Show THE DILEMMA FICTION ION to CORNER By Richard H H. H Wilkinson J As 71 S USUAL Basil came home on the It was after dark when he arrived in front of his house on 1 High street About in at the to turn M. M n t e Minute 3 3 gate gat e he stopped Fiction de dead a d still his eyes fastened on the automobile that was parked in front rant of the water hydrant at the curb A slow but rapidly mounting anger took hold of him The automobile was his and he knew that his wife had left it in front of the hydrant She had left it there despite his repeated warnings warnings warn warn- ings and threats and and promises Three times Pat Kearney th the officer on their beat had spoken to him about the misdemeanor Now Mr Valentine sur stir Ill I'll be a tag on that car of yourn 1 if you go an leave it before that hydrant once more Pats Pat's good will was valuable Besides Besides Be Be- sides Basil couldn't afford to be tagged Even a small fine would be sorely felt And so he had talked to Evelyn He had pointed out the Importance importance importance im im- Im- Im of obeying traffic regulations regulations regula regula- his inability to pay fines for her negligence the fact that Pat had spoken to him three times And she had promised Even though it was the most convenient place inthe Inthe in inthe the world to leave the car and she thought Pat Kearney was an old she promised to be more careful hereafter An Idea flashed across his mind Hed He'd move the car down 7 i c 1 c I X c j- j 4 tHe t He De felt feU on the ground found a fair sized stone and without hesitation crashed it against the window 1 town and Install it in a a. garage Then hed he'd tell Evelyn that Pat had tagged it and that because I he be couldn't pay the fine hed he'd left leU the machine at police headquarters head bead headquarters quarters for collateral That ought to teach her a thing thin or two Grimly he stepped to the curb and Inserted his duplicate key Into thedoor the thedoor door lock His rus anger was at a high level he gave the key a violent whIch twist twist which snapped it off of near the stem He felt a little panicky Somehow led hed have to move the machine from rom in front of the hydrant or it meant paying a fine It would take time Urne to fetch a pair of ot pliers or ox- call a garage mechanic And Pat wouldn't listen to explanations not explanations not alter after the third warning BASIL pASIL began to sweat There was IJ just one course open Hed He'd have to break a window reach in and unlock unlock un un- lock the door from the inside release release release re re- lease the handbrake and push the vehicle beyond the forbidden parkIng parking parking park park- ing area He hated to resort to such sucha a procedure because in the end It would cost him more than a fine Still that was better than having Pat Fat Kearney's ire aroused He felt on the ground found a aCair fair Cair sized stone and without hesitation tion Lion crashed it against the window The glass splintered but didn't break brcak He smacked it again and Inside there was a great shattering j Basil worked fast He released ed cd the handbrake quickly disembarked disembarked disembarked dis dis- dis- dis embarked and ran around back He fie put his shoulder against the spare tire and began to shove Th The car moved slowly Digging his heels into the ground Basil continued to heave with his shoulder Thus it was that his gaze came Into direct line with the li license U U. cense cease plate beneath the tail taillight light At first he noticed nothing unusual but gradually it dawned on him that something was wron wrong And then abruptly it struck him like Uke a bolt from the blue The license plate plata wasn't red and white but orange and black blackl Which meant that th the car that Basil was pushing wasn't his ils car at all alit Though it resembled his ils in every respect it belonged to ta some one elsel else s 's Basil straightened up There Thera wai wal alarm and guilt and fear in hii hIl eyes Without further thought on OD ODthe the he matter however he be started toward toward toward to to- ward his own gate But at the very moment he would have unhooked the he latch he heard a shout Someone Some Soma ono one had come out of Mark Terrence's Terrences Terrences Terrences Terrence's Ter Ter- I Iward rence's house and was racing toward to to- ward him and on the heel of ot toll thui nome lome one came Pat Kearney |