The Fargo forum and daily republican., 1906-04-26
ED. PIERCE TELLS WHY
THE AUTOMOBILE e STOPPED

IIdltol shtSOIu. .g5 soulQay evening
when the shadows of the telegraph poles
were stretching out like hired man
reaching for more bread an automobile
party left Grandon for a little spin into
the country. going north. The car. ran
as fne as a sewing machine making a.
wedding dress, and the party, two gen1
tlemen and their wives and a friend
from Illinois, who We will call George.
for. the sake of being sociable, conversed
on Sunday lines as they ert off dis
tances as swift and easily as the clerk
in the dry goods store cuts off calico
for the man with nine daughters and
no bank account. Every little lever
spoke its piece when called upon, bowed
and smiled at the audience and resumed
Its place. The breathing of the gasoline.
engine was regular and full of vim and
tart suggestions. The cattle in the pas
|ture turned from grazing to gazing as
THE machine went by, and belated
hen flew over two fences and got stuck
lin a hay rake in an honest endeavor to
save its life. A graceful curve was
made around the village of Auburn and
the home trip was on in earnest. The
seats were soft; there was no jar; it
was just like travelling in Pullman
car on a trip pass with a hundred dollar
bill which no one could change. The
car made a rainbow curve around a
red barn and had Strengthened out for
Ia little exhibition of speed when the
end came, without any hesitation or
mental reservation Of mind whatever.
lit was all over; it quit as suddenly as
ia man throwing gravel through sieve
lat o'clock The driver of the car.
who was also the proprietor, told his
guests TO rest easy for a minute and he
got out a monkey wrench and few
plumbers tools. He worked away. at the
engine patiently and kindly and even
joked a little during the first few houKs
|of the stop and a white horse watched
him from the barn window with the
suggestion OF a sarcastic smile neatly
worked on his lips. Everything which
could be thought of in the growing
darkness was done to coax the car to go
on about its business, but business
seemed to be closed for the night and
the back door locked. Ii was getting
serious and the more serious it got the
longer they tarried. The engine didn't
have any more GO in it than a. tin
alarm clock hit on the temple with an
ak Time dragged YEARLY on and the
hard knot in the appendix Of the dist
tance discourager grew harder, and the
white horse in the nearby barn went to
|bed. Then the three men, having moth
ling else to take, took council. After
taking council it was agreed among
Themselves that it would be a good
thing to send al boy to town after MIC
Keliar the mobile magician, and the
1 boy went accompanied BY the white
horse on a gallop. After the boy had
left the machine was re-nodeled, the
gasoline tasted and the crank
twisted for the 777th time, but like a
close listed uncle it refused to cough
and stuck to the road like dray Wag-
| on full of salt barrels. AT I2 midnight
lthe relief agent driving livery team,
which knew nothing Of check valves
or electric sparks, arrived and at a giv-
en- word the. stranded automobiles well
coined him BY shivering three times In
|anison. Monday morning was coming
|around the corner, when the cause of
| |fhe difficulty was located !; a little piece
of wire no bigger than d boys excuse
| for not watering the COW, had got cross
wise on the FIRE line and caused short
circuit and long wait, and The Queen
shot into the night like jatitor of d
|school house into his pants on a win
| ter morning. I.
b