Show None n of Her r Business By KNOWLES T WASN'T any of her business of IT I course But the fact didn't keep her from worrying over the situation situation situa situa- tion that was as evident as the nose on her face between Jim and Betty upstairs Shed She'd slept very little the night before from thinking about them And now she he sat in Pas Pa's old rocker by the heater In the front room listening to Mikes Mike's little feet patter across the floor above her She wondered what an old widow could do to Tighten things between two that shed she'd come to love as her own children For three days Mollie hadn't heard Jim step his foot on the stairs which substantiated the news shed she'd heard that morning from Tillie Smith across the street that Jim was staying in a room downtown Everything had been alright at Christmas apparently Jim had shouldered a cedar tree up the stairs that'd been almost too big to get through the door and hed he'd said to Mollie grinning his infectious grin through the cedar branches Mike i r V f iR Y b k For three days Mollie hadn't hadn heard Jim step his Ws foot on the stairs says Santa Claus wont won't come without without without with with- out a cedar tree all decorated with wit tinsel and lights They'd set up the tree and decorated decorated decorated dec dec- orated it and Invited her up to look loop at it and eat fluffy popcorn that thai Bettyd popped in an old Iron skillet on the stove Bettys Betty's step sounded o on the stairs and after a moment she and Mike came into the room Im going downtown to buy a few groceries Mrs Elms she said Would II it be too much trouble to keep Mike while Im I'm gone Mike ran into MollIes MollIe's arms erms and Mollie smiled up at Betty Of Ol course not dear Mike and I will play tra train train and in and ball baIL She got gol out the little train she kept for Mike when he came to visit her After a while an odd happy glow came Into Mollies Mollie's dim blue eyes and she asked Mike would you like to tp go over to see se Aunt Tillie dear Mike was all eagerness because Aunt Tillie gave him little bags of candy Les go go les le's les go got gol He jumped up and down with excite excite- ment They'd hardly reached Tillie Tulle Smiths Smith's little litHe house across the street when Mollie asked Tillie Would you keep Mike a little while Tillie I have something I must take care of at the house Ill I'll not be gone long tong Why yes Mollie Ill I'll take care of Mike Well We'll get along fine tine she said p Mollie sat In Pas Pa's old rocker by bythe bythe bythe the heater and a strange little prayer slipped from her lips Dear God forgive me but it cant can't be a asin asin asin sin She became silent and fastened a frightened look upon Betty who had returned from town with her arms loaded with groceries Hes gone Betty hes he's GONE No it wasn't Jim who took him She managed the falsehood but somehow she wasn't feeling bad inside for doing it Mollie hardly knew what happened after shed she'd spoken the lie only that Betty had dropped her groceries in inthe inthe the he middle of ot the floor Boor and had dashed lashed to the telephone to call Jim Then after Jim was there holding Betty in his arms and trying t to stop her tears and the whole neIghborhood neighbor neighbor- hood lood was roused with the news that someone had taken little Mike Tillie Tulle Smith mith and Mike walked in the back door loor Well Tillie said in surprise at atthe atthe the he neighborhood gathering this his A New Years Year's party Mollie I thought you intended to come back backor for tor or Mike It Betty and Jim were holding Mike between them and laughing now now Pre Presently their eyes slipped to Mollie Molle Mol Mol- lie le sitting quietly in the old rocker and nd Betty said so that only Jim Jim could hear Bless her heart Jim Bless Hess hr heart It |