One night when Thurber crashes down from his army cot, his mom comes to the immediate conclusion that the heavy headboard up in the attic had crashed down on the father, fatally injuring him. She started shouting and on hearing the shouts, Herman who is the narrator's brother thinks that mother has become hysterical, and so assures her that she is alright.then wakes up Briggs Beall who is the narrator's nervous first cousin who wakes up thinking that the hue and cry in the house was going on due to his ceasing breath, and so he pours over himself a glass of camphor spirit to revive himself. Roy and the dog wake up. At last the father who's the deepest sleeper in the house wakes up thinking that the house is on fire. When he says that he is coming his wife thinks that he's going up to the heavens. After a while the incident gets sorted out and mother who was quite optimistic in nature concludes and feels safe that her father-in-law was not at home.