1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:12,400 Auto Light and its 98,000 dealers bring you Mr. Herbert Marshall in tonight's presentation 2 00:00:12,400 --> 00:00:15,400 of Suspense. 3 00:00:15,400 --> 00:00:25,400 Tonight, Auto Light presents the story of a man who having no fear, attempted his own 4 00:00:25,400 --> 00:00:30,520 death, a new dramatization of C.E. Montague's Action. 5 00:00:30,520 --> 00:00:33,400 Our star, Mr. Herbert Marshall. 6 00:00:33,400 --> 00:00:37,400 Hello, Mr. Wilcox. 7 00:00:37,400 --> 00:00:40,040 What? 8 00:00:40,040 --> 00:00:41,040 You here already? 9 00:00:41,040 --> 00:00:42,440 Yes, sir, Mr. Wilcox. 10 00:00:42,440 --> 00:00:44,640 It's Johnny plug check time again. 11 00:00:44,640 --> 00:00:45,640 Well, so it is. 12 00:00:45,640 --> 00:00:50,040 Cold weather's coming and that means Johnny's around to remind you motorists to get that 13 00:00:50,040 --> 00:00:54,480 car prepared for winter now with a tune-up, change of oil and grease, antifreeze. 14 00:00:54,480 --> 00:00:57,160 Don't forget to check those important spark plugs, too. 15 00:00:57,160 --> 00:01:01,160 Yes, sir, Johnny, because the spark plugs are the very heart of a car's ignition system. 16 00:01:01,160 --> 00:01:06,120 When they're right, you'll start quicker and surer every time, even in coldest weather. 17 00:01:06,120 --> 00:01:08,360 So visit your Auto Light spark plug dealer. 18 00:01:08,360 --> 00:01:09,360 Right, Johnny. 19 00:01:09,360 --> 00:01:14,000 He's a tune-up expert and a specialist on spark plug cleaning and adjustment. 20 00:01:14,000 --> 00:01:18,640 And if replacements are needed, he'll recommend a new set of ignition-engineered Auto Light 21 00:01:18,640 --> 00:01:23,040 spark plugs, like the amazing Double Life Resistor spark plug. 22 00:01:23,040 --> 00:01:27,280 To quickly learn the location of your nearest Auto Light spark plug dealer, phone Western 23 00:01:27,280 --> 00:01:31,400 Union by number and ask for operator 25. 24 00:01:31,400 --> 00:01:36,760 And remember, from bumper to tail light, you're always right with Auto Light. 25 00:01:36,760 --> 00:01:43,760 And now, Auto Light presents Action, starring Mr. Herbert Marshall, hoping once again to 26 00:01:43,760 --> 00:01:57,280 keep you in suspense. 27 00:01:57,280 --> 00:02:01,200 It happened very simply one Monday morning. 28 00:02:01,200 --> 00:02:05,960 I woke up and there was a slight numbness all down my right side. 29 00:02:05,960 --> 00:02:13,000 The arm, fingers, a good deal along the leg, rather less in my foot and just a little in 30 00:02:13,000 --> 00:02:14,000 the head. 31 00:02:14,000 --> 00:02:18,800 I lay still for a moment to let it pass off, but it didn't. 32 00:02:18,800 --> 00:02:22,720 And I suddenly knew that it wasn't going to. 33 00:02:22,720 --> 00:02:27,960 I'd heard about such things, other chaps at the club, the office. 34 00:02:27,960 --> 00:02:30,960 Now it had happened to me. 35 00:02:30,960 --> 00:02:32,760 I remember getting up. 36 00:02:32,760 --> 00:02:37,600 I could still stand, walk, dress and shave. 37 00:02:37,600 --> 00:02:41,040 But the numbness went on. 38 00:02:41,040 --> 00:02:43,800 That morning, instead of walking, I took the tram to the office. 39 00:02:43,800 --> 00:02:45,800 It was a pleasant autumn day. 40 00:02:45,800 --> 00:02:52,200 And there were a lot of young people aboard, healthy young people. 41 00:02:52,200 --> 00:02:55,280 The conductor moved down the passageway, collecting fares. 42 00:02:55,280 --> 00:02:56,280 Here's a piece. 43 00:02:56,280 --> 00:02:57,280 Here's a piece. 44 00:02:57,280 --> 00:02:58,280 Here's a piece, sir. 45 00:02:58,280 --> 00:02:59,280 Well, Wellington Avenue, please. 46 00:02:59,280 --> 00:03:00,280 That's a threatening, sir. 47 00:03:00,280 --> 00:03:01,280 Thank you, sir. 48 00:03:01,280 --> 00:03:02,280 Oh, now we don't take buttons, sir. 49 00:03:02,280 --> 00:03:03,280 I am sorry. 50 00:03:03,280 --> 00:03:04,280 I thought I... 51 00:03:04,280 --> 00:03:05,280 That's quite all right, sir. 52 00:03:05,280 --> 00:03:06,280 It does rather look like silver. 53 00:03:06,280 --> 00:03:11,280 And let's see. 54 00:03:11,280 --> 00:03:13,960 Here's a threatening bit, sir. 55 00:03:13,960 --> 00:03:14,960 Thank you. 56 00:03:14,960 --> 00:03:15,960 In of his feet. 57 00:03:15,960 --> 00:03:16,960 Your best. 58 00:03:16,960 --> 00:03:20,800 His tact and simple, they were perfect. 59 00:03:20,800 --> 00:03:22,920 And I had a new care now. 60 00:03:22,920 --> 00:03:23,920 Sight two. 61 00:03:23,920 --> 00:03:24,920 Was that going? 62 00:03:24,920 --> 00:03:32,680 Sight, touch, the whole sensory business, losing precision, entering on the long slope 63 00:03:32,680 --> 00:03:35,120 to decay. 64 00:03:35,120 --> 00:03:39,240 I don't think I got much work done that morning, though in a way what I did was good for me. 65 00:03:39,240 --> 00:03:42,080 Kept my mind off things. 66 00:03:42,080 --> 00:03:45,640 I had a call of the one appointment with an old friend, Adrian Tillett, whom I hadn't 67 00:03:45,640 --> 00:03:47,640 seen for a month or two. 68 00:03:47,640 --> 00:03:50,160 We'd arranged to meet at my club. 69 00:03:50,160 --> 00:03:53,800 I was a little early and sat in my usual place to wait for him. 70 00:03:53,800 --> 00:03:55,800 I say, Bill. 71 00:03:55,800 --> 00:03:56,800 Yes? 72 00:03:56,800 --> 00:03:57,800 Did you hear about Chitterhouse? 73 00:03:57,800 --> 00:04:00,120 They brought his birdie back to England yesterday. 74 00:04:00,120 --> 00:04:01,560 Yes, I know, yes. 75 00:04:01,560 --> 00:04:03,720 You've done some mountaineering yourself, haven't you? 76 00:04:03,720 --> 00:04:04,720 A bit. 77 00:04:04,720 --> 00:04:06,760 It's a bit of a shock to ask if I know what you fellows see in it. 78 00:04:06,760 --> 00:04:10,000 Bloody awful way to die, if you ask me, falling off a mountain. 79 00:04:10,000 --> 00:04:11,960 I suppose there are worse ways. 80 00:04:11,960 --> 00:04:13,560 Try to tell that to his wife. 81 00:04:13,560 --> 00:04:15,440 Well, I'm feeling a bit peckish. 82 00:04:15,440 --> 00:04:16,440 Will you join me for lunch? 83 00:04:16,440 --> 00:04:17,440 Thanks very much. 84 00:04:17,440 --> 00:04:18,440 I'm waiting for someone. 85 00:04:18,440 --> 00:04:19,440 All right, sure. 86 00:04:19,440 --> 00:04:20,440 Hello, Bill. 87 00:04:20,440 --> 00:04:21,440 I'm sorry to keep you waiting. 88 00:04:21,440 --> 00:04:22,440 No, you haven't. 89 00:04:22,440 --> 00:04:23,440 I just got here myself. 90 00:04:23,440 --> 00:04:24,440 Hold on. 91 00:04:24,440 --> 00:04:25,440 Teddy. 92 00:04:25,440 --> 00:04:26,440 I say, you look seedy. 93 00:04:26,440 --> 00:04:27,440 You look like a good boy. 94 00:04:27,440 --> 00:04:28,440 I'm not a good boy. 95 00:04:28,440 --> 00:04:29,440 I'm a good boy. 96 00:04:29,440 --> 00:04:30,440 I'm a good boy. 97 00:04:30,440 --> 00:04:31,440 I'm a good boy. 98 00:04:31,440 --> 00:04:32,440 I'm a good boy. 99 00:04:32,440 --> 00:04:33,440 I'm a good boy. 100 00:04:33,440 --> 00:04:34,440 I'm a good boy. 101 00:04:34,440 --> 00:04:35,440 Feeling all right? 102 00:04:35,440 --> 00:04:36,440 Yes, splendid. 103 00:04:36,440 --> 00:04:37,440 Come along. 104 00:04:37,440 --> 00:04:38,440 We'll have a bite to eat. 105 00:04:38,440 --> 00:04:39,440 Good. 106 00:04:39,440 --> 00:04:40,440 I'm famished. 107 00:04:40,440 --> 00:04:41,440 That's better. 108 00:04:41,440 --> 00:04:42,440 Cigar? 109 00:04:42,440 --> 00:04:43,440 Thanks. 110 00:04:43,440 --> 00:04:44,440 What about you? 111 00:04:44,440 --> 00:04:45,440 I don't think so. 112 00:04:45,440 --> 00:04:50,440 Look here, well, is anything wrong? 113 00:04:50,440 --> 00:04:55,440 I mean, well, you look very pale. 114 00:04:55,440 --> 00:05:07,440 You look like a dying duck in a thunderstorm. 115 00:05:07,440 --> 00:05:08,440 Something I can do. 116 00:05:08,440 --> 00:05:09,440 I'm afraid not. 117 00:05:09,440 --> 00:05:10,440 Serious? 118 00:05:10,440 --> 00:05:13,280 I suppose it is, in a way. 119 00:05:13,280 --> 00:05:15,680 If you want to talk about it. 120 00:05:15,680 --> 00:05:18,400 I might as well. 121 00:05:18,400 --> 00:05:22,360 I woke up this morning and I felt numb. 122 00:05:22,360 --> 00:05:26,160 I must have had some sort of a stroke during the night. 123 00:05:26,160 --> 00:05:27,160 Have you been to the doctor? 124 00:05:27,160 --> 00:05:28,160 No. 125 00:05:28,160 --> 00:05:29,160 I don't think I shall. 126 00:05:29,160 --> 00:05:31,680 You know as well as I do what he'd say. 127 00:05:31,680 --> 00:05:36,600 My dear old boy, you can't let a thing like that just go. 128 00:05:36,600 --> 00:05:40,440 I don't intend to be an invalid for the rest of my life till it. 129 00:05:40,440 --> 00:05:42,160 I've seen this happen to people. 130 00:05:42,160 --> 00:05:43,160 So have you. 131 00:05:43,160 --> 00:05:47,920 End up in a bath chair being fed by some harridan nurse who won't even let you wipe her own 132 00:05:47,920 --> 00:05:48,920 nose. 133 00:05:48,920 --> 00:05:49,920 No thanks. 134 00:05:49,920 --> 00:05:50,920 What are you going to do? 135 00:05:50,920 --> 00:05:54,680 I don't know yet. 136 00:05:54,680 --> 00:05:59,320 The big thing seems to be, how long? 137 00:05:59,320 --> 00:06:01,360 How long does a thing like this take? 138 00:06:01,360 --> 00:06:03,800 Men like you, you live to be a hundred. 139 00:06:03,800 --> 00:06:04,800 You're an active chap. 140 00:06:04,800 --> 00:06:06,600 There's no reason on earth why you. 141 00:06:06,600 --> 00:06:07,600 No, that's just it. 142 00:06:07,600 --> 00:06:08,600 Why don't follow? 143 00:06:08,600 --> 00:06:12,040 I don't want to live to any age like this. 144 00:06:12,040 --> 00:06:18,920 Say, why not come up to my place on Friday, spend the weekend, change of air will do you 145 00:06:18,920 --> 00:06:19,920 good. 146 00:06:19,920 --> 00:06:21,880 Don't be an idiot. 147 00:06:21,880 --> 00:06:23,360 Marjorie's dying to see you. 148 00:06:23,360 --> 00:06:26,400 She always complains that you've given us up. 149 00:06:26,400 --> 00:06:28,280 Now I'm going to expect you. 150 00:06:28,280 --> 00:06:30,560 The stream's awfully good this year. 151 00:06:30,560 --> 00:06:33,480 We'll do some fishing, right? 152 00:06:33,480 --> 00:06:34,480 Right thanks. 153 00:06:34,480 --> 00:06:42,160 Thanks to it. 154 00:06:42,160 --> 00:06:47,560 The rest of the week passed and the sensation of numbness remained with me. 155 00:06:47,560 --> 00:06:51,600 Sometimes a bit more or less. 156 00:06:51,600 --> 00:06:53,000 At nights I thought. 157 00:06:53,000 --> 00:06:56,600 I thought a great deal. 158 00:06:56,600 --> 00:06:59,800 On Friday I drove down to Weybridge. 159 00:06:59,800 --> 00:07:02,000 It was obvious that Tillett had told his wife about me. 160 00:07:02,000 --> 00:07:06,120 It didn't matter much except I found myself annoyed at her solicitude. 161 00:07:06,120 --> 00:07:10,520 I suppose she couldn't help it. 162 00:07:10,520 --> 00:07:13,440 But it was one of the things that definitely made up my mind. 163 00:07:13,440 --> 00:07:16,320 I knew what I was going to do. 164 00:07:16,320 --> 00:07:18,760 And I told my old friend. 165 00:07:18,760 --> 00:07:21,520 We were on the bank of the stream. 166 00:07:21,520 --> 00:07:24,640 He'd just landed a nice trout. 167 00:07:24,640 --> 00:07:27,960 And we sat down for a smoke. 168 00:07:27,960 --> 00:07:30,680 I've made up my mind what to do, Tillett. 169 00:07:30,680 --> 00:07:31,680 Oh? 170 00:07:31,680 --> 00:07:32,680 Yes. 171 00:07:32,680 --> 00:07:33,680 I wondered. 172 00:07:33,680 --> 00:07:36,080 I had an idea you were up to something. 173 00:07:36,080 --> 00:07:39,520 You've been rather quiet, you know. 174 00:07:39,520 --> 00:07:40,520 I'm sorry. 175 00:07:40,520 --> 00:07:41,520 Is it any better? 176 00:07:41,520 --> 00:07:44,520 No, no, it's not the same. 177 00:07:44,520 --> 00:07:47,680 I had a dream just before I came down here. 178 00:07:47,680 --> 00:07:48,680 I was climbing. 179 00:07:48,680 --> 00:07:53,000 It was on a crag that became steeper and steeper as I went up. 180 00:07:53,000 --> 00:08:00,200 First it was vertical and then it overhung more and more until I was actually climbing 181 00:08:00,200 --> 00:08:01,200 a reverse slope. 182 00:08:01,200 --> 00:08:02,200 It must have been awkward. 183 00:08:02,200 --> 00:08:03,200 It's been done, you know. 184 00:08:03,200 --> 00:08:04,200 Has it? 185 00:08:04,200 --> 00:08:06,480 Yes, I've heard about it but I've never done it myself. 186 00:08:06,480 --> 00:08:09,040 What happened in your dream? 187 00:08:09,040 --> 00:08:10,040 I fell. 188 00:08:10,040 --> 00:08:11,920 Woke up. 189 00:08:11,920 --> 00:08:13,640 I thought a lot about it. 190 00:08:13,640 --> 00:08:16,720 It's that margin of safety, you know. 191 00:08:16,720 --> 00:08:20,440 One does a lot of climbing and if you're any good at all you don't slip in the really difficult 192 00:08:20,440 --> 00:08:21,440 places. 193 00:08:21,440 --> 00:08:28,600 But supposing you, you pair away at the margin of safety and experiment. 194 00:08:28,600 --> 00:08:32,600 What could you do before all the margin was gone if you didn't care? 195 00:08:32,600 --> 00:08:33,600 I don't know. 196 00:08:33,600 --> 00:08:35,080 I haven't tried climbing. 197 00:08:35,080 --> 00:08:40,160 If one cut out the old fear of death, one could do some amazing things. 198 00:08:40,160 --> 00:08:41,760 Is that what you're going to do? 199 00:08:41,760 --> 00:08:42,760 I think so. 200 00:08:42,760 --> 00:08:43,760 Yes. 201 00:08:43,760 --> 00:08:46,000 Look for one of those crags. 202 00:08:46,000 --> 00:08:48,920 Yes, I've never done that. 203 00:08:48,920 --> 00:08:50,520 I know of one I'd like to try. 204 00:08:50,520 --> 00:08:51,520 The now. 205 00:08:51,520 --> 00:08:52,520 The Charlie Hawk. 206 00:08:52,520 --> 00:08:54,240 It's a ridge of the Weisshorn. 207 00:08:54,240 --> 00:08:55,240 Sounds impressive. 208 00:08:55,240 --> 00:08:57,480 There are higher mountains but not many more interesting. 209 00:08:57,480 --> 00:09:02,160 If you want to be a human fly why not try the chalk pit down the road? 210 00:09:02,160 --> 00:09:03,160 Straight up and down. 211 00:09:03,160 --> 00:09:04,160 Not so far to fall. 212 00:09:04,160 --> 00:09:06,160 I wouldn't do it. 213 00:09:06,160 --> 00:09:10,480 No, it wouldn't, would it? 214 00:09:10,480 --> 00:09:12,880 I'm not going to say anything, Bell. 215 00:09:12,880 --> 00:09:16,120 There's nothing one can say, really. 216 00:09:16,120 --> 00:09:20,520 I wish you wouldn't do it and I understand why you think you must. 217 00:09:20,520 --> 00:09:23,160 When will you leave? 218 00:09:23,160 --> 00:09:24,160 Next week. 219 00:09:24,160 --> 00:09:25,920 The snows will be coming at the end of the month. 220 00:09:25,920 --> 00:09:29,160 Not much sense in making it too dangerous, is there? 221 00:09:29,160 --> 00:09:38,320 No, not much sense in that. 222 00:09:38,320 --> 00:09:42,600 Ten days later I arrived at Zanowel and met an old guide I'd known for many years. 223 00:09:42,600 --> 00:09:49,000 His name was Gaspar and he knew the mountains of the Alps as very few men know them. 224 00:09:49,000 --> 00:09:54,800 He and his wife ran the hotel and after dinner, it was my first night there, we talked over 225 00:09:54,800 --> 00:09:55,800 a cognac. 226 00:09:55,800 --> 00:09:58,120 Ah, it is good to see you again, my friend. 227 00:09:58,120 --> 00:10:01,840 I repeat, what a surprise and so late in the year. 228 00:10:01,840 --> 00:10:04,320 I remember July was my month, wasn't it? 229 00:10:04,320 --> 00:10:08,920 Ah, those days, we did some fine climbing here and I find. 230 00:10:08,920 --> 00:10:10,520 And where shall we go this time? 231 00:10:10,520 --> 00:10:13,400 My time is my own and now yours. 232 00:10:13,400 --> 00:10:14,880 The amateurs have gone. 233 00:10:14,880 --> 00:10:17,240 We shall climb for sport, huh? 234 00:10:17,240 --> 00:10:18,240 Perhaps so. 235 00:10:18,240 --> 00:10:21,160 I, uh, I want to try the west side of the Charlie Hook. 236 00:10:21,160 --> 00:10:22,160 Good, good. 237 00:10:22,160 --> 00:10:24,880 Hope you won't be upset, Gaspar. 238 00:10:24,880 --> 00:10:28,320 First time I go up, I mean to do it alone. 239 00:10:28,320 --> 00:10:29,320 Alone? 240 00:10:29,320 --> 00:10:30,320 Yes. 241 00:10:30,320 --> 00:10:32,720 Did you say the west side? 242 00:10:32,720 --> 00:10:37,800 May I speak of something I've noticed? 243 00:10:37,800 --> 00:10:39,800 Of course. 244 00:10:39,800 --> 00:10:45,200 When I saw you today, I noticed something, a slight limp. 245 00:10:45,200 --> 00:10:47,120 You have been in an accident? 246 00:10:47,120 --> 00:10:49,160 No, just a little stiffness. 247 00:10:49,160 --> 00:10:52,420 You have done some climbing since we last were together? 248 00:10:52,420 --> 00:10:53,420 Not much. 249 00:10:53,420 --> 00:10:58,960 But the west side of the ridge for a man out of condition, is that wise? 250 00:10:58,960 --> 00:11:00,280 I don't see why not. 251 00:11:00,280 --> 00:11:03,520 When do you plan to start? 252 00:11:03,520 --> 00:11:04,520 Tomorrow. 253 00:11:04,520 --> 00:11:08,920 I have never tried it myself. 254 00:11:08,920 --> 00:11:10,640 I'll give you a full report. 255 00:11:10,640 --> 00:11:13,480 Yes, I hope you will. 256 00:11:13,480 --> 00:11:16,440 The last man who tried it never came back. 257 00:11:16,440 --> 00:11:35,440 He fell and we still have not found the body. 258 00:11:35,440 --> 00:11:40,520 Auto Light is bringing you Mr. Herbert Marshall in action. 259 00:11:40,520 --> 00:11:56,920 Tonight's presentation in radio's outstanding theater of thrills, Suspense. 260 00:11:56,920 --> 00:11:58,840 The frost is coming, so be wise. 261 00:11:58,840 --> 00:12:01,280 Now is the time to winterize. 262 00:12:01,280 --> 00:12:02,880 Right, Johnny Plug Check. 263 00:12:02,880 --> 00:12:04,080 Time for that winter tune up. 264 00:12:04,080 --> 00:12:06,680 Change of oil, grease and some antifreeze. 265 00:12:06,680 --> 00:12:08,920 And check those important spark plugs too. 266 00:12:08,920 --> 00:12:12,680 I.S. spark plugs are the very heart of your car's ignition system. 267 00:12:12,680 --> 00:12:18,060 And when they're right, you'll start quicker and surer every time, even in coldest weather. 268 00:12:18,060 --> 00:12:22,280 If replacements are needed, your Auto Light spark plug dealer will recommend a brand new 269 00:12:22,280 --> 00:12:26,160 set of ignition engineered Auto Light spark plugs. 270 00:12:26,160 --> 00:12:30,600 Like the Double Life Resistor spark plug, the greatest spark plug advance for automotive 271 00:12:30,600 --> 00:12:33,100 use in the past 25 years. 272 00:12:33,100 --> 00:12:38,520 It gives smoother engine performance and quick starts for twice as long as spark plugs without 273 00:12:38,520 --> 00:12:40,480 a built in resistor. 274 00:12:40,480 --> 00:12:44,920 And the resistor spark plug is only one of a complete line of Auto Light spark plugs 275 00:12:44,920 --> 00:12:47,960 ignition engineered for every use. 276 00:12:47,960 --> 00:12:51,600 So when you're getting your car winterized, make sure. 277 00:12:51,600 --> 00:12:53,580 To check the spark plugs too. 278 00:12:53,580 --> 00:12:56,640 See your nearest Auto Light spark plug dealer this week. 279 00:12:56,640 --> 00:13:02,320 And remember, from bumper to tail light, you're always right with Auto Light. 280 00:13:02,320 --> 00:13:07,960 And now, Auto Light brings back to our Hollywood sound stage, Mr. Herbert Marshall in Elliot 281 00:13:07,960 --> 00:13:28,680 Lewis's production of Action, a tale well calculated to keep you in suspense. 282 00:13:28,680 --> 00:13:33,960 That night before I went to bed, I sat for a little while alone in the smoking room. 283 00:13:33,960 --> 00:13:41,000 I had nothing to do, no goodbyes, no last letter to write, no will to be made. 284 00:13:41,000 --> 00:13:43,360 That was done and accounted for. 285 00:13:43,360 --> 00:13:49,400 I felt my right arm and leg with the fingers of my left hand, still numb. 286 00:13:49,400 --> 00:13:54,000 That strange, unfeeling feeling. 287 00:13:54,000 --> 00:13:55,960 After that, I read for a bit. 288 00:13:55,960 --> 00:14:07,800 Then turning out the lamp, went to my room. 289 00:14:07,800 --> 00:14:08,800 The next morning was dazzling. 290 00:14:08,800 --> 00:14:12,400 The soft Green Valley meadowland, sparkling. 291 00:14:12,400 --> 00:14:18,120 And above, against the bluest of skies, the mountains. 292 00:14:18,120 --> 00:14:19,680 The autumn sun was warm. 293 00:14:19,680 --> 00:14:24,880 And as I decided to travel as lightly as possible, I was glad for that. 294 00:14:24,880 --> 00:14:30,360 Late in the hotel, I made my way past the cow barn, the tiny post office, and on toward 295 00:14:30,360 --> 00:14:33,360 the path which led gently upward. 296 00:14:33,360 --> 00:14:36,960 I must have been walking for about five minutes when he caught up with me. 297 00:14:36,960 --> 00:14:37,960 Herbert. 298 00:14:37,960 --> 00:14:40,400 Oh, I nearly missed you. 299 00:14:40,400 --> 00:14:41,720 You were gone before I knew. 300 00:14:41,720 --> 00:14:42,720 Oh, good morning, Gaspar. 301 00:14:42,720 --> 00:14:46,840 Ah, a beautiful morning for your climb. 302 00:14:46,840 --> 00:14:50,640 I thought, if you did not mind, that I would walk with you to the bridge. 303 00:14:50,640 --> 00:14:53,080 I don't mind in the least. 304 00:14:53,080 --> 00:14:54,360 My wife was worried. 305 00:14:54,360 --> 00:14:55,840 I'm sorry to hear that. 306 00:14:55,840 --> 00:14:57,000 About you. 307 00:14:57,000 --> 00:15:01,400 My wife is a woman who has premonitions. 308 00:15:01,400 --> 00:15:02,400 You know women. 309 00:15:02,400 --> 00:15:04,640 Yes, she needn't worry, do you know? 310 00:15:04,640 --> 00:15:07,800 As I told her, you are one of the best. 311 00:15:07,800 --> 00:15:13,320 Still, she could not understand why you would suddenly appear and decide to climb the most 312 00:15:13,320 --> 00:15:14,960 difficult place on the mountain. 313 00:15:14,960 --> 00:15:17,200 Surely she knows mountaineers. 314 00:15:17,200 --> 00:15:19,940 Yes, she knows them. 315 00:15:19,940 --> 00:15:24,880 And she knows they do not attempt such things without a little practice of flexing of unused 316 00:15:24,880 --> 00:15:25,880 muscles. 317 00:15:25,880 --> 00:15:28,560 I'm in splendid form, Gaspar. 318 00:15:28,560 --> 00:15:31,740 Up there, that is where you go, huh? 319 00:15:31,740 --> 00:15:32,740 The bulge. 320 00:15:32,740 --> 00:15:33,740 Yes. 321 00:15:33,740 --> 00:15:38,880 And when you have conquered that, you will come back? 322 00:15:38,880 --> 00:15:41,480 What an odd question. 323 00:15:41,480 --> 00:15:43,780 Exactly what I told my wife. 324 00:15:43,780 --> 00:15:47,560 She had a premonition that all was not well with you. 325 00:15:47,560 --> 00:15:50,240 You'll have to reassure her, won't you, Gaspar? 326 00:15:50,240 --> 00:15:52,880 Yes, I shall, my friend. 327 00:15:52,880 --> 00:15:54,960 I'll say goodbye here. 328 00:15:54,960 --> 00:15:57,880 Yes, I wish... 329 00:15:57,880 --> 00:16:02,800 You will be all right, herbelle. 330 00:16:02,800 --> 00:16:10,040 Remember to conserve your energy and when you reach the top, come back to us. 331 00:16:10,040 --> 00:16:11,040 You will come back. 332 00:16:11,040 --> 00:16:12,040 Yes. 333 00:16:12,040 --> 00:16:13,040 Good luck. 334 00:16:13,040 --> 00:16:28,560 I left the old guide of the wooden bridge and walked on. 335 00:16:28,560 --> 00:16:32,040 The place I'd picked to climb is on the west side of the Charley Hawk. 336 00:16:32,040 --> 00:16:36,040 It's a dip in the ridge that joins the Weisshorn to the Charley Horn. 337 00:16:36,040 --> 00:16:39,680 The lowest point of the dip is over 12,000 feet. 338 00:16:39,680 --> 00:16:43,560 The last part of the rise to the ridge is a wall of ice that undulates like a sheet of 339 00:16:43,560 --> 00:16:49,120 hammered copper, concave at one point, convex at another, and the two or three parts it 340 00:16:49,120 --> 00:16:50,120 overhangs. 341 00:16:50,120 --> 00:16:53,240 How much I did not know, but you could see it. 342 00:16:53,240 --> 00:16:58,080 And it was the underside of that overhang I was going to climb. 343 00:16:58,080 --> 00:17:02,360 I would try to do it honestly, get to the ridge and prove that in this small matter, 344 00:17:02,360 --> 00:17:08,040 where there is no fear of death, a man can do more than he knows. 345 00:17:08,040 --> 00:17:11,520 My timetable began quite on schedule. 346 00:17:11,520 --> 00:17:17,120 Three hours work up to the Arpita to Alp from Zinal. 347 00:17:17,120 --> 00:17:21,840 Three more up from the Alp to the foot of the ice wall. 348 00:17:21,840 --> 00:17:27,440 Half an hour for food, another half an hour for final preparations. 349 00:17:27,440 --> 00:17:36,800 Then I was at that point, the wall of ice and above the great overhanging bulge. 350 00:17:36,800 --> 00:17:42,760 It stood out above me like a gigantic blister on the face of the ice. 351 00:17:42,760 --> 00:17:45,400 Must have been 40 feet in diameter. 352 00:17:45,400 --> 00:17:50,040 And it jutted so much that a stone dropped from its outermost point would only have touched 353 00:17:50,040 --> 00:17:54,600 the slope again some hundred feet lower. 354 00:17:54,600 --> 00:17:59,400 To reach that outermost point, I knew I would have to climb for about 20 feet as you climb 355 00:17:59,400 --> 00:18:02,800 up the underside of a ladder that leans against the wall. 356 00:18:02,800 --> 00:18:10,840 And I would have to make the ladder rung by rung, fashion each one out of ice with my 357 00:18:10,840 --> 00:18:15,320 axe held in one hand while with the other hand on both feet I'd cling to the three rungs 358 00:18:15,320 --> 00:18:17,640 already made. 359 00:18:17,640 --> 00:18:24,520 Each rung would have to be like a letter box in a door, big enough for the toe of my boot 360 00:18:24,520 --> 00:18:30,280 to go into but shaped so that when my hand entered the fingers could bend down inside 361 00:18:30,280 --> 00:18:34,280 and grip as you gripped the top of a fence. 362 00:18:34,280 --> 00:18:38,880 Then I was there and the overhang was before me. 363 00:18:38,880 --> 00:18:41,520 The work was amazingly hard. 364 00:18:41,520 --> 00:18:47,600 I'd only carved five letter boxes and used them and an hour had gone. 365 00:18:47,600 --> 00:18:50,680 Five more and daylight was failing. 366 00:18:50,680 --> 00:18:56,160 My left hand was chilled, almost dead with the ice it had gripped and my right hand swollen 367 00:18:56,160 --> 00:19:01,200 and sore from the constant use of the axe. 368 00:19:01,200 --> 00:19:08,400 My right knee began to shake uncontrollably and I almost laughed, chattering teeth. 369 00:19:08,400 --> 00:19:13,880 I looked up and some eight feet above was the goal. 370 00:19:13,880 --> 00:19:18,000 Beyond it I could see nothing but a tranquil sky with a rose-colored flush dying out of 371 00:19:18,000 --> 00:19:19,000 it. 372 00:19:19,000 --> 00:19:28,320 And suddenly, very clearly, as a complete matter of fact, I knew I couldn't get up those 373 00:19:28,320 --> 00:19:30,840 eight feet. 374 00:19:30,840 --> 00:19:33,320 My strength was going. 375 00:19:33,320 --> 00:19:35,320 I was about finished. 376 00:19:35,320 --> 00:19:45,960 And then, because the will is there until the end, I tried again, tried, but the axe 377 00:19:45,960 --> 00:19:48,840 barely scratched the ice. 378 00:19:48,840 --> 00:19:52,520 My left hand was frostbitten, fast feeling. 379 00:19:52,520 --> 00:19:59,240 Only five more feet to go, but five more than I could drive myself to. 380 00:19:59,240 --> 00:20:01,780 This was the finish then. 381 00:20:01,780 --> 00:20:07,840 What I'd set out to do, you know, it was the end. 382 00:20:07,840 --> 00:20:10,840 I'm done. 383 00:20:10,840 --> 00:20:13,360 I didn't know why. 384 00:20:13,360 --> 00:20:15,360 I was still holding on. 385 00:20:15,360 --> 00:20:16,360 Holding. 386 00:20:16,360 --> 00:20:19,880 And it was queer. 387 00:20:19,880 --> 00:20:22,280 Something was very queer. 388 00:20:22,280 --> 00:20:27,560 I felt little chips of ice stinging my cheeks as they slid down from above. 389 00:20:27,560 --> 00:20:29,560 Was an ice avalanche coming? 390 00:20:29,560 --> 00:20:32,680 What did it matter? 391 00:20:32,680 --> 00:20:35,160 Let the ice do what it wanted. 392 00:20:35,160 --> 00:20:37,160 My business with it was done. 393 00:20:37,160 --> 00:20:42,480 Then, then there was a sound. 394 00:20:42,480 --> 00:20:43,480 Annoying. 395 00:20:43,480 --> 00:20:45,480 A hissing sound. 396 00:20:45,480 --> 00:20:57,000 I saw the ice axe slide over the bulge overhead and move out over my head to drop far below. 397 00:20:57,000 --> 00:20:58,000 Someone was above me. 398 00:20:58,000 --> 00:21:03,080 And suddenly, I don't know why, there was, there was a lightness in me. 399 00:21:03,080 --> 00:21:05,280 No more dream. 400 00:21:05,280 --> 00:21:06,280 No more dying. 401 00:21:06,280 --> 00:21:07,280 I had to go up. 402 00:21:07,280 --> 00:21:08,280 Up quickly. 403 00:21:08,280 --> 00:21:12,400 No longer the care in cutting the steps. 404 00:21:12,400 --> 00:21:14,960 Now they were marvels of inadequacy. 405 00:21:14,960 --> 00:21:16,080 I didn't think about it. 406 00:21:16,080 --> 00:21:20,240 Just ice cuts deep enough for a footing to raise up to cut the next. 407 00:21:20,240 --> 00:21:21,240 And the next. 408 00:21:21,240 --> 00:21:24,160 And it must have been three minutes. 409 00:21:24,160 --> 00:21:29,200 Perhaps less when my chest came up to the dead center of the bulge and I, I saw what 410 00:21:29,200 --> 00:21:30,200 I had come for. 411 00:21:30,200 --> 00:21:36,200 It was a woman dangling at a long rope's end. 412 00:21:36,200 --> 00:21:40,320 Her body revolving a little as it hung against the steep ice and holding the rope. 413 00:21:40,320 --> 00:21:43,120 Perhaps 80 feet above her, the man. 414 00:21:43,120 --> 00:21:47,440 His ice axe driven well into the slope behind, holding well with one hand. 415 00:21:47,440 --> 00:21:48,440 The other gripping the rope. 416 00:21:48,440 --> 00:21:49,440 Cut the rope, Teddy, cut it. 417 00:21:49,440 --> 00:21:50,440 I'm done. 418 00:21:50,440 --> 00:21:51,440 It's killing me, cut it. 419 00:21:51,440 --> 00:21:52,440 You must, you, you can get down. 420 00:21:52,440 --> 00:21:53,440 The children think of, you must, it's killing me. 421 00:21:53,440 --> 00:21:54,440 Well, here's a, hold on. 422 00:21:54,440 --> 00:21:55,440 Sorry. 423 00:21:55,440 --> 00:21:56,440 I'm coming. 424 00:21:56,440 --> 00:21:57,440 Hold on. 425 00:21:57,440 --> 00:21:58,440 I felt like a fool. 426 00:21:58,440 --> 00:21:59,440 Absolute freedom. 427 00:21:59,440 --> 00:22:00,440 I'm coming. 428 00:22:00,440 --> 00:22:01,440 I'm coming. 429 00:22:01,440 --> 00:22:02,440 I'm coming. 430 00:22:02,440 --> 00:22:03,440 I'm coming. 431 00:22:03,440 --> 00:22:04,440 I'm coming. 432 00:22:04,440 --> 00:22:05,440 I'm coming. 433 00:22:05,440 --> 00:22:06,440 I'm coming. 434 00:22:06,440 --> 00:22:07,440 I'm coming. 435 00:22:07,440 --> 00:22:08,440 I'm coming. 436 00:22:08,440 --> 00:22:09,440 I'm coming. 437 00:22:09,440 --> 00:22:10,440 I'm coming. 438 00:22:10,440 --> 00:22:11,440 I'm coming. 439 00:22:11,440 --> 00:22:12,440 I'm coming. 440 00:22:12,440 --> 00:22:13,440 I'm coming. 441 00:22:13,440 --> 00:22:14,440 I'm coming. 442 00:22:14,440 --> 00:22:15,440 I'm coming. 443 00:22:15,440 --> 00:22:16,440 I'm coming. 444 00:22:16,440 --> 00:22:17,440 I'm coming. 445 00:22:17,440 --> 00:22:18,640 I'm coming. 446 00:22:18,640 --> 00:22:19,920 I'm coming. 447 00:22:19,920 --> 00:22:21,300 I'm coming. 448 00:22:21,300 --> 00:22:22,720 I'm coming. 449 00:22:22,720 --> 00:22:24,080 I'm coming. 450 00:22:24,080 --> 00:22:25,400 I'm coming. 451 00:22:25,400 --> 00:22:26,520 I'm coming. 452 00:22:26,520 --> 00:22:27,520 I'm coming. 453 00:22:27,520 --> 00:22:28,520 I'm coming. 454 00:22:28,520 --> 00:22:29,720 And I didn't stop. 455 00:22:29,720 --> 00:22:30,880 I didn't stop. 456 00:22:30,880 --> 00:22:33,720 I was, I was in an absolute freedom from uneasiness, concerning my own plight, for I still wasn't 457 00:22:33,720 --> 00:22:34,720 up myself. 458 00:22:34,720 --> 00:22:35,900 But I never liked heroics. 459 00:22:35,900 --> 00:22:36,900 And this sounded horribly disgustingly heroic. 460 00:22:36,900 --> 00:22:37,900 And I kept it up. 461 00:22:37,900 --> 00:22:38,900 And I have to. 462 00:22:38,900 --> 00:22:39,900 There are two minutes. 463 00:22:39,900 --> 00:22:40,900 Hold on. 464 00:22:40,900 --> 00:22:41,900 One minute more. 465 00:22:41,900 --> 00:22:44,900 A foothold on an upward slope. 466 00:22:44,900 --> 00:22:48,900 I cut a big step close to where her feet hung. 467 00:22:48,900 --> 00:22:52,900 Planted my own firmly in it and took her weight on my shoulder. 468 00:22:52,900 --> 00:22:56,900 Slowly the man above paid out the rope, 469 00:22:56,900 --> 00:23:00,900 till she was by my side, standing safe. 470 00:23:00,900 --> 00:23:04,900 You're... you're quite a happy sight. 471 00:23:04,900 --> 00:23:07,900 Have you got her? 472 00:23:07,900 --> 00:23:11,900 All right? Yes, right his way. 473 00:23:11,900 --> 00:23:16,900 Give us a moment or two, then dig in and we'll come up. 474 00:23:16,900 --> 00:23:20,900 Yes. Yes, all right. 475 00:23:28,900 --> 00:23:33,900 The last daylight was gone when the three of us stood on the level roof of the ridge. 476 00:23:33,900 --> 00:23:37,900 I tried my best not to look at him or at her. 477 00:23:37,900 --> 00:23:41,900 These are things best not observed. 478 00:23:41,900 --> 00:23:45,900 I think she stayed in his arms for a long moment. 479 00:23:45,900 --> 00:23:50,900 I... are we... 480 00:23:50,900 --> 00:23:52,900 How will you understand? 481 00:23:52,900 --> 00:23:55,900 Thanks. Thanks for our lives. 482 00:23:55,900 --> 00:23:59,900 Oh, Lord, I just happened to be there. Luck, that's all. 483 00:23:59,900 --> 00:24:02,900 Yes. Luck. 484 00:24:02,900 --> 00:24:06,900 I suppose we'd better push off, getting a little chilly. 485 00:24:16,900 --> 00:24:18,900 It was luck. 486 00:24:18,900 --> 00:24:23,900 There was a full moon and the downward trail was something else from the way I'd come up. 487 00:24:23,900 --> 00:24:28,900 We none of us spoke, I don't think a single word, all the way back. 488 00:24:28,900 --> 00:24:39,900 And then the village, the hotel, and she was put to bed, alive, tired. 489 00:24:39,900 --> 00:24:43,900 It was only after that in the smoking room that I learned their names. 490 00:24:43,900 --> 00:24:46,900 His name was Gollum, Theodore Gollum. 491 00:24:46,900 --> 00:24:49,900 The woman upstairs, his wife, Hillary. 492 00:24:49,900 --> 00:24:54,900 And because he seemed to feel himself under some sort of obligation to me, 493 00:24:54,900 --> 00:25:01,900 I told him about myself, my climb, why. 494 00:25:01,900 --> 00:25:03,900 And when I finished, he said... 495 00:25:03,900 --> 00:25:06,900 Look here, I'm a doctor and I know about such things. 496 00:25:06,900 --> 00:25:10,900 Tell me, when you were making that last climb over the bough, 497 00:25:10,900 --> 00:25:14,900 did that numbness cramp you? Did you notice it? 498 00:25:14,900 --> 00:25:18,900 No. It had been there, but not the last ten minutes. 499 00:25:18,900 --> 00:25:20,900 And you were in action? 500 00:25:20,900 --> 00:25:21,900 Action? 501 00:25:21,900 --> 00:25:25,900 Yes, I mean doing something, something you're absorbed in, lost in. 502 00:25:25,900 --> 00:25:28,900 Yes, I see. 503 00:25:28,900 --> 00:25:31,900 That's the way it should be, you know. 504 00:25:31,900 --> 00:25:34,900 What you've got, numbness, that will stay with you, 505 00:25:34,900 --> 00:25:38,900 but does it matter quite as much as you thought? 506 00:25:38,900 --> 00:25:42,900 No, I don't think so. 507 00:25:42,900 --> 00:25:45,900 You won't try that sort of thing again? 508 00:25:45,900 --> 00:25:47,900 No. 509 00:25:47,900 --> 00:25:49,900 Then it's going to be all right? 510 00:25:49,900 --> 00:25:53,900 Yes. It's going to be all right. 511 00:25:53,900 --> 00:25:55,900 Suspense. 512 00:26:17,900 --> 00:26:19,900 Suspense. 513 00:26:19,900 --> 00:26:24,900 Presented by Auto Light, tonight's star, Mr. Herbert Marshall. 514 00:26:24,900 --> 00:26:27,900 This is Harlow Wilcox again, speaking for Auto Light. 515 00:26:27,900 --> 00:26:32,900 It's always good to welcome back our long-time friend, Herbert Marshall. 516 00:26:32,900 --> 00:26:34,900 But we enjoyed every minute of tonight's story. 517 00:26:34,900 --> 00:26:36,900 Thanks, Harlow. 518 00:26:36,900 --> 00:26:39,900 And may I compliment Auto Light for the excellent programs to come. 519 00:26:39,900 --> 00:26:42,900 Next week, Van Hefton in The Shot. 520 00:26:42,900 --> 00:26:46,900 And the following week, Jeff Chandler in an exciting story, 521 00:26:46,900 --> 00:26:48,900 My True Love's Hair. 522 00:26:48,900 --> 00:26:51,900 We can certainly depend on Auto Light for wonderful entertainment. 523 00:26:51,900 --> 00:26:54,900 And friends, the greatest names in industry depend on Auto Light 524 00:26:54,900 --> 00:27:00,900 for over 400 products for cars, trucks, tractors, planes and boats. 525 00:27:00,900 --> 00:27:04,900 In 28 plants from coast to coast, Auto Light makes such products 526 00:27:04,900 --> 00:27:06,900 as the famous Auto Light Staple batteries, 527 00:27:06,900 --> 00:27:09,900 ignition engineered Auto Light spark plugs, 528 00:27:09,900 --> 00:27:11,900 both standard and resistor types, 529 00:27:11,900 --> 00:27:14,900 Auto Light starting motors, generators, coils, distributors, 530 00:27:14,900 --> 00:27:17,900 voltage regulators, wire and battery cable, 531 00:27:17,900 --> 00:27:23,900 and Auto Light original service parts for all Auto Light electrical systems. 532 00:27:23,900 --> 00:27:28,900 So, from bumper to tail light, you're always right with Auto Light. 533 00:27:28,900 --> 00:27:36,900 Music 534 00:27:36,900 --> 00:27:40,900 Next week, the story of a duel, an incomplete duel, 535 00:27:40,900 --> 00:27:43,900 since one of its participants chose to wait 536 00:27:43,900 --> 00:27:47,900 and owe his adversary the shot. 537 00:27:47,900 --> 00:27:53,900 Our star, Mr. Van Hefton, that's next week on Suspense. 538 00:27:53,900 --> 00:28:02,900 Suspense 539 00:28:02,900 --> 00:28:06,900 C.E. Montague's action was adapted for Suspense by Anthony Ellis. 540 00:28:06,900 --> 00:28:09,900 Suspense is produced and directed by Elliot Lewis 541 00:28:09,900 --> 00:28:13,900 with music composed by Lucian Morawick and conducted by Lut Bluskin. 542 00:28:13,900 --> 00:28:18,900 Featured in the cast were Ellen Morgan, Marley Bear, Herb Butterfield, 543 00:28:18,900 --> 00:28:22,900 Richard Peel and Ben Wright. 544 00:28:22,900 --> 00:28:26,900 Herbert Marshall will soon be seen in Writers to the Stars, 545 00:28:26,900 --> 00:28:31,900 Ivan Tore's technical production for United Artists. 546 00:28:31,900 --> 00:28:37,900 And remember, next week, Mr. Van Hefton in The Shot. 547 00:28:37,900 --> 00:28:41,900 Music 548 00:28:41,900 --> 00:28:46,900 You can buy Auto Light resistor or standard type spark plugs, 549 00:28:46,900 --> 00:28:49,900 Auto Light electrical parts and Auto Light stay full batteries 550 00:28:49,900 --> 00:28:51,900 at your neighborhood Auto Light dealers. 551 00:28:51,900 --> 00:28:54,900 Switch to Auto Light. Good night. 552 00:28:54,900 --> 00:28:58,900 This week and every week is a good time to hire the handicapped. 553 00:28:58,900 --> 00:29:04,900 Surveys have proved that properly placed handicapped workers are steady and reliable. 554 00:29:04,900 --> 00:29:10,900 Consult your state employment service and hire the handicapped. 555 00:29:10,900 --> 00:29:13,900 This is the CBS Radio Network. 556 00:29:13,900 --> 00:29:38,900 Music