The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1938-05-16

a criminal in prison anywhere who
will admit he is working out just
punishment. The way he tells it
he was framed. Or a mouthpiece
fell down on him. Or a vengefu
COP had it in for him. Or it was
ali Just a big misunderstanding.
Jimmie Spell was cut on the
bias. You couldn't meet a nicer
fellow than Jimmie He was short
thin and affable. His smile made
you want to do things for him and
his voice could charm a bird off
a limb. Given a little more brain
power and Jimmie would have
made wonderful bond salesman.
Even with what he had he could
have sold fans to Eskimos. That
is why he did so well as an attend
ant at a gas station.
JIMMIE HAS "IT"
People came for miles around to
get their gas and oil from Cat
trell'S. the place where Jimmie
worked. They would ride miles out
of their way just to say Hello" to
him.
Good morning, Mrs. Linders,"
Jimmie would say. How much
this morning?
Five gallons, Jimmie" with a
shipper. "Oh, you may as well fill
it up. It will be seven or eight, I
believe"
Right. How is Johnnie getting
along at school? Did he get out OF
that trouble with the teacher? The
thing that's wrong about teachers,
Mrs. Linders, is they don't under
stand kids. To teacher, a kid is
not a kid. He is a job, something
to make a living out Of. I think I
would have turned out as fine a
understand kids"
He would have at that. Only he
would have turned out as fine a
mess of crooks as Fagin. If you
see anything you like, take it,"
Jimmie thought. Ownership is just
a lucky accident. So get lucky"
He'd be thinking this even as he
looked at Mrs. Linder's diamond
engagement ring while saying:
Eight it was, Mrs. Linders.
Thank you. Just the right change.
Hope you have eight gallons OF
pleasure. So long, Mrs. Linders. )"
It seems that a Mr.. Belcher, a
total stranger to Jimmie, drove his
car in and told him to fill her up
with gas. 1t took ten gallons and
Mr.. Belcher pulled his wallet from
his pocket and extracted a ten
dollar bill with which to pay for
it. Jimmie brought him back the
change and Mr.. Belcher stuffed
the wallet back in his pocket-or
thought he did. The wallet didn't
quite make it. It slipped out from
under his coat and hit the concrete
of the service stations yard.
INCONSISTENCIES
So Mr.. Belcher drove away and
Jimmie picked up the wallet with
q great show of having just discoV-
cred it lying there, in case any
body was looking. Nobody was and
Jimmie carried it into the office
and examined its contents. There
was $128 in bills of all denomina-
tons ranging from rs to 2O'S and
there were cards and addresses, a
drivers and an automobile license
and various odds and ends which
didn't interest Jimmie at all.
He stuffed the wallet in his own
pocket with the surprising thought
that maybe Mr.. Belcher wouldn't
know where he had lost 1t and
Jimmie could keep it.
But his intelligence told him
that Mr.. Belcher probably would
remember just where he dropped
the wallet. He would be back in
an hour or so to ask Jimmie If he
had seen it. And Jimmie was go
ing to tell him he had and hand
lit back to him. But meanwhile, he
was going to extract $40 bill.
Now the reasoning by which he
came to the act of lifting of the
twenty was logical. It sounded all
right to him. Mr.. Belcher wouldn't
be sure about losing the twenty.
Finding it gone, he would go over
in his mind all the places he might
have spent it. And when he
couldn't remember any place at
which he had given 1t out, he
would think he had misplaced it
or he hadn't had it at all and he
was getting Screwy.
You can see how false that rea-
Soning was.
Mr.. Belcher came back inside of
an hour and Jimmie with a glad
smile handed the wallet to him.
Mr.. Belcher revealed what sus-
picious character he had when he
opened the wallet on the spot and
counted his money. OF course, he
Immediately told Jimmie that the
twenty was missing.
Jimmie, with a fine show Of
slowly rising irritation, told him