Show I 1 i SHE SHE WANTED A HERO 1 By William L. L Roper i McCALEB smiled as KATHY Jimmy Ainsworth approached the booth in Johnsons Johnson's Drug Store where she sat sipping a soda Why Jimmy she exclaimed why so glum What's happened is the word Jimmy said morosely sitting down beside her Means color blind to red Chief Hanson just told me why they rejected my application for that spot on the police force Oh she said and Jimmy could see she was taking the news even harder than he had hoped she would Id counted so much on your getting that job Jimmy It would've been so much more glamorous and heroic than clerking clerk clerk- clerking ing in an old hardware store Jimmy flushed Cl Clerking isn't such a bad job Kathy Besides Ill I'll probably get a raise after the first of the year and we we- we Yes I know And its it's safe I Kathy said wistfully But Ive I've always al ways wanted to feel that my husband husband husband hus hus- band was a hero Kathy had finished her soda when a heavyset set man with a dark I mustache entered the store His right arm was suspended d in a sling sUng Kathy glanced at th the man and back to Jimmy Im going to o give you a little test of my own she said smiling What color is 3 that mans man's hair 1 Jimmy studied the man slate gray is it r No stupid its it's red Kathy laughed A rather peculiar red almost too dark for his pale com com- l lexion l Jimm Jimm- laughed Now youre you're playing laying detective I think that's why you wanted me to get that job on the force so you could play detective The stranger turned and stared in to jn their direction Kathy lower lowered d her voice No but Ive I've studied s cosmetology and know something of cf hair half Shad Shades s. s Is his mustache the same color ts LS his hair Jimmy asked Looks darker to me Its red too Almost the same thade Kathy took her compact from her bag and powdered her t nose Really Jimmy dont don't they look the same to you No they're distinctly different Jimmy replied Perhaps hes he's wearing a wig wigand wigand wigand and a false mustache and they dont don't match Kathy said Jokingly Very likely Jimmy grinned Kathy clapped her het hands excited ly iy Really That gives me an idea Here Jimmy read the paper while I make a phone call She shoved the morning paper across the table toward the surprised Jimmy and darted away A news story on the front page caught l his s eye It told about a drug drugstore drugstore drugstore store holdup in fn the nearby town of Carters Carter's Junction A stocky man carrying a gun concealed Ina In ina a sling on his right arm had held up the druggist and escaped with witha a supply of narcotics Jimmy glanced from the paper to the theman theman theman man standing in front of the prescription pre counter Sliding noiselessly from his seat Jimmy moved quietly toward the stranger In spite of his caution he brushed against a toothpaste exhibit causing the display to clatter to the floor With a startled exclamation the theman theman theman man spun around and Jimmy could see the automatic pointing at him from the arm arm sling Easy big boy the man warned Jimmy ducked and made madea a flying tackle There was a blinding blinding blind blind- ing flash as the gun roared The bullet zipped by Jimmys Jimmy's head Then Jimmy and the gunman were struggling on the floor Jimmy Jimmy Jim Jim- I my clawing desperately for tor the gun They were still locked in the deadly struggle when Chief Hanson Hanson Han Han- son and one of his men dashed into into in in- to the store I called them on a hunch when t you insisted this fellows fellow's mustache and hair were different in color Kathy told Jimmy after the handcuffs hand hand- handcuffs cuffs had clicked on the gunman's wrists But Jimmy timmy Ive I've changed my mind I dont don't want you to bea be bea a policeman after all Its It's too dan dan- d dan n- n |