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The Evil Children — Willo Davis Roberts
THE DEVIL'S DELIGHT
Skippy was twelve; Denny eleven. They had been thrown out of every school in this part of the state, give up as incorrigible, malicious, destructive - everything that children should not be. Even their family could not control them, for the mother was incapable of standing up to any of life's disturbances, and their father was...dead. Murdered. Now Rani Stratton had been brought into the Dugald household as the dead man's brother made a frantic effort to reassemble the pieces of these shattered lives. But was Rani strong enough to shoulder the responsibilities? She was not sure; her own life had been none too steady this past year - fired from her job, nearly accused of being a criminal, cheated of her meager savings by a jilting Romeo. Still, there was no place else for her to go in this time of desperation. She would have to take on the Dugald household - not knowing that she was walking straight into the arms of death!
HOUSE OF MADNESS
Mrs. Lake paused on the doorstep as the driver stowed her luggage in the taxi. For the first time she gave me a smile.
“I'll give you good for evil, Miss Stratton. Return a good turn for a bad one. I'll give you some advice.”
“I haven't asked you for advice, Mrs. Lake,” I said. My heart was hammering.
“I'll give it to you anyway. Watch out for those two -- those kids. They're dangerous. Stay out of their way.” She cast a look across the vast expanse of the entrance hall. “He died right over there…fell from above. They said it was an accident.” Her smile widened. “Don't believe everything they tell you.” With that, she turned and was gone.
It was a full sixty seconds before I could close the door. I heard the clicking of the lock but it gave me no sense of security, no safety behind its thickness.
What sort of house had I entered?
Skippy was twelve; Denny eleven. They had been thrown out of every school in this part of the state, give up as incorrigible, malicious, destructive - everything that children should not be. Even their family could not control them, for the mother was incapable of standing up to any of life's disturbances, and their father was...dead. Murdered. Now Rani Stratton had been brought into the Dugald household as the dead man's brother made a frantic effort to reassemble the pieces of these shattered lives. But was Rani strong enough to shoulder the responsibilities? She was not sure; her own life had been none too steady this past year - fired from her job, nearly accused of being a criminal, cheated of her meager savings by a jilting Romeo. Still, there was no place else for her to go in this time of desperation. She would have to take on the Dugald household - not knowing that she was walking straight into the arms of death!
HOUSE OF MADNESS
Mrs. Lake paused on the doorstep as the driver stowed her luggage in the taxi. For the first time she gave me a smile.
“I'll give you good for evil, Miss Stratton. Return a good turn for a bad one. I'll give you some advice.”
“I haven't asked you for advice, Mrs. Lake,” I said. My heart was hammering.
“I'll give it to you anyway. Watch out for those two -- those kids. They're dangerous. Stay out of their way.” She cast a look across the vast expanse of the entrance hall. “He died right over there…fell from above. They said it was an accident.” Her smile widened. “Don't believe everything they tell you.” With that, she turned and was gone.
It was a full sixty seconds before I could close the door. I heard the clicking of the lock but it gave me no sense of security, no safety behind its thickness.
What sort of house had I entered?