Page 14 - Demo

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the stubble on his chin. Then he faded
He took off the red sweater, stuffed
up m the ne:wspapers. The bundle looked the same as before. He put his battered
talked back fliply. Other boys, a few
pered ever so faintly:
A few mioutes later, he strode down the path with the bundle under his arm. He savagely kicked a couple of loose stones out of his way. When he reached
ward.
other dime in her hand.
the nickel made the little girl's p a l m
she put a dime and
' kerchief, made a ball out of it, and pushed it down in the pocket of her jumper suit. She kept the
after it.
base of the hill. After the equivalent of a couple of long blocks, the hill came to an end. The field across the road also ended. In the near corner a group of boys was playing softball.
By the time she came back this way, it would be getting dark and the game would be over. It was more fun watch­ ing a game than carrying a funny old package that went:
It was Jots of fun. The side went d'own.
Tick, tock.
Anyway, she had only seven or eight more blocks to go, .,and it wouldn't take long to get there. She could easily make it by seven o'clock. And what if she was
that it made any difference if the man
ever, so long as he got it. The thing
sixteen to sixteen in the next half-inning.
be home before dark. There was plenty of time.
The man beside her started to leave, I (
She crossed the road and dawdled watching the game. She knew several of the boys. They yelled at her and she
of the string.
12
Black Mask
big clock. Ah alarm clock, maybe. Then she put the'package back in her lap and forgot about it. Her thoughts strayed
spurted toward the bench. ,,,,
girls and a couple of men watched the gam. They were sitting along a bench
lap, the package with a voice that whis­ _
into the woods.
made of weather-stained two by fours.
her. She sat holding the package m her
They moved over to make roo1 for
Tick, tock. ,
brown hat on again.
It was a funny kind of birthday pres-
. ent to give, she thought. She took the
and yelling at the pitcher. The pitcher
package and jiggled i't against her ear, but it didn't rattle. It must be a pretty
dribbled sparks as he sauntered home­
to the game.
Jimmy Roth was at the plate, jumping
HE two dimes and
swung with all his might. \i\fham ! The .ball flew out over the infield, dropped
Everybody was yelling at everybody else, somebody on second came tearing home, and Jimmy scooted around the
threw the' ball underhand and Jimmy
"Last of the fourth."
sweat. Afterawhile,
' a nickel in a hand­
third. The ball sailed in toward home crossed the plate with a home n-,.n as the
between left and center, and went
"What's the score?" the little girl
bounding away with both fielders hot
bases so fast that he slipped and fell at
teetered on her knees, almost -dropping
She trudged along' the path at the
plate. Jimmy picked himself up and raced for the bag. The ball beat him, but
and jostled her in doing so. The package
the catcher couldn't hold on to it. Jimmy ball bounced off the catcher's glove and
slid off her lap. She grabbed for it. It to the ground before her fingers got hold
asked a man next to her.
"What inning?"
"Sixteen to twelve."
the sidewalk, he rolled a cigarette and
a few minutes late? She couldn't see
stuck it in a corner of his mouth. It
The game went on, and grew more
it i the empty shoebox, and rotted it
got his darn old clock at seven or when­ exciting. The other side tied it up at was, she couldn't stay out late. But she'd