" father , i will be very good while i am waiting for you to come back , so please bring me a present . " as the father turned to take a last look at his weeping wife and smiling , eager child , he felt as if some one were pulling him back by the hair , so hard was it for him to leave them behind , for they had never been separated before . but he knew that he must go , for the call was imperative . with a great effort he ceased to think , and resolutely turning away he went quickly down the little garden and out through the gate . his wife , catching up the child in her arms , ran as far as the gate , and watched him as he went down the road between the pines till he was lost in the haze of the distance and all she could see was his quaint peaked hat , and at last that vanished too .
the call was imperative .
why did the father go even though he wanted to stay ?
why did the father go even though he wanted to stay ?