Page 13 - Demo

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big cigar box, the parcel that had a faint voice:
Tick, tock.
He loitered. He had pass ed this path often on his way to the plant. Another section of houses lay across the hill. He knew that only youngsters u se d the path, children going down to the field to play.
A little girl came down the path. She had stringy, taffy-colored hair, and wore a faded blue playsuit. Her bare arms and legs and back were chocolate brown from the sun. She glanced at him with the frank curiosity of the very young, but mostly her eyes strayed to his blazing red sweater.
Jud said, "Wanna earn two bits, kid?"
She stopped, eying the package that he held out. "Watcha got in there, mister?"
"Uh, a present for a guy. It's a clock. I want him to get it right away."
"Oh." She wrinkl ed her nose. "Mum- my told me I could only stay out for a little while."
"This won't take a half-hour, and you'll have two bits to spend. A)l you have to do is deliver this. The address is 307 Front Street. It's a corner house. It's sort o-f a green color."
She nodded. "It's got a funny stone lion in front."
"Sure , sure, that's right. All you got- ta do is leave this package there. Just ring the bell, an d put it inside ~he sc~een door. You don't need to watt. Its a birthday present, and they'll know who it's from when they open it."
He held out two coins . "Here's fifteen
cents. Hurry rigbt back and I 'll give you
the other dime."
She looked dubious . "My mummy
said-"
"You 'll get home in plenty of time. It ain't far, nine or ten blocks. You can make it there and back in a half-hour,
eary." ' k "My mummy doesn t want me to ta e
that's all right. Your mother's ri~ht about that." He jangled t~e tw~ coi:is. "I just thought a bright little _girl hke you'd like to earn a quarter, ~s all. . It wou ldn't hardly take twenty -thi r ty mm-
u tes."
She couldn't take her eyes off .the
coins. She said, with that exasperabng, iron-clad unansweraWe logi c of the ve ry young a~d the very innoc:nt, "Why don't you go? If you're gomg to watt for me here you could bring the clock Yourself and come back here, and it wouldn't ' cost ·you a quarter. " .
Jud felt like spanking the mfernal brat. He jan gled the coins o:1ce m?re. "Gue ss I will, though I'm kmda t ired walkin'. Run along. I'll find somebody that's smart and-"
He started to put the coins away. He was getting jittery. Somebody else might be coming along the path soon.
The receding money won her over. She thrust her hands out. "Gimme the quarter. I'll go."
H esita ntly, as though he, too, was changing his mind, Jud gave her the parcel and fifteen cents. "I'll give you the other dime soon as you're back."
She shook her head obstinately. "No. I want it now. How do I know you'll really wait for me?"
Jud could cheerfully have thrashed her. But he was almost in a panic. He couldn 't stand here and argue witl1 the little fool. The minutes were slipping by.
"All right. Here's the other dime. Now hurry! It's pretty near six-thirty. You gotta get tl1e clock there by seven sharp. And hang onto this, don't drop it!"
"W hy?"
Jud nearly yelled, "It's the guy's birth- day and he won't be home tonight, see? He's gotta have this by seven o'clock! Run along, now, hurry! It's liable to get busted if you drop it! "
Tick, Tock
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She went skipping down the path. Jud watched, his face working, till she Jud cursed under his breath. He was out of sight around a bend. He
things from grownups. She said so. Sh:; told me to keep away from strange men.
forced a toothy smile. "There, there, rubbed the back of his fist tightly across
.