Challenge 741

Open Cover

In James Krehbiel’s Pure in Their Own Eyes:
1. When was Joseph’s first wife, Maria, sent to a mental institution? And when did Joseph marry Anna?
2. “All six hundred and eighty-three residents of Pretty Prairie knew one another. [...] They were too closely knit for secrets.” Daniel and Sarah know only of Maria’s prior existence until they find her letters to Joseph. What does Anna know about Maria? Does anyone else in town know about her? If not, how long have Joseph and his family been living in Pretty Prairie?
3. Who is listed as the mother on Daniel’s birth certificate? If “Maria,” why is the name not common knowledge? If “Anna,” did Joseph persuade a government official to lie or commit forgery?
4. Divorce is never mentioned. Could Maria have been declared legally dead at any point? Even if such a determination were possible, it would come too late. Was Joseph ever married to Maria? If so, why has Joseph not been exposed as a bigamist?
In Edward Ahern’s “Digger”:
1. Why does the narrator call the missing man “Digger”?
2. What “sickness” did Digger have? What is the sickness of the unidentified group represented by the narrator?
3. What attitude does the narrator display toward “Digger”?
In Madeleine J. Lloyd’s “The Likelihood of Nothing,” we hear only one side of the telephone call. What does it reveal? Whose phone appears to be in use?
In Sameer Kulkarni’s “A Spy in McLeod Ganj,” do you agree with the Major that Jin’s execution is “a bit harsh”? What might have Jin done to warrant it?

Responses welcome!