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Show By Shirley Sargent -1EORGE WALKED quickly, shoulders hunched inside his worn windbreaker. What was H dad had said? "When you're 14 the judge will let you come to live with me." Well, he was only 10, but he was on his way to live with dad. He was running away. That was for sure, George thought angrily, remembering Christmas. "I'm awfully sorry, George," mom had said unhappily, "but with your brother sick and the doctor bills and all, I won't be able to give you a bicycle." "Aw, mom. I didn't get one last year either because old Bud broke his arm." And then mom had started to cry until he had said, "It's okay, don't worry." But it wasn't okay. George shivered shiv-ered and poked his hand3 into his pockets as he hurried along the highway. Mom had given him a pair of new shoes and a cowboy hat for presents. Some Christmas r They hadn't had even a turkey. They had to spend the money for Bud's medicine. Dad, now, George's mouth curved in a grin, dad was going to give him a Shetland Shet-land pony. Nobody knew he had seen dad last week. "Sure wish you were going to be with me for Christmas, to see your a i iff a . f z.yJ- "Ride, son?" a man yelled at him. "I'm going to Nofax." Shetland pony," dad had talked fast-like, "and New Year's Day I could take you to the football game. Be fun, wouldn't it? But then you're happy with your mother." George stuck his thumb out, hoping to catch a ride. He had been happy, but then Bud got sick and Christmas had turned out to be just another day and he'd got to thinking that dad always kept his promises. The pony would be there waiting for him. A motorcycle sputtered to a stop ahead of him. "Want a ride, kid?" George gripped the man's leather leath-er jacket as they roared down the highway. At this rate he'd be at dad's in no time, if he could just hold on. It sure was cold! Cold and there wasn't any wood in the house for mom. Bud liked to be warm. The wood would be too heavy for mom to carry. She was thin and pale. "I'm not very strong," she had said, "it's a good thing I have you to depend on." The motorcycle motor-cycle lurched around a corner, skidding to a stop. George nearly fell off. "End of the line, kid," the man . helped him down. "It's getting I dark, you'd better hurry home." GEORGE PLODDED ON. He , felt uneasy with the dark settling set-tling about him. Cars rushed by with their headlights shining. The last thing mom had asked him, before be-fore she went back to work at noon, was to buy some light bulbs. He wondered If Bud was all right. Mom wouldn't be home until six, but she had told George he could play outdoors, If he would check up on Bud once in a while. He shivered. What If Bud got scared and got out of bed? Sometimes Some-times the little guy didn't use his head. George felt worse and worse as he remembered how mom trust ;d him to take care of Bud. ("Ride, son?" a man yelled at him. "I'm going to Nofax, if that'll help you.") Nofax was where dad lived, where the pony was, near the football foot-ball stadium. But George hesitated, thinking of Bud all alone and scared. "Thanks, mister," he started toward the car slowly, then stopped and ran across the highway. high-way. "Hey, where are you going?" the man ran after George, catching catch-ing him by the shoulder. George tried to twist away. "I changed my mind," he gasped, I'm going back this way." "I'll drive you there," the man hustled him into the car. George relaxed as the car sped toward home, grateful that the man didn't ask questions. He could hardly wait to see mom and Bud. "Made any New Year's resolutions?" resolu-tions?" the man asked. - "Yeah," George grinned at the understanding stranger, "I'm never going to run away again. That's for sure!" |