CAME a day when the snow had disappeared;
my threshing was done; I had money
again, and to Chicago I journeyed.

During the winter I had planned a
way to get to see my wife, and took the first step
toward carrying it out, immediately following my
arrival in the city.

I went to a telephone and called up Mrs. Ewis.
She recognized my voice and knew what I had come
for. She said: "I am so glad I was near the phone
when you called up, because your father-in-law is
in the house this very minute." On hearing this
I was taken aback, for it had not occurred to me
that he might be in the city. As the realization
that he was, became clear to me, I felt ill at ease,
and asked how he came to be in the city at that
time.

"Well," and from her tone I could see that she
was also disturbed--"you see tomorrow is election
and yesterday was Easter, so he came home to vote,
and be here East, at the same time. Now, let
me think a moment," she said nervously. Finally
she called: " Oscar, I tell you what I will do, P. H.
is sick and the Reverend has been here every day
to see him." Here she paused again, then went on:
"I will try to get him to go home, but he stays late.
However, you call up in about an hour, and if he
in still here, I'll say 'this is the wrong number, see?'"
"Yes," I said gratefully, and hung up the receiver.

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