
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SATURDAY, December 24, 1994                   TAG: 9412290063
SECTION: EXTRA                    PAGE: C12   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: R. H. W. DILLARD
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

THE LONELINESS OF MR. TOLLIVER

It is Christmas Eve, and Mr. Tolliver sits alone in his parlor. Mr. Tolliver has lived alone since his wife's death 17 years ago. Alone, except for a dog and cat, Toots and Teets. Neither of them are old enough to remember Mrs. Tolliver, Helen; neither of them can replace the dog and cat both Tollivers had owned and loved together, the faithful chow, Nanook and the loving cat, Lily. Toots and Teets are more independent, more likely to go their own way, as now they are somewhere else in the house, not keeping Mr. Tolliver company before the television set on Christmas Eve.

\ Mr. Tolliver has been sitting in the parlor for over an hour, his hand cradling th TV remote, shifting from 2 to 3 to 4 and up on the scale idly, pausing five minutes here or two minutes there when something catches his brief attention. Up the scale until he reaches 37, and then back down again.

\ Please see microfilm for complete text.

by CNB