Star Spangled Comics#25(1943)

The Newsboy Legion, joined by Jim Harper, have volunteered to help out at a farm during the labor shortage, as part of America's Victory Program. Through early morning until dinner time, the boys work hard, adjusting to farm life day by day quite easily. But trouble brews even in the countryside, in a small rustic cabin not too far away sit two scheming crooks, small-time robbers, who were tired of country living, wanted to see what the big city had to offer. First, though, they needed money just to get there... The following afternoon, after another hard day of work, the boys come across the pair of hoodlums near farmer Jones' house. Scrapper notices the cone-shaped objects the men were carrying, that Big Words identifies as beehives. Suddenly, the men start banging sticks against the hives, then disappear inside the house while the bees swarm. Something rotten was going on, but the boys couldn't get close to investigate without getting stung. They also don't notice the Guardian climbing in through a rear window, wearing a net over his face to protect him from the swarm. The two hoods inside are caught with Jones' money in their hands. The Guardian "helps" them take a seat, by pushing one of the crooks over a chair, then tossing the sofa at him. Outside, unaware of the events unfolding in the house, the boys gather leaves into a pile in to start a fire. The smoke breaks up the angry swarm, but when they enter the house, they find the Guardian on his knees coughing, with no sign of the other men. Unfortunately, the smoke provided the perfect cover for the crooks to get away. Gabby is more interested in what the Guardian was doing here, taking his presence as proof that he's Jim Harper! The Guardian responds that he's not particular about where he nabs a criminal, then turns Gabby's accusation around, saying how suspicious it was that he always finds the Newsboy Legion where he's working. At least it wasn't a total loss, the men forgot all about the money when they left, meaning they might hang out in the area to try and retrieve it later. Now, the Guardian makes his own escape while the boys search the house, to return to the fields as Jim Harper. Later in the evening, Jim takes the boys to see a movie in town, as a way to relax after a hard day's work. He pays attention to a small bank, noting it could be a tempting target for those small-time crooks. The theater is so packed that they all have to sit separately, giving him a chance to slip out. It is a picture that Jim knows pretty well, so if the boys ask him questions about it later, he's confident he could answer. He switches outfits to become the Guardian again, and runs down the street to the bank, if only to allay his suspicions. All seems normal at first glance, the bank is locked up tight, a harmless-looking hay-cart parked beside it. When he moves the cart, however, he discovered it was covering a gaping hole that had been cut into the side of the building! So it's not surprising when he finds the two hoods inside trying to steal a safe. They grab pitchforks and charge at the Guardian, who pivots and knocks them over. The police show up later to find the pair hanging by their pants on the pitchforks, ready to be shipped off to prison. Jim makes it back to the theater just in time. The movie ends and he is ready with his alibi as soon as Scrapper asks, talking about scenes from the film they had just watched, proving he never left his seat. Soon, their farm duties come to an end, with the boys feeling pretty good about themselves for helping provide more food for the nation during wartime. Meanwhile, the two criminals do their own kind of farm work, tilling the field in prison, though not with nearly as much enthusiasm.