The
Rumble Seat
Ruby Adell grew up two miles east of Wheeler Texas, on a farm, where her parents
worked very hard to provide a good life for the three kids. Ruby Adell, Alvin
Richard, (Billy), and Iris Alvern. Marie Herd lived on the farm to the east
within view from the high knoll at the Hampton place. Marie later married Bill
Hampton, and I remember when uncle Billy came home from the Philippines after
World War II. He arrived at our house in the middle of the night in Amarillo, in
a taxi. Us kids climbed on his lap the rest of the night, as he gave us little souvenirs.
Back to the school days in Wheeler; all of the kids walked to and from school.
Ruby Adell's Mother and aunt's and uncle had lived South of Wheeler and
when they set out for school on winter days, they would go in single file
so the ones in front could block some of the cold north wind. Ruby Adell and her
group always had the wind to their right or left, yes and even through the snow.
I asked aunt Marie one time if she knew our mother when they were growing up. She
said "Oh yes; Adell watched out for us as we had over two miles to walk to
school, and If anyone wanted to pick on us, they had to go through her
first". Mother used to tell about the time someone stopped and offered the
small group a ride, I just don't remember who or how many. All of the kids
climbed into the rumble seat; a fold out seat behind the passenger compartment.
As they came closer to side road leading to the Hampton farm, Adell figured that
the driver had no intentions of stopping; She immediately told the others to
"JUMP". There was probably soft sand on the shoulder of the road, and
they survived alright. Since then the highway department has added limestone
rocks to the road shoulders. Ruby said, the driver never slowed down and didn't
even look back.
by Claude Morgan