This historic fiction was written by Nina B. Ellsworth and based on stories shared by Estella Jacobsen, Virgina Dye, Floy Washburn, and Betty Hofer
Millie knew it was going to be a busy day. She had already gotten the pigs, chickens, and cattle all taken care of. As soon as she got the men off to work, she had to go over to her sisters to get milk and then rush back home to get the garden in. It had been so dry for the past couple of years that she knew she had to take advantage of the early spring moisture. Her father, brother-in-law George, and neighbor Bud Jones were building roads for WPA (Works Progress Administration). The men rode together to save expenses.
As Millie watched Bud ride up on his horse it gave her an idea. ``Hey Bud``, she called. ``Could I borrow your horse? I have to go over to Mary`s house and get some milk. That horse would sure speed things up today.``
``Why sure! My wife rides him all the time,`` he said. ``Ma gets along just fine with him, you shouldn`t have any trouble.``
Millie said, `` Thanks. See you tomorrow``. She waved good-bye to the men and turned toward the barn.
Millie went out to the barn to get a gallon bucket, she could still smell the aroma of the syrup that had once been in it. When Millie went up to the horse, it snorted and acted like it wasn`t very anxious for her to touch him. She put a saddle on him and cinched it up. ``Boy I don`t know about this``, she said to herself. She used the bucket as a step stool to get on the horse.
Miliie led him out the barn door and threw open the gates to the corral. She stepped up on the bucket and struggled to get on the horse.
As soon as she was comfortably on the horse, she gave the horse a nudge in the sides. That crazy thing went to bucking. He bucked for a good two hundred yards. They came apon a big rock pile in the middle of the road. The still bucking horse ran right into it. The horse went in one direction and Millie went the other.
Millie screamed, ``Gosh darn it``. Her ankle was twisted and she had a bruise on her head form the incident.
There she was all by herself. Millie figured that the horse was on its way back to Bud`s house, but luckily for Millie, the horse just stood there as if he was feeling sympathy for her. It would have taken her all day to find him if he would have ran off.
Millie staggered to get up. Her ankle was killing her and her head was throbbing. She finally got up and lead the horse back into the barn and put him away.
She went back into the house and wrapped her ankle. When Millie finally got her bearings, she decided she would walk three miles to her sister`s place. She was still shaking thinking of what might have happened to her. By the time Millie reached he sister`s place, her ankle was hurting very badly and her head was pounding worse than before. She knew she was in too bad of shape to walk back now. Then she saw her father`s buggy in the yard. She sighed a sigh of joy knowing that her father would bring her home. But she still had to tell Bud what had happened ``Say Bud,`` Millie said. ``could I talk to you for a minute?``
`` What happened to you?`` Bud demanded.
`` I had a incident with your horse,`` Millie said, fighting back tears.
``That`s OK. I`m sure the horse is fine. You crazy fool, you shouldn` t have walked all the way here. It`s only worse for your ankle,`` Bud said. ``We better get your daughter home, Jim.``
Bud and Millie`s father helped her into the buggy and went on their way home. It had been a very busy day at the Park`s home.