A woman was at home with her children when the telephone
rang. In going to answer it, she tripped on a rug, grabbed
for something to hold on to and seized the telephone table.
It fell over with a crash, jarring the receiver off the
hook.

As it fell, it hit the family dog, which leaped up, howling
and barking. The woman's three-year-old son, startled by
this noise, broke into loud screams. The woman mumbled some
colorful words. She finally managed to pick up the receiver
and lift it to her ear, just in time to hear her husband's
voice on the other end say, "Nobody's said hello yet, but
it certainly sounds as if I have the right number."