Dead Man Laughed

Signal gasoline. Let every traffic signal remind you, you do go farther with signal. Yes, you do go farther with signal. The Signal Oil Company and your neighborhood signal dealer bring you another curious story by the Whistler.

Tonight, the dead man laughs. I am the Whistler, and I know many things where I walk by night. I know many strange tales hidden in the hearts of men and women who stepped into the shadows.

Yes, I know the nameless terrors of which they dare not speak. That a man should laugh is not strange. That Henry Baker laughed, and under the circumstances was very strange. Or so the reporters seemed to think, but then they didn't know.

They had no idea of why Henry laughed, and so they didn't see the humor of the situation. But suppose we start back at the beginning, and perhaps it will be clearer. In the beginning there was Charles Finch.

Charles Finch, aging, gray, growing bald, with a pronounced bold at the gird. A man respected and admired in the community, president of a large construction company, successful or so it seemed. But it all started the day Charles Finch sat across the desk from his partner, Malcolm Guthrie, Big, Luff and Hard, and Charles said...

Guthrie, you can't do this to me, you can't! And as a word, you taught me never to use Finch. And I learned to listen well, I not only can, I'm doing it. In fact, I've done it.

I am now sole owner of the Finch and Guthrie construction company, and you're up. Completely. Malcolm, how can you do a thing like that? You know what this company means to me? I started it, I built it, made it successful.