prayed for his safety. The spring finally came, and on March 18, 1941 Alphy returned home a few weeks before Easter. It was a happy day! Alphy looked at his little family - my how they had grown over the winter, especially the twins, who were now fourteen months old. Alphy had bought a special treat for the children: chocolate bunnies. These would have to be for Easter, which was a few weeks away. Alphy discreetly passed the bunnies to Margurita , and told her it would be their Easter treats from the Easter Bunny . Margurita took the chocolate bunnies and hid them with care in the closet of their bedroom. Alphy and Margurita chatted until the early hours of the morning, talking about their plans to build. Alphy had saved quite a bit of money. It wouldn't be enough to buy all the supplies, but it was a good start. The children were now at an age where they would spend a lot of time playing together. Sometimes, LeRoy (now five years old) would go off by himself in the bedroom and play quietly without the girls. Margurita thought perhaps he needed some quiet time by himself, as his sisters were more active and noisy than he was. The night before Easter, when the children were tucked in bed, Alphy and Margurita said their evening prayers and then it was time for the Easter Bunny . Margurita went to the closet to get the treats. When she took the chocolate bunnies out of the bag, lo and behold, each of them had no ears. All of the ears had been eaten right down to the top of their heads. They were all the same. Margurita smiled; it was now clear to her why LeRoy was spending all the extra time in the bedroom. But at least he had been smart enough to eat just the ears. The rest of the bunny parts were still in tact. For Easter that year, each child had a chocolate bunny without ears. Still it was more than the family could afford most years. 71