A Chicago Lawyer Sees Sam I 115

turned off Route 1, Sam pointed out two Gothic towers. “That’s Holder Hall,” he said. “The taller one over yonder was built as a memorial to Grover Cleveland. Cleveland was a trustee here when he died.” The unique university town displayed the peak of October’s brightest colors and to Yager its surrounding hills were breathtaking.

True to their word, the seminarians gathered an impressive crowd of undergraduates, upwards of a hundred, and after a word of introduction from Sam, the sophisticated Chicago lawyer let his young audience have his deepest, personal convictions about the Almighty with a rare freedom only gained the day before. When Sam left to drive back to town, Yager was still hard at it; and so he spent the night and had further time to talk with individual students the next day. At last he caught a train back to the city, weary but in a rosy glow. Checking into his hotel, he got Sam on the ‘phone in order to fill him in. “The boys responded, Sam,” he reported. “Thought I’d never get to bed.”

“Wonderful. Wonderful.” The rector exclaimed with characteristic joviality. “It all sounds providential. And now I’ve got a businessman here who wants to hear your story. Will you come on down ?“

As Yager packed, Sunday morning, he resisted an urge to call Sam for a last chat. The rector would doubtless be very busy, and just might urge him to stay for church. Finally, however, he asked the hotel switchboard to try Gramercy 5-1216.

A woman answered doubtfully when he asked for Mr. Shoemaker, but after a moment Sam’s strong voice came over the wire. “God speed you, old fellow,” he said. “But quickly answer me one question, will you? How exactly do you know God answered Louise’s and your prayers last Wednesday?”

“How do I know? How do I know?” repeated Yager. “Well of course a person can be mistaken, be self-deluded, and a dozen other things the psychiatrists talk about. I can only say that I’ve never been surer of myself—never. I’m not discounting selfhypnosis and what they call psychological releases, triggered by deep, unknown emotional needs. No. But in those moments immediately following our prayers I felt the deepest conviction and the clearest direction. That ‘see Sam’ was neither desired nor convenient.” Yager took a deep breath. “That answer was one of the most important events in my life.” He paused. “Say, you’re a great