away and by the time I had eaten supper I was tired and mother said I could stay home if I wanted to. She had to go to the party anyway since she was on the sponsoring committee. I decided to stay home but later when mother got ready to leave I changed my mind. They say that little decisions like that are the ones that really change your life.

Mother and I arrived an hour or so early to help with the food and decorations. My job was helping to put up folding chairs around the sides of the large barn-like room in the church basement. George McCanles and Eddie Schuler and I were the chair movers. Some girls and the moth- ers were working in the kitchen. People were arriving all the time and as we worked at the chairs the room began to grow noisy with peasant girls, cowboys, witches, ghosts, fairy princesses, knights in armor, pirates (like myself), cats, gorillas, ballet dancers, pumpkin heads and a multitude of other unlikely creatures.

I was still working at the far end of the room near the stage when George McCanles returned from the storage closet. He was beside him- self with giggling. Eddie Schuler and I looked up to see what had George so amused.

"What's so funny George?" Eddie asked.

"Malley.'

"Malley?"

"Yeah Malley."

"What about Malley?"

George looked secretive as if he had something to keep to himself. He sort of motioned us to huddle together.

"Malley's here with his sisters and he looks just like them.'

"What?" we muttered incredulously.

"Malley's wearing girl's stuff and he looks just like the twins," George blurted.

"Where?"

George pointed us toward the opposite end of the room but there was nothing to be seen except a crowd of costumed children surging about the entrance and the food table.

51