The witches came onto the stage, not toward Mary, but stage center,
chanting--their cry.

"Witches of the world, unite to make it clean, clean, clean, Witch
clean,--NOW!"

At the corner of the screen, the child-body in the wheel chair
shuddered suddenly. Mary took a deep breath, went white and then red.
With a forceful gesture she threw off the shawl and looked at her
legs. Her hand reached down to touch them.

On the stage itself, one witch stopped dancing to watch. The others
noticed, stopped. The jingle died, half through....

And Mary stood up, looking at her legs. She took a step towards the
camera, and another. Her blue eyes lifted to the camera, widening.

In the absolute quiet, as everyone on stage stood frozen, Mary walked
towards the camera, her eyes like saucers looking into it. Her voice,
barely above a whisper, spoke.

"I'm ... I'm walking," said Mary.

* * * * *

The papers called it the cruelest hoax of all.

They carried the story side by side with the withdrawal of the Witch
program from the network, both by network and by International Witch
Corporation order.

The carried the statement of FCC officials that an investigation would
be made.

They carried the statement by Randolph that he would sue BDD&O.

They carried the statement by Oswald that he would sue Witch Products.

But mostly they carried the story of a little girl, who had been
whisked from sight and couldn't be located. Who had probably been
given an operation to make it possible for her to walk, but had been
forced to pay for the operation by taking part in a cruel hoax of
unbelievable magnitude.

* * * * *

Bill Howard stayed with the network, on the same time, sponsorless.
He'd been cleared of any implication in the hoax by all parties
concerned, and his reputation had always been good. He was asked to
stay in town and be available to appear as a witness, but the network
gambled that he was clear, and kept him on. He was one of the biggest
draws in newscasting, his personality that made the news seem to
belong to the people, to be a continuing story of their lives, was
unique. The network decided the gamble of keeping him on was
warranted.

By the next night the Formosa crisis had broken into the news, and it
was the news.

The details were horrible, and they were uncovered aplenty. Finally
ungagged, those who had been holding off gave the story the wo