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It was a lovely day in September, I was six years old, too young, to do what I wanted most of anything in the world. My sisters and brother walked off to school and I did want to go along. Oh, I was old enough but being the youngest and very small, my parents were over-protective. I had to get older and bigger - they told me.
But I was having a good day. My father took me with him when he went to the country store for groceries Best of all he let me sit with him on the spring seat attached to the lumber wagon. Usually I had to stand be- hind him because he felt it was too dangerous for me to sit so high up on the wagon. The groceries had been purchased. I had a sack of candy, the nice man at the store gave me, and we were on our way home. I was wondering if I should eat all of the candy or save some for my sisters and brother when they came home from school. My thoughts were interrupted when a dog, dashed out of a neighbor's driveway. It spooked the horses and when the dog saw that they were running, it barked and ran snapping at their heels. Down the road we went, the horses galloping wildly, the dog barking fiercely, my father and I were yelling - Whoa- Whoa!! My father braced his feet against the buckboard and pulled with all his strength on the reins. The horses only ran faster and the buckboard gave way. My father slipped out of the wagon, on to the tongue and then to the road between the wheels. On went the horses, the wagon and me with the dog still in pursuit, down a deep embankment. Next thing I knew I was in that deep ditch, horses upside-down with flailing legs, wheels spinning and the wagon somewhere in the ditch. My father, unhurt but frantic, ran to the ditch hoping to rescue me But I was climbing up the embankment, tightly holding onto my sack of candy but only the top remained. My candy was somewhere among the horses, the wagon and the spinning wheels! |