The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-12-07
MEN, WOMEN
 AND THINGS

Yes, had the Thanksgiving spirit all right when left here on the Wednesday morning before at the streak of day with a family party in order to take Thanks giving dinner with my uncle, Charles G. Mercer, in my old home town of Eufau- la, said Mercer Barnett, the big Kiwanis chief who showed up Tuesday.
 Now that trip had been looked for family were on tip toes to make the start. In the party was my wife, my sisters, Emmie Barnett, Louise Calhoun, her daughter Margaret, and my cousin James Mercer.
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 We were just going to have a lovely drive down the highway to Montgomery Springs, Midway, to the famous Bluff City of the Chattahoochee. We went spinning over Shades mountain, and coasted nearly to Pelham. highballed through Calera, and made good run t9 Clanton.
 But before we reached the Capital City the clouds opened and we passed through the streets of Montgomery to the pat ter of steady downpour. Our spirits were bit dampened, but we had no other thought than of reaching our des- tination by supper-but had we known what lay before us we would have turned back homeward and showed our sense by playing for Safety.
 I was reared in a sandy country and 1T never paid much attention to talks about prairie mud I thought those who spoke of it were fond of drawing the longssbow, about its sticky qualities, but they never told one-half of it's power to cling as learned in my first experience in trying to drive through it. It has the cement like quality all right and some Eenterprising man can make a fortune by bottling it and giving it a fancy name as the latest thing in glue
 I got bit worried when the mud got thicker and the bad places more frequent and for toss up would have suggested giving up the trip, but fellow in a flivver said you'll never make it in that car" Now this got my dander up, for l think my Packard can pull any road any other make can do, and l made up my mind to go ahead or bust, and the end of this story will show that I bustedl We got in serious trouble and a negro
 
 came along and we hired him to climb down from his mule and put the chains on, and this made it possible for me to get out of the hole into which we had mired. Darkey-like. he comforted me by telling me that tue worst was over and if got to the top of hill about quar- ter of a n,ae away could have plumb sure good road into Union Springs. This gave me encouragement to drive ahead but soon saw trouble, and in less than five minutes I was in the middle of it.. could feel my heavy car begin to settle down in ditch until the guards themselves were being sub merged. Then the Thanksgiving spirit left me and I fear I had evil thoughts. know that all the world looked black and dark Was coming on mighty fast. It was raining steadily. had been the leader up to this point, but was now ready to take advice. so called coun- cil ofsstrategy. The women of the party all being suffragettes ontvoted the two men and unanimously agreed that 1t was Iup to the male members to go for help. No soldier on the other side ever made trip into NO Mans Land" with as little heart as Jim and started out on our great adventure across country for first aid.
 i Going back to my home town l natural 1 ly wanted to look prosperous. so bought me pair of sls shoes. had me s95 suit made, and was rather proud of my out fit as whole, but believe mo when cast my eyes over the dreary waste sighed for the old clothes and shoes pact home, But 1t was ID to me to do ol