American Falls press. [volume] (American Falls, Idaho) 1907-1937, 1919-02-14
CHAPTER Vl-continued.


One day in December of that year,
L had my first trial in the full respon-
sibility of mans work. / was allowed
to load and harness and hitch up and
go to the mill without assistance. My
uncle and Purvis, our hired man, We're
busy with the chopping and we were
out of flour and meal. 1t took a lot
of them to keep the axes going. So
1 filled two sacks with corn n W
with wheat and put them into the
box wagon, for the ground was bare,
and hitched up my horses anu set out.
1 reached the mill safely and be-
fore the grain was ground the earth
and the sky above were white with
snow driving down in a cold, stiff
wind out of the northwest. | loaded
my grists and covered them with a
blanket and hurried away. The snow
came so fast that it almost blinded
me. There were times when L could
scarcely see the road or the horses.
The wind came colder and soon 1t
was hard work to hold the reins and
keep my hands from freezing.
Suddenly the wheels began jumping
over rocks. The horses were in the
ditch. I knew what was the matter,
for my eyes had been filling with snow
and l had had to brush them often. OF
course the team had suffered in a like
manner. Before l could stop l heard
the crack of a felly and a front wheel
dropped to its hub. l checked the
horses and jumped out and went to
their heads and cleared their eyes. The
snow was up to my knees then.
How the thought of that broken
wheel smote mel 1t was our only
heavy wagon, and we having to pay
the m~ortgagei What would my uncle
say? The query brought tears to my
eyes.
I unhitched and led my horses up
into the cover of the pines. How CRATE
full it seemed, for the wind was slack
below but bowling in the treetopsl ]
knew that / was four miles from home
and knew not how / was to get there
Chilled to the bone, l gathered some
pitch pine and soon had a fire going
with my flint and finder. l knew thai
I could mount n of the horses ant
lead the other and reach home prob
ably. But there was the grist. W.
needed that; l knew that we should
have to go hungry without the grist
1t would get wet from above and be
low If l tried to carry it on the bael
of a horse. I warmed myself by th'
fire and hitched my team near 1t so al
- - ~ Sod ,,.+ ne Ebniu foraInnli
and eyebrows. l felt in my coat peck
cts and found a handful of nails
everybody carried nails In one poke
in those days-and 1 remember tina
my uncle's pockets were a museum o
bolts and nuts and screws and wash
ers.
The idea occurred to me that I woul'
make a kind of sled which was calle'
a jumper.
SO / got my ak out of the wagol
and soon found a couple of small tree
with the right crook for the forwarr
end of a runner, and cut them an
hewed their bottoms as smoothly a
j could. Then 1 made notches in ther
near the top of their crooks and ftte
a stout stick into the notches and Sc
cured It with nails driven by the az
head. Thus / got a hold for my eyenel
That done, / chopped and hewed a
arch to cross the middle of the rur
ners and hold them apart and use
all my nails to ecu and brace |
/ got the two boards which were fa'
tened together and constituted m
WACO seat and laid them over tn
arch and front brace. How to max
them fast was my worst problem.
succeeded in splitting a green site
to hold the bolt of the evener just VI
der its head while 1 heated its low
end in the fire and kept its head coo
with snow. With this / burnt a hol
in the end of each board and fastene
them to the front brace with withes {
moosewood.
1t was late in the day and there wa
no time for the slow process Of burr
ing more holes, so / notched the otht
ends Of the boards and dashed them
the rear brace with a length Of m
seins. Then | retempered my bolt an
brought up the grist and chain an
fastened the latter between the board
In the middle Of the front brac
hitched my team to the chain and 81
out again, sitting on the bags.
II vas pitch dark and the horse
wading { o their bellies and the sno
sowing faster when we turned ini