Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1916-11-16

other result is that I am about $500
out of pocket and have lost a wilder
who was goin' to be my Wife. If you
want to hear all about it I'll tell you,
for l 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 Lvans, Joe Baxter,
Jim Williams and ST Perkins. They
are all farmers and live about here.
They are all married men, and each
one has q gang of children. AS for
me, l am an old bachelor, but l was
a-Sparkin' Of the incest wilder woman
in this county. The four men / have
mentioned come Over to my house one
cvenin' 4 month ago, and Tom Evans
he asks if | would go in with 'em on
the cooperative plan to buy an auto.
"How much" says l.
"a thousand,' says he.
"'That's $3.50 each
Jest so, Sam.
"And the anto was bought?" I
Qucried.
"She was. sir. She arrived here glis-
TENN like Il star. and she excited the
wonder Of folks for ten miles around.
We got a fcllcr from town to show us
how to run her, and in about Il week
we was all ready to glide around the
country. Bein' | was a single man and
nightly in love with a wilder. they
said | might take the auto out first,
which vas very decent of them. ! felt
sure I could run the machine as good
as any man in the state. 1t was a
bright moonlight night, and the whip
roorwills We're 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 Il long sigh.
"Shc didn't. stranger, and I'll tell
YOU why. We had gone about a mile
as steady as an old horse when the
auto slIicd at a stone in the road. ran
through 4 rail fence. wrecked the auto.
and the widow gave NE fits"
ut gets interesting" I said.
"Kinder ~intcrestin'. stranger-kindcr
50. We got Il machinist to tinker 500
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 rs larks when
they came to Il crosSroad. The auto
was for kccpin' straight ahead. Tom
wanted to tIrn to the right and his
wife to the left. and the result was
that the machine run into and knock
ed OYER the budapest and hen tried
to climb Il fence. The whole family
took a spill and vas scattered for
4 twenty DDS around. No one was kill
i ed, and there was no broken bones.
but the bruises are vet blue, and Tom
still walks bcnt over like an old man
on account Of the jar to his spine. BY
this time We had all got skeery of the
machine; but. it bein' now Jim's turn
and he not Wantin' to be called a COW
ard. he took out his family for prone
made. AS the other accidents had oc-
cured ut night. Jim went out in the
dllclIlOoiI. liz tllotlSHC llSlN IillSiI ~
somethin' in the night air that affect
ed the old %critter. There was seven in
the family, and they was climbin' the
hill beyond the red ridge when all to
once the auto gave a snort and stop
ped in her tracks.
"'NNhat's the matter?' asked Jim's
wife.
- .J>,,.-l 80 7 -,n,- l,,% ~I~s. .,@ L.,
go! he answers.
And she did 60, sir-she went back
wards. There was screamin' and yell
in and sWearin', and JOe's wife slap
ped his face, but nothin' did any good.
That auto kept on goin' backwards
until it dumped them all in the river,
which was about three feet deep at
that time. They was shook up and
bruised and half drowned. but they
were lucky for all that. They waded
ashore and left the old auto lynn on
it's back in the river"
But you got it out again?' ! asked.
eyes. We had to-" was the reply.
1T was in tryin' to get the old critter
home ag'in that she suddenly bolted
and run into a telegraph pole and
wrecked herself as you see her"
"And she won't be tinkered up
again"
"She can't be. There's nothin' left
to tinker, unless the blacksmith thinks
he can make five wise men out of the
five fools who bought her and lost
about $3.50 apiece. I used to think CO.
operation of farmers was a beautiful