 Box 13, with the star of Paramount Pictures, Alan Ladd as Dan Holiday. Dear Dan, I'm inviting you up to Faroaks to spend the last weekend with me. Forget your Box 13 gag for a while and grab yourself a little vacation. There's not much I can offer in the way of excitement or adventure. But if you'll really go any place or do anything, you might like to see the crumbling grandeur of the last weekend. Here's the last of the Kenworths. You know how to get there and I'll be waiting. How about it? Ten. Vacation, the man said. You know, someday I'm really going to take a vacation. But this wasn't it. Go back to Box 13 and Dan Holiday's newest adventure, Last Will and Nursery Rhyme. I think you should go, Mr. Holiday. You need a rest. Oh, Susie, every time I go for a rest, something happens to me. But what can happen at a nice, quiet place like Faroaks? Gee, from what your friend Ted says about it, it's just a spot to take it easy. You sure of that, huh? Uh-huh. While you'll come back all full of vim and vinegar. Okay, Susie, you talk me into it. Ford my mail to Faroaks, care of Ted Kenworth. It was pleasant, a 200-mile drive through the countryside. I was forgetting all about Box 13. It chased after me all the way up to Faroaks. I got there in the evening and Ted was waiting for me. Maybe I should explain Ted and Faroaks. You see, Ted was my closest friend at college, and he had inherited Faroaks. One of those big, overdone houses people were found in the 1890s. It looked like an insane wedding cake, gingerbread balconies, all running around and contributing nothing to the architectural value of the place. Anyway, I parked on the drive, walked up the stairs with Ted and into the house. Oh, I'm glad you came, Dan. I've been wanting to have you up here for a long time, but I guess I never got around to it. Hey, what do you do for space here? Suppose you have a house full of guests, and you've only got 20 rooms. Yeah. Well, don't worry, I won't have it long. What do you mean? Come on in here. It's the only room with chairs. Hey, why the crepe hanging? Oh, I'm selling, Dan. Selling? Oh, but you're kidding. No, I wish I was kidding, but I can't keep this place up. You broke? Flattered in last week's pancakes. Well, but I thought you inherited a lot of money... Money from Uncle Thaddeus? No. Not a thin, round dime. Oh, now, wait a minute. He had a thousand bucks for every breath he took. Did he? I'm asking. I'm telling. No, Dan. All he left me was this house. Are you sure? There we go again. Look, fella, I've been asked that question a million times. All he left was the house. It doesn't seem right. Wasn't he a millionaire? Uh-huh. Then where's his money? Gone. Finished. Caput. But look, where could a guy like your Uncle Thaddeus spend all of his money? That's the gold-plated question. He never spent a nickel if he could help it. Okay, then the money's still with us. Dan, you kill me. You're so tied up with fiction that you look for a deep, dark plot and everything. But this makes no sense. It does when you check and find out that Uncle Thaddeus lived the last five years on credit. Credit? You mean with all of his dough? Ah, that's right. Well, there must be a record of the money. I had help looking for it. Help? Who? Uncle Sam. Income tax. Inheritance tax. If they couldn't find the dough, how could I? No, Dan. Uncle Thaddeus fooled everybody. He didn't have a nickel. Well, it sounded offbeat to me. Uncle Thaddeus lived close to his best. And he had had money at one time. Lots of it. He never went anyplace, did anything. But our cool three million or so just curls up and evaporates. Or did it? Anyway, I thought about it later that night. Oh, why don't you stop, Dan? You're supposed to take a vacation and you're beating your brains out. Now listen, put it together and what have you got? Uncle Thaddeus, practically a hermit. He's known to have money, but when he dies, all he leaves is this, well, this oversized lean tube. Dan, I've looked through the whole house. It looked like the back of my hand. I lived here when I was a kid after mother and dad died. What about the will? Uncle's? Yeah. Well, nothing about money in it. Oh, excuse me, Thad. Oh, it's okay. Come on in, Helen. I didn't knock or ring the bell. I didn't know you had company. Oh, it's all right. Helen, this is Dan Holliday. Dan, this is Helen Stark. How are you? Fine, thanks. Uh, Helen's clearing out odds and ends for me, Dan. Odds and ends? Well, I was Thaddeus Kenworth's secretary. That is once in a while I was. When he got behind in cataloging books, I came in and did it for him. Come on, Helen, join the wake. Well, I haven't much time. I want to sort out some papers. You can look them over tomorrow, Thad. I don't want to. Throw them out. What papers? Mr. Kenworth kept everything. Yeah, he collected bills, receipts, pieces of twine, bits of paper. Well, he wasn't that bad. Okay, just like to keep things. Including money. Yeah. What do you mean, Mr. Holliday? Where's his money? Well, he didn't leave any. That's what the man said. But he didn't, did he, Thad? No. Then where is it? Helen, let me explain. You see, Mr. Holliday has a complex. To him, the simple act of taking a drink of water is filled with mystery and dark meaning. What a bar, my cloaking dagger. Well, you two argue about it. I'll be all finished tomorrow, Thad. You can look over everything. See you later, Mr. Holliday. Oh, good. Nice girl. Uh-huh. It's a matter, don't you like her? No, I just met her. What do you want me to do? Start sending orchids? Hey, come on. Let's take a walk, huh? Uh, I'd rather go over the house. Oh, you're kidding. Why? Oh, just to take a look. Expect to find a million tucked away in an old pillowcase? You never can tell, boy. Come on. Just to satisfy my curiosity. Okay, I satisfied my curiosity. Thad knew the old place backward and forward. Almost all of the furniture had been cleared out. And if there was a hiding place for anything, we'd have found it. But it still bothered me. It bothered me after I finally went to bed. In the middle of the night, somebody was taking a walk in the house. I got out of bed, opened my door, and went to Thad's room. Thad. Thad, wake up. Huh? Huh? What's the matter? Oh, Dan. Be quiet. What's the matter with you? You walking in your sleep? I heard someone upstairs. Oh, large mice. Go back to bed. I tell you, I heard someone walking around. What's directly above my room? Your room? Yeah. Boy, this that old room I played in when I was a kid. What's in there? Oh, cut it out, will you, Dan? What's in that room? Nothing. You saw it. A truck with some old toys in it. That's all. I heard someone walking around up there. Ah, you were dreaming. You've got your head so crammed full. That's a car. Huh? Yeah, so what? But you and I are the only ones in the house. That's what I said. But someone just drove away from here. That car was on the road, not on the grounds here. Drove away from here. All right, it drove away from here. Now go back to sleep. The next dream you have, tell Freud, not me. I knew I'd heard someone upstairs. Somebody was going through that old room which Ted had used as a playroom when he was a kid. But why? Ted and I had gone through it with a fine tooth comb and there was nothing there. But the next morning I wanted a better look, so Ted and I went back. I don't know why I'm doing this except to humor you, Dan. There's nothing in this room. Hey, how old is that horn? I don't know. Maybe 20 years. Oh, get this. Uncle Faddy has never threw away a thing. Not even his money. Oh, still harping on that, huh? Yeah. Hey, uh, what else is in that trunk? Oh, baseball glove, dust, ball, bat. Gosh, this rabbit's almost as old as I am. Then let's see, tops, strings. That's all. And there's nothing else in the room? Nope. Yet someone was up here last night looking for something. Oh, Dan, stop it. What's the matter? Nothing. Nothing, I guess. Come on, come on, come on. What are you going to say? Wait a minute. Lose something? I don't know. Why don't you know? Seems to me there's something missing from this bunch of junk. What? I can't remember. But there's one thing. Toy, horn, train. No, no, no. Those things are all here. Then what's missing? Come on, Ted, think. Oh, but it's more than 20 years ago. 25 is more like it. Yet you know something's missing. I don't know. It's just that something hit me, you know, like a name you try to remember or a place or a date. All right. What? I don't know, Dan. I can't remember it. Morning. Good morning. Oh, hiya, Mr. Wilson. Come on in. Second childhood theater, playing with toys again. Just rummaging around. Dan, this is Martin Wilson, Uncle's attorney. Mr. Wilson, Dan Holliday. How do you do? Well, Theodore, the papers are all ready for the sale. You can sign them anytime. Oh, good. I'd be glad to get it off my mind. But I kind of hate to see the whole place go. Yes, yes, indeed. Staying long, Mr. Holliday. No, just the weekend. Were you looking for something, Theodore? Huh? Oh, no, not in particular. Well, when you're ready, we'll sign the papers. Oh, excuse me, Mr. Wilson, but could I take a look at the will? Will? What will? Thaddeus Kenworth. What for? Dan's a writer, Mr. Wilson. He's writing now. But could I look at it? That will be up to Theodore. How about it, Thad? And when you've looked at it? I don't know. I don't know. Is this the only will? Of course. It's the only one I've been able to locate. Well, Dan, what'd you find? Just the house and all that's in it. What? And I said this clause states you to receive the house and all that's in it. Is there something curious in that, Mr. Holiday? Maybe. Hmm. Here's a clause that strikes me as being peculiar. Which one's that? Oh, listen. The happiest days of all of our lives are those spent in innocence. If you would become happy, Theodore, then remember your childhood and those things that were dear to you. Yeah. Maybe the old boy was right. Do you read any odd meaning into that, Mr. Holiday? Hmm. Do you? Old Thad was a peculiar man. A very peculiar person. He had streaks and quirks. And one of them was getting rid of a fortune in time to keep anyone else from enjoying. Maybe he thought people should work for their money. What are you getting sore about, Mr. Wilson? I'm not. I'm not. Well, if you're quite finished with this will, Mr. Holiday. Oh, yes, I am. Thanks. All right. We'd better get the business of signing the papers over with Theodore. Can't make a buyer wait forever, you know? Hi, everyone. Oh, hi, Helen. What is this? Why all the grim looks? Nothing. I'll be finished today, Ted. Then you can look over everything. Oh, thanks. Oh, Ted, want to go for a walk? Hmm? Oh, oh, sure. Uh, excuse me. Of course. I'll finish my work in here, Helen. I won't disturb you, will I? No, not at all. I'll work in the library. What's the matter, Dan? I... I was just thinking. About what? I'm sure I heard someone in that room last night, Ted. The room you used as a playroom when you were a kid. Now... Now what? That sentence in the will about your childhood. Remember it if you want to be happy. Oh, look. Uncle, that was a little... well, eccentric. Maybe, but it ties in the playroom, your childhood, someone looking for something, and you're feeling something was missing from that old truncate. Ted, Ted. You all right? Yeah. But, Jenny, give me that push. I don't know. That coping stone would have nailed you. It fell off of the roof. Yeah. Hey, I guess it's about time to get rid of the place. It's falling apart. That stone didn't fall, Ted. It was pushed off. Now back to Last Will and Nursery Rhyme, another Box 13 adventure with Alan Land Ted and I went to the roof, saw the marks made when the stone had been shoved forward, and it was meant to put the lights out for him. Why? That's what I want to know. Why? Because there's something in this house someone wants to get and keep you from getting. You know, you're almost making me believe this. You've got to. And you've got to think what's missing from that old truncate. I've tried, Dan. I can't. There was nothing in it, but toys. That's all. Yet you say they're all there. Well, I think so. Now, wait a minute. Just logically, there were trains, bats, baseball, mitt, mechanical toys, things like that. What are you getting at? Well, this. You wouldn't have missed another of those things, so the thing that's missing must be different from those. Different enough to make you realize it's gone. Yeah. You're beginning to make sense. Now, you try making some. Oh, Dan, I can't. Great. Look, but either Helen or Wilson know. Know what? Oh, the thing that's missing? Uh-huh. Oh, maybe. Both Wilson and Helen were in the house when that stone almost put apart in your hair. Yeah. Either one could have shoved it off. It wasn't too big or too heavy. Yeah, but why kill me? Because the key to this whole business is in your head. As soon as you remember what's missing from the truncate, you'll have it. And both Helen and Wilson have keys to this place. And therefore, either one could have come into the house the night I heard the prowling in the playroom. All right. Where do we start now? We tried to find what was taken. But we didn't. Whoever had it had taken it away. And two hours of pounding at Ted didn't help. He just couldn't remember what it was. Okay. I had an idea and told Ted. Hey, do you mean that? Yes. You follow Wilson when he leaves, and I'll follow Helen. Oh, I don't know. Look, it's our only chance. Come right out and accuse either one. And that'll be the end. We've got to do it this way, Ted. All right. Wait. Oh, there you are, Theodore. Oh, hello. Holiday, how are you? Fine, thank you. Good, good. Well, Theodore, it's all settled. You're getting a good price for this place. But you'll have to leave day after tomorrow. What? The terms of the sale. Buy a once immediate occupancy. Or put it off. What for? Just put it off. Look here, I sold this place for you, Theodore. Got a fine price. Yeah, but I didn't know I'd have to leave right away. You should have read the terms of the sale. Well, I've got to be going now. Other things to take care of. Other things. How do you like that? I've got to get out. Okay, that gives us less time. Now, you follow him. See what he does, where he goes, anything. I'll do the same with Helen. Helen didn't leave until that afternoon. I let her get a start and drove after her. She didn't stop in the village. I kept going into town about 20 miles farther. I kept a safe distance behind. Then, in the town, stopped her car, got out. And so did I. And so far, this was a blind chase. Then she went into a store. And on the window was children's toys and books. Toys and books. Children's. I, uh, I edged up to the window and looked in. Helen was talking with a clerk and she had something in her hand. And from where I stood, it looked like one of those linen-covered kids' books. Then I saw the clerk go to a shop of books and look them over. Helen followed her. The clerk shook her head. Helen turned to leave and I ducked to keep out of sight. Helen went to every toy shop in town, but every place she got the same answers. She shook her head. Okay. So it was Helen who had taken a missing item from the trunk. And it was a kid's book. But why? And what was in that book? It was dark when she finally headed back to the village of Faroaks. She didn't know it, but she was going to get company that night. Well, hello there, Mr. Holliday. Dan sounds better. What's up, Mrs. Helen? I, uh, I was just in the village, thought I'd drop in and say hello. I'm glad you did, Dan. Sit down, won't you? Oh, thank you. I'll finish at the house? Yeah. Oh, things weren't a mess. Thaddeus Kenworth kept everything under the sun. Yes. Including a secret. Secret what secret? Oh, just any secret. I wonder what he did with his money. Oh, I don't think he had any. I believe he was an old fraud. Well, he lived the last five years of his life on credit. Uh-huh. And there must have been a good reason for everyone extending credit to him. Well, he was an institution around here. Everybody humid him. Well, maybe. Why maybe? Did you know him? No, but tradesmen wouldn't extend credit for five years without expecting to get their money. I don't know anything about that. I'm sure you do. What? How was your trip into town today, Helen? Pleasant? Profitable? You're an odd person, Mr. Holliday. Uh-uh-uh, the name's Dan, remember? All right. You're still an odd person. You didn't find what you were looking for, did you? Was I looking for something? All right, Helen, let's quit shadowboxing. You went into every toy shop in town that... Was that a crime? Oh, no. No, not at all. But shoving a stone off of a roof might be called one. What does that remark mean? Helen, I want what you took from the playroom at the house. Well, I didn't take anything. Oh, yes, you did. And among Uncle Thaddeus's papers, you must have seen a letter telling Thaddeus to look in that trunk for a clue. Some sort of a book. Well, you're crazy. But it's fun. Now, hand it over, Helen. I told you I didn't take anything. Listen, that stone just missed killing Thaddeus. Well, it... And anyone who wants to kill someone has a strong motive. But sure... It was just an accident. I leaned on the stone and... Oh, sure, sure, sure. But how will it look if we put two and two together, the stone and the stolen book? I want it, Helen. Something funny? All right, you can have it. But it won't do you any more good than it did me. Now, get out of here. Oh, the lady's armed. I'll kill you. Go right ahead. Stop there. Must be a lot of money to make you attempt a murder and threaten another. I want that book, Helen. Now! You stay away from me! Go! Take it easy now. I'll take the gun with me. And the book. It was an old book of nursery rhymes. The kind kids look at hour after hour. I took it back to Thaddeus and told him what had happened. Helen? But... But why? Why? For what I've been harping on since I've been here, your uncle's money. And this book is the clue. Yeah, I remember it now. That's what was missing from the trunk. Sure. Look, Thaddeus, Helen went through your uncle's papers and found something. I would have sworn it was Laura Wilson. It's something Helen was counting on, but I ruled him out. Why? Well, when I first saw the will, I noticed it had been drawn up by another firm of attorneys. If you remember, Wilson even admitted he had to hunt for it. Then Helen must have found the letter telling you to look for this book. Yeah, but there's nothing but nursery rhymes. We've been through it a dozen times, and there's not a mark or a piece of paper in it. Yes, I know, but we've got it. Yeah, we've got it. And I've got to get out of here. You've got to figure this out before you leave. Once you're out of here, you'll have as much chance of finding that money as... Yeah, I know. But... Come on, come on, come on. Now, let's look through it again. See anything? No. Well, I'll keep looking. Wait a minute. What's the matter? Go back. What did you see? I didn't see anything. It was something I didn't see. Oh, Dan, you're crazy. Look, Dan, look. Each rhyme is numbered. One, two, three, four, then six. Number five is missing. Hey, you're right. Helen took it. No, no, no, she didn't. What? Of course she didn't. That's why she was trying to buy another one like it. But she couldn't. It's too old. All right. Number five is missing. What was it? Oh, hey, I can't remember that. Yes, you can. Now, look. Number one, little Miss Muffet. Yeah. Number two, simple Simon. Three, sing a song of six pence. Four, three blind mice. Wait a minute. Wait. Mice. Mice. No, no, no. That one's here. No, no. Not hickory dickory dock. The mouse ran up the clock. It's not there. And I know it was. Your uncle took it out rather than market. He took it out to make it tough for you. Yeah, but why that one? I... Ted, in the hall, that grandfather's clock. Yeah. I used to watch it for hours when I was a kid. Well, come on. Hey, Dan, you're terrific. Okay. Here's the clock, but it stopped. I tried to wind it the other day, but it wouldn't go. Now, listen, the rest of the rhyme. The clock struck one. One. One o'clock. This clock stopped at six. Now, what'll happen when we turn the hands until they get to one? Well, don't just stand there, boy. Do it. Okay. Seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve, easy, one. Look, the face came open. Hey, there's a letter. Well, get it out and read it. Yeah, yeah, read it. My dear nephew, since you've figured this out, I must assume you've learned that money is to be earned, not come by easily. All right, go to the sundial in the garden. Turn the indicator until it points to twelve. You'll then be able to lift the face of the dial. In the column, you'll find negotiable bonds and securities. You'll... Dan. Dan, I... I know. You love me. Did you have a nice time, Mr. Holliday? Great, Susie. Great. Do I look rested? Well, not exactly. That's what I thought. Oh, maybe you won't want to go to the party tonight, then. What party? Well, we're all starting from the city hall. Starting from the city hall? Why? Oh, it's a treasure hunt. It'll be loads of fun. Oh, Susie, how do you manage it? Good night. Next week, same time through the courtesy of Paramount Pictures, Alan Ladd stars as Dan Holliday in Box 13. Box 13 is directed by Richard Sanville, with an original story by Russell Hughes. Original music is composed and conducted by Rudy Schrager. The part of Susie is played by Sylvia Picker. Production is supervised by Vern Carstensen. This is a Mayfair production from Hollywood. Watch for Alan Ladd in his latest Paramount Picture.