Lum Hides Out

Originally Aired: January 8, 1940 Lum #241, "Lum Hides Out," Lum has fled from Little Rock after being questioned by government officials about operating an illegal post office and is now hiding in the feed room of the Jot 'Em Down store. As Abner checks on his frightened friend early one morning, he finds Lum has gone to desperate lengths to avoid capture, even cutting a hole through the floor to hide under the store itself. Jumpy and paranoid, Lum startles at every sound, convinced bloodhounds are on his trail and that government agents disguised as Chinamen, Indians, or bearded strangers might appear at any moment. He's grown a scruffy beard after shaving his mustache for disguise and has been scrounging for food in the dark, accidentally eating dog food in his hunger. Abner repeatedly urges Lum to give himself up, warning that staying hidden will only make things worse when he's eventually caught. But Lum, convinced the government has enough charges to send him to prison for life, refuses to surrender and fantasizes about fleeing across the border to Oklahoma or even Mexico. As the dragnet closes in around Pine Ridge, Lum faces an impossible choice between his deteriorating life as a fugitive and facing the consequences of his innocent mistake.