Hannibal, Missouri.
Sherman Potter unfolded the letter and scanned the few lines of excited, childish scrawl. Then he lifted the photograph that had fallen out of the envelope into the light and drew back a little to see it clearly. The old man adjusted his glasses, and his face split into a slow, delighted grin.
"Hot damn!" he whispered, a dimple appearing in his leathery cheek.
It was a photograph of a man holding a baby. The baby was dressed all in white, with soft dark eyes and chubby forearms waving so that the little hands were blurred out of focus. The man who held him had a round face and thinning brown hair. He wore an ecstatic, slightly awed expression, and a woollen cap, his eyes brimming with pride behind round glasses.
The old doctor grinned again, lifting the letter for a second time.
"Dear Colonel Potter,
I don't know if you'll believe it reading this, but this photo is me with baby Henry Eugene O'Reilly! He was born on the 17th of August, and his grandma took this photo when he was two weeks old. Patty and I are proud as anything, and Ma dotes on him something awful! I think that maybe he will look a little bit like Hawkeye when he is older. Hoping that you and Mrs Potter are well, and that you got the chestnut colt you wanted, and got the roof fixed before all the rain. Henry is sleeping now, and he sleeps with his thumb in his mouth just like Li Chin used to. I was wondering maybe if you and Mrs Potter would like to be his godparents, with BJ and Peg maybe? Ma sends her love.
-Radar."
"Well I'll be frog-tickled!" Doc Potter chuckled quietly to himself, feeling a strange surge of pride as he carefully rested the photograph against the edge of the bookcase between the pictures of his grandchildren.
"Hot damn," he said again, nodding slowly, and across the wrinkled old face spread a broad smile that would notleave himfor the rest of the day.