Camas Prairie chronicle. [volume] (Cottonwood, Idaho) 1901-1917, 1916-08-25
The Cooperative Plan
A Farmer Tries 1t on an Auto
BY M. QUAD
Copyright, 1916, by the Mcclure
Newspaper Syndicate.

and farmer was tinkering at it. He
had sledge, crowbar, an az, a cold
chisel and screwdriver and had work.
ed up nice little state of perspira-
ton.
you appear to have a wreck here"
l said as l drew in my horse.
APPEAR? he shouted as he looked
up. IF this isn't the durndest wreck
anybody ever saw I'll eat my haty'
How did it happen?"
How does anything happen to an
auto with fool driving itT'
WAS it yoursY asked, seeming a
story.
"One-fifth Of her was mine up to
last night. Now the whole sad remains
belong to me. Did you ever hear of
the cooperative plan among farmers?''
Lots of times"
WAL, then, this was cooperation in
buyin' and runnin' an automobile, and
this is one Of the results of it. The
other result is that ! am about $500
out of pocket and have lost a wilder
who was goin' to be my wife. II you
want to hear all about it Ill tell YOU.
for | guess it hain't any use to tinker
any more at this blamed old thing"
The farmer took a seat on the NOR
tai remains Of the auto and drew a
long breath and proceeded to say:
There was Tom Evans. Joe Baxter,
Jim Williams and 81 Perkins. They
are all farmers and live about here.
They are all married men, and each
one has gang of children AS for
me. am an old bachelor, but I was
a-sparkin' Of the incest wilder woman
in this county. The four men have
mentioned come over to my house one
eVen1n' month ago, and Tom Evans
he asks If would go in with 'em on
the cooperative plan to buy an auto.
"'How muchT says l.
"a thousand says he.
""That's $3.50 EACH
"'Jest SO, Sam
"And the auto was boughtY' ]
Queried.
"She was, sir. She arrived here glis-
TENN like a star. aand she excited the
wonder Of folks for ten miles around.
We got Teller from town to show us
how to run her. and In about a week
we was all ready to glide around the
country. Bein' was single man and
nightly in love with a wilder, they
said might take the auto out first,
which was very decent Of them. | felt
sure could run the machine as good |
as any man in the state. 1t was a
bright moonlight night, and the whip
poorwtlls were singin' and the katy |
dds chirpin'. and that wilder woman
should promise to be mine before we |
returned"
And did she?" was asked as the
farmer heaved long sigh.
"She didn't. stranger. and I'll tell
you why. We had gone about mile
as steady as an old horse when the
auto SHE'D at stone in the road, ran
through rail fence. wrecked the auto
and the widow gave me fits"
ut gets interesting" l said.
kinder interestin'. stranger-kinder
so. We got a machinist to tinker $50
worth Of tinker. and the old machine
could run again. Then it was Toms
turn. He has a wife and FIVE children,
and they all piled in. They was clip
pin along as happy as larks when
they came to a crossroad. The auto
was for keepin' straight ahead, Tom
to turn to the right and his
wife to the left, and the result was
hat the machine run into and knock
I'd over the guidepost and then tried
70 climb fence. The whole family
:ook a spill and was scattered for
.wenty rods around. No one was kill
I'd, and there was no broken bones,
1ut the bruises are yet blue. and Tom
IT'LL walks bent over like an old man
IN account OF the jar to his spine. By
his time we had all got skeery of the
but, 1t bein' now Jim's turn
md he not wantin' to be called a cow
lrd. he took out his family for PRONE
lade. AS the other accidents had oc.
ured at night, Jim went out in the
fternoon. He thought there might be
omethin' In the night air that affect
d the old critter. There was seven III
he family, and they was climbin' the
ill beyond the red ridge when all to
nee the auto gave a snort and STOP
ed in her tracks.
whats the matterr asked Jim's
wife
burned If know, but she's got to
o! he answers.
"And she did go, slr-she went back
Yards. There was screamin' and yell.
a and swearin', and Joe's wife slap
ed his face, but nothin' did any good.
hat auto kept on goin' backwards I
ntil 1t dumped them all In the river,
7hich was about three feet deep at
hat time. They was shook up and I
ruised and half drowned, but they {
'ere lucky for all that. They waded
shore and left the old auto lynn on
IS back in the river" I
But You got it out againT' asked. {
Eyes. We had to-" was the reply.
1t was in tryin' to get the old critter
ONE ag'in that she suddenly bolted
nd run into a telegraph pole and
'recked herself as you see her."
And she won't be tinkered up
gainT
"She can't be. There's nothin' left
tinker, unless the blacksmith thinks