Before my mother died (in 1912) we bought our first automobile - an Everett. John Whitesell drove a Brush - a little car with no top or doors. He carried our mail and gave us the first automobile ride we had, taking Edith and I to Grandpa's. He always had a sack of candy which were the size of marbles with a nut in the center and when we were small we tried to be close by when he left the mail. Arch Russell's Ford was the second car I remember riding in. Our Everett was bigger than a Ford.

It had no doors, had side curtains that buttoned on, acetylene light that had to be pumped up and lighted with a match, both head and tail lights. It had strips running from the corners of the top to the lights in front. We had to crank it by hand and sometimes it showed a real stubborn strain. It was blocked up in the Fall and never driven in the Wintertime. It wasn't too long until Dad had front doors added. The roads were gravel and dusty. Some folks had special dusters or coats and veiled hats they wore. It really gave a family "prestige" to have a car in those days. Dad was lay delegate in Bloomington at the annual conference a year or so after we bought our car.

While he was gone we had word a niece of Mother's at Fortville had a 4 or 5 yr. old daughter who had pulled away from an older sister and ran in front of a train and was killed. Mother needed to go over, so Glen took her in the Everett. When Dad came home he was petrified that Glen had dared to do such a thing. He probably didn't know Glen knew how to drive a car, but knowing boys I bet it wasn't the first time he had tried. They got over and back with no trouble which was well or Dad wouldn't have lived over it.

          end of part thirteen

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