To ALL . AMD “ M y e lve s a re n ’t th em se lv e s and m y re indeer a re history, how I m an ag e a lone is an ab so lu te m ystery . “ Y e t 1con tinue to work with ca re and devotion , for the few sc a t te re d sou ls w ho su rv ived the exp lo s ion .” W i th that he w a s silent and he s to p p e d all his flapping, from u nd e r the sta irs Fcould h e a r his c an e s tapping . M y wife w a s d isgu s ted with som e th ing I said, w hen an e a r d ro p p ed off of one of his head s . A bund le of th ings he had flung on his back, c an n e d good s 1think, lead-lined at that. W i th his n o se s like roses, he w a s not una ttrac tive , his c h e e k s w e re like ch e r r ie s— he w a s radioactive! H e ’d a tum o r on his back the size of a boulder, and a ninth arm w a s grow ing from out of his shou lder. H e w a s b loa ted and g rey like a c an c e ro u s boar, a s w heez ing and cough ing he d ro pp ed to the floor. T h e se izu re now g ripped him 1s aw with alarm , I w a s wholly conv inced he w a s buy ing the farm. T h e n he pulled h im self up with rep e a ted tries, and filled all the s tock ing s with food and supp lies . A n d laying a finger to the s id e of his nose , it fell off his face a s up the s ta irw ay he rose. A n d 1hea rd him exclaim a s 1w a k en e d m y wife, ‘‘A nuc lea r Christm as to all— and to all a half-life.”
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