jeans and with the monkey wrench in her pocket. Theystarted off the same as any other day and he told her amiably, "Rosie,the sheriff says we get five thousand dollars reward from the bankers'association, and there's more from the insurance company, and there'sodd bits of change offered for those fellas for past performances. We'regoing to be right well off."
Rosie looked at him gloomily. There was still the matter of the otherSam in the middle of the week after next. And just then, Sam, who hadbeen watching the telephone lines beside the road as he drove, pulledoff the road and put on his climbing irons.
"What's this?" asked Rosie frightenedly. "You know--"
"You listen," said Sam, completely serene.
He climbed zestfully to the top of the pole. He hooked in the littlegadget that didn't make private conversations possible on a party line,but did make it possible for a man to talk to himself ten days in thefuture.
Or the past.
"Hello!" said Sam, up at the top of the telephone pole. "Sam, this isyou."
A voice he knew perfectly well sounded in the receiver.
"_Huh? Who's that?_"
"This is you," said Sam. "You, Sam Yoder. Don't you recognize your ownvoice? This is you, Sam Yoder, calling from the twelfth of July. Don'thang up!"
He heard Rosie gasp, all the way down there in the banged-up telephonetruck. Sam had seen the self-evident, at last, and now, in the twelfthof July, he was talking to himself on the telephone. Only instead oftalking to himself in the week after next, he was talking to himself inthe week before last--he being, back there ten days before, working onthis very same telephone line on this very same pole. And it was thesame conversation, word for word.
* * * * *
When he came down the pole, rather expansively, Rosie grabbed him andwept.
"Oh, Sam!" she sobbed. "It was you all the time!"
"Yeah," said Sam complacently. "I figured it out last night. That meback there in the second of July, he's cussing me out. And he's going totell you about it and you're going to get all wrought up. But I can makethat dumb me back yonder do what has to be done. And you and me, Rosie,have got a lot of money coming to us. I'm going to carry on through sohe'll earn it for us. But I'm warning you, Rosie, he'll be back at myhouse waiting for me to talk to him tonight, and I've got to be home totell him to go over to your house. I'm goin' to say 'ha-ha, ha-ha' athim."
"A-all right," said Rosie, wide-eyed. "You can."
"But I remember that when I call me up tonight, back there ten days ago,I'm going to be right busy here and now. I'm going to make me mad,because I don't want to waste time talking to myself back yonder.Remember? Now what," asked Sam mildly, "would I be doing tonight thatwould make me not want to waste time talking to myself ten days ago? Yougot any ideas, Rosie?"
"Sam Yoder! I wouldn't! I never heard of such a thing!"
Sam looked at her and shook his head regretfully. "Too bad. If youwon't, I guess I've got to call me up in the week after next and findout what's cooking."
"You--you _shan't_!" said Rosie fiercely. "I'll get even with you! Butyou shan't talk to that--" Then she wailed. "Darn you, Sam! Even if I dohave to marry you so you'll be wanting to talk to me instead of thatdumb you ten days back, you're not going to--you're not--"
Sam grinned. He kissed her. He put her in the truck and they rode off toBatesville to get married. And they did.
But you're not supposed to believe all this, and if you ask Sam Yoderabout it, he's apt to say it's all a lie. He doesn't want to talk aboutprivate party lines, either. And there are other matters. For instance,Sam's getting to be a pretty prominent citizen these days. He makes alot of money, one way and another. Nobody around home will ever bet withhim on who's going to win at sports and elections, anyhow.
Sam, This is You Page 4