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 works. The effects of the pest plane, of the pest bombs, were the most vicious that could be developed in the laboratories of bacterial war--and they put to shame the naturally-occurring epidemics that have scourged mankind throughout his history. And the effects were spreading with the speed of a prairie fire before a high wind. The entire area was quarantined, and daily the quarantine was extended. No plane could land and take off again. No ship could enter and leave. An airlift of supplies dropped by parachute was being organized. Bacteriologists and doctors jetted to the area were dying with the rest, caught in disease for which there was no answer. The propaganda attempts to make it seem as though cures were near were flatly not believed. Suez was remembered, but was remembered as a hoax--and the country had had its complete fill of hoaxes. Randolph had a number of what he referred to--and reported--as "crank calls," asking Witch to try its might. He arranged for every call that reached him to be traced immediately. He remained in seclusion.