b'Youve solved everything. I was afraidhow useful these brushes can be asaffection even for crotchety old Hank you were going to give me someintroductionespecially the free ones.Biddle, whose house he was passing. He trouble. But now youve got the solutionThese, I mean. He hauled out a plainremembered the quarrel he had had yourself. You wish youd never beenlittle hairbrush. Ill show you how towhen his car had scraped a piece of born. All right! OK! You havent!use it. He thrust the satchel intobark out of Hanks big maple tree. Georges reluctant hands and began:George looked up at the vast spread of What do you mean? George growled. When the lady of the house comes toleafless branches towering over him in You havent been born. Just that. Youthe door you give her this and then talkthe darkness. The tree must have been havent been born. No one here knowsfast. You say: Good evening, Madam.growing there since Indian times. He felt you. You have no respon-sibilitiesnoIm from the World Cleaning Company,a sudden twinge of guilt for the damage jobno wifeno children. Why, youand I want to present you with thishe had done. He had never stopped to havent even a mother. You couldnthandsome and useful brush absolutelyinspect the wound, for he was ordinarily have, of course. All your troubles arefreeno obligation to purchaseafraid to have Hank catch him even over. Your wish, I am happy to say, hasanything at all. After that, of course, itslooking at the tree. Now he stepped out been grantedofficially.a cinch. Now you try it. He forced theboldly into the roadway to examine the brush into Georges hand. huge trunk. Hank must have repaired the scar or painted it over, for there was no sign of it. George struck a match and bent down to look more closely. He straightened up with an odd, sinking feeling in his stomach. There wasnt any scar. The bark was smooth and undamaged. He remembered what the little man at the bridge had said. It was all nonsense, George promptly dropped the brushof course, but the nonexistent scar Nuts! George snorted and turnedbothered him. away. into the satchel and fumbled with the catch, finally closing it with an angryWhen he reached the bank, he saw that The stranger ran after him and caughtsnap. Here, he said, and then stoppedsomething was wrong. The building was him by the arm. Youd better take thisabruptly, for there was no one in sight.dark, and he knew he had turned the with you, he said, holding out hisvault light on. He noticed, too, that satchel. Itll open a lot of doors thatThe little stranger must have slipped away into the bushes growing along thesomeone had left the window shades might otherwise be slammed in yourup. He ran around to the front. There face.river bank, George thought. He certainly wasnt going to play hide-and-seek withwas a battered old sign fastened on the What doors in whose face? Georgehim. It was nearly dark and gettingdoor. George could just make out the scoffed. I know everybody in this town.colder every minute. He shivered andwords: And besides, Id like to see anybodyturned up his coat collar.FOR RENT OR SALE slam a door in my face. Apply The street lights had been turned on, Yes, I know, the little man saidand Christmas candles in the windowsJAMES SILVA patiently. But take this anyway. It cantglowed softly. The little town lookedReal Estate do any harm and it may help. remarkably cheerful. After all, the placePerhaps it was some boys trick, he He opened the satchel and displayed ayou grew up in was the one spot onthought wildly. Then he saw a pile of number of brushes. Youd be surprisedearth where you could really feel atancient leaves and tattered newspapers home. George felt a sudden burst ofin the banks ordinarily immaculate ITS A WONDERFUL LIFE: LIVE IN CHICAGO!BACKSTAGE GUIDE 19'