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These events took place in a small town in western New York State not long after the end of World War I. 'Small' is a relative term, so let me be as specific as the elders were to me when I would ask them the 'size' question. The population of Brockport, New York was 3501 persons in 1929. 'Town' is a generally used designation for settlements smaller than cities, but for this story an 'incorporated village' in the State of New York had important distinctions that I did not appreciate until later in life.

We lived at 48 South Avenue when I first became aware of an address. Our home later became 52 South Avenue for reasons that were never made clear to me. Our telephone number was 75. At night when our parents were out, we could ask the Telephone Operator when our parents would be home. 'We' consisted of Sis and me. I was Frankie. Shortly, the phone would ring and the Operator would tell us when our mother and father would be coming home.