Three specific and separate stories of life's passing parade are presented. In "Unclaimed Millions," millions of dollars sit in banks unclaimed, often because those accounts are forgotten. Banks do whatever they can to locate the rightful owners. Several hundred of those dollars are in the account of William Lawton, who opened it in 1917 just before heading off to war. He opened it as a joint account, listing the other person's name as Jerry. William died in the war. The issue then became how to identify the Jerry Lawton who was entitled to the money in William's account. In "Autobiography of an Automobile," we visit a scrap heap where several cars are scheduled for demolition. The history of one of those cars is told in terms of time, place, owner and age. Despite its imminent demise, that car does have a future. And in "The Marriage Industry," the mail-order bride business is described. One person who advertised in a lonely-hearts catalog was Helga Anderson, who had no opportunity to meet eligible men through regular means as she lived and worked on a remote farm. Most who thumbed through the catalog would not choose her, and most who would contact her as a potential husband would not interest her. She just hoped that the one she did choose of those who contacted her would ultimately be a good match, which was problematic not only because of circumstance but also because of the fraud that became rampant within the otherwise legitimate business.
—Anonymous