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the soft thud of following footsteps

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echoed behind him as he hurried through

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the snowflakes toward home

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they kept pace with him quickening when

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he quickened and slowing when he slowed

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his flesh crawled at the sound and he

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sped up cursing himself for walking home

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alone from the midnight christmas mass

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normally not a pious man the middle-aged

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bachelor had suddenly been struck by a

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wish to hear the old christmas songs

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sung once again by a church choir and

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had walked across town to attend a

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service

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now

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he regretted his choice as he passed

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dark house after dark house in the snowy

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night

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and the footsteps continued to follow

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he sped up until he was nearly running

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and skidded into the street

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a few more paces brought him to the

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bottom of his front steps and he dashed

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up them

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he realized suddenly that the following

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footsteps had ceased

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he glanced behind him at the cross

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street from which he had just turned

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and saw only one pair of footprints in

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the snow-covered street when there

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should have been two

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he was baffled

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and he then shuddered as a cold breeze

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struck him driving snow against his

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collar and slammed against the door

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almost it seemed to pass through the

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door

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but that was superstitious nonsense

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his hand was shaking as he unlocked the

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front door and hurried inside

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he expected darkness but was delighted

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to see the yellow glow of fire light

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coming from his study doorway upstairs

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his housekeeper whom he thought firmly

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asleep in her attic bedroom must have

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lit the fire pending his return

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he shrugged out of his coat and paused

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for a moment

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amazed to find it still warm and dry

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though he had walked for more than a

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mile through a snowstorm

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it was almost as if he'd been walking in

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a bubble of calm air

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though he remembered the soft snowflakes

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hitting his face when he first stepped

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out of church

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before the mysterious footsteps began

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his shutter was interrupted by a shout

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of greeting as his old friend andy came

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hurrying out of the study

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his whole

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face lit up in a grin at the unexpected

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surprise

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the two men shook hands heartily and

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retreated back to the warmth of the

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firelight

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talking so fast they stumbled over each

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other's words

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andy had left town years ago to take a

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government job in washington dc and they

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nearly an hour had passed before it

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occurred to him that his guest might be

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hungry

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his offer of a meal was instantly

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accepted

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but andy was unwilling to leave the

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comfort of the fire to eat in the

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kitchen

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so the man jogged downstairs alone to

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fetch some food for andy

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he didn't wonder at his friend's

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reluctance to join him in the kitchen

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andy had looked very pale and they kept

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shivering with cold while they talked

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he hoped his friend wasn't ailing for

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anything

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so he let him stay by the fight light

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a few moments later he was back with

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warmed up meat and potatoes and a couple

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glasses of beer

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apologizing profusely as he handed andy

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a plate for the mismatched dinnerware

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andy just laughed and hunkered down to

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eat

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when they were both finished he showed

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his friend to a guest room and then

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tumbled into his own bed to sleep

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all his apprehension caused by

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mysterious footsteps forgotten

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in the visit of his friend

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it was now christmas morning

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he jumped out of bed and dashed

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immediately downstairs to the guest room

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to rouse his friend

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but andy wasn't there

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and the bed had not been slept in

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the man ran down to look into the study

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but andy wasn't there either

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and one plate was full of food sitting

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on the end table beside his old friend's

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chair

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it was completely untouched

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though he'd seen andy eating from it the

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skin creeping at the thought

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the man ran to the kitchen and asked his

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housekeeper if she'd seen andy

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but the housekeeper had seen no one

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either the previous night or this

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morning

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the man flopped down on the bottom step

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of the stair pillars

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completely baffled

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where had andy gone

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it was a mystery that plagued him all

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christmas day

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and he did not enjoy this holiday dinner

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at all

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a fact that annoyed his housekeeper

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he was awakened the next morning from a

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restless sleep by the sound of the front

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doorbell

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he stumbled out of bed and was splashing

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water from the bedside pitcher onto his

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sleepy eyes

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when a knock came at his bedroom door

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when he answered

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his housekeeper handed him a telegram

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that had just arrived

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as she hurried back downstairs to

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prepare his breakfast

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he opened it curiously

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not knowing who would be telegraphing

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him so urgently

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as he read the telegram

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he started to

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tremble the message was short and to the

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point

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andy's family regretted to inform him

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that his old friend had passed away

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on christmas eve

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the man

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sat down on the bed

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the telegram fluttering away from his

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hand

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he'd spent

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christmas eve with andy indeed

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but it was spent with that