Avon Fantasy Reader No. 14 — page 60: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

parted, Wilburts thought seriously about telling Mrs. Frost that the country practitioner wasn’t exactly the kind of doctor he had had in mind when he’d suggested that somebody look at Ronald, but Mrs. Frost seemed so carefree since the physician’s visit and verdict that he decided to put it off for a while. And when Mr. Frost came in at night and received the news he snorted and said, “Just what I thought, there’s nothing the matter with the young scalawag; he just needs to be taught some good common sense,” and looked meaningfully at Jeffry Wilburts, who thereupon decided to put off delivering his opinion of Brown for good. ‘Time passed and Ronald’s pleadings for new soldiers became incessant and frenzied. “But it’s not nearly Christmas yet, Ronald. We can’t be buying you things every time you have the wish,” Mrs. Frost reasoned. “And for Christmas it’s time you wanted something like boxing gloves or a fishing rod,” roared Mr. Frost to his son. ‘No more of these soldiers, my boy. That’s for children. You don’t want to be like a child now you’re twelve.” Tt was increasingly evident that night by night Ronald’s troops were being thinned out, by some contrary or destructive process, reasoned Wilburts. Late one fall evening Ronald did something unprecedented. He crept into Jeffry Wilburts’ room. The tutor was moved by this visit trom the boy and adopted his most friendly attitude. “Well, hello there. Are you still walking around at this hour?” “Mr. Wilburts, I want to talk to you, please.” His eyes were downcast. “Sure, Ronald. Go ahead,” and Wilburts dropped the book he was reading and smiled in friendly fashion at the youngster. The boy stood for a moment unsurely in the center of the floor and then looked up from his slipper toes and at Jeffry. “It’s about the soldiers,’ he breathed out. Wilburts didn’t say anything. “You see how my Mummy and Dad are about it. But I thought, I thought maybe you could—would get me some more. I need them, Mr. Wilburts.” Wilburts frowned and shook his head. “You know what your family thinks about this, Ronald. You wouldn’t want me to do anything behind their backs, would you!” “Tt’s that T don’t have much more,” pleaded Ronald. “After a few more nights I don’t know what'll happen.” “Nonsense,” expostulated Wilburts, not understanding what the boy could be going on about so. “Just stop breaking them and you'll have enough.” “I don’t break them,” Ronald stamped obstinately. “All right, then, whoever does, see they don’t. No, I can’t get you any more, Ronald. Most likely you'll be breaking mine soon,” this last petulantly with thought of his own cash outlay. “Now you'd better make tracks back off to bed.” Without another word the little boy turned and went off to bed. The next day with Ronald off at school Jeffry took the opportunity to in- vestigate the closet where the boy kept his precious soldiers. He noted that stock of lead soldiers was truly low. And in a metal basket at the corner of 58 comiclsooks.com i