I. M. Bukstein

“ Ma is a right good cook when she bothers, and the girls do all right by themselves. When we finished, Joey pops up. I think it was Joey. I can't rightly remember. When you got ten kids and ten names to keep track of you're bound to have a hard time remembering.
Anyhow, one of the kids pops up and says, "Look, Pa! Willie's plate is all full up with chow and no Willie."
Ma looks down the row and tallies them up. Sure thing, nine kids and no Willie. I kind of wondered why Willie wasn't around. He's usually the first to eat and the last to stop. Ma looked worried. ”

“ Willie sure ain't my son. Some of the kids titter when Ma says that. Especially Ellie, or was it Sue? We had another one of those "mess of illusionations" about that time. Sue kept talking about funny looking men, with funny looking heads, wearing funny looking clothes. She said they jumped out of a coffee saucer or something like that. Just a baby, you know, with crazy notions. I never do pay any attention to these crazy ideas the kids bring up. I once read a book or something, or maybe someone told me, kids always see things that aren't there. ”

“ It's harvest time you know. The time Willie disappeared. Hey Ma, tell those kids to cut the noise out there. Can't hear myself think. Now where were we? Come to think of it, the kids are all in bed by now. Hard day harvesting.
Maybe I'd better check on the noise. Want to come along? Watch your head as you go out. The stoop is kind of low. I always bang my head if I don't stop to think about it.
Hey you! What you doing in my corn? Guldurn flying saucer or no guldurn flying saucer, that guldurn thing is ruining my crop! Hey, there's some people or what look like people. ”