My Cardboard Balcony

Jo's Sheriff Hat by Belinda Roddie Jo's sheriff hat looked quite authentic, and when she wore it through town, the boys would stop and stare, while she grinned and waved her right hand in a salute, imagining the "clop- clip-clop" of hooves as she pretended she was galloping toward a saloon. Her big and bearded father raised a brow as he followed his daughter, stains of the oil rig he worked at present on his shirt. The two of them were walking to a store where they sold costumes, and the sweet manager knew that Jo would want a shiny badge that day to go with her great hat. "Also, a vest," Jo said. "A sheriff's gotta look her best!"

"Dude! What happened?" "I don't know, man!" yelped Hazel, looking feverish as she jerked at the brim of her cap. "One minute, he was fine, the next he totally flipped out! It's crazy!" "Where is he?" I demanded. "Bedroom, second floor. He won't come out. And he keeps screaming at these random intervals - " A high-pitched, grating howl appropriately accompanied Hazel's declaration.