Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-07-24
FEATURE Rcz
JIM BISHOP.
REPORTER
When Polio Knocks at Your Door

The afternoon was hot. The fat popars hung still In
ne road swung their bikes lazy
tering IKE birds in exclusive language little girl
watched from the curb She and her long
sporteo small blue bows at the ends The
oress Inc dress short enough white cotton
hours ago.
Her eyes heavylidded fat cheeks were apple
RED She did not play She leaned against tree In
her back hurt.
In the house Griggs avenue Teaneck NJ the little
girls mother polished silver An exhaust fan humed The
father dozed copy of Cosmopolitan Magazine on
settee He was bright man Junior executive. He read
one could fool him on anything.
The little girl in She looked up at her mother
it, looking at her little girl all the time felt the cheek
with the back of her hand and little fright began show
in mothers eyes Daddy called He into the kch
en- yawning. Sweete Pie looked at him gravely.
My neck hurts" she said
Fear Slowly Turns to Panic
The transformation from complacency fear quick
Daoo sat the little girl on the drain board He to the
bathroom and got thermometer He looked at the precious
the head forward and the little girl cried wouldn't bend
Mother began to wiring her hands.
The temperature was 1927. Daddy carried the little
girl to the settee Get pillow, he said to Mommy He
kissed the little girl the cheek and his voice hoarse
Lie stin honey" He dialed DIR. Frank White The
said the doctor was at the hospital.
Listen" Daddy said. Tell him to please hurry It's
an emergency My little girls spine rigid Excuse Sak
snots9 On no. want to wait until they've refined the
vaccine. What's that? Okay nurse, I'm in no mood to
argue Would please tell Frank hurry? Thanks"
He drew chair beside the settee The little girl was
quiet He had her this quiet Daddy to say
that his little lamb born with running
petua Motion Now the tiny saddle shoes were
!: turned upward. They still
It's Father Who Knows Best
The mans heart dropped He knew all about poliomye-
s He had read everything about had told his wife
that when he felt that the vaccine ready-no
ready-we would that little Precious got some Not
: before.
Now his wife stood the living archway looking at
him. The eyes were big They held accusation They looked
at him. as they always did, for guidance help For
: solution. This time the Bright Young Man Who Knew
Everything had nothing clasped his hands to-
fOrFno in
Altnough no word was spoken, both parents had the
same horrible Visions braces deformed leg; smiling
face hanging out of iron lung mound of earth and
MOVERS The waiting became intolerabe At last
at his wife and said please don't anything honey or
Ill crack up She shook her head tried to smile
In thlrty-hve minutes, Dr. White in the screen
door, AT his side, his upper bag hung still
walking across the room when he picked sehoscope
across the ankles The little girl reached hand down and
picked it up.
A Recovery With Dividends
WELL the doctor said. hanging his jacket on Clothes
ee i don't think it's polio The father breathe
The mother buried her her hands and left the
usually the doctor said they can't pick anything on
their ankles"
He examined the little girl carefully He twisted the
head this and that and probed behind neck at the
hane and hexed the legs and bent the
ears and throat and mo poio said This little
girl has throat swollen glands at the back
OF her neck He pinched her cheek. She'll running in
day two"
The father did strange thing He wept He asked If
ONCE. The doctor said The Young Man Who Knew
everything was laughing when the doctor left He kissed
ms wife like crazy and he kissed his little went
out and spent $40 on balloons and bubble gum and DOLL
distributed by KnE Features Syndicate
tdoys Jim Bishop column mordoo. problem
Al the nn0klnn nIeAmR tI. Al.