 The signal oil program The whistler that whistle is your signal for the signal oil program The whistler and the whistler and I know many things for I walk by night I know many strange tales hidden in the hearts of men and women who have stepped into the shadows Yes, I know the nameless terrors of which they Yes friends, it's time for the signal oil program the whistler rated by independent research the most popular West Coast program in radio history and Signal gasoline is tops to tops in quality It takes extra quality, you know to give you extra mileage and signal is the famous go farther gasoline So look for the signal circle sign in yellow and black that identifies friendly dealer-owned signal service station from Canada to Mexico And now the whistler strange story The two lives of Colby Fletcher There was a white fury inside the man at the wheel of the black sedan Feeding down the deserted highway from Port Rialto toward East River The tight grip on the wheel made Colby Fletcher's arms ache with fatigue He stared blankly at the white centerline of the highway Unreeling under the glare of his headlights Then he saw him a man walking ahead on the right shoulder of the road There was no pausing to consider no arguing with himself. The decision was automatic and instantaneous He glanced quickly in the rear view mirror. There was no one behind him He pulled lightly on the wheel angle the car off on the shoulder farther farther The man was close now. He gripped the wheel tighter. His foot went down on the accelerator Then with a split second ago the man on the road jumped Me just stunned. I have to finish him over the tire iron. Yeah, I'm glad you came by What's the matter over this way hit and run some guy right ahead of me in a yellow convertible didn't even slow down Is he you see hurt? I don't know. I was just looking for my first aid kit when you drove He's gonna be all right, he couldn't have been hit hard Look, I can take care of him now Why don't you go phone the highway patrol see if they can run down that yellow convertible? I couldn't be far. Okay. You sure there's a hospital in Port Rialdo. I'll have him there in 20 minutes What happened, how do you feel buddy? I Don't know yet He seemed to come right for me. Yeah, yeah, this fella saw me yellow convertible. Yeah, here. Let me help you What's your name, Mr. Morgan Tim Morgan, I'm okay I'm pretty lucky who sure are okay pal. I'll phone the highway patrol sure thing I'd still have a doc look me over if I were you Yes, I'm still in one piece That stupid jerk he could have killed me with almost like he was trying or he was probably drunk or something Oh, yeah, I sure appreciate what you've done. Don't forget it Where are you heading? Oh riverton. We got a place to stay No, well, you need some rest right now. Look, why don't I take you with me? I have a laboratory in east riverton spare card in it Often spend the night there myself. Well, I don't know You won't be any trouble Well, mister, I I guess I'm in no position to choose. It's a deal Yes, it's a deal colby not quite the kind you planned on when you deliberately tried to run down the man at the highway But close enough The important thing is that he's agreed to spend tonight on the cot in your laboratory at east riverton And you realize as you talk to him that the desperation that prompted your decision of the wheel wasn't from his place That here at long last you found the keystone for the arch you began to build so carefully months ago And as you chat with jim morgan driving along beside him in the night Your mind runs back over it all again back to early spring And the little informal meeting with your wife sincia's father and some of his friends On that afternoon the foundation of the arch was laid Yes, you remember that meeting very well how they listened to every word you said And that's about it gentlemen You may feel that it's because Ralph here my father-in-law has a great deal of faith in me Well, he's been very kind But I believe in this process It's become my life. It can and will work. We believe it can too my boy And I'm happy to tell you that mr. Adamson knows Frederick's and I have agreed to put up the money to get things started. Yes, that's right We're ready to back you to the tune of 15 000 dollars and purchase that abandoned warehouse out in east riverton It'll make a final effort. We're not businessmen colby, but if if ralph says you're okay, that's good Well, this is certainly good news There's a lot of work ahead of me the whole process for manufacturing artificial silk is still in the experimental stage But with a little lab where I can work all by myself. I know son and we're counting on you to come through for us Colby, yes I uh understand that the work is uh quite dangerous Yes, mr. Knowles it is I'm sure you're all happy that I'll be doing my experimenting across the bridge in east riverton I'll try not to waste time as soon as the lab is ready for me to start moving things in the work will get underway You smiled reassuringly into their eager gullible faces anxious for the return your experiments will bring You almost wish you could laugh openly at them Tell them your so-called secret formula for artificial silk is available to any qualified chemist But for the present you can't tell anyone colby not even Cynthia your wife Then a few weeks later as you arrive home Darling, I've got a wonderful dinner. How's it coming? Oh All right, I guess you'll be starting work next week won't you? Yeah, you don't seem very excited frankly. I'm not I don't want to sound dramatic or anything, but This business of synthesizing silk is Pretty dangerous Cynthia At one stage in the process the stuff's terribly explosive if if anything went wrong if I never told me that I didn't want to worry you See, I'm not concerned about myself you dear If anything happens don't even think it darling you've got to face these things If we could only afford some more insurance dear we have well not enough Cynthia You suppose you could speak to your father Well, I think it's up to him and his associates to provide proper protection for you after all it's their project Yes All right, dear one. Do you want me to speak to him? I start work Monday You better do it tomorrow Well, all I can say colby is that I'm impressed with the laboratory Highly impressed with my I'm glad you are out Thought you'd be glad to have a look now that I'm ready to get underway The rest of the backers are curious Not at all. Give them a full report after all it's their money. I can let them know at the luncheon meeting next week Oh I've got two bits handy. Oh, yeah Yeah, mr. Fletcher. Oh, Barney late tonight, aren't you add an inspection to it tonight Barney? Here you are Thanks. Is he keeping you busy Barney running back and forth to the laboratory? Yes, sir gotta be nice to him too And that flank is still over there. Mr. Fletcher's employees will just about get this old bridge paid for you know Okay, Barney. Good night. Good night, mr. Fletcher There's a man with vision. Yeah You know Ralph I decided that's what I need. Oh, what do you mean? In this kind of business a man has to look ahead Recognize a few facts. Huh? I tried to impress your friends with the Hazardous nature of these experiments. I hope that would be enough Apparently it isn't you mean about the insurance. Exactly since the imagineer to me told me how you felt and Well, we agreed with you. How far does that go? We'll be glad to Help finance some insurance for you Ralph I know I can speak frankly with you. Of course. I came here to riverton with Just enough to get by on the only thing I had Was a formula for synthesizing silk nothing more I'm a relatively poor man, but that shouldn't last long. The problem is now Ralph I'm going to undertake a series of Very hazardous experiments. I'm going to have to insist on the proper protection for synthia Frankly, I can't begin to afford it. How much is uh proper protection? $100,000 Does that seem unreasonable? It's a A lot of insurance. It's your project Ralph if I'm going to risk my life to make money for you It seems only fair that my boy. I realize that Kobe, but we can't pay for anything like that Kobe, I know you should have protection, but $100,000 they never go for it. Why the premium be all out of reason. I see Well, then I guess you'd better tell him I can't go ahead with the work Well, that's hardly fair and it's hardly fair to expect a man to undertake work like this with no protection for his wife Can't you see that Ralph? All I can see at the moment is Everett Adamson hitting the ceiling when I tell him you want a policy that large He'd never go for it. Then it's your choice Ralph You can tell him that I won't... Wait a minute. Let's not go off half cock Kobe. Well, really? I think I can go this far. I can arrange your temporary coverage Sanders of Edinburgh take it He'll cover you for accidental death for the next seven days Until I can bring it up with the others at the meeting next Wednesday for the full hundred thousand. Yes Effective tomorrow morning, then I'm fully covered for one hundred thousand dollars Until next Wednesday. That's right until next Wednesday The prologue of the two lives of Colby Fletcher the signal oil company is bringing you another strange story by the whistler But now I want to tell you a tale in which the villains were overage automobile tires And the victims were those unfortunate drivers whose holiday trips last weekend were spoiled by tire trouble Or by the kind of accidents that faulty tires can cause You know most of those sad endings could have been happy endings if those drivers had stopped by their signal service station and found out How little it would cost them to change to new lee tires For lee prices are down. But here's the important point lee quality is up With their patented double life rayon cord construction today's lees are 25 percent better than pre-war And remember for 45 years lee of concha hawken has made only the finest of first line tires So good in fact that 97 of the car owners using lee tires say they will buy lees again What's more your signal dealer can now arrange easy credit terms on new lee tires So preach yourself to a pleasant surprise Stop by your signal service station and find out what a generous trade in you can get for your dangerous worn out old tires When you change to new lee tires And now back to the whistler Almost over now colby the planning the promotion the salesmanship That went into that little laboratory across the bridge in east riverton And it's been a terrible strain Extending back over month for everything the reputation you carefully built the friends you cultivated Even your marriage to sincia was part of something bigger Something to do with the tragic death of a young scientist named colby fletcher in a laboratory explosion Of $100,000 in temporary insurance for a weeping widow whose tears At least until after she receives the money would be genuine And you know she'll go along when the time comes don't you colby? You know that then you can return to her that somehow she'll understand That the two of you can live your second life somewhere over the horizon But for the next seven days sincia must know nothing. It's safer that way I wish you'd have some more dinner there. I'm sorry Cynthia. I just don't seem to be hungry You're worrying me terribly now. Don't be that way though. I can't help it colby It's our work our future, but why am I left out of it? I want to help you colby. I want to feel I'm I've told you a hundred times why you can't there It's very dangerous and I don't want you around Can't you understand if you're in danger? I want to be in danger, too There's no life for me without you darling There'll be a time when When you can show how much you love me I can't say anymore now What do you mean? Let's not talk about it, but colby it isn't clear Never mind now. Let's not discuss it anymore. I'm very tired and I suppose I have no right to ask these things, but But I just want you to know it. It's because I love you very much I'm sorry darling. I shouldn't get annoyed. I'm just tired and worried and Come on. I think we'd better turn in Yes, that's all you can tell her now colby But you know sincia will stand by you when the time comes And it's not far off now You wish fervently that there was some way of postponing it knowing that now you face the most important problem of all That the arch is all but built that the next step is to slide the keystone into place And make the structure sound and complete time means everything now colby it has to happen fast It's a little before noon the next day when you arrive at the little town of port crealto 120 miles up the coast and stop at the newspaper office Yes, sir. Can I help you? Yes? I'd like to buy an ad in the classified section. I'll take care of it Here just write it out. Uh, perhaps you can word it better. I want to hire someone a man unattached Not over 30 pleasant work. Good south. What kind of work? I'm afraid it's a little involved. I'd prefer to explain it to each african All right. Now, what about your dress? I'll be conducting interviews here in town at the realto hotel on thursday and friday Realto hotel Interviews those days friday. Yeah. All right. Fine. I'll just figure this up and what's your name, sir mazley Walter mazley. All right. We'll have this ad in tomorrow on the next day. Mr. mazley. I'm sure you'll get results You hope he's right colby you have six days left Six days in which you're fully protected by the temporary insurance arrangements with sonders of ettenborough Six days until the matter is taken up in detail at the moment And you're afraid of what might happen when the discussion centers on your hundred thousand dollar policy You waste a trip to port realto on thursday. There's no response to the advertisement But friday is more encouraging Several applicants are waiting at the realto hotel where you're registered as walter mazley You interview them carefully one by one and we're to work for adam Any place near here? No, sir, but I've had a good deal of lab experience. I can get letters for you, mr. mazley Well, that shouldn't be necessary adam I think the only reason I quit and came to the west coast is because of an uncle near river an uncle Yes, sir Uncle's getting along and never mind adam's. I haven't time to discuss your relatives. I have other applicants waiting But I don't understand. I'm sorry adam's you won't do Four days now colby and to make matters even more trying since he is beginning to bear down But colby darling, how can you say you didn't leave your laboratory all day? Is there anything so amazing about that? As a matter of fact, there is I telephoned you today twice. You See here Cynthia. I don't want you calling me at the lab. I I did go out once for some materials. I guess that's when you tell me colby. Why are you making such an issue of them? There's every reason I might be in the middle of a delicate experiment. I can't afford to risk interruptions That's all a priest don't discuss it anymore darling. All right colby I won't call you anymore. If it's that important And it is important colby So important that you decide to take a step now that you've planned for the last minute It's going that way now. They seem to be moving in from all sides forcing your hand Particular reason why you want an unlisted telephone number? Naturally. There's a reason I'm working at my laboratory on some highly important Experiments and I can't risk being disturbed. All right, sir Please see that this telephone number is not given out under any circumstances to anyone Is that clear? Yes, mr. Fletcher. We'll take care of it When you make your last trip to portri alto there's only one day left before your temporary insurance expires You're still looking for the keystone to the art you haven't slept for night It's unbearably hot as you interview the little group of candidates at the realto hotel. You're edgy and nervous Then it comes at last colby. You've got it. He's about your age naive a little stupid and exactly right Well, that's it mr. Macy. That's all there is to recommend me not much. I'll admit no not much garner But I think you'll do well the fact that you haven't a reputation and experimental work simply means that you'll work harder to get one Oh, that's a very generous point of view. Why not at all? I was afraid when I told you I didn't even have a relative You could write to about me that I I wouldn't have a chance base value is good enough for me gone When can you start? Well, I haven't much to clear up here in town I could take a bus down to east river than tomorrow night. You don't have to do that. I'll pick you up Where you staying crescent motor car about seven o'clock. I'll be waiting Oh and in the meantime garner I'd prefer you didn't discuss this with anyone Our work has to be confidential for a while. I understand sir not a word Yes colby you've made a good choice a man who doesn't ask questions A man without friends no connections A man who can take your place in the little laboratory at east riverton So that his remains will be taken for yours after the explosion There's little left to arrange now on the way back you run over the final details in your mind You remain at the laboratory late that night working But not on the synthetic silk formulas. They all believe now colby The hours are spent in setting up the explosives which you've kept so carefully hidden You run the detonation wires to a spot behind your desk where it will be a simple matter to tie them to the telephone That's all colby until tomorrow night when you bring your new assistant garner onto the scene Driving home across the toll bridge you think about Cynthia and how she's going to react to it all Somehow you're not worried about it. She loves you doesn't she colby and you said just enough to her just enough There'll be a time when you When you can show how much you love me I can't say any more now Yes colby and Cynthia will show you prove that she loves you no matter what you do Even when you borrow a light The next night at exactly seven o'clock you keep your appointment in port real Crescent motor course evening. I'm looking for a man by the way Want a cabin mister? We got a vacancy. Oh no, I was to meet a chap who's staying here his name's garner garner Oh, you're mr. Maseley. That's right. Yeah garner went back to chicago got a call from some woman Yeah, that's why we got a vacancy gone All the rotten luck. Oh disappoint you. Did he Maseley boil some planes or something? Patient fairly think it was my fault And that's what brought it on wasn't it colby that white fury that gripped you as you sped back along the deserted highway from port realto The fury that made your decision for you when you saw the man walking ahead on the right shoulder of the road With no time left now with the feet staring you in the face You intended to kill him when you edged your car off the road Plan to take a dead man to your little laboratory and push your plan through regardless But the desperate move was the wise one wasn't it colby And the man you tried to run down and sitting beside you grateful because he thinks you saved the flight And because you've been kind enough to offer him a place to spend the night on the spare cot in the office Of your laboratory There's the place that's right Take the lonely spot to work. Oh, that isn't bad Ideal for my purpose nothing some sort of experiments, huh? Yeah, nothing serious more or less of a hobby Yeah, I'll open the door sure break for me I don't know where I've ended up tonight. No money no friends. Oh, you've got a friend Make yourself at home This is neat I tried to make it comfortable Cots over there You'll excuse me a minute. I'll just check the lab See if everything's all right and go right ahead, but I can tell you everything's all right with me Whistler will return in just a moment with the strange ending to tonight's story There's no mystery however to the story. I'm about to tell you The ever-increasing swing to signal Starting with just a handful of stations in southern california the signal organization has grown and grown year after year Until today dealer owned signal stations serve six western states from canada to mexico Obviously folks who have tried signal the famous go farther gasoline must like it Yes, they do like it and for good reasons Not only for signals famous mileage, but for the thing which makes that mileage possible The extra efficiency signal gasoline gets from your engine And remember extra engine efficiency means extra performance for your car extra driving pleasure for you That's why signal says if it's the tops in quality you want when you buy gasoline There are just two things to keep in mind One it takes extra quality to go farther And two Signal is the famous go farther gasoline And now back to the whistler So you've reached the most important point of all colby and the months of planning and promotion behind the little laboratory at east Riverton are about to bring you the new life You've always longed for the wealth and ease that will come with the insurance money Since you will receive when the laboratory and its only occupants are blown to bits He's in the other room now The man you picked up on the highway and there's only one thing left to be done Yes colby you know every move by heart as you tie the detonation wires into the telephone So that the first incoming call the call you plan to make in a few minutes after you leave Will set off the hidden explosive You give the last wire a final twist drop the pliers in your pocket and casually walk back into the other room She's all ship shaped. I hope you'll be very good. Wait a minute. What are you sorry? I lie here I guess I would have been cozy here, but I'm not staying that gun. What are you doing? I said, I'm sorry You've been awful nice to me, but I gotta keep what you don't need a gun. Take my car I wanted pal. Don't that mean anything to you? I'm wanted by the police. Don't you see a bit? I I'm gonna have to put you to sleep tie you up I don't like to do this All right, buddy Gotta look like a struggle You're too nice a guy to get mixed up helping a bum like me Cold bridge mister passing your car stupid. Oh sure sure just a second Hey, wait a minute. Hey larry. Yeah, come here. What's the matter funny better ask this guy He's driving coby Fletcher's car. What are you talking about this car's mine? Don't hand me that get out of there now You can do your explaining at headquarters I don't give a hang whether the numbers aren't listed or not operator I'm sorry, sir. How many times do I have to tell you? This is a police call Put me through to colby Fletcher at his laboratory very well and hurry it up. We got his car down here I'll ring the laboratory now Oh, what was that sounded like an explosion Operator, how are you doing on that call sir? There seems to be something wrong at the other end Let that whistle be your signal for the signal oil program the whistler each wednesday at this same time Brought to you by the signal oil company marketers of signal gasoline and motor oil and fine quality automotive accessories Signal has asked me to remind you to get the most driving pleasure drive at sensible speeds be courteous and obey traffic regulations It may save a life possibly your own Featured in tonight's story was eliot louis the whistle was produced by george w allen with story by joel malone and harrell swanton music by wilbur hatch Marvin miller speaking. This is cbs the columbia broadcasting system