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He reht with their swi floor boards It was a ride of many detours taken just for the hell of it, which was the best reason in the world

“Good night” “So long” “Good night”

Then Welles was driving alone, at ht, home to bed

He nailed the pumpernickel to his bureau the next day

“I almost cried when, two years later, my e”

“What happened in 1920?” asked his wife “On New Year’s Day?”

“Oh,” said Mr Welles “I alking by the courthouse, by accident, at noon It was snowing I heard the clock strike Lord, I thought, ere supposed to ht in front of the courthouse, no I waited across the street” He paused “Nobody showed up”

He got up from the table and paid the bill “And I’ll take that loaf of unsliced pumpernickel there,” he said

When he and his alking hoot a crazy idea I often wondered what happened to everyone”

“Nick’s still in toith his café”

“But what about the others?” Mr Welles’s face was getting pink and he was s his hands “They moved away I think Tom’s in Cincinnati He looked quickly at his wife “Just for the heck of it, I’ll send him this pumpernickel!”

“Oh, but—”

“Sure!” He laughed, walking faster, slapping the bread with the palm of his hand “Have him carve his name on it and mail it on to the others if he knows their addresses And finally back to me, with all their names on it!”

“But,” she said, taking his ars like this so many times before and”

He wasn’t listening Why do I never get these ideas by day? he thought Why do I always get theoes down?