The Ward County independent. [volume] (Minot, Ward County, N.D.) 1902-1965, 1917-02-15

occasion appeared to require, and hav-
ing made further mental note Of those
he had Inadvertently jostled, when the
occasion did not appear, ! felt quite
competent.
The town was small, the weather
not the best for street traffic, there
fore, / got out into the open with
slight embarrassment. Out into the
open may be taken literally. Those
were the good old days before impede
ments to the drivers unobstructed
view had been devised. The view was
perfect on all sides and overhead, so
far as one cared to use it. For the
moment was only concerned in that
directly ahead, except when had to
look at my feet for the purpose of
picking out which to use and how;
which process was either a rapid one
or the next glance ahead revealed the
car about sevent points off its course,
and likely headed for a corn field.
This mental and physical effort had
the virtue of centering ones interest
and, except for the stream of water
running from the visor of my hat, l
was but slightly concerned in what
was going on overhead-and not at all
cold. The amount of water that was
being dumped onto the road, however,
soon made going rather difficult.
The car was sympathetic, l soon
discovered. 1t responded to ones every
mood with an alacrity that was to be
admired. If I got erratic in my ac-
tions, so did the car. If l attempted
to be calm and rest, so also rested
it, Any attempt at peevishness got
an immediate response in kind, and 1t
was not long before we were both
steaming like couple of tea kettles
Il hadn't the slightest idea what to do
for car whose radiator was pretend
ing to be steam locomotive, but in
stinct told me something should be
done, and, remembering my sailing
experiences, l brought her up dead
into the wind and let her flap, or rath-
er sizzle in this case, until | could
think the thing out. AS time went on
and nothing suggested itself, and the
thing could see that l intended to
stubbornly sit the matter out, like all
animate objects, when the coddling
they expect is not Forthcoming, it
eventually got over it's huff, and we
proceeded on our way.
The first road sign read Clear
water-2 Miles," ! hadn't known that
Clearwater was on my road to st.
Cloud, but the knowledge that l was
close to it was comforting for two
reasonable road was becoming more
and more like a dishpar, and Clear
water was where, as child, l had
once resided. 1t was written large on
the calendar of my family once, as
two-year-old, / had fallen into the
mill pond and all but drowned. l had
recurrent swelling Of pride, there
fore, as I thought how the natives
would start and make great fuss
over my first returning visit, accom-
panied, as it were, by such evidence of
wealth as an automobile. AS it was
down hill into the town, swept into
the street and up in front of the hotel,
with al, the flourish of a postillion Of
old, lacking only trumpeter to blow
demic or some other scare in the town.
After sitting there for a few mo-
ments, without gathering any percept-
ible following, | decided to dismount,
I find out few things, and incidentally
tell them who had dropped in on them.
The hotel man said he was pleased to
meet me, DuC Hau HOC CNaHSeu his
countenance any when he heard my
name. I inquired of the whereabouts
of one or two names I remembered as
figuring prominently in our family
freside, but only one remained. AS he
was the one who had so heroically
snatched my young soul from the lin
pid waters of the mill pond and saved
me to the world and posterity, it was
with a grateful and pulsating heart
that I stepped into his harness shop
and made known to him the living