The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1905-07-28
GALE ALLEN.
GENIUS
z =
The Whimsical
Carriaee-haker
Of Carmel-Town
BY HOL MAN DAY

Now, genius-well, If you'll show
me any really smart man that hasn't
q skew-angle on one corner or the
other Of him, then I'll set up the
cider the next time you come around
to my house. And genius does
even his counting a little different
from the ordinary run of men; but
we've got such an almighty matter-of-
fact set Of women in Carmel that
you can't make them understand
such things.
It always has been little differ
ent with the men. We acknowledged
that Gale Allen was genius and put
up with him. It was mite tough
on Doc Bragg to have to ride around
In that sleigh, with the body made
like duck, and to have the boys go
"Quack, quack!" after him; but Doc
can take joke, and we all know him
in Carmel, and it didn't hurt his bust
ness any, and so it was all right.
Gale, you understand, has been our
carriage and sleigh maker in Carmel
for thirty years, and he'll do job
that you can't match this side the
golden chariots. 1t isn't very hard to
put up with the eccentricities of gen.
ius when you know you're getting
something for your money. bought
one factory-made top-buggy; but that
was enough for me. 1t was good
sample of crochet-work; but it would
MT stand up any more than ice cream
in a hay field. So / went back to
Gale, and he built me wagon that
looked like a pumkin sawed in two
and set on four wheels. He allowed
that it would remind me that was a
pumkin-head.
took it. had to take 1t or moth
ing. That was Gales style. Teller
went to him and ordered carriage
or sleigh, and he got it; but Gale
never allowed him to say word as
to what the model should be. Being
a genius he insisted that he knew
better than the customer. OF course,
he had to stick more or less to
straight patterns on carriages; but
when snow-time came, then you
would behold in Carmel the result of
Gale Aliens ingenuity in invention.
When Carmel folks drove into other
towns with their sleighs the people
would run to the windows. Once
when we took Squire Avery over to
the Etna Tomb in February, with a
procession of sleighs from Carmel
about half mile long, we drew big
ger crowds than Haskelps Hippo
.irome Circus.
There was the old red-cradle style
for new-married couples and the
rocking chair style for old folks, and
the minister drew one that had the
Bible painted on the high back and a
hxyyo ON, fondnp and a
ering like a sounding board He GER
tainly always showed good taste.
Gale did Folks wondered where he
ever thought up all the styles and all
the colors he slapped on; but when
you come to analyze the thing 1t al
ways hit off the owner just right.
When about fifty of those sleighs
were hitched around the church door,
Teller would kind of banker for a
piece of smoked glass to look at 'em
through; but they certainly did add
a lot to the landscape. Oh, yes,
suppose some folks did find it hard to
get along with all of Gales notions
but you had to consider that ne was
q genius and entitled to some of his
crankiness, and then you didn't think
anything more about it.
Widower, Gale was, and the women
folks who had watched him for ten
years allowed that he wasn't ever go
ing to hitch up again. First wife
didn't get along with him very well
j genius, you know; and ne kept her
guessing all the time.
Well. the first any of us in the viii
sage suspected that hen was on was
when Alp Hansons boy came into the
grocery store one evening and snick-
cred awhile side of the stove, and
finally ont and said he was just com
ing down past Widow Sprague's
mouse and saw Gale going up the
front walk. He said that Gale was
hurryina like sin, as though he was
afraid me Que would see him, and
struck glary place on the walk and
fell down, and a paper bag he was
carrying busted, and more'n peck
of apples scattered every which way
Boy said that the way Gale talked
to himself when he was picking ur
those apples was certainly comfort
ing to cold ears Boy brought along
one of the apples that had rolled his
way, and showed it to US to prove his
story. for 1t certainly did sound unbe
lievable. Th- apples was Tallman
sweeting, and old Ike Elwell snuffed
of it and said that he didn't know
how 1t was in city places and high
society, but when widderer or an
old bach started out in Carmel with
a bag of sweet apples to call Oh a
wilder it meant more than simply
passing the tome o. day.
He's beginning to show atten-
tions. that's what he's doin,." said
Ike.
And that was the general opinion
of all those In the grocery store al
the time. Some remembered back
and those that couldn't remember
could guess how it might be IL they
had the chance. Some of the citi
zens said they were good mind tc
put the thing right to Gale the next
lime he came to the store; but there
wasn't anything SO mighty definite
about 1t. and then you never know
how a genius is going to take hec
eoring. We let things hang