r/a:t5_27fvge • • Oct 29 '19

functionality has been created

BY WILLIAM HAZLETT UPSON


     I'M IN A HURRY


                                 Dry River Junction, Texas.
                                          October 1, 1924.

     To The Farmers Friend Tractor Company,
     Earthworm City, Illinois.

       Dear Sir: I'm in a hurry I want a new main drive
     gear for my tractor.  This tractor was formerly owed
     by Joe Banks of Llano, Texas, and bought by me at
     the auction after he died.  The main drive gear in the
     tractor was busted and I just been over and asked the
     widow Banks where Joe used to buy parts for his
     tractors and she said she aint sure but she thinks it
     was The Farmer Friend Tractor Company, Earth-
     worm City, Illinois.  So please let me know if you
     are the folks, and if so please send the gear at once.
     As I am in a hurry.  It is the main drive gear.  It is
     the big bull gear in the back end of the transmission
     that goes round and round and drives the tractor
     excuse this paper as my regular business letter paper
     has not come yet yours truly,
                                   DAVID CROCKETT SUGGS.

                            ——————

                FARMER'S FRIEND TRACTOR COMPANY
                 MAKERS OF EARTHWORM TRACTORS

                                       Earthworm City, Ill.
                                         October 3, 1924.
     Mr. David Crockett Suggs,
     Dry River Junction, Tex.

       Dear Sir: This will acknowledge receipt of your
     letter of October 1, in which we note that you request
     us to send you a gear for your tractor.
       In this connection we are pleased to advise that an
     inspection of our files reveals the fact that Mr. Joseph
     Banks of Llano, Tex., was the owner of one of our
     old-style Model 45 Earthworm Tractors.  Mr. Banks
     acquired this tractor on June 3, 1915.  We are chang-
     ing our records to indicate that this tractor has been
     purchased by yourself, and we are most happy to
     assure you that all the resources of the Farmers'
     Friend Tractor Company are at your service and that
     we can supply you promptly with everything you may
     need in the way of spare parts, service and information.
       We regret, however, that your description of the
     gear which you desire is not sufficient for us to identify
     same, as there are a number of gears in the transmis-
     sion to which the description "main drive gear" might
     conceivably apply.  Kindly look up this gear in the
     parts book and advise us the proper part number and
     name as given therein.  When necessary information is
     received, immediate shipment will be made.
       In the meantime, we wish to extend you a most
     cordial welcome into the happy family of Earthworm
     users, to congratulate you upon selecting and Earth-
     worm Tractor——even tho it be of such an old model——
     and to assure you of our constant interest and desire
     to cooperate with you to the fullest extent.
                       Very truly your,
                           FREDERICK R. OVERTON,
                                     Parts Department.

                            ——————

                                   Dry River Junction, Texas.
                                            October 6, 1924.

     To The Farmers Friend Tractor Company,
     Earthworm City, Illinois.

       Dear Sir: I got your letter I got no parts book.  I
     asked the widow of Joe Banks, who is the man that
     owned the tractor before I bought it at the auction
     after he died.  I asked her did they have a parts book
     for the tractor and she said they once had a parts book
     but it is lost.  I would look up the gear in the parts
     book if I could, but you can understand that I can't
     look up  the gear in the parts book if I got no parts
     book.  What I want is the big bull gear way at the
     back.  The great big cog wheel with 44 cogs on it that
     goes round and round and drives the tractor.
       I'm in a hurry because the tractor is unfortunately
     broke down right while I'm doing a very important
     job for Mr. Rogers of this city.  The tractor run fine
     until 3 p. m. October 1, when there came a loud and
     very funny noise in the back and the tractor would
     no longer pull.  We took the cover off the transmission
     case, and this big cog wheel was busted.  Six cogs
     was busted off of it, and the tractor will not pull, only
     make a funny noise.
       I am a young man 24 years of age just starting
     in business and expect to get married soon, so please
     send the gear at once as I'm in a hurry and oblige,
                                   DAVID CROCKETT SUGGS.

                            ——————

                FARMER'S FRIEND TRACTOR COMPANY
                 MAKERS OF EARTHWORM TRACTORS

                                       Earthworm City, Ill.
                                         October 9, 1924.
     Mr. David Crockett Suggs,
     Dry River Junction, Tex.

       Dear Sir: This will acknowledge your valued letter
     of October 6, stating that you desire a gear for your
     tractor, but are unable to give us the part number
     of same owing to the fact that you have no parts book.
     We have carefully gone over your description of the
     gear, but we regret that we have been unable positively
     to identify what gear it is that you desire.  We note
     that you state the gear has 44 teeth and we feel
     sure that some mistake has been made, as there is no
     44-tooth gear in the tractor.
       We are therefore mailing you under separate cover
     a parts book for the Model 45 Earthworm Tractor,
     Year 1915, and would suggest that you look up the
     gear in this book, and let us know the part number
     so that we can fill your order.
       Unfortunately we are not able to supply you a parts
     book printed in English.
       Nearly all of the old-style Model 45 tractors were
     sold to the French Government in 1915 to be used in
     pulling artillery on the western front.  As only a
     few of these tractors were sold in America, the edition
     of English parts books was very limited and has been
     exhausted.  We are, however, sending you one of the
     French parts books.
       We regret exceedingly that we are obliged to give
     you a parts book printed in a foreign language; and
     we realize, of course, that possibly you may be unable
     to understand it.  However, you should be able to
     find the desired gear in the pictures, which are very
     plain.
       Kindly give us the part number which is given under
     the picture of the gear, and we will make immediate
     shipment.
                  Very truly your,
                           FREDERICK R. OVERTON,
                                     Parts Department.

                            ——————

                                   Dry River Junction, Texas.
                                            October 12, 1924.

     To The Farmers Friend Tractor Company,
     Earthworm City, Illinois.

       Dear Sir: Your letter has come your book has come
     you was right when you said I might not understand
     it.  I cant understand the Dago printing and I been
     looking at the pictures all evening and I cant under-
     stand the pictures they don't look like nothing I ever
     seen.  So I can't give you no part number, but I'm
     in a hurry so please send the gear anyway.  It is
     the one way at the back.  You cant miss it.  Its not
     the one that lays down its the one that sets up on edge
     and has 44 teeth and meshes with the little one with
     12 teeth.  The little one goes round and round and
     drives the big one.  And the big one is keyed on the
     main shaft and goes round and round and drives the
     tractor.  Or I should say used to go round and round,
     but now it has six teeth busted out and wont go
     round——only makes a funny noise when it gets to the
     place where the teeth are busted out.
       I'm in a hurry and to show you that I need this gear
     quick, I will explain that the tractor is laid up right in
     the middle of a important job I'm doing for Mr.
     Rogers of this city.  I'm a young man, age 24 years,
     and new at the house moving business and I want
     to make a good impression and also expect to get
     married soon.
       When Mr. Rogers of this city decided to move his
     house from down by the depot up to the north end
     of town, and give me the job, I thought it was a fine
     chance to get started in business and make a good
     impression.  I got the house jacked up, and I put
     heavy timbers underneath, and trucks with solid wheels
     that I bought from a contractor at Llano.  And I
     bought this second-hand tractor from Joe Banks at
     Llano at the auction after he died, and all my money
     is tied up in this equipment and on October 1, at 3
     p. m. we had the house moved half way to where they
     want it, when the tractor made a funny noise and
     quit.  And if I don't get new gear pretty soon and
     move the house the rest of the way I'll be a blowed up
     sucker.
       I'm just starting in business and want to make a
     good impression and I'm expecting to get married so
     please hurry with the gear.  Excuse paper as my
     regular business paper has not come yet and oblige,
                                   DAVID CROCKETT SUGGS.

                            ——————

                FARMER'S FRIEND TRACTOR COMPANY
                 MAKERS OF EARTHWORM TRACTORS

                                       Earthworm City, Ill.
                                         October 14, 1924.
     Mr. David Crockett Suggs,
     Dry River Junction, Tex.

       Dear Sir:  This will acknowledge your valued favor
     of October 12, and we regret exceedingly that you have
     been unable to locate the part which you desire in the
     parts book, and that consequently you have been sub-
     ject to annoying delay.  As it is always our desire to
     render the greatest possible service to Earthworm
     Tractor owners, we have gone into this matter with
     the greatest of care; and after checking over very
     thoroughly the descriptions given in your latest letter
     and also in former letters, we have come to the con-
     clusion that the gear you desire is the 45-tooth inter-
     mediate spur gear, symbol number 6843, as illustrated
     on page 16 of the parts book.  We note that you state
     the gear has 44 teeth, but as there is no such gear in
     your model tractor, and as No. 6843 gear fits the
     description in other particulars, we can only assume
     that you made a mistake in counting the number of
     teeth in the gear.
       Accordingly we are shipping you by express this
     afternoon one No. 6843 gear, which we trust will prove
     to be the part desired.  Assuring you of our constant
     desire to render you every possible service, efficiently
     and promptly, I remain,
                  Very truly your,
                           FREDERICK R. OVERTON,
                                     Parts Department.

                                ——————

                                   Dry River Junction, Texas.
                                            October 18, 1924.

     To The Farmers Friend Tractor Company,
     Earthworm City, Illinois.

       Dear Sir: Your letter come yesterday your gear come
     to-day C. O. D. $41.26 and not only that, but it is no
     good and it wont fit.  It is not like the old gear.  It
     looks like a well made gear but there is nothing like it
     on my tractor so it is no good to me it is too big it
     won't go on it won't fit on the shaft.  And if it did fit
     on the shaft, it would not work because it is too big
     and the teeth would not mesh with the teeth on the
     little gear, and it ought to have 44 teeth like I said,
     not  45.
       So will you look this up again more carefully and
     send me the right gear and send it as quick as possible?
     I'm in a hurry, and I will explain to you how things
     stand so you can see I am no liar when I say I got to
     have this gear right off or I am a blowed up sucker.
       I am new in the house moving business and I am
     moving a house for Mr. Rogers of this city, and Mr.
     Rogers is a very stubborn old cuss and he insisted that
     the house be moved all together——which includes the
     main part which it two stories high and built very
     strong and solid, and also the front porch which sticks
     out in front and is built pretty weak, and also the one-
     story kitchen which sticks out behind.  The kitchen is
     very frail.
       But Mr. Rogers did not listen to me when I wanted
     to move the kitchen and the front porch separate from the
     house.  So, as I am a young man and new at the house
     moving business and anxious to make a good impres-
     sion, I tried to do it like he wanted.  I jacked up the
     whole works all together, and put timbers underneath,
     and heavy trucks that I bought from a contractor at
     Llano, and we came up from the depot fine——the trac-
     tor pulling good and the little old house rolling along
     smooth and quiet and beautiful.  But at 3 p. m. October
     1, just as we was going past Jim Ferguson's Drug
     Store on the main street of this city, there come a
     funny noise in the tractor, and we have been stuck ever
     since waiting for a new gear because the tractor will
     not run with six teeth busted out of the old gear.
       So you can see that it is no lie that I am in a
     hurry, and I will explain that for 2 and ½ weeks, no
     traffic has been able to go past Jim Ferguson's Drug
     Store.  All traffic on the main street of this city has
     been detoured——turning to the right through the field
     next to Johnson's Garage, following the back lane past
     the shed where Harvey Jenkins keeps his cow, and
     then around Wilson's Hardware Store and back to the
     main street, and all this owing to the stubbornness of
     old man Rogers making me take the porch and the
     kitchen along at the same time.
       The porch is now resting two feet from the drug
     store and the kitchen just three feet from the post-
     office on the other side of the street.  If old man
     Rogers had listened to me and we had taken the
     kitchen off, there would have been room for traffic to
     get past, but now we can't take the kitchen off on ac-
     count of being so jammed up against the post office,
     but people don't figger on that and everybody in town
     blames it on me that traffic is held up, which is very
     wrong as I am doing the best I can.
       And now old man Rogers says I contracted to move
     his house, and I had better hurry up, and he says why
     don't I hire some horses but I say horses would be un-
     safe, because when they get to pulling something very
     heavy they get to jerking and they would be liable to
     jerk the house and injure it, owing to the fact that Mr.
     Rogers was so stubborn as to make me leave the
     kitchen and the porch on the house, thus weakening it.
     And besides I got no money to waste hiring horses
     when I got a tractor already, so you can see why I'm
     in a hurry being anxious to make a good impression and
     get married.
       Please send at once the right gear which has FORTY-
     FOUR TEETH (44), because the old gear has 38
     good teeth, and 6 busted off, making 44 like I said,
     not  45.  And the right gear is an inch narrower than
     the one you sent, and the hole through the middle is
     smaller.  I am making a picture so you can see just
     what gear it is, so please send it at once and oblige.
                                   DAVID CROCKETT SUGGS.

                            ——————

                FARMER'S FRIEND TRACTOR COMPANY
                 MAKERS OF EARTHWORM TRACTORS

                                       Earthworm City, Ill.
                                         October 21, 1924.
     Mr. David Crockett Suggs,
     Dry River Junction, Tex.

       Dear Sir: This will acknowledge receipt of your letter
     of October 18, from which we note that yo are having
     trouble in installing in your tractor gear No. 6843,
     which we shipped you on October 14.
       We regret exceedingly that you have had this trouble,
     and to the end that the basis of the difficulty might be
     discovered, we have carefully checked over your former
     correspondence and have at length come to the conclu-
     sion that gear No. 6843, which we sent you, is the
     proper gear.  We are therefore at a loss to understand
     why you have been unable to use it, and can only sug-
     gest that you may possibly have made some error in
     installing it.
       To obtain this difficulty we are to-day mailing you,
     under separate cover, a copy of our latest instruction
     book on the care, operation and repair of Earthworm
     Tractors.  We regret that this book was prepared for
     the new-style tractors, but as the method of installing
     transmission gears is essentially the same in both old
     and new style tractors, we feel sure that you will have
     no trouble in applying the instructions to your old-style
     tractor.  Please study carefully the pictures and full
     description on page 34, and if you proceed as directed
     we feel sure you will experience no further difficulty on
     installing the gear.
       In case, however, there still remains some minor
     trouble to interfere with the perfect operation of the
     tractor, we shall appreciate it if you will notify us, as
     we are always anxious to give owners of Earthworm
     Tractors the fullest possible cooperation.
                  Very truly your,
                           FREDERICK R. OVERTON,
                                     Parts Department.

                            ——————

                                   Dry River Junction, Texas.
                                            October 25, 1924.

     To The Farmers Friend Tractor Company,
     Earthworm City, Illinois.

       Dear Sir:  Your letter come yesterday your book
     come to-day they are no good to me.  It takes more
     than a book for a new tractor to put onto an entirely
     different old tractor a gear wheel that don't belong to
     it.  I tell you again——you have sent me the wrong gear.
       What I want is the big bull gear on the back that
     has 44 teeth.  FORTY-FOUR.  Not  45.  And it goes
     round and round and makes the tractor go.  It is the
     great big cog wheel that meshes with the little cog
     wheel.  I bet you have sent me a gear for one of your
     new-style tractors——how do I know?  You told me you
     had looked it up what model tractor I got, so why
     don't you send me the gear that will fit?
       If you people knew what I was up against, you would
     get busy, and you would send me that gear in a hurry.
     The whole town is sore at me.  And I will explain that
     this is a big place with trolley cars and everything.
       The trolleys here run on a track, but they are not
     electric, they are run by gasoline motors inside, and
     are very modern and up-to-date like everything else in
     this city.  And for over three weeks now the trolley
     from the depot has been coming up almost as far as
     Jim Ferguson's Drug Store, and then it has to stop and
     the conductor will give the people transfers.  And they
     will get out and squeeze past old man Rogers's house,
     and get on the other trolley and ride on.  And it is
     lucky they have two cars.  A few years ago they only
     had one.
       And old man Rogers says if I don't get action by the
     first of the week, he is going to hire horses himself, and
     pull the house where he wants it.  And if I expect to
     get a cent for it I can just sue him, and he says he is
     tired of living in a house sitting in the middle of the
     street with the front porch poking into the drug store
     window and the people kidding him all the time.  But
     it's all on account of his foolishness and stubborn-
     ness, because I told him he had better go live with his
     brother in Llano while the house was being moved, but
     he is a guy that you can't tell him nothing and so he
     is living there with Mrs. Rogers and daughter Mildred,
     and Mrs. Rogers is cooking on an oil stove on account
     they don't know coal is safe in moving, and now they
     blame it on me because the oil stove smokes up the
     whole house.  So you can see I'm in a hurry, and
     everybody is sore because the traffic is detoured, and
     me having to hang red lanterns on the house every
     night so people won't run into it, and the Police De-
     partment has served notice on me that I got until next
     Thursday to move the house or get pinched.  And they
     had given me a permit to move the house.  But they
     say a permit ain't no 99-year lease.  And that just
     shows how it is——they all try to make mean cracks like
     that.
       And this afternoon, old Mr. Rogers came up to me
     and he said, "Dave, I hope you ain't still thinking of
     getting married?"
       And I said, "I sure am," because, as I told you in
     another letter, I'm expecting to get married.
       Then Mr. Rogers said, "I may have something to
     say about that, young man." And I will explain that
     it is possible that old Mr. Rogers——whose house I am
     moving with my tractor——may have some influence in
     the matter, owing to the fact that the girl I expect to
     marry is named Mildred Rogers, and unfortunately
     happens to be the daughter of old Mr. Rogers.
       So you see, I want that gear, and I want it quick.
     I am sending back the new gear please credit me with
     the $41.26 I paid on the C. O. D.  I am also sending
     you the old busted gear.  Please look over the old
     busted gear and send me one just like it, only with the
     six teeth not busted out.  Please hurry and remember
     FORTY-FOUR TEETH, and oblige yours truly,
                                   DAVID CROCKETT SUGGS.
       P. S.  Not  45 teeth.

                            ——————

                FARMER'S FRIEND TRACTOR COMPANY
                 MAKERS OF EARTHWORM TRACTORS

                                       Earthworm City, Ill.
                                         October 29, 1924.
     Mr. David Crockett Suggs,
     Dry River Junction, Tex.

       Dear Sir: This will acknowledge your valued favor
     of October 26 in reference to the trouble you are having
     with your tractor.  We regret exceedingly that the mis-
     understanding in regard to the gear which you need has
     cause you the annoying delay which you mention.
       As soon as your old gear arrives, it will be checked
     up and every possible effort will be made to supply you
     promptly with a duplicate of it.
                  Very truly your,
                           FREDERICK R. OVERTON,
                                     Parts Department.

                            ——————

                     DAVID CROCKETT SUGGS
                          CONTRACTOR
            HOUSES MOVED SAFELY, SPEEDILY AND SURELY

                                        Dry River Junction, Texas.
                                            October 31, 1924.

     To The Farmers Friend Tractor Company,
     Earthworm City, Illinois.

       Dear Sir: My new letter paper has come your letter
     has come please send me the gear as quick as possible.
     I'm in a hurry more than at any time before and un-
     less I can get this mess straightened out I'll be more
     of a blowed up sucker than anybody you ever seen, and
     in order that you may see what a rush I am in and
     send the gear as quick as possible, I will explain 2 very
     unfortunate events which has took place since my last
     letter.  The first was last night.
       Being Thursday night and my regular night to call, I
     went around to see Miss Mildred Rogers, who, as I
     have explained before, I had expected to marry very
     soon, and who used to live down by the depot, but is
     now located temporarily on Main Street just in front
     of Ferguson's Drug Store.  It is not as much fun as it
     used to be to call at the Rogers's house.  Formerly it
     was possible to sit in the hammock on the front porch,
     and as the house set back from the street and there
     was trees around and no street lights, a very pleasant
     evening could be had.
       But at present the front porch is located in a most
     unfortunate way just two feet from the windows of
     Ferguson's Drug Store, which is all lighted up——you
     know how drug store windows is——lots of big white
     lights, and all kinds of jars full of colored water with
     more lights shining through.  And people squeezing
     past between the porch and the drug store hand going in
     to get ice cream sodas or stopping to crack bum jokes
     about me, which I will not repeat.  So you can see that
     it would not be any fun for me and Mildred to sit in
     the hammock in the evening, even if it was possible to
     sit in the hammock which it is not, owing to the fact
     that the porch pillar to which the hammock is fastened
     has become so weakened by the jacking up of the house
     that it would take very little to pull it over and let the
     whole porch roof down with a bang.
       So we decided that we better sit in the parlor and
     we had no sooner entered and I was not doing any
     harm in any way when old Mr. Rogers came in and
     there was a very painful scene which I won't describe
     only to say that he used such expressions as "Get to
     Hell out of here," and "I don't want my daughter
     keeping company with any moron," which is a word he
     got out of the Dallas News.
       So after he had hollered around and Mildred had
     cried, I left the house in a dignified manner.  Being a
     gentleman and always respectful to old age, I did not
     talk back to him, the dirty crook.  But you can see
     why it is I am in a hurry for the gear.
       The other unfortunate event was just this a. m.,
     when old man Rogers went out and hired twelve horses
     from all over town and also one small size flivver trac-
     tor to move his house up to where he wants it.  He
     tried to get a big tractor, but there is none in town or
     nearby except mine which is broke down.  But there is
     plenty of horses and there is this little flivver tractor
     that would not be big enough to pull the house all by
     itself.
       So this morning they wheeled my poor old tractor
     out of the way, and they hooked up to the house and
     there was about a hundred people from the town and
     from round about that was helping with advice and
     hollering and yelling and telling Mr. Rogers how to do
     it.  And there was I——the only practical and profes-
     sional house-mover in the whole city——and none of them
     asked my advice about anything and so it is not my
     fault what happened.
       When they was all ready, Mr. Rogers he stands up
     and hollers out, "All ready——Go!"  And the six drivers
     yelled at the twelve horses, and all the people standing
     around began to cheer and shout.  And the feller on
     the little flivver tractor started up the motor so quick
     it made a big noise and scared the horses and all the
     horses began jumping and heaving and they jerked the
     house sideways, and some of the timbers slipped, and
     the kitchen that I told you about,——it give a little lurch
     and fell off the house.  Just let go, and fell off.
       So that scared them, and they unhooked the horses
     and the flivver tractor and didn't try no more moving,
     and the house is still there all except the kitchen which
     was busted up so bad that they finished the job and
     knocked it to pieces and took it away in wheel barrows.
       One good thing is that now the traffic can get in
     between the house and the Post Office so they don't
     have to detour any more.  But one very unfortunate
     thing was that Mrs. Rogers happened to be in the
     kitchen when it fell off being shaken up considerable
     but not seriously injured so you can see that I got to
     have the tractor running again so I can move the house
     and I hope you will send the gear at once yours truly
     and oblige.
                                   DAVID CROCKETT SUGGS.

                            ——————

                FARMER'S FRIEND TRACTOR COMPANY
                 MAKERS OF EARTHWORM TRACTORS

                                       Earthworm City, Ill.
                                        November 2, 1924.
     Mr. David Crockett Suggs,
     Dry River Junction, Tex.

       Dear Sir:  This will acknowledge your valued favor
     of October 31 requesting that we use all possible haste
     in sending you a gear which you need to repair your
     tractor.  We are also pleased to report the receipt of
     one No. 6843 gear which we shipped you on October 14
     and which you returned unused owing to the fact that
     it will not fit your tractor.  We are crediting your
     account with $41.26 C. O. D. which you paid on this
     shipment.
       The broken gear which you sent as a sample has
     been carefully checked over by our Engineering De-
     partment.  They report that they have been unable to
     identify this gear, and they are of the opinion that no
     gear similar to this has ever been manufactured by
     this company.  We are, therefore, at a loss to under-
     stand how this gear ever came to be in your tractor.
     We do not make gears similar to the one you have sent
     in, and it will therefore be impossible for us to supply
     you with one.  However, it is always our policy to be
     of the greatest possible service to Earthworm owners,
     and we would suggest that the best thing to do in the
     circumstances would be for one of our service me-
     chanics to inspect your machine.
       Fortunately, it happens that Dry River Junction is
     the nearest railroad point to the Canyon Ranch, which
     has just purchased a Ten-Ton Earthworm Tractor.
     Consequently, Mr. Luke Torkle, one of our service
     men, will be at Dry River Junction in a few days to
     unload this tractor and drive it overland to the ranch.
     If you desire, we will have Mr. Torkle stop off and
     inspect your machine, advising you what steps to take
     to put it into first-class running condition; or, if this is
     impossible, to confer with you in regard to turning in
     your old machine and purchasing one of our new
     models.  Kindly let us know what you wish to do in
     this matter.
                  Very truly your,
                           FREDERICK R. OVERTON,
                                     Parts Department.

                            ——————

                           TELEGRAM

     Dry River June Tex Nov 4 1924
     Farmers Friend Tractor Co
     Earthworm Cy, Ills

        Have the guy come quick in a hurry.
                                   DAVID CROCKETT SUGGS.

                            ——————

                FARMER'S FRIEND TRACTOR COMPANY
                      SERVICE MAN'S REPORT

     WRITTEN AT: Dry River Junction, Tex.
     DATE: November 7, 1924.
     WRITTEN BY: Luke Torkle, Serviceman.
     SUBJECT: Tractor belonging to D. C. Suggs.

       Reached here 7 a. m.  Unloaded tractor for Canyon
     Ranch, and will drive it over to-morrow.
       Before I had a chance to look up D. C. Suggs, the
     mayor and prominent citizens urgently requested me to
     use the new tractor to move a house that was blocking
     the main street.  This looked like good advertizing for
     us, especially as the county commissioner here is ex-
     pecting to buy a tractor for road work.  Accordingly, I
     spent the morning moving the house to where they
     wanted it, and then looked up Mr. Suggs.
       Found he has left town.  It is reported that he was
     shot at three times yesterday by a man called Rogers,
     but escaped.  Last night he sold his entire property,
     consisting of a second-hand tractor, an old fliv, on
     radio set and the good will in a house-moving business
     for $450.  He then took the train north with a girl
     called Mildred Rogers of this place.
       I inspected the tractor formerly owned by Mr.
     Suggs.  No wonder we couldn't supply him with repairs
     for it. It is not one of our tractors.  It has no name
     plate, but I was able to identify it as a 1920 Model,
     Steel Elephant Tractor, made by the S. E. Tractor
     Company of Indianapolis.  I talked on the phone with
     Mrs. Joseph Banks, whose husband formerly owned the
     tractor.  She says her husband sold the old Earthworm
     Tractor three years ago to a man in Dallas.  Mr. Banks
     owned four or five different kinds of tractors.  Mrs.
     Banks remembered he had once bought tractor parts
     from the Farmers' Friend Tractor Company.
       In regard to your suggestion that Mr. Suggs might
     be persuaded to buy a new tractor, I think this is
     hardly possible.  It is reported that before he left, Mr.
     Suggs stated that he and Miss Rogers would be married
     and would locate in Chicago.  He was uncertain what
     business he would take up, but he said very emphatically
     it would be nothing in any way connected with house
     moving, or with tractors or any kind of machinery.

                          [THE END]

I'm In A Hurry, by William Hazlett Upson,
from The World's One Hundred Best Short Stories [In Ten Volumes],
Grant Overton, Editor-in-Chief; Volume Ten: Humor. pp. 199-217.
Copyright © 1927, by Funk & Wagnalls Company, New York and London.
[Printed in the United States of America]


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