him.
- his head as a swinging lantern appeared bar will of the hill; and the bearer, when he comtti"" stopped and said, hat you Doctor?"' , hello, Mr Wallace.
It's going to be an-
" llace did not respond but said, 'allyou my lad about, have you?"' No. ell, what d'you mean?
Just lately, a of hours or so?"'
y t greater-than less-than
the darie. He's been missing all day. I had thou 'Hash would bring him back." bar "No been playing truant?"' bar so, bt -- He hasn't been to school for a week f "Oh; is because he wasn't feeling well." bar think of ow," John put in. Yes, when I coe see, it vt I have seen him. But it was... oh, letit bar by Bisho t have been round about four o'clock ov. down the Meadow. I wondered what he was doi old far"
Unless he was looking for stones from tht wouldn't11 I 1*1 telling myself, 1"
didn't ti looking for wood because what the fin bar
"Bisho he children did." bar four o'cl Meadow?
Oh, thank you Doctor. Abotj
"Ye . his
" t less-than *"
long before ould be that. Has he ever been away his
'ationo, ne I mean awav an day?"' I he said, less-than That like' Never!" Dave Wallace paused befiej
drove. I ven't been all that long back fro a:
died. He comanother pause- 't Mr Steel has 'allyes. V hit by a falling tree, I understand." backslash you kno Quite a tragedy. A rotten branch. Wll;
snap with * at they're like in this weather. They ca j
place on esar of g11 The most dg10; frost there is in a wood when there's the kind o";
"What tin s this morning." I "Oh, abo less-than iid it happen?"' asked Dave Wallac. "And in " the middle of the morning."
bar 'allyes. Ys. ood?"' bar
When t rlot far from your P1' the man tur as no response to this statement all j the swayi less-than 1 sharply away, John stood watcbil bar antern, indicating that Wallace ba j
tSB' which would take him into a field and 3 Meadow. He wanted to say, "Hold your nii and I'll come along with you;" but he he was hungry. There came to his mind *" m tne P which had happened to fc visitors; or at least, to their property. bar "to TS been coing from the direction of the Sli" boy had been missing all day, and Dave a tormented man. It all seemed to link left-brace it was no surprise to himself when he " *; voice yell out, "Hold your hand a minute, l come along with you."
iemoving the lamp from his bicycle he into te ditch, and jumped over it.
Can'.. did not slacken his pace, but when n up with him, he said, here's no need, ptSiES-LII all the same." 'ITS
to climb a stone wall to get into Bishop's .,. and then they were walking down the gentle *iif"disww where the bumt-out farmhouse had ,E greater-than less-than they approached it, John raised his lamp
l2 anc showed up a doorless scarred wall. of the roof had gone too, the slates likely "KIIK
some other fanner's house. When he i down the lamp again, Dave Wallace had alEvery through the opening, and John could y his lante had revealed: the boy crouched (fcj'i. He made no movement, but his eyes were , out of his head and his mouth was agape.
"i" seconds they were both kneeling by his side Wallace was saying, "It's all right, son. It's l It's all right. D'you hear?
It's all right."
1 now took one of the boy's wrists and began to check his pulse. The fingers were stiff and de cold, and so h chafed the hands. The boy's face was bar deadly pale, except for a blue tinge.
bar "I...I didn't mean it Dad." i
"It's all right, boy, it's all right. Don't talk." bar "But he's...he's dead. I..i didn't mean it, Dad." j "I know you didn't; I know you didn't." be
"Just... just to frighten... just to frighten him. TiBut branch was rotten. Wouldn't...wdn't hfflUs not...n really. Didn't mean it Dad." "Come along. Get up."
When they both now attempted to help the boy to his feet his legs buckled under him, so they laid i down again and began to rub the frozen limbs.
Did...didn't mean it."
'Shh! Be quiet now. Be quiet. Your father knows you didn't mean it," John said. bar It was as if for the
- his head as a swinging lantern appeared bar will of the hill; and the bearer, when he comtti"" stopped and said, hat you Doctor?"' , hello, Mr Wallace.
It's going to be an-
" llace did not respond but said, 'allyou my lad about, have you?"' No. ell, what d'you mean?
Just lately, a of hours or so?"'
y t greater-than less-than
the darie. He's been missing all day. I had thou 'Hash would bring him back." bar "No been playing truant?"' bar so, bt -- He hasn't been to school for a week f "Oh; is because he wasn't feeling well." bar think of ow," John put in. Yes, when I coe see, it vt I have seen him. But it was... oh, letit bar by Bisho t have been round about four o'clock ov. down the Meadow. I wondered what he was doi old far"
Unless he was looking for stones from tht wouldn't11 I 1*1 telling myself, 1"
didn't ti looking for wood because what the fin bar
"Bisho he children did." bar four o'cl Meadow?
Oh, thank you Doctor. Abotj
"Ye . his
" t less-than *"
long before ould be that. Has he ever been away his
'ationo, ne I mean awav an day?"' I he said, less-than That like' Never!" Dave Wallace paused befiej
drove. I ven't been all that long back fro a:
died. He comanother pause- 't Mr Steel has 'allyes. V hit by a falling tree, I understand." backslash you kno Quite a tragedy. A rotten branch. Wll;
snap with * at they're like in this weather. They ca j
place on esar of g11 The most dg10; frost there is in a wood when there's the kind o";
"What tin s this morning." I "Oh, abo less-than iid it happen?"' asked Dave Wallac. "And in " the middle of the morning."
bar 'allyes. Ys. ood?"' bar
When t rlot far from your P1' the man tur as no response to this statement all j the swayi less-than 1 sharply away, John stood watcbil bar antern, indicating that Wallace ba j
tSB' which would take him into a field and 3 Meadow. He wanted to say, "Hold your nii and I'll come along with you;" but he he was hungry. There came to his mind *" m tne P which had happened to fc visitors; or at least, to their property. bar "to TS been coing from the direction of the Sli" boy had been missing all day, and Dave a tormented man. It all seemed to link left-brace it was no surprise to himself when he " *; voice yell out, "Hold your hand a minute, l come along with you."
iemoving the lamp from his bicycle he into te ditch, and jumped over it.
Can'.. did not slacken his pace, but when n up with him, he said, here's no need, ptSiES-LII all the same." 'ITS
to climb a stone wall to get into Bishop's .,. and then they were walking down the gentle *iif"disww where the bumt-out farmhouse had ,E greater-than less-than they approached it, John raised his lamp
l2 anc showed up a doorless scarred wall. of the roof had gone too, the slates likely "KIIK
some other fanner's house. When he i down the lamp again, Dave Wallace had alEvery through the opening, and John could y his lante had revealed: the boy crouched (fcj'i. He made no movement, but his eyes were , out of his head and his mouth was agape.
"i" seconds they were both kneeling by his side Wallace was saying, "It's all right, son. It's l It's all right. D'you hear?
It's all right."
1 now took one of the boy's wrists and began to check his pulse. The fingers were stiff and de cold, and so h chafed the hands. The boy's face was bar deadly pale, except for a blue tinge.
bar "I...I didn't mean it Dad." i
"It's all right, boy, it's all right. Don't talk." bar "But he's...he's dead. I..i didn't mean it, Dad." j "I know you didn't; I know you didn't." be
"Just... just to frighten... just to frighten him. TiBut branch was rotten. Wouldn't...wdn't hfflUs not...n really. Didn't mean it Dad." "Come along. Get up."
When they both now attempted to help the boy to his feet his legs buckled under him, so they laid i down again and began to rub the frozen limbs.
Did...didn't mean it."
'Shh! Be quiet now. Be quiet. Your father knows you didn't mean it," John said. bar It was as if for the
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