Bella had just finished the book when her brother knocked.
"Come in you two. Josh what's the matter?" Bella asked as she let them in.
"My fathers in town." Josh said.
Ben gave Bella a look that said not now.
"Sorry, what brings you two to my humble door."
"On our way home tonight we stopped by the old bookstore. Josh found a book we thought you would like." Ben said handing a shack to Bella.
She opened it up. It was a leather bound book. American Fairy Tales By L. FRANK BAUM Author of FATHER GOOSE; HIS BOOK, THE WONDERFUL WIZARD OF OZ, ETC. "Thank you. I just finished my GRIMM'S FAIRY STORIES tonight. Now I can continue to read. Thank you."
She got up and hugged Josh. She could feel that he needed one real bad. "Josh, Thank you. I love it."
"Your welcome." He said.
They visited a little while. Bella served Tea and cake while they talked. When Zane came home they excused themselves and went home.
◇◇◇♡♡♡◇◇◇
Bella opened the new book. She flipped open the pages and breathed in the new book smell.
◇◇◇♡♡♡◇◇◇ THE BOX OF ROBBERS
No one intended to leave Martha alone that afternoon, but it happened that everyone was called away, for one reason or another.
Mrs. McFarland was attending the weekly card party held by the Women's Anti-Gambling League.
Sister Nell's young man had called quite unexpectedly to take her for a long drive.
Papa was at the office, as usual.
It was Mary Ann's day out.
As for Emeline, she certainly should have stayed in the house and looked after the little girl; but Emeline had a restless nature.
"Would you mind, miss, if I just crossed the alley to speak a word to Mrs. Carleton's girl?" she asked Martha.
"'Course not," replied the child. "You'd better lock the back door, though, and take the key, for I shall be upstairs."
"Oh, I'll do that, of course, miss," said the delighted maid, and ran away to spend the afternoon with her friend, leaving Martha quite alone in the big house, and locked in, into the bargain.
The little girl read a few pages in her new book, sewed a few stitches in her embroidery and started to "play visiting" with her four favorite dolls.
Then she remembered that in the attic was a doll's playhouse that hadn't been used for months, so she decided she would dust it and put it in order.
Filled with this idea, the girl climbed the winding stairs to the big room under the roof. It was well lighted by three dormer windows and was warm and pleasant.
Around the walls were rows of boxes and trunks, piles of old carpeting, pieces of damaged furniture, bundles of discarded clothing and other odds and ends of more or less value.
Every well-regulated house has an attic of this sort, so I need not describe it. The doll's house had been moved, but after a search Martha found it away over in a corner near the big chimney.
She drew it out and noticed that behind it was a black wooden chest which Uncle Walter had sent over from Italy years and years ago—before Martha was born, in fact.
Mamma had told her about it one day; how there was no key to it, because Uncle Walter wished it to remain unopened until he returned home; and how this wandering uncle, who was a mighty hunter, had gone into Africa to hunt elephants and had never been heard from afterwards.
The little girl looked at the chest curiously, now that it had by accident attracted her attention. It was quite big—bigger even than mamma's traveling trunk—and was studded all over with tarnished brassheaded nails.
It was heavy, too, for when Martha tried to lift one end of it she found she could not stir it a bit. But there was a place in the side of the cover for a key.
She stooped to examine the lock, and saw that it would take a rather big key to open it. Then, as you may suspect, the little girl longed to open Uncle Walter's big box and see what was in it. For we are all curious, and little girls are just as curious as the rest of us.
"I don't b'lieve Uncle Walter'll ever come back," she thought. "Papa said once that some elephant must have killed him. If I only had a key—"
She stopped and clapped her little hands together gayly as she remembered a big basket of keys on the shelf in the linen closet. They were of all sorts and sizes; perhaps one of them would unlock the mysterious chest!
◇◇◇♡♡♡◇◇◇
[How are you doing?] David
[Please leave me alone.] Babs
[I just want to help. Please don't push me away.] David
[Why should I believe you?] Babs
[I'm sorry but I'm not my brother.] David
[I know I need time please] Babs
[💐 ok just don't push me away. Good night] David
[Good night 💤] Babs
Babs closed her phone with a slight smile. What was this man doing to her thought process.
David made progress. At least she is talking to him. He jumped into the shower and when he came out his brother was sitting on the Bed.
"What do you want?" David said drying his hair.
"Don't even think about helping Mom?" Neil said.
"Don't worry I won't. Why did you do it? Babs seems to be a nice girl."
"It was just a thing. I knew she liked me and I used it to get in her pants. How was I to know she wasn't on the pill."
"Neil, what do you want to do?" David asked.
"I want nothing to do with this child. I am to young to settle down. If Mom gets her hands on it I will have to be a father no matter." Neil said shaking his head.
"Well leave it to me but I warn you. I like Babs and I want her to trust me. That means you stay away."
"Does that mean you want to take responsibility for the kid?"
"Yes. I know what you told your Dad. That Babs tricked you. We also know that was a lie. But what Mom doesn't know is that Babs has great backing better backing then your Dad. If she tries to hurt Babs it's your family that will really get hurt." David explained.
"Ok I'll leave it to you." Neil said getting up to leave, "Thanks big bro."