To his surprise the Doctor went off into a peal of laughter. Kid looked and stared. Of course the laughter was ironic, but it didn’t sound so. Was it possible that the Doctor was going to view the affair in its humorous aspect? Kid found courage to grin faintly.
“Won’t ever do it again, eh?” chuckled the Doctor finally. “Well, I guess that is so. You probably will never have the chance, James.”
Kid’s heart stopped beating for an instant. Expelled! He was to be sent home! What would his father say? And his mother? The tears began to creep up toward his eyes; he felt them coming. And he didn’t care!
“No, one doesn’t have an opportunity to do a thing like that more than once, James,” went on the Doctor, smiling that peculiar smile. “In fact, James, a good many of us never have the chance to be a hero even once. Or perhaps we see the chance and miss it, eh?”
Kid stared bewilderedly.
“I suppose your modesty kept you from speaking of the incident, James? Well, modesty is very becoming in a hero, my boy. And if I am to judge by what the paper tells me you were undoubtedly a hero. How does it feel to be a hero, James?”
Kid’s mouth was wide open but no sound came from it.
“Embarrassing, is it?” the Doctor laughed. “Well, I’ll spare your blushes. Maybe, though, you’d like to see what the Standard has to say about you?” The Doctor picked the paper from the corner of the desk and held it out. Kid took it mechanically and his eyes followed the direction of the Doctor’s finger. But for a moment he saw nothing. Then, quite suddenly, the black type leaped at him and he was reading the headlines:
BOY HERO SAVES MANY LIVES
JAMES FAIRCHILD FINDS LANDSLIDE
ON TRACK AND SIGNALS EXPRESS