Trade Secret. In Manhattan, when two gunmen held up a candy store, one of them sidled up to Salesgirl Juanita Christian and murmured: "Don't be frightened. I'm just as scared as you are."

Platform Manner. In South Bend, Ind., to advertise Fire Prevention Week, Fire Captain Anthony Miller made a surprise visit to the Rotary Club by aerial ladder through the second floor window, spoke briefly on fire prevention, then leaped out the window into a rescue net.

Passionate Voyage. In Haverhill, Mass., Winfield E. Donahue was fined $100 for reckless driving after his girl friend told police that when she refused his marriage proposal, he replied: "O.K., you asked for it," and rammed a telephone pole.

Father's Day. In Cleveland, Mrs. Harriet Jones won a divorce after testifying that when she was about to have a baby, her husband dropped her off at the hospital emergency room, then hurried around the corner to have a date with a nurse.

Balance of Power. In Brooklyn, after his wife's job promotion at the blouse factory "went to her head," Thomas Brennan had her quickly demoted when he called on the factory owner, stuck a gun in his ribs, said: "Demote her or I'll blow your head off."

Depletion Allowance. In Washington, D.C., Marjabelle Young, on behalf of 25 models, wrote the Internal Revenue Bureau that, in time, "we will lose the value of our appeal" and urged a tax write-off for "exhaustion and wear and tear, including a reasonable allowance for obsolescence."

Slow Burn. In Evansville, Ind., after being treated at the hospital for a stab wound which he said his wife gave him, William Barrett went home, returned a few hours later with another stab wound, explained that his wife was "still angry."

Get Behind Me ... In London, judging the case of a man who had bought 5,600 black market American cigarettes, Chief Justice Lord Goddard was handed a pack for inspection, quickly returned them with the comment: "I am exposed to temptation."

Broader Field. In Kansas City, Mo., the Star ran this ad: "Wanted: healthy, rugged girl weighing over 300 Ibs. to be sawed in half by upcoming prestidigitator; have good act, but present partner is thin and sawing in half routine too short."

Highwayman. In Phoenix, Ariz., Leonard La Crosse complained to police that after he had been hit by a car, the motorist offered to drive him home, then robbed him en route.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.