Grandpa Artin was a hospitable man who welcomed even complete strangers as guests and enjoyed sharing stories from his life. However, he never spoke about his exiled son Yegor. During his military service, Yegor had a dispute and "allegedly pulled a gun on the commander." Years passed with only fragmentary news about him, but the family never lost hope of seeing him again. In a bid to obtain clear information about his son, grandpa Artin sent a letter "to the highest place, directly to him, the Russian czar." After some time, he was summoned, and believing that he might finally receive news about his son, grandpa Artin went into town.