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Show Cache CacheBy SecretCache SecretCacheBy Secret By Maude NormanWNU Norman WNU Fentur FeaturesMa featurf Features featurfMa . Ma Mn Fergerson hurried In from trom the thekitchen th thekitchen @ kitchen at the first sound of the thephone thephone thephone phone She felt guilty everytime everytlme she shethought shethought shethought thought of the extra expense it en entailed entailed entailed tailed but shucksl shucks ! She knew Ralph Ralphfelt Ralphfelt Ralphfelt felt better knowing she had It and andshe andshe andshe . she had been glad many times he hehad hebad had Insisted on having It put in be ho before hofore before fore he went overseas She did not notfecI notfeel notfeel fecI feel so alone and cut off from trom every everyone everyone everyone everyoneAn one oneAn An excited voice came over o\cr o cr o'er oer \ ' the thewire thewire thewire wire as she put the receiver to her herear herear herear herearHello ear earHello Hello Ma Fergerson this Is Bill BillPaige BillPaige BillPalge Paige Now don t get frlghtcned frightened frlghtcnedbut frightenedbut frightenedbut but be sure and lock all your doors doorsand doorsand doorsand and windows wmdo\\s wmdo s \ Two ol of the prisoners prisonershave prisonershave prisonershave have escaped escapcd from the thc pemtenuary penitentiary pemtenuaryand penitentiaryand penitentiaryand and the police think thmk they aro are headed headedthis headedthis headedthis this way Don t answer the door 11 if 11anyone ifanyone ifanyone anyone conies comes until you find out who whoit whoit whoit it is One of the boys from trom the viI viIlage viilage villags lage is coming to stay with you youuntil youuntil youuntil until they re caughtThe caughtThe caught caughtThe The obese bulldog Jel'erson Jelerson Jel'ersonblInked Je Jeffersonblinked { ' erson ersonblinked clamblired blInked his eyes then clamb clambbred red to tol tohis tohi l his . feet growlingLand growlingLand growling growlingLand Land s a sake Jefferson now nowdon nowdon nowdon don t you start making makmg a fuss fussHer fussHer fussHer Her breath caught in her throat asT as T * $ ) ev 1 it fill r . . i What do y > ) ou want here ? I Ihae Ihate Ihac II I ha\e ha e hate % \ nothing for you ' a man appeared appcared In the doorway a\tall a tall al altall altall \ tall man with a bleak grey face faceBehind faceBehind faceBehind faceI I Behind him stood another manJefferson manJefferson man Jefferson s hoarse growls filled filledthe filledthe filledthe the room as he crouched to sprmg spring sprmgThe springThe springThe The second man advanced toward towardhim towardhim towardhim him seizing the heavy iron poker pokeras as he passed the stoveMa stoveMa stove Ma seized the dog around the neck neckand neckand neckland and held him tightlyDon tightlyDon tightly tightlyDon Don t you dare tightlyI hurt him she shecrIed shecried shecried I crIed ' "he he 'he be " s only trying trYmg to protect protectme protectme protectme me You she turned to the firstman firstlman firstl man you re the escaped prison prisoners prisoners prisoners ers aren t you ? What do you want wanthere wanthere wanthere7 here ' I have nothing tor for youWe you I IWe | We want money and clothes clothessnarled clothessnarled clothessnarled snarled the toad eyed man and andif andif andif if you don t shut that dog1P dog \ up \1P 1P I U II ll bashl bashlhis bashlhis bashhis | his head mI inI in m I have no money Ma faltered falteredI I am really quite poor I do a ht lit httie littie littie tie sewing to buy enough to eat eatbut eatbut catbut but that is all the income I haveThe haveThe have , haveI II IIhate I The bleak faced man shrugged I Ihate Ihate hate to contrad ct a lady but we wewere wewere wewere overseasl overseasland ) ' were told you had a son overseas overseas'and overseasand and he sent you money to save for forhim forhim forhim him and you also bava have havo your allot I ) | ment mentcheck men ? ) check so don t give us that thatstory thatstory story thatlstory storyMa thatl Ma sank back resignedly I can t tstop tstop tstop stop you from tearing my house houseapart houseapart houseapart apart she said but if you will willget willget willget get me that box of dog biscuits blscuits trom from tromthe fromthe fromthe the cupboard I 111 Ill II give my dog dogone dogone dogone one since his gro\\ gro growling groling \ ling annoys you . . herllap The man tossed the box In herl her herlap herlap lap She gave the dog a biscUit biscUitthen biscuitthen biscuitthen then sat holding it silently watchlag watch I Iing [ ing lag the two men as they went into intoRalph intoRalph intoRalph Ralph s room She cried out when whenthey whenthey whenthey they caroe came out both dressed in his hisclothes hisclothes clothes hiSIclothes hiSI clothesThose . ' Those are m'y my nay my son s II she whIs whIspered whispered whispered pered whIsI I I IThey peredThey They re not quite as consplcu conspicu consplcuous conspicuous consplcuous ous as the suits we were wearing wearinggrinned wearinggrinned I grinned the bleak eyed one "Whereis Whereis 'WhereIs 'Where Where ' " ' Is your moneyI money I I tell you I have no money Ma Macried Macried Macried cried desperately Just what Is In Inthat inthat inthat that teapot In the cuboard Take Takethat Takethat TakeI I that and goAw goAw go Aw quit stalling aroundI aroundgrowled aroundgrowled around ] I tool toolmuch ' growled Shorty We ve ye wasted too toomuch too'much toomuch much time with you already If I Itwist Itwist Itwist twist your arm a few times you II IIbe IIbe IIbe be glad to tell usAn usAn us usAn An exclamation usI of delight del1ght inter interrupted interrupted interrupted I rupted him The other man held up upan upan upan an oiled silk package he had found foundin foundin foundIn in the bottom drawer ofan of an old chest cheststandlng cheststanding cheststanding standlng standing in the cornerHere corner corncr I Here it Is he cried Look at atthose atthose atthose openiit those knots Come on we U II open openI I ) it openit when we get away from here hereWe hereWe hereWe We haven t time nowMa nowMa now hereI I Ma waited unt 1 the sound of the r rfootsteps rfootsteps rfootsteps footsteps had died away then she shetiptoed shetiptoed tiptoed Shejtiptoed fo to o the door and locked Shej it itComing itComing itComing Coming back to her chair sl e a care carefuUy carefully careully biscuits'from biscuitsfrom fuUy fully ( removed the dog biscuIts biscuItsI I ) ' from the box revealing a n layer of ofcrisp ofcrisp ofcrisp crisp green billsI bills I II I confidedto I d have bave just died she confidedI confided I | to the dog ! U i1 f they had found the themoney themoney themoney money Ralph has been sending sendinghome home As soon as someone comes from comestrom comesfrom withthem the village I J m going back with them thebank so I can put this in III m the bank chupkleWish Then she started to chupkle chuckle Wish IeouId Icould I could eouId be around when those thosefellows fellows open that package and tlnd find findthat tlndthat that Conlercderate COnfercderate Conferederate money ot of Grand Grandrather Grandfather Grandfathers rather father fathers s I ve ye been saving all these theseyears theseyears theseyears years I _ _ - _ - 1 |