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Show 3 Sweet, 3 Easy Money BdJ By Richard H. Wilkinson tlfHEN a man's flat on his face financially speaking. I mean he'll take any kind of a job. That's my excuse for playing nursemaid to Julia Upton. Bodyguard that's what Moe Langdon, her producer called me. You see, there'd been a kidnapping scare 3U, and Julia was Minute right at the top Fiction "f -the heap that I year a tempt ing morsel for abductor.?, and Moe figured she needed looking after. Also, he fig-, fig-, ured the publicity wouldn't do her any harm. "After all," he grinned, "you were ail-American fullback, and when the public reads that you're riding herd over little Julia" "A swell friend you are!" I snapped. "My pal!" I stopped. He was still grinning, the grin that meant It was hopeless for me to argue. "How much will you pay?" "Two hundred bucks a week and wnat sweet, easy money." He was right, it was sweet, easy money providing a man didn't have any pride. I earned every dime of that 200 bucks. I wasn't used to being ordered around by a little chit of a redhead. "Tomorrow morning," she'd say, "we're going horseback riding. Be at the house at 9." Or: "Tonight the Keanes are giving a party." I guess my attitude must have ' shown how I felt. At any rate, Julia began taking a delight in putting me on the spot making me pose for pictures, making me attend afternoon teas where I'd be the only man present-stuff present-stuff like that. There came a time three weeks later when Julia wanted to go for a drive In the country. We drove toward to-ward Santa Barbara, were half way there when It flashed across my mind that she was due at the studio for a rehearsal at 3 o'clock, and at this rate she wouldn't be there. I told her she'd better turn around and head back. She said she was tired of rehearsals and said how did I expect to make her if she didn't want to go? "Like this," I said, and switched off the Ignition and pulled up the brake. She was furious. She wouldn't get out of the driver's seat. So I lifted her up In my arms, and it was such a swell opportunity I kissed her. She swore at me real cuss words and because I knew this would end my sweet, easy money Job I kissed her again, then plumped her down in the seat and got behind be-hind the wheel .... I DIDN'T bother to contact Moe. Instead I moved from my one room home Into an apartment, and the next day set out to find myself a job. I had expected the papers would be full of my discharge from Julia's employ, but they weren't. Not a word. And this got me to thinking that maybe she wasn't quite as bad as I thought. As a matter of fact, I got to thinking other things too mostly about Julia. Two weeks later Moe Langdon called me up. "Listen, you dub, Julia's been kidnapped and it's your fault. They want $50,000. It's got to be delivered to a rendezvous . . . ." "Tomorrow morning," she'd say, "we're going horseback riding. Be at the house at 9 o'clock." There was a guy waiting at the top of the pass when I got there. He grinned at me when I gave him the dough. "Where's" Julia?" I said. He Jerked a thumb over his shoulder. "Two miles back, In a cabin. Follow the trail." I ran all the way to the cabin. Julia was inside, bound and gagged. I didn't know the extent of my relief, re-lief, and apparently Julia didn't know hers. "I could have had you fired from your old job," she said, "just the way I made Moe Langdon hire you for my bodyguard. But I didn't want to. I wanted you to to satiate your old pride." "Wait a minute," I said. "How about this kidnapping business?" "It was your own fault," she said. "You you were sc stubborn. You wouldn't call me up. I had to do something." "Then it was a gag?" She didn't say anything. Just stared at me. Well, I thought, what's the use? I'm destined to look after this kid the rest of my life, and I might as well like it. |