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By Root 773 0

Sondra said. 'I think he's the most beautiful man.' Irritating woman! But hadn't Todd Bowden's grandfather retired to San Remo? Sure. Todd had been one of the brightest boys in that year's ninth grade class. Then, all at once, his grades had gone to hell. The old man had come in, told a familiar tale of marital difficulties, and had persuaded Ed to let the situation alone for a while and see if things didn't straighten themselves out. Ed's view was that the old laissez-faire bit didn't work -if you told a teenage kid to root, hog, or die, the kid usually died. But the old man had been almost eerily persuasive (it was the resemblance to Wimsey, perhaps), and Ed had agreed to give Todd to the end of the next Flunk Card period. And damned if Todd hadn't pulled through. The old man must have gone right through the whole family and really kicked some ass, Ed thought. He looked like the type who not only could do it, but who might derive a certain dour pleasure from it. Then, just two days ago, he had seen Todd's picture in the paper-he had made the Southern Cal All-Stars in baseball. No mean feat when you considered that about five hundred boys were nominated each spring. He supposed he might never have come up with the grandfather's name if he hadn't seen the picture. He flickered through the white pages more purposefully now, ran his finger down a column of fine type, and there it was. BOWDEN, VICTOR S.403 Ridge Lane. Ed dialled the number and it rang several times at the other end. He was just about to hang up when an old man answered. 'Hello?'

'Hello, Mr Bowden. Ed French. From Santa Donate Junior High.'

'Yes?' Politeness, but no more. Certainly no recognition. Well, the old guy was four years further along (weren't they all!) and things undoubtedly slipped his mind from time to time.

'Do you remember me, sir?'

'Should I?' Bowden's voice was cautious, and Ed smiled. The old man forgot things but he didn't want anybody to know if he could help it His own old man had been that way when his hearing started to go.

'I was your grandson Todd's guidance counsellor at S. D J. H. S. I called to congratulate you. He sure tore up the pea-patch when he got to high school, didn't he? And now he's All-Conference to top it off. Wow!'

'Todd!' The old man said, his voice brightening immediately. 'Yes, he certainly did a fine job, didn't he? Second in his class! And the girl who was ahead of him took the business courses.' A sniff of disdain in the old man's voice. 'My son called and offered to take me to Todd's commencement, but I'm in a wheelchair now. I broke my hip last January. I didn't want to go in a wheelchair. But I have his graduation picture right in the hall, you bet! Todd's made his parents very proud. And me, of course.'

'Yes, I guess we got him over the hump,' Ed said. He was smiling as he said it, but his smile was a trifle puzzled -somehow Todd's grandfather didn't sound the same. But it had been a long time ago, of course.

'Hump? What hump?'

"That little talk we had. When Todd was having problems with his course-work. Back in ninth.'

'I'm not following you,' the old man said slowly. 'I would never presume to speak for Richard's son. It would cause trouble ho-ho, you don't know how much trouble it would cause. You've made a mistake, young fellow.'

'But-'

'Some sort of mistake. Got me confused with another student and another grandfather, I imagine.'

Ed was moderately thunderstruck. For one of the few times in his life, he could not think of a single thing to say. If there was confusion, it sure wasn't on his part.

'Well,' Bowden said doubtfully, 'it was nice of you to call, Mr-'

Ed found his tongue. 'I'm right here in town, Mr Bowden. It's a convention. Guidance counsellors. I'll be done around ten tomorrow morning, after the final paper is read.

'Could I come around to ' He consulted the phone book again. ' to Ridge Lane and see you for a few minutes?'

'What in the world for?'

'Just curiosity, I guess. It's all water over the dam now. But about four years ago, Todd got himself into a real crack with his