WEBVTT 00:00.000 --> 00:10.000 Suspense! 00:10.000 --> 00:13.000 Tonight, suspense brings you Miss June Havoc as star. 00:13.000 --> 00:16.000 But first, may we remind you that... 00:16.000 --> 00:23.000 In America's smartest homes and clubs, where fine wines are truly appreciated and enjoyed regularly, 00:23.000 --> 00:28.000 the choice is C-R-E-S-T-A? 00:28.000 --> 00:31.000 B-L-A-N-C-A. 00:31.000 --> 00:33.000 Cresta Blanca. 00:33.000 --> 00:36.000 Cresta Blanca. 00:36.000 --> 00:40.000 From the finest of the vines come Cresta Blanca California wines, 00:40.000 --> 00:44.000 patiently created to please the knowing tongue. 00:44.000 --> 00:49.000 Let the proudest name in wine, Cresta Blanca, enrich your daily living. 00:49.000 --> 00:52.000 Add luster to your hospitality. 00:52.000 --> 00:57.000 Pour Cresta Blanca souvenir sherry or port, or any Cresta Blanca wine. 00:57.000 --> 01:01.000 There's one for every occasion, for every taste. 01:01.000 --> 01:04.000 Schenley's Cresta Blanca wine company, Livermore, California. 01:04.000 --> 01:11.000 And now, Schenley brings you Radio's outstanding theater of thrills, Suspense! 01:11.000 --> 01:15.000 Presented by Roma Wines. That's R-O-M-A. 01:15.000 --> 01:17.000 Roma Wines of Fresno, California. 01:17.000 --> 01:20.000 And starring June Havoc in Subway. 01:20.000 --> 01:26.000 A suspense play produced, edited, and directed for Schenley by William Spear. 01:26.000 --> 01:34.000 The Subway always gets me. 01:34.000 --> 01:38.000 I have to stand back from the edge of the platform on a train coming in because... 01:38.000 --> 01:41.000 heights don't bother me, or closed-in places, 01:41.000 --> 01:44.000 or any of those other things that give some people the willies. 01:44.000 --> 01:47.000 No, no, with me it's the subway. 01:47.000 --> 01:50.000 The shining tracks and the train roaring in out of the black. 01:50.000 --> 02:00.000 I always make myself stand way back when I'm waiting. 02:00.000 --> 02:02.000 That's how it started that night. 02:02.000 --> 02:06.000 I instinctively drew back when I saw the gleaming white headlight appear in the tunnel. 02:06.000 --> 02:08.000 Rushing toward me out of the dark. 02:08.000 --> 02:10.000 I made myself draw back. 02:10.000 --> 02:14.000 But what I really wanted to do was to throw myself in front of that train. 02:14.000 --> 02:34.000 The lights on the shining rails hypnotized me like the gleaming eyes of a snake. 02:34.000 --> 02:39.000 I stepped backwards in a panic, but that mob, that five o'clock mob poured in behind me 02:39.000 --> 02:41.000 and shoved and pulled me with it. 02:41.000 --> 02:46.000 I'd been pushed around all day and I had this awful cold and... 02:46.000 --> 02:49.000 I hated everybody. 02:49.000 --> 02:52.000 That's a terrible thing to say, I guess, but... 02:52.000 --> 03:01.000 that's the way I felt like committing murder. 03:01.000 --> 03:07.000 I was so tired, so worn out my feet felt glued to my shoes. 03:07.000 --> 03:10.000 And of all the people in the world I didn't want to see. 03:10.000 --> 03:14.000 And I'd just have to be the night I was shoved right next to Ruth Carney. 03:14.000 --> 03:16.000 Paula Stevens! 03:16.000 --> 03:19.000 Where have you been keeping yourself? I haven't seen you since the Academy. 03:19.000 --> 03:20.000 Hello, Ruth. 03:20.000 --> 03:23.000 My favorite actress. What are you doing these days? 03:23.000 --> 03:26.000 Oh, nothing. I worked in a drug store for a while and I... 03:26.000 --> 03:30.000 Drug store? You have a deserted bestseller to have here. 03:30.000 --> 03:32.000 I'm afraid I have. 03:32.000 --> 03:34.000 You with all your talent. 03:34.000 --> 03:36.000 Ruth, I can't seem to find anything. 03:36.000 --> 03:39.000 But you, of all of us. You can't give up. 03:39.000 --> 03:42.000 I was so intense about it. Did you try Summer Star? 03:42.000 --> 03:45.000 Try? I've tried to get on all right, but... 03:45.000 --> 03:49.000 Yes, I know. I had to pay for the privilege of appearing in a summer theater. 03:49.000 --> 03:53.000 I did the Westport season. Prentice, you know. Oh, it was wonderful fun. 03:53.000 --> 03:56.000 And it's well worth it to me to be able to say I'd had professional experience. 03:56.000 --> 03:58.000 Well, it's fine if you can afford it. 03:58.000 --> 04:01.000 Oh, it's awful the way you have to have money for everything these days. 04:01.000 --> 04:05.000 Yes, it is. Oh, don't get too close to me, Ruth. I have the most awful sore throat. 04:05.000 --> 04:08.000 And if you don't have money, you have to have poor old on too. 04:08.000 --> 04:10.000 Oh, and speaking of poor, have you heard about me? 04:10.000 --> 04:13.000 No, I haven't. And General Understudy for Nightlaster. 04:13.000 --> 04:15.000 The producer. John C. Wittner? 04:15.000 --> 04:17.000 Yes. Yes, he was no friend of Dad's. 04:17.000 --> 04:19.000 He used to come over to dinner when I was little. 04:19.000 --> 04:24.000 I'd hear them talk about the theater and I thought there'd be nothing in the world like being an actor. 04:24.000 --> 04:28.000 Such fun. All that glamour and all the sensational parties and everybody's engaged. 04:28.000 --> 04:30.000 Such fun. 04:30.000 --> 04:37.000 Not the acting. Not the thrill of working at something you've wanted to do so much that not doing it makes you not want to live. 04:37.000 --> 04:40.000 No. Oh, no. It's such fun. 04:40.000 --> 04:45.000 And parties. Wearing expensive suits like the ones she had on. 04:45.000 --> 04:48.000 Ruth chattered on and I looked at her. 04:52.000 --> 04:57.000 The subway stopped. More people got on. Still more and more. 04:59.000 --> 05:01.000 It seemed as though they'd never stopped getting on. 05:01.000 --> 05:05.000 Someone would grab the doors and hold them open and they kept trying to close them. 05:05.000 --> 05:16.000 A fat man chewing a horrible cold cigar stub pushed me still closer to Ruth and then I jumped as something sharp stuck into my side. 05:16.000 --> 05:22.000 I was puzzled for a moment and then I remembered the scissors Mother had asked me to get for her. 05:22.000 --> 05:25.000 They were very sharp and they'd ruined my purse. 05:25.000 --> 05:29.000 But it didn't make any difference. It was old. Like everything else I had. 05:29.000 --> 05:39.000 I closed my hand over the scissors and I held them tightly so they wouldn't do any more damage and then I don't know why I found myself staring at Ruth's hat. 05:39.000 --> 05:46.000 It was so smart. So expensive. So everything that mine wasn't. 05:46.000 --> 05:50.000 I found myself hating Ruth's hat. 05:52.000 --> 05:57.000 Well, as I was saying, after Dad died Mr. Ritner stopped coming over so often. 05:57.000 --> 06:01.000 So when I got bored with the Academy I hopped right down to his office and I said, 06:01.000 --> 06:07.000 Mr. Ritner, do you remember Henry Carney? Well, I'm his daughter, Ruth. I want to be an actress. 06:07.000 --> 06:13.000 Of course I don't expect big parts right away. But maybe if I could get a walk on or something. 06:13.000 --> 06:16.000 Imagine my nerve, Paula. 06:16.000 --> 06:19.000 Saying that to a big producer like John C. Ritner. 06:19.000 --> 06:22.000 But anyway, that's what I did. And do you know what he said to me? 06:22.000 --> 06:24.000 No. No, what did he say to you? 06:24.000 --> 06:31.000 He said, Ruth, I admire your spunk. And if you're half as good an actress as your father was a set designer, you'll be all right. 06:31.000 --> 06:33.000 And he hired me. Just like that. 06:33.000 --> 06:35.000 And your general understudy. 06:35.000 --> 06:40.000 That's me. But no one's ever been sick. Confidentially I'm glad. 06:40.000 --> 06:41.000 You're glad? 06:41.000 --> 06:45.000 Oh, yes. You see, I've never gotten up in any of the parts like I'm supposed to. 06:45.000 --> 06:51.000 If I ever had to go on, actually go on. Oh, I tell you, I get away with murder. 06:51.000 --> 06:55.000 Murder. I couldn't look at her face. 06:55.000 --> 06:58.000 I didn't even want to look at any of the passenger spaces. 06:58.000 --> 07:04.000 And when I raised my eyes, I saw still more faces simpering down at me from advertisements overhead. 07:04.000 --> 07:09.000 I hated everybody and everything. 07:09.000 --> 07:24.000 I turned and looked outside the windows. The wet, slimy darkness was roaring past like black death. 07:24.000 --> 07:29.000 One faulty switch, one obstruction on the tracks could bring it crashing in on all of us. 07:29.000 --> 07:36.000 And who'd be the losers? Not Ruth with her silly chatter. Not these other passengers with their tired, blank faces. 07:36.000 --> 07:40.000 And not me. Oh, certainly not me. 07:40.000 --> 07:45.000 My own tired, blank face was reflected in the window pane gray and thin. 07:45.000 --> 07:50.000 And I didn't see him out of place shimmering in that air of black death just outside. 07:50.000 --> 07:54.000 Mr. Ritz is a wonderful man, really, Paula. You should meet him. 07:54.000 --> 08:00.000 Matter of fact, well, I had meant to tell you this. I didn't want to build your hopes up, but I've told him about you. 08:00.000 --> 08:01.000 About me? 08:01.000 --> 08:05.000 Yes. You know, I always did think you had loads of talent. 08:05.000 --> 08:14.000 So I told him one day, I told him, Mr. Ritner, if anything ever happens to me, I mean, should you decide to give me a real part in your new show, 08:14.000 --> 08:20.000 I don't worry about who General understudy night laughter. I know just the girl, Paula Stevens. 08:20.000 --> 08:23.000 Ruth, you told him that? 08:23.000 --> 08:28.000 Yes. And if the time ever comes and I have to leave, well, he knows your name and everything. 08:28.000 --> 08:32.000 But don't build up your hopes, honey. He hasn't a part for me in the new show. 08:32.000 --> 08:37.000 Oh. And as far as anything happening to make me quit, well, there isn't a slightest chance. 08:48.000 --> 08:53.000 End me in hatred, weld up so in me that my throat burned like fire. 08:53.000 --> 08:58.000 And the fat man with that cigar was leaning against me and I lashed out like a drowning person. 08:58.000 --> 09:00.000 Hey, watch it, lady. Watch it. 09:00.000 --> 09:04.000 I took it out on him. Who I really wanted to knock out of my way was Ruth. 09:04.000 --> 09:08.000 Ruth standing between me and the break I dreamed of. 09:08.000 --> 09:16.000 Understudy and a hit show. But she had said, well, don't build up your hopes, honey. There isn't the slightest chance. 09:16.000 --> 09:33.000 But wasn't there the slightest chance? I thought the slightest chance of something happening to her. 09:33.000 --> 09:38.000 The train started up again. It jolted me so that I was thrown sickeningly against Ruth. 09:38.000 --> 09:42.000 My fingers were testing the points of the scissors in my bag. 09:42.000 --> 09:48.000 No one could see me. We were packed in too suddenly. Scissors were sharp and cold and long. 09:48.000 --> 09:51.000 Yes, they seemed long enough. 09:51.000 --> 09:58.000 I kept my eyes on the dim lights and the dirty concrete and tiles of the station we sped through as the train throbbed along uptown. 09:58.000 --> 10:01.000 I was holding the scissors as though they were a weapon. 10:01.000 --> 10:05.000 I was suddenly sure that at some time or another, scissors had been used as a weapon. 10:05.000 --> 10:14.000 The scissors in my bag seemed to grow bigger with an idea. Idea and scissors. Scissors and idea. 10:14.000 --> 10:21.000 They were increasing in size. The ache in my throat had gone up into my ears too. Throbbing. 10:21.000 --> 10:24.000 Keeping time with the throbbing of the subway. 10:24.000 --> 10:28.000 I looked away from the blackness outside and stared up at the white light of the ceiling. 10:28.000 --> 10:35.000 The electric fan overhead was suspended like a spider. Suspended like a spider. 10:35.000 --> 10:42.000 Like the spider that was spinning. No, not spinning as a spider should spin, but whirling. 10:42.000 --> 10:46.000 Yes, that was it. Quirling. Like my brain was whirling. 10:46.000 --> 10:50.000 Oh, come on in. 10:55.000 --> 10:57.000 Ruth. Yes? 10:57.000 --> 11:00.000 You play on Sundays, don't you? Oh, yeah. 11:00.000 --> 11:07.000 No show tonight then. Ruth, why don't you come home and eat with me? There's just Mother and me. We'll be all alone. 11:07.000 --> 11:12.000 Oh, I'd love to, Paula. Frankly, I didn't have anything to look forward to but a boring evening. 11:12.000 --> 11:14.000 I'm glad now I couldn't find a taxi. 11:14.000 --> 11:16.000 Well, Mother will be very glad to see you. 11:16.000 --> 11:21.000 Oh, it's very sweet of you to ask me. I have not a home-cooked meal in a long time. 11:23.000 --> 11:30.000 A casual invitation after a casual meeting. No one knew that Ruth was coming to my house for dinner. 11:30.000 --> 11:32.000 Ruth didn't even know where I lived. 11:32.000 --> 11:38.000 Get her off the subway a few stations early. Many empty lots up this way. 11:38.000 --> 11:47.000 Then one thrust of these sharp scissors, ordinary scissors, brand new scissors, and a body in an empty lot. 11:47.000 --> 11:55.000 And after a few days, after the funeral, a humble application to Mr. John C. Ritner for my girlfriend's job. 11:55.000 --> 12:03.000 He'd remember I'd been recommended by Ruth herself. Oh, and I'll show them. 12:03.000 --> 12:12.000 They'll know every line perfectly. And one night the star will not go on. No, I'll go on. That will be it. 12:12.000 --> 12:18.000 The noise outside didn't seem like the roar of the subway anymore. It was like tremendous applause. 12:18.000 --> 12:33.000 For me. 12:33.000 --> 12:38.000 For Suspense, Roma Wines are bringing you June Havoc in Subway. 12:38.000 --> 12:44.000 Roma Wines presentation tonight in radio's outstanding theater of thrills, Suspense. 12:44.000 --> 12:55.000 Suspense, radio's outstanding theater of thrills, is presented by Roma Wines. 12:55.000 --> 13:03.000 That's R-O-M-A, Better Tasting Roma Wines, from the world's greatest reserves of fine wines. 13:03.000 --> 13:09.000 Tomorrow night is Halloween, and that will be the time for gay parties and friendly get-togethers. 13:09.000 --> 13:14.000 Now, here's a wonderful yet inexpensive way to make these occasions truly delightful. 13:14.000 --> 13:20.000 Simply set out some fruit, cheese, and nuts, and serve delicious Roma California wine. 13:20.000 --> 13:24.000 In less time than it takes to tell, you're enjoying a delightful party. 13:24.000 --> 13:30.000 Yes, any occasion takes on a gala note when Better Tasting Roma Wines are served. 13:30.000 --> 13:36.000 So brighten your party with tempting nut-like Roma sherry, fruity full-bodied Roma port, 13:36.000 --> 13:40.000 or smooth mellow Roma muscatel or tokay. 13:40.000 --> 13:44.000 As you savor the mellow perfection of these fine Roma wines, 13:44.000 --> 13:50.000 you'll understand why more Americans enjoy Roma than any other wines. 13:50.000 --> 13:58.000 So for smart, low-cost hospitality, or for an everyday family treat, serve Better Tasting Roma Wines. 13:58.000 --> 14:04.000 That's R-O-M-A, Roma Wines, America's largest selling wines. 14:04.000 --> 14:08.000 And now, Roma Wines bring back to our Hollywood soundstage, June Havoc, 14:08.000 --> 14:13.000 starring as Paula Stevens with Lurine Tuttle as Ruth in Subway, 14:13.000 --> 14:17.000 a play well calculated to keep you in suspense. 14:17.000 --> 14:40.000 We passed Sun Station, 116th Street, I guess, boss. 14:40.000 --> 14:44.000 I remember I studied Ruth with new, cold interest. 14:44.000 --> 14:48.000 I was certainly stronger than she. She wouldn't be expecting anything. 14:48.000 --> 14:53.000 Besides, she wouldn't know how to struggle. Things would always come easily to her. 14:53.000 --> 14:57.000 She was so wrapped up in her own affairs, she just chattered away. 14:57.000 --> 15:00.000 Oh, it's been the most fun getting those checks every week 15:00.000 --> 15:03.000 and never having to lift a finger to earn them. 15:03.000 --> 15:04.000 If they ever catch up with me, I'll... 15:04.000 --> 15:08.000 The breaks go to girls like Ruth, 15:08.000 --> 15:11.000 who think that being an actress is great fun. 15:11.000 --> 15:15.000 And others, others who really, truly love the film. 15:15.000 --> 15:17.000 They never get a chance. 15:17.000 --> 15:21.000 There's no way for them to make their own breaks, not very often anyway. 15:21.000 --> 15:24.000 But I had a way in my purse that night. 15:24.000 --> 15:27.000 I could get Ruth's job. 15:27.000 --> 15:30.000 Belong to an actress, not her. 15:30.000 --> 15:36.000 It belonged to me. To me. 15:36.000 --> 15:38.000 Where do we change, Paula? 15:38.000 --> 15:42.000 Oh, we got the look here. We're coming in now. 15:49.000 --> 15:52.000 We pushed an elbow and jostled our way out of the car. 15:52.000 --> 15:54.000 We were the last ones out. 15:54.000 --> 15:58.000 So we had to turn around and face the tracks with a solid mob at our back. 15:58.000 --> 16:01.000 I hated to stand so near the edge. 16:01.000 --> 16:05.000 But there was no way to get to the middle of the platform 16:05.000 --> 16:07.000 without bullying my way through. 16:07.000 --> 16:11.000 And I didn't want to have to explain to Ruth how I felt. 16:11.000 --> 16:15.000 But I managed to get my feet placed an inch or so in back of her 16:15.000 --> 16:17.000 as we stood wedged in the crowd. 16:17.000 --> 16:19.000 That made me feel a little better. 16:19.000 --> 16:22.000 Ruth, between me and the tracks, 16:22.000 --> 16:25.000 was the only one who could have done that. 16:25.000 --> 16:28.000 Ruth, between me and the tracks, 16:28.000 --> 16:31.000 Ruth, between me and my destiny. 16:31.000 --> 16:34.000 Ruth, always in the way. 16:34.000 --> 16:37.000 Just a little push, I thought. 16:37.000 --> 16:39.000 Maybe it would be easier. 16:39.000 --> 16:42.000 A little push just before a train came in and... 16:42.000 --> 16:44.000 Paula! Look at that man over there. 16:44.000 --> 16:46.000 Doesn't he remind you of Bill? 16:46.000 --> 16:49.000 Well, oh, yes. Yes, he does. 16:49.000 --> 16:52.000 Oh. How is Bill, by the way? 16:52.000 --> 16:55.000 Oh, Bill's fine. 16:55.000 --> 16:57.000 You're still going with him? 16:57.000 --> 16:58.000 Uh-huh, yes. 16:58.000 --> 17:00.000 Oh, he's a wonderful guy, that Bill. 17:00.000 --> 17:01.000 I remember one time... 17:01.000 --> 17:03.000 I remembered, too. 17:03.000 --> 17:06.000 I remembered how Ruth had tried to take Bill away from me once. 17:06.000 --> 17:09.000 She'd done everything in her power. 17:09.000 --> 17:12.000 And therefore, for a while, I thought she was going to succeed, too. 17:12.000 --> 17:14.000 But she hadn't. 17:14.000 --> 17:16.000 He was too nice. 17:16.000 --> 17:19.000 He wasn't the type to care if a girl couldn't dress in the latest styles. 17:19.000 --> 17:22.000 And if she didn't have the smartest hats... 17:22.000 --> 17:23.000 I knew him first, you know. 17:23.000 --> 17:24.000 Yes, I know you did. 17:24.000 --> 17:26.000 He used to date me before he knew you. 17:26.000 --> 17:30.000 He was just a kid, of course, and I got interested in another boy. 17:30.000 --> 17:32.000 But believe me, when I ran into Bill about a year ago, 17:32.000 --> 17:36.000 I couldn't help thinking that maybe I'd made a mistake in giving him up so easily. 17:36.000 --> 17:38.000 You didn't give him up too easily. 17:38.000 --> 17:40.000 Oh, yes, I did. 17:40.000 --> 17:44.000 Much easier than I would now if I had to do it all over again. 17:44.000 --> 17:47.000 You're very serious about him, aren't you? 17:47.000 --> 17:49.000 Yes, very. 17:49.000 --> 17:53.000 You take everything pretty seriously, don't you, Paula? 17:53.000 --> 17:56.000 Ruth was standing on the edge. 17:56.000 --> 17:59.000 And she wasn't laughing anymore. 17:59.000 --> 18:03.000 She was staring at me in a very peculiar way. 18:03.000 --> 18:06.000 She moved around in back of me. 18:06.000 --> 18:09.000 And now I was on the edge. 18:09.000 --> 18:12.000 In spite of myself, I looked down at the gleaming rails. 18:12.000 --> 18:18.000 Two long silver ribbons pointing toward the black hole where the platform broke off and the walls closed in. 18:18.000 --> 18:20.000 And the train was approaching. 18:20.000 --> 18:22.000 I watched the tracks fascinated. 18:22.000 --> 18:27.000 I waited for the hypnotic gleam of the headlights to make the rails sparkle and shine and beckon to me. 18:27.000 --> 18:31.000 And then the headlights beamed at me out of the void, at me, at me. 18:31.000 --> 18:33.000 It was a great warm spotlight. 18:33.000 --> 18:35.000 And I swayed over the edge to meet it. 18:35.000 --> 18:37.000 And I couldn't stop myself. 18:37.000 --> 18:42.000 Paula! Paula! 18:51.000 --> 18:53.000 Oh, the train was in a huff. 18:53.000 --> 18:55.000 I was shaking. 18:55.000 --> 18:57.000 Ruth's arms were around me holding me tight. 18:57.000 --> 18:59.000 She pulled me back just before I might have... 18:59.000 --> 19:01.000 What if... I should have jumped? 19:01.000 --> 19:03.000 What's the matter, Paula? 19:03.000 --> 19:05.000 You nearly fell right in front of that train. 19:05.000 --> 19:07.000 Are you ill, Norm? 19:07.000 --> 19:10.000 No. No. I'm just dizzy, I guess. 19:10.000 --> 19:12.000 I'm all right now. 19:12.000 --> 19:14.000 Thanks for holding me, Ruth. 19:14.000 --> 19:17.000 I don't think I really would have fallen, though. 19:18.000 --> 19:20.000 Come on, let's get in the car. 19:20.000 --> 19:22.000 You look like you were weak or something. 19:22.000 --> 19:25.000 You could do with some food. I'll bet you didn't have lunch. 19:25.000 --> 19:27.000 No, I didn't. I forgot. 19:27.000 --> 19:29.000 But we'll be home soon. 19:29.000 --> 19:30.000 I'm starved myself. 19:30.000 --> 19:32.000 I'll certainly be glad to get to your place. 19:32.000 --> 19:35.000 Oh, I hated her worse than ever. 19:35.000 --> 19:38.000 What right did she have to pull me back if I wanted to jump? 19:38.000 --> 19:41.000 What business is it for hers, I felt? 19:50.000 --> 19:52.000 I fell for the scissors in my purse. 19:52.000 --> 19:54.000 I wrapped my handkerchief around the handle. 19:54.000 --> 19:57.000 No fingerprints, no clues, no motive. 19:57.000 --> 19:59.000 Nothing that would be connected with me. 19:59.000 --> 20:02.000 A friend that hadn't seen her in ages. 20:02.000 --> 20:04.000 And what motive could I have? 20:04.000 --> 20:06.000 All I wanted was her job, and nobody would ever think 20:06.000 --> 20:09.000 that I had committed murder to get a job. 20:09.000 --> 20:12.000 People just didn't do things like that. 20:12.000 --> 20:16.000 Not unless they were desperate and bitter with nothing to lose. 20:16.000 --> 20:18.000 I think we can grab a couple of seats in a minute. 20:18.000 --> 20:20.000 Those two men are getting off. 20:20.000 --> 20:22.000 Wouldn't you think they'd have offered them to us in the first place? 20:22.000 --> 20:24.000 Really, men in New York! 20:24.000 --> 20:28.000 I followed her lead. We got the seats. 20:28.000 --> 20:31.000 And I sat down there with care. 20:31.000 --> 20:34.000 Huffed like an old woman. 20:34.000 --> 20:37.000 I hadn't sat down all day. 20:37.000 --> 20:40.000 Just walked from one office to another. 20:40.000 --> 20:44.000 Ooh, the muscles in my back and legs ached. 20:44.000 --> 20:47.000 I had to sit in an upright position. 20:47.000 --> 20:51.000 My warm blood came rushing upward as I lifted first one foot 20:51.000 --> 20:54.000 and then the other gingerly off the floor. 20:54.000 --> 20:56.000 The arches ached with relief. 20:56.000 --> 20:58.000 And my head swam. 20:58.000 --> 21:02.000 I was so grateful just to be able to sit. 21:02.000 --> 21:05.000 Oh, grateful. 21:05.000 --> 21:10.000 To think that the simple act of sitting down could mean so much to me. 21:10.000 --> 21:16.000 Paula Stevens, the most promising actress at the Academy a few years ago. 21:16.000 --> 21:19.000 Now nobody would even give me a walk on it. 21:19.000 --> 21:22.000 I turned and I stared at Ruth. 21:22.000 --> 21:25.000 I thought, maybe. 21:25.000 --> 21:27.000 I won't wait for the empty lot. 21:27.000 --> 21:30.000 Paula! What's the matter with you? 21:30.000 --> 21:34.000 Here we are sitting down and comfortable and you're frowning like a bear with a sore tooth. 21:34.000 --> 21:36.000 What are you frowning about? 21:36.000 --> 21:39.000 I looked around desperately for something I could be frowning at. 21:39.000 --> 21:42.000 A man across the aisle was reading a newspaper and I saw a headline. 21:42.000 --> 21:44.000 That could be making me frown. I indicated it. 21:44.000 --> 21:46.000 Oh, you mean the headline? 21:46.000 --> 21:47.000 Yes. 21:47.000 --> 21:50.000 Hit and run driver kills child. 21:50.000 --> 21:53.000 Oh, that is nasty. Makes me sick to see things like that. 21:53.000 --> 21:56.000 I'll have a read them. Does it affect you that way? 21:56.000 --> 21:59.000 Yes, in the lowest form of humanity. 22:08.000 --> 22:11.000 And suddenly the train shot out of the underground under the pretzel. 22:11.000 --> 22:14.000 Out of darkness into the twilight of a tenement street. 22:14.000 --> 22:20.000 In a moment before, nothing could be seen through the dirty car windows but the reflection of your own drawn face. 22:20.000 --> 22:24.000 But then the ramshackle apartment buildings flashed by outside. 22:24.000 --> 22:29.000 Showing intimate glimpses of bare kitchens and dim bedrooms. 22:29.000 --> 22:32.000 Gray wash and cheap living rooms. 22:32.000 --> 22:35.000 Families going through the functions of living. 22:35.000 --> 22:38.000 Poor families. Tragic living. 22:38.000 --> 22:41.000 From the blackness of the tunnel to the twilight of poverty. 22:41.000 --> 22:46.000 From death to life. First death, then life. 22:46.000 --> 22:51.000 Tepes of the subway. Not life, then death, but death to life. 22:51.000 --> 22:54.000 Death brings another kind of life. 22:54.000 --> 22:57.000 Not necessarily sordid life like this, but new life. 22:57.000 --> 23:00.000 Death makes room for somebody else to live. 23:00.000 --> 23:02.000 One death for another life. 23:02.000 --> 23:05.000 Bruce's death for my new life. 23:08.000 --> 23:12.000 You know, I've been thinking about that headline too. 23:12.000 --> 23:15.000 I mean the one about the hit and run driver. 23:15.000 --> 23:17.000 I suppose I do get panicky. 23:17.000 --> 23:20.000 Well, there's still the lowest form of humanity. 23:20.000 --> 23:23.000 Still in all I think I can understand how it could happen to anybody. 23:23.000 --> 23:26.000 You're driving along, maybe thinking of something else. 23:26.000 --> 23:29.000 Maybe going a little too fast. You know what I mean. 23:29.000 --> 23:33.000 You're just anxious to get someplace in a hurry and you aren't watching what's ahead. 23:33.000 --> 23:37.000 And all of a sudden, bingo, you hit something. 23:37.000 --> 23:40.000 Does that mean you shouldn't stop it? 23:40.000 --> 23:43.000 Well, you don't know what you hit. 23:43.000 --> 23:46.000 Maybe it's just an old crate or a pile of junk. 23:46.000 --> 23:49.000 It isn't necessarily a kid or a dog even. 23:49.000 --> 23:51.000 You just don't know. 23:51.000 --> 23:54.000 And if you stop and look, you may find her a murderer. 23:54.000 --> 24:00.000 Yes, but if you keep on, you can tell yourself it was just an old piece of junk and go on your way. 24:00.000 --> 24:04.000 Now, I can understand a hit and run driver. Yes, I can. 24:04.000 --> 24:07.000 Oh, well, why was she braiding about a hit and run driver? 24:07.000 --> 24:09.000 She wore the subject ragged. 24:09.000 --> 24:12.000 Well, I thought anyway it won't be much longer now. 24:12.000 --> 24:15.000 I won't have to listen to her much longer anyway. 24:15.000 --> 24:18.000 One more station and we get out. 24:18.000 --> 24:20.000 She wouldn't know it wasn't my station yet. 24:20.000 --> 24:24.000 And then we walk over by the lot, cut across it in the dark. 24:24.000 --> 24:30.000 The scissors. One hard plunge. 24:30.000 --> 24:34.000 And back to the subway for the rest of my ride. Alone. 24:34.000 --> 24:40.000 Why, I wouldn't even be late for supper. 24:40.000 --> 24:42.000 Subway emptied a meal. 24:42.000 --> 24:48.000 Seemed to be flying through the night carrying me on dark wings toward my first chance at being something. 24:48.000 --> 24:50.000 We were going awfully fast. 24:50.000 --> 24:51.000 Too fast. 24:51.000 --> 24:52.000 You know what I mean? 24:52.000 --> 24:56.000 You're anxious to get someplace and bingo, you something. 24:56.000 --> 24:59.000 A pile of junk. It has to be junk. 24:59.000 --> 25:04.000 An obstruction to be cleared away for something more important passing by. 25:04.000 --> 25:07.000 But if I should stop and look, 25:07.000 --> 25:11.000 it's a girl like me. 25:11.000 --> 25:16.000 But it's a girl dead in an empty lot. 25:19.000 --> 25:21.000 This was our station. This was it. 25:21.000 --> 25:22.000 Do we get out here, Paula? 25:22.000 --> 25:24.000 I was looking at her roof. 25:24.000 --> 25:26.000 An obstruction in my path. 25:26.000 --> 25:29.000 I had stopped and I had looked at her. 25:29.000 --> 25:32.000 What's the matter, Paula? I thought this was it. 25:32.000 --> 25:33.000 Don't we get out here? 25:33.000 --> 25:38.000 I had stopped to look and I had seen that she was a girl. 25:38.000 --> 25:40.000 A human being. 25:40.000 --> 25:41.000 Paula? 25:41.000 --> 25:43.000 You said we were supposed to get off here. 25:43.000 --> 25:46.000 Yes. Yes, Ruth. Yes. 25:52.000 --> 25:54.000 A train started away without us. 25:54.000 --> 25:57.000 Somehow it seemed to run more smoothly. 25:57.000 --> 26:00.000 As though its wings were light instead of dark. 26:00.000 --> 26:03.000 And I was strangely rested. 26:03.000 --> 26:08.000 My mind was blank and I rolled the blankness around and I tasted it. 26:08.000 --> 26:14.000 I swallowed and my mouth and my throat, they felt better. 26:14.000 --> 26:18.000 Balls of yesterday's newspapers scurried off the platform 26:18.000 --> 26:20.000 and flattened themselves in the corners and... 26:20.000 --> 26:22.000 I'll be glad to get there. 26:22.000 --> 26:23.000 Oh, yes. 26:23.000 --> 26:25.000 I'm starved. 26:25.000 --> 26:27.000 Ruth was a girl. 26:27.000 --> 26:30.000 She was a human being. 26:30.000 --> 26:34.000 Everybody on that subway was an individual human being. 26:34.000 --> 26:36.000 And I had to drive according to the rules. 26:36.000 --> 26:38.000 I couldn't hit and run. 26:38.000 --> 26:41.000 How could I have ever thought that I could? 26:41.000 --> 26:46.000 If I had to get there the hard way, well, I could take it. 26:46.000 --> 26:47.000 This way, Paula? 26:47.000 --> 26:50.000 Yes. Yes, this way, Ruth. 26:50.000 --> 26:52.000 Into the light. 26:52.000 --> 26:57.000 I climbed the ramp to the street exit with a new bounce in my feet. 26:57.000 --> 27:03.000 I fell in my purse only to wrap my handkerchief carefully around the scissor points, 27:03.000 --> 27:05.000 not the handles. 27:05.000 --> 27:09.000 I couldn't afford to completely ruin my already damaged bag. 27:09.000 --> 27:13.000 And Ruth was chattering again. 27:13.000 --> 27:15.000 Soon we'd be home. 27:15.000 --> 27:17.000 And as she chattered, I thought, 27:17.000 --> 27:19.000 Ruth's older than I. 27:19.000 --> 27:23.000 But she seems like a child. 27:23.000 --> 27:26.000 She'll probably never grow up. 27:26.000 --> 27:28.000 But I did. 27:28.000 --> 27:36.000 That night, arm in arm with Ruth, we walked past an empty lot. 27:36.000 --> 28:03.000 And I never even thought of looking back. 28:03.000 --> 28:05.000 Suspense. 28:05.000 --> 28:09.000 Subway, starring June Havoc, presented by Roma Wines. 28:09.000 --> 28:13.000 That's R-O-M-A, Roma Wines, those better tasting wines, 28:13.000 --> 28:17.000 enjoyed by more Americans than any other wines. 28:17.000 --> 28:22.000 This is Truman Bradley reminding you that when you enjoy Roma California wines, 28:22.000 --> 28:28.000 you enjoy the goodness of natural juices pressed from choice, full ripe California grapes. 28:28.000 --> 28:32.000 Then with ancient skills and the world's greatest wine making resources, 28:32.000 --> 28:39.000 Roma master ventners guide this grape treasure unhurriedly to tempting taste perfection. 28:39.000 --> 28:43.000 These better tasting Roma wines are placed with other mellow Roma wines. 28:43.000 --> 28:47.000 And from these reserves, the world's greatest reserves of fine wines, 28:47.000 --> 28:51.000 Roma later selects for your enjoyment. 28:51.000 --> 28:54.000 With another weekend of football and fun coming up, 28:54.000 --> 28:58.000 it's a good idea to lay in an assortment of better tasting Roma wines, 28:58.000 --> 29:05.000 such as Golden Amber Roma Sherry, Ruby Red Roma Port, or Flame Bright Roma Muscatel. 29:05.000 --> 29:10.000 Then you'll be sure of pleasing friends and neighbors who drop in, as well as your family. 29:10.000 --> 29:17.000 Because these delicious Roma wines, that's R-O-M-A, Roma Wines, are America's favorite wines. 29:17.000 --> 29:22.000 Tonight's suspense play was by Eileen Douglas Walzer and Mel Dennelly. 29:22.000 --> 29:26.000 Next Thursday, same time, you will hear radio's inimitable Henry Morgan 29:26.000 --> 29:32.000 as star of Suspense, produced and directed by William Spear 29:32.000 --> 29:36.000 for the Roma Wine Company of Fresno, California. 29:36.000 --> 29:45.000 Music 29:45.000 --> 29:49.000 Listen again next week at the same time for Suspense. 29:49.000 --> 29:52.000 Tonight's suspense came to you transcribed. 29:52.000 --> 29:56.000 This is CBS, the Columbia Broadcasting System.