THE KIDNAPPERS

Every day they read in the newspapers of the sordid details of the kidnapping. It was the time of the famed Lindbergh trials.

The story fascinated Margaret, and she talked of how the bad men had taken the little boy from his crib and then left a note asking the wealthy parents for a large sum of money. Of course the parents would have paid anything to have their baby back, but the kidnappers slit the child’s tiny fingers fingers and killed him anyhow, hastily hiding his body out in the country. The newspapers gave the child’s description.. Margaret said he must have been about the size of Jenny, and she measured her with a yardstick to find out. Yes, he was just just Jenny’s height. Though Jenny was about a year older, she was small for her age.

A cold wave of terror gripped Jenny as she thought of the beady eyed kidnappers lurking about with guns in their hands and handkerchiefs over their mouths, waiting to steal her away in their ugly black car.

As twilight crept over the land, Jenny stayed close to Mother, hanging on to her skirt.

Finally she inquired of Mother, “Will the kidnappers git me tonight?”

“Oh no,” Mother assured her. “They are far away from here. Besides, they only kidnap children of very rich people so they can get a lot of money. You don’t need to be afraid. They won’t ever come here.”

Jenny let go of Mother’s skirt and went to the window to peer bravely into the growing darkness. Her heart beat fast as she saw a shadowy figure approaching and heard a clink clank clink clank. Footsteps sounded on the porch and the door opened. In came Daddy with a pail full of milk.