OCR Text |
Show FICTION A CASE FOR THE KIDS CORNER By O. F. Lothrop SAM BROMLEY replaced the telephone tele-phone in its cradle with a slam and reached for his broad-brimmed felt. "I'm going out on this case myself," my-self," he told the office girt. "That's the third call in an hour about these explosions and 31 ... the deputies MinUtl don't seem to be Fiction dolng thing-I thing-I j The pavement Just blew up over a culvert and broke five windows in the Wright Hatchery near Sunville." He stomped out and got into his car. He had an uneasy feeling about these blasts and a very personal reason for investigating them himself. him-self. People in little towns all over the county had been calling for the last twenty-four hours. And his son, Tommy, was missing. "I thought the Rooshians had bombed us," old Ben Grubbs in Claremont had said. "Busted the sidewalk over the crick like eggshells." egg-shells." Sam drove to all the spots reported re-ported and Inspected the damage. Sidewalks heaved up, windows shattered, shat-tered, but not a clue. At the Sunville Hatchery he met his deputies. "What do you make of it, Sheriff? Could be Red sabotage, eh?" Sam shook his head. "Hoodlums, "Hood-lums, probably. Not any real damage done." But he didn't say what was in his mind that It could even be kids' pranks. He thought uneasily again of his own son, Tommy, and that crazy gang of his. Still, It didn't seem as if kids would go tbat "I thought the Rooshians had bombed us," old Ben Grubbs said. "Busted the sidewalk over the crick like eggshells." far. All day he drove around and at supper-time he went wearily home. Somehow the baked potatoes and ham didn't appeal to him. "Where's Tommy?" he demanded demand-ed of his wife. "He'll be coming later," Ida assured as-sured him. "He's all excited about these explosions. The fellows have been kidding him about his dad not stopping them. I'm sorry, Sam," she said, as he jumped up. "Where was he last night?" he persisted. "Out all hours!" "Oh, just around, as he says. Studying at Ted's and they stopped for a hamburger at Joe's place. 1 believe him, Sarn." BUT Sam put on his hat and went out. He had to know. At Joe's place he got out of the car and went in. "Tommy In here last night for a hamburger, Joe?" he asked. "Yep, he was, Sam," Joe answered. an-swered. Just then there was another an-other low boom and a thud. Sam made for the door. He tracked the sound by the crowd. And there he found Tommy and his gang hovering hover-ing over a hole in the bridge. As he came into the light, Sam saw dark rings around his son's eyes and smudges among the freckles. "I saw 'em, Dad. We've followed that old Jalopy till we saw them stop by this creek, and we slipped up and watched. It was that wild bunch from.Milville High. They had a great stunt balloons filled with gas. They light the kerosene-soaked string and then beat it. And by the time the string burns up to the balloon they can be miles away." Sam scratched his head sheepishly. sheepish-ly. "As simple as that, eh? Bui we'll soon have them in Jail U you've got the proof." Tommy looked thoughtful. "Oh, I have. But what those kids need Is something to do not Jail. There's nothing for kids to do around these little towns but think np deviltry for excitement. People ought to help plan something for them to do instead. I might have been one of them myself." Sam grinned. "I guess you're right at that. In fact, I thought that you might be in on it" "Me? Huhl I've been trailing them down because the fellows saic my dad was a no-good sheriff, and I knew better. I had to help." Sam smiled again. "Guess I bettei put you on as deputy. You had me worried. Maybe we've been goins at this whole business wrong-end-to I'll try your angle and see what we can do." |