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Show Memories 8 The Magna Times, Thursday, March 8, 1990 i ' V ,i ? f . . v v n ' . ' , v h, k "ftX ' - . VA3xr its' 'Y -- rm -7 - ' W ls s ? av4 :1 Ws u f V7-t-W V l "if33V 'tgy ; ,;4 cClair Huffaker and his Scarlet Indian shared Magnas dusty streets with the mail wagon. Max and later his son, Jack, delivered the mail. " In those days, the post office was just west of the Huffaker-Swenso- n furniture store on Main Street. Photo J. Trenton Goble Coonville LXXXV An Unleashed Bolt of Lightning Uu cn good clip, then he paused for the final, ultimate effect before administering the clincher, and he did it so fast v!n PROLOGUE and smooth that nobody even spilled a '.:n It wasn t exactly a normal grocery drink. Good goin , Wayne. Just the ' deliver). Not by a long'hatOh sure? thing that a couple of fegulb?, Sunday- there wereYome groceries , but the ar--, Mormon gals would ap- -' r rival of the two lads from Swensons predate knowing. Too late, Wayne J Market had occurred with all of the recognized his blunder, Clairs fierce normally reserved for the most frown telling him that he had just comsensational of occasions. mitted a faux pas of the highest order. Yep, it had been the deep, throaty He struggled lamely to rectify his error. of the Scarlet Indian as it With a blush, he turned to face a L thundered into the dooryard that had Melva and stammered, d ... S first drawn Melva Larson and her kid he bet. time that one on did it ... a just sister, Orlean Bird, out onto the porch But she didnt flinch or even budge as if they had been summoned to ap- from her disapproving scowl, so he did the first thing that came to mind, pear by the fiery machine. Now, as the machine and its two retreat. Extending the sack of salt, riders began to emerge from the swirlUhhh ... heres Wayne mumbled, exdust the driver them, before ing your salt, ma am. claimed, Aint she a honey? Thanks, replied Melva, grasping Orlean Bird could scarcely believe the bag firmly in her hands as she adher good fortune, studying both (its ministered the coup de gras of driver) Clair (Huffaker) and the power- righteous indignation reserved for just ful machine with wide, slightly such occasions, Id rather get it out 1 awestruck eyes. here than have you drive through the 1 She struggled for words hardly dar-- 1 kitchen with it. Wayne was truly ing to take her eyes from the machine chastened. He dropped his eyes with a '$ nor its swashbuckling, blue-eye- d Yes, ma am, while Melva, seemingdriver. Just one blink and maybe they ly unperturbed, turned to go back into Kp would disappear as magically as they the house, her final admonition falling had arrived. So she stammered, It ... like a wet blanket on the remaining Don t be too long, Orlean threesome. certainly is beautiful. If ever she had chosen the right ... and dont go for a ride on that words, this had been the moment. Clair bike! Huffaker nodded his approval of her ONE THING LEADS TO ANOTHER obvious good taste and said the very Well, I suppose, in retrospect, that - words she had been hoping against the best thing that Clair and Wayne hope to hear. Would ya like t take could have done in this particular even-- a ride on er sometime? Orlean s ing would have been to mount up on answer came with an unrestrained, ol Scarlet and ride off into the sunset. spontaneous rush as she exclaimed, But, that aint how it all happened ' Oh ... yes! thanks to Orleans attempt to Until now, Melva had been watching from doin the just that. boys keep the events unfold without comment, but in Oh, she succeeded continuing the things seemed to be rushing along at conversation, all right. But, that was ' a topsy turvy pace. She spoke up all of where Fate ... and her choice of words a sudden the suspicion in her tone of ... took a hand in the rest of the evenvoice telling young Clair immediately ings proceedings. that she was an unbeliever. Its such a beautiful motorcycle, the Indian she allowed, hoping to make Waynes r Dangerous? Why, riding " was as safe as a stroll in the park if obvious gloom evaporate. Why dont ya know how t handle the big you use this, instead of Swensons beat-u- p machine. old bike, to deliver groceries? Then it was Wayne s turn. Until now, Clair could hardly believe his ears. he had been sitting quietly on the back He had taken a real fancy to this young of the bike clutching the bag of salt. But lady, but, boy she sure didnt know the he' couldnt let someone cast doubt first thing about how an Indian upon his big brothers heretofore un- ought to be treated, thats fer dam sure. As if fearing that the cycle had heard questioned ability to handle the cycle. pulsating Orleans words as well, Clair respondOne time, Wayne exclaimed proed with a sudden, indignant retort. udly, Clair drove a cycle right smack "What? Use this to deliver groceries? through a speakeasy in Salt Lake. In he exclaimed in rebuttal. Why heck, the front door and out the back at a real thatd be like . usin a race horse to Kent Goble Magna Times Feature Writer by ke THIS SON OF A GUN It was time for Clair to show Orlean just what this son of a gun can do. This wasnt going to be one of those duster kind of rides, just a nice n .easy kinda spin that was intended to whet the appetite while leavin a lot to the imagination. Nothin too fancy, he declared, as he kicked the engine to low, growling life, grinning at Orlean as he added, just (to) give ya an idea (of) how easy she handles. With that, he started into "a graceful, arcing turn that led him out on to the dusty Magna street. Clair had the entire street to himself as he accelerated to a breakneck speed within a hundred feet or so ... churning up huge mists of billowing dust. Then, as quickly as he had started, he hit the brakes, coming to a breathtaking, sudden stop that left Orlean relishing a sense of deliciously shared .il. ! no ;V - l4JSSrrt o Vi'lf sV- two-stro- yt "-- pull a plow. He had had to pause long enough to find just the right simile. Then, realizing that Orlean hadnt meant to give offense, he softened his answer by explaining that thatd be a terrible thing for a fella to do. Both the cycle and Orlean seemed to be appeased by his comments, but that aint the way it was. about to turn, out, because the scarlet lady with cylinder (and) thirty horses was about to call Clair Huffaker to a sudden but certain repentance. VV. rroar grim-face- j i ill-fat- ed . danger and excitement. DOES HE ALWAYS STOP THAT WAY? Total engrossed by now, Orlean asked Wayne in a small, thin voice, Does he always stop that way? Wayne replied with a nod of the head that he reserved such things only for solo rides because, otherwise, Wayned wind up sailin about three blocks farther on up the road. Satisfied that Clair could handle the usual circumstances, Orlean nonetheless fretted that he still might hurt himself taking such daring chances. But Wayne quickly offered a reassuring disclaimer,, He can do replied, anythmglauVbacKward somersaults on Nah,hV relled under the rearing cow before obliterating the far pasture fence. And the cow, having performed ... the most fantastic ... feat of its life ... fell down on its side, where it lay without moving ... for a long time. DID HE KILL THE COW? In the gathering dusk, the deafening explosion that accompanied Clair wild cycle ride could be heard over alT Magna and who can Say how far beyond. At least, thats the way it must have seemed to Clair. Melva, who had been in the kitchen, hurried outside to survey the damage ... and there was plenty, not to mention the demise of Mrs. Sheppicks cow. Did he kill the cow? she exclaimed, to which Orlean responded, The cows not dead ... I think it fainted. Secretly, however, she could not help wishing something worse upon her old nemesis. Later, when the full humor of the incident had been realized, she could think back and visualize Clair bearing down on the old cow on his bike like St. George on a great stallion, charging an awful dragon. Her knight in shining armor had reclaimed her honor ... and squared it with the old spotted cow ... and then some. STAY SOMEBODY HAD Huf-fake- rs T ABOARD Clair and the cycle were quite a sight as they limped back to Orleans yard, the bike scratched and dented and Clair sporting a big bruise on his forehead. With a shrug, he declared, Everything got stuck all at once ... punctuating his displeasure by exclaiming, Damn it t hell anyway. COMMUNITY COLLEGE ELECTRICITY TRAINING i , Electricians are needed In Industryl In fho field of electricity, with high-technolo- -- SALT Clair and the cycle, given an alternative to a catastrophic collision, bar training from - . COMMUNITY COLLEGE i Advanced Etoctlctty - Motors In: & Transformers Programmable Controls - Industrial Maintenance Process Instrumentation Controls CLASSES BEGIN MARCH For Information 26 - REGISTER NOWI! about Electricity and other programs, call: 967-414- 8 SLCC HOTTERN A FIRECRACKER gazelle. an exciting career Basle Electricity - Codes - House Wiring unbelievable! AN UNLEASED BOLT OF LIGHTNING Clair hadnt expected what came next. How could he? A stuck throttle isnt something you can anticipate, but thats exactly what happened next as his little firecracker exploded like "an unleased bolt of lightning across the field and through Mrs. Sheppicks whitewashed wood fence with Clair still in the saddle. As a matter of fact, by the time he hit the little rise to the fence, he was fully airborne, taking off like a low flying airplane, splintering the fence in a huge explosion of flying timber and deafening noise that should have roused even Mrs. Sheppick ... who was almost totally deaf. THE MEAN SPOTTED COW Exactly at the moment that Orlean realized that Clair and his cycle were about to collide with the mean, spot- ted cow that had eaten her red the cow realized the same geraniums, for grace, the cow, Not known thing. this nonetheless, on occasion, performed with admirable agility. As the roaring monster that was half machine and half human lunged toward the stunned, spotted cow, it snorted in absolute horror and leaped high onto its hind legs like a startled tftKE Begin gy Degree or certificate dayevening classes available THATS JUST UNBELIEVABLE! Beaming triumphantly, Clair Huffaker eased his cycle over to where Wayne and Orlean stood waiting. Sure is a grand cycle, isnt it? He gushed effusively, adding parentheticalHottern a firecracker! And ly, thats when all hell broke loose for sure. Acknowledgements: Clair Huffakers One a Time, I Saw Morning Come Home, remembrance. And, a special remembrance to Mrs. Sheppicks brown and white cow that, no doubt unwittingly, was the means of bringing a bit of Magnas rich humor and lore back to the present moment. SALT LAKE them wheels. Satisfied that he had fully captivated his audience, Clair Huffaker turned into an empty field across from the Bird home prepared to perform his next act of bravado. It was time to do some brodies. As he made the turns, each' a tighter figure eight than the last until the front wheel was almost turning around and into the back wheel in a swirling blur of dust, Orlean exclaimed appreciatively, Thats just But never one to dwell on misfortune, Clair quickly glimpsed the brighter side of things with a philosophical well, somebody had t stay aboard an find out where it was adding, Otherwise, this cygoin, cle could a wiped out half the community up the street. It was dark when they finished nailing Mrs. Sheppicks fence back together with her nails and hammer. By now, bumps and all, Clair was feeling the full humor of his predicament. There was something new that he was feeling now, a bond of sorts with this gal whose name was as unusual as his own, and he liked that. Well, Ill be seein ya, he said at last with a wry grin. "... I hope so, Clair, Orlean replied shyly. And, never one to cry over spilled milk, Clair added optimistically, Next time I make a deliveiy , I promise not t plow through two wood fences t do it. Just to show she appreciated him, no matter what, Orlean quickly replied ... What you did on your bike, before it got out of hand, was really graceful and beautiful. And, like it or not, she couldnt help feeling grateful that Clair Huffaker had finally put that old spotted cow in its rightful place too ... fence or no fence, because .now maybe shed be able to raise those red geraniums the way she had always planned. Is an equal opportunity employercrftYmattve action Institution jr Home in on the best insurance protection. Your home is one of the biggest investments of your life. You need protection you can count on. 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