, smiled cruelly, and said... Hello. Hello, baby. Sit down. Build yourself a lap. Thanks. You're on the town tonight, aren't you? Yeah, and you're going to join me, youngster. Sounds like an interesting way to spend the evening. You know, that bottle looks like champagne. That's funny. That's just what it is. And I bought it for you, lovely. Nothing's too good for Frankie Ferrari's girlfriend. You're in the big leagues now, sweetheart. You talk a great game. Stick around and watch me play it, baby. I just hit town tonight and I'm fat with that stuff. Want to help me spend it? Yeah. Yeah, you know, I, uh... I got a lot of talent that way. Cool. What are you doing after the show tonight? Nothing. Well, that is nothing that you're not going to be in on. You're a lippy little dame, aren't you? I like them lippy. I think you and I are going to get along, baby. Keep the next couple of weeks open. You're going to be busy. Well, uh, look, let's talk about that later, huh? Because I, uh, got to get backstage. The show goes on a few minutes. I'll meet you out in front five minutes after the show is over, okay? Five minutes? You must dress like a fireman. I don't waste time at anything, Frankie. So that's the way love works on Second Avenue. Ruth steers the big bankroll Eddie's way. Well, that's one way of filling a hope chest. After the show, Eddie's waiting backstage to give her the proper instructions. Now, look, at this 12 o'clock closing, this guy's going to be looking for a speak when he meets you, okay? You steer him down 12th Street, and you pass the alley between Washington and Adams Don't, Ronnie. Don't you do that. Ruth here's the big bank roll ladies way that's one way of filling a hope to after the show eddie's waiting backstage to give her the proper instruction twelve o'clock closing this guy's going to be looking for a speak when he meets you used them down properly you can't be out of between washington and adam i'll let him have my persuader behind his ear new run you bring back the first copy can find out if you want to clear now have a go and be gone long time before the john dimes get there maybe this will be our big break okay okay down twelve street you're leading him to a speak well this looks like it might be very interesting doesn't it eddie you scurry out the back door of the nightclub while ruthy makes a quick change and meets the amorous frankie out in front of the club well uh... where do we go from here carly lark do you feel the mood for how i feel in the mood for fun and twelve o'clock closing silly that's for the square isn't it don't you know any joints that stay open well i know one but it's been told don't mean anything baby where is this joint don't talk to him so we can't care not only about it old but you have not right so we'll walk uh... i love to be out walking around at the time of night that the time of year at the very end of one of them i don't know i never noticed it only would know that that they had to work in a den now i thought you know here what's a beautiful game like you doing that for the we bag like that of modern haven't you ever had a better offer when i make me one the effect things work out hope that the property we've turned on here matter kid don't you like me i like it i love big men with money but i think i made the order chicken they wait two hundred and sixty and i make all the money i want no limit yeah well how you doing well i'm an operator and that's all the conversation we're going to have on that subject uh... i think it was not not here i who had been following a block away that's what we get there but okay baby i like my games with their up to a point pick around you know frankly i wouldn't be at all surprised if you can't actually the kind of man i could learn to love well listen baby front we have any couple of seconds and you know for the cop that they don't go on dole fine mean bring around the moon they say means rain tomorrow rosie sunset that the forecast a fair morning and that big black circle five with the yellow letter spelling signal gasoline well there is a time that never fails to me most miles from your gas yet more and more wise western drivers a daily discovering that it's not just a plug in it's a fact you do go farther with signal gasoline and for good reason one through its fourteen year tradition of quality signal oil company is still producing the very finest signal gasoline that can be marketed today and to the famous signal formula bill places the emphasis on my late so if you haven't tried signal gasoline in your car may i suggest there never was a better time or a better reason for looking up the station in your neighborhood displaying signals yellow and black circle five and getting acquainted with your signal gasoline dealer to the quick yet love on second avenue can lead to all sorts of things like the slugging of a big spender in the dark alley and root carries out her part of the bargain like an old hand she runs screaming from the scene and bring the cops down in a hurry yet happened right here nobody here now some other way to get them drinking no i'd tell you i was walking along here with a man with a man and i'm praying for whole frank something or other can remember black man and you better change your brand lady uh... have a little solutions of the email and they must have looked at my book i ought to take you down to the station i don't think okay okay get out of here go on home and don't be bothering policemen uh... take it away jerry the that's funny you know that eddie's at frank berri to the sidewalk just a few minutes ago and now there's no sign of either eddie or berri that's very funny you can't see the human situation and you're hurting mix all night restaurant to keep your rendezvous with eddie he's there in a rear boot we can all baby already and the funny is that i have been a dollar college here with you baby and i i i think it could be a chance to get away you know before i started going to the police the time i got back well it coming over formula that's not what you're not but that was a cold as a witch's foot well he wasn't there eddie please thought i was crazy gosh i must be losing my touch thought a guy must have come to and beat it all probably just didn't want to get mixed up with the newspapers or something i thought you said he had a lot of dough on him he did eddie i saw it nothing but chicken feed well there it is seventy eight bucks three twenties and ten five and three singles you're lying to me eddie well me? why would i lie to you? i shook him down that's all the dough he had you're lying to me punk take it easy there baby look i know he had a hundred dollar bill because he showed it to me there wasn't a c-note on him when i got him but you're ready you understand? so what's the matter with you baby? i don't mind your robin and anybody else and i never beat when you spent every cent that i could make but i won't stand for you lying to me eddie no dame talk to me like that no eddie keep the hundred dollar bill it'll never do you any good it'll do nothing but get you into trouble and i hope it kills you so after all these years the love affair between eddie ford and ruthie spring hit the rocks and just because eddie stole a hundred dollars he did steal it you know frank ferrari was carrying a hundred and seventy eight dollars when eddie knocked him unconscious and robbed him in that alley between washington and adams eddie hated to lose ruth but business is business next day he called on bill larimer at bill's house in the suburbs eddie'd always wanted to do business with larimer you see larimer was a wholesaler in counterfeit money wholesalers tell it for twenty cents on the dollar to the shovel those are the people who actually eddie had always wanted to be a big-time shovel he'd had a little experience and he knew all the dodging so this morning he walks into bill larimer's apartment i want to buy five hundred dollars worth of ten yeah what are you going to use for money fifty note hundred dollar bill huh where'd you get it so i'm looking over it was made by the man all right you know there's something about a hundred dollar bill it feels different you know i like them you can square a lot of these if you got enough of me and i think they do it how'd you like to print up some hundred from one and twenty hundred the main other than the look at this did you make a good play done yeah that it would be grateful i could play he would have been a little pop seven hundred all the dough that is what the round these days that they're that'd be duck soup push a couple of those that they had to be in the bill well how about if you're going to make them up ideas they can we uh... by them i'll take a thousand dollars with the data printed okay bill you just place an order well uh... you know fifty times i gotta go get rid of them so i can buy some of those hundred and i try to show hundreds of minutes i gotta get up front to get away with that take some of the dough you make up those tens and buy yourself a front you're going to be in the bill so i think of a little trip out of town and spread his phony ten dollar bill railway stations department stores restaurants and grocery stores and was never questioned he was gone about ten days when he came back he thought of calling ruthi but decided he'd better call bill first he was pretty excited when bill told him the hundreds were ready he went right out there bill was glad to see him he showed him a hundred dollar bills and they were beauties that george was a craftsman bill said they are ready at perfect the first job george ever did he had duties are right and you can pass them i would be afraid of past those at the federal reserve bank here's a hundred you brought in but i make it up to the rest of the i think you can pick it up but i can't tell which one of them and i can only tell myself that i wasn't an expert on it even though he's seen out there everybody is a town flooded with a and sold a packet it's got a new job today you get the virgin territory and what's good okay is a hundred bucks any five of them that'll tell you again no i'm not gonna tell you how to put work in the two hundred uh... okay yeah now you're talking you think i can pass the notes in at the outfit you look like a gentleman they've come over there eighty-five bucks counterfeit money we're starting or stop at the power that's what i want to have or boy are you my luggage how i really don't know how i can now you're operating let me give you one and probably get away with but not couple of the century and then probably won't be caught up with then they're going to start working you better get out of town don't you worry the first place i'm not going to get mad and in a second if i do i'm not going to talk you do you're left yes i did now you're in a book in the big time a real big dot but now you decide to call you find a room and you make a date to meet her at the power in the car you want her to see your new clothes want to impress her with the fact that you're living at the best hotel in town plenty of money you can't be blamed for wanting to close a little can you so ruthi meets you and you sip and sip your drink well honey how about letting bygones be bygones and let's start all over again huh yeah but that was a dirty trick so now wasn't it you stole that hundred dollars from me well but you're friends i think so i could get the dough to start operating didn't you yeah i mean i'd have given you the money any but well i i just don't like the idea of you lying to me that's what i was mad about did you say was mad you're not mad anymore no i'm not mad i couldn't ever be mad at you hey you want to see something pretty take a gander at this that's right i'm lousy with them baby you know where i got them? well what you don't know won't hurt you baby uh... look i know you gotta go to a rehearsal but how about me coming up to your place about uh... five o'clock why don't you take the night off i'll tell you what i'm gonna do i'm gonna buy some presents for you and i want you to be there when i bring them okay Eddie i'll be home at five but look i i gotta go now how about a kiss here? in front of all these people? well sure you're uptown now baby you can get away with things here that they never stand for down where we live we're in a big time now honey for good don't be so sure of yourself Eddie in your racket that's not good take it easy but you can't get over being a big shot can you? you can't resist going to a swank department store to buy your girl a real present uh... thank you miss yes may i help you? yes yes i uh... want to buy a lapel pin for my girlfriend i don't know much about things like that would you mind helping me out? well of course i'd be glad to do you see anything in this trade that you think she might like? well she's a blonde about five feet one blue eyes and wears black most of the time i think she'll probably like this pin here very much oh that one yeah how much is that? well it would be just a minute thirty five dollars i have to add to the luxury section that would be about forty two dollars oh that's okay can you take it out of this? oh my a hundred dollar bill oh i'm sorry it's all i have oh well of course that's perfectly all right i'll have it changed for you in a moment yes eddie waits for your change you stand there smoking your cigarette and after a few minutes you begin to worry don't you? you try not to show it but you think that something's wrong then you look around and see him the man with the unmistakable aura of a store detective he comes up the aisle and stops a few paces from you something's wrong eddie but they never arrest a man for shoving queer dough they follow him try to find out where his source is you've only got one of the bills on you eddie you can say you won it in a crap game they can't prove anything but then you turn and see them two uniformed policemen coming down the aisle and suddenly you're not so sure you're not calm now eddie you're scared panicky you've got to get out run eddie run look the girl's back ah ah ah ah you got away all right eddie but you've got a bullet hole in your shoulder you switch cabs five times and cover your trail but your handkerchief won't stop up the blood that's pouring from your shoulder you've got to get attention Ruth is waiting for you you finally get to her little flat you get out of the cab a block away from it and wait until the cab pulls away before you start walking you're tired when you get there weak from loss of blood eddie yeah let me in oh wait eddie what's happened to you i don't know i think the cops in this town are going crazy oh have you been shot yeah they got me through the shoulder well what are you going to do eddie i'm going to stay here till he dies down well come on in a bit and i need you to lie down yeah yeah i don't feel so good now let me take a look at that wound wait a minute let me lay down a while oh baby baby how did this happen i tell you the cops are going nuts oh yeah honey let me put this pillow on your shoulder yeah i think the best thing to do with a baby is just to lay still and stop bleeding what happened eddie well morning when i got to town i bought them phony hundred dollar bills counterfeit you know have you been selling queer money i don't go pure on me of course i've been selling queer money what do you think rob the bank well then why did they shoot you i don't know i don't get it even if they knew the bill was queer they wouldn't send for the riot squad and start shooting up the department store don't you think we ought to call a doctor oh sure yeah that would be a brainy move who's that i don't know i wasn't expecting that i better get in that closet and hide whoever it is get rid of now yeah yeah i'm gonna go your name rick frigg yeah looking for a friend of yours guy by the name of eddie forbes know where he is no no i haven't seen him we'll just come and take a look around come in alright boys take the gun down what's the matter frigg cut your finger what's that blood doing on the floor the guy stood there for a while and went through that door over there nice of him to leave a tear like that get your guns out boys this guy is hotter than a four alarm fire you see out the way miss frigg there's liable to be some firework we're going in after that guy coming in after you forbes when i kick this door in be standing there with your hands up or we start blasting come and get me no no no kick that gun out of his hands ordan cold meat by them hey trying to save us you haven't got long to live forbes want to say anything spit it out what's the matter with you cop you crazy shooting a guy for passing queer dough what are you talking about oh no no no he's gone judge okay mr. net what were you talking about queer dough that's what you were after him for wasn't it having caught him with money no where did you ever get that idea we had this guy bracketed for that quarter million dollar bank robbery in capitol city a couple of weeks ago he even tried to spend some of the money today that's how we got on his tail music so whistler will return in just a moment with the strange ending of tonight's story meantime here's a sixty four dollar question that every driver should have a ready answer for these days if one of your tires should suddenly be ruined what would you tire that still hard mighty hard to find which makes now before you have tire trouble the time to take advantage of your signal dealers complete tire service by catching and repairing small injuries before they spread and ruin the carcass and by suggesting regretting before the credit warn too thin your signal dealer can add thousands of miles of tire wear and because of your signal dealers experience plus modern equipment and the best of materials you're assured the quality kind of job that can make such a big difference in tire life so make it a point soon to stop at one of those friendly stations displaying signals yellow and black circle signs and have your tires inspected there's no one who can give you finer or more complete tire service than your neighborhood signal gasoline dealer and now back to the whistler music yes eddie ford died for his crime but the police were after him not for passing counterfeit money the crime for which he was guilty no they cornered him for a crime he didn't commit a crime he didn't even know had been committed remember how eddie got that hundred dollar bill from the heavy sender ruthy steered his way the counterfeiters made an engraving of that same bill printed a few hundred of them and sold some back to eddie but every cashier in the country was watching for the serial number on that bill and on all the counterfeits made from it the heavy sender had picked it up illegitimately from a bank in capital city and eddie died because he didn't know that Ruth her wish came true remember when she was sore at eddie for lying to her she made the wish that that hundred dollar bill he held out on her would cause his death yes wishes do come true sometimes and love ends up in funny ways music next monday at nine o'clock the whistler will bring you another strange tale the whistler is broadcast for your entertainment by the marketers of signal gasoline and motor oil and fine quality automotive accessories and by your neighborhood signal dealer this program directed by george w alan with tonight's story by ray buffham music by wilbur hatt is transmitted to our troops overseas by the armed forces radio service this is marvin miller speaking and suggesting that you let every traffic signal remind you that you do go farther with signal gasoline yes you do go farther with signals this is cds the columbia broadcasting system
