Battledore and Shuttlecock Page 8

Joseph’s mood swung from worried to relieved, then his temper settled in favor of mad. "I ought to beat you silly for that dumb stunt."

James Henry looked sheepish, "It worked."

After a moment of trying to hold it in, Joseph could not help himself; he broke out with a belly laugh. The young daredevil joined him.

"Your uncle is goin’ to blister our back sides!"

The police arrived. Ten uniformed men jumped out of three cars looking for trouble and found only a lingering stench.

"What’s all this?" A harried looking sergeant hollered.

"That’s the guy who just stuck up the Wells Fargo Bank," Joseph pointed at the fellow dripping spoiled oatmeal from his pants' pockets.

"We chased him down," he added.

"That so?"

Two of the policemen took charge of the holdup man from the garbage attendants; another cop rolled up his sleeve and poked around in the front of the roadster for the money.

"Well, I’ll be! If it isn't Shaky Bill Thomas," one of the men in blue whooped. "This laddie is wanted in three states for murder and armed robbery. A mean hombre, that’s for sure."

"What do you know?" The sergeant said, whistling. Then the veteran cop’s dumfounded expression returned to business, as he rapped out orders. "Murry, and you two there, move these squad cars and get this traffic unsnarled. You other two and Jones, get the gawkers pushed back away from here."