This story has a sad ending. Vanderkoep brings a rift into Emily and Agatha's longstanding relationship, because only Agatha ever dreams about him, but in all her dreams, EMILY is the one Vanderkoep is most devoted to. After Vanderkoep's first birthday, Emily cancels the women's longstanding summer vacation together out of fear that their baby will disappear, and it is while they are trapped at home in a dangerous heat wave that Vanderkoep dies of fever. (Indeed, Emily herself gets sick of heat stroke--this is 1904, after all! No AC!) The story ends with Emily going to get flowers in memory of him.