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John Gilbert > Great Locomotive Caper 2The Great Locomotive Caper by John Gilbert Over the next few days Sam spent a great deal of time on the telephone talking to the city council members, businessmen, and even the chamber of commerce with little success. No one seemed interested in the old locomotive except him. He wondered if his dad could help. After all, he always seemed to know what to do in a hopeless situation. One afternoon he found his dad in the den paying bills. "Dad, are you busy?" he asked. "Oh, not too busy I guess. What's up? "Have you ever wanted something that was important to you but nobody else cared about it?" Sam asked. "You mean like wanting everyone to turn off the lights so I won’t have to pay a large electric bill but they get left on anyway?" "I mean something more personal," said Sam. "Like, something you want but you just can't make anyone else understand why you want it." "Well, when I was a kid I wanted a bicycle. I tried to convince my parents that I needed one. They told me that there was not enough money for one and besides, a strapping young boy needed to walk and run to stay strong and healthy. They said bicycles were dangerous. They had heard of a postman over in Grover City who used his bicycle to deliver the mail and had fallen and broken his leg. Well, the mail was three days late and Katie Upshaw received a letter telling her that her Uncle Phillip had died and by the time the letter had arrived the funeral was over. I never could figure what that had to do with me getting a bike but it seemed like a good enough reason to them." "So, what did you do?" asked Sam. "One evening I asked my folks if I could talk to them in private. That was kind of unusual so they knew something was up. I told them how much I wanted a bike and I asked if I saved up the money could I buy the bike myself. The bike I wanted cost $40.00, a lot of money back then. They told me that if I saved half the money they would match the other half and that would be my Christmas present. However, if I ever broke my leg, that would be the end of the bike." "How did you earn the money?" Sam asked. "I made myself a plan. I made a list of all my assets. I could paint, mow lawns, and the widow Hawkins always paid me a shiny silver dollar to wash her Pierce Arrow. I counted the weeks between then and Christmas to see what my weekly average would have to be and I set that my weekly goal. If I didn't earn enough one-week I worked twice as hard the next. By the end of November I had saved $36.47, almost enough to buy the bike myself and more than my share. I kept telling my mom that I had my part of the money. About a week before Christmas I was really getting worried because my folks still hadn't taken my money. Dad told me that we would settle up after Christmas." "Did you get the bike?" asked Sam. "Christmas morning I got up early and crept down stairs to the living room. No bike. I couldn't imagine why not. I thought maybe the bike hadn't been set out yet so I went back to bed. About daybreak my sisters and I crept back into the living room. Still no bike. In a few moments mom and dad came in and we began to exchange gifts. Dad commented that it was a bit cool in the room and asked me if I would get mom's sweater for her from their room. When I opened the bedroom door, standing at the foot of the bed was the most beautiful blue bicycle I had ever seen. It had white sidewall tires, a buddy seat, and a headlight. As I rolled it back into the living room mom and dad just beamed. Dad told me that anyone that had worked as hard as I had deserved to keep his money and use it to keep it in good repair." "Wow, that's nice," Sam commented. "What is it you want son?" "Well, it's bigger than a bike," said Sam, "And a lot more expensive. You know the old locomotive over at Northside Park." "You mean the one you're always getting your cloths dirty on?" "That’s the one. The park's going to be closed and the engine is going to be scrapped. I talked to the mayor and several of the city council members but they don't see the need to save the park or the locomotive." "Well, it sounds like you've made a good start." "I guess so, but where do I go from here?" "That's a tough one all right," said his dad. "I'll have to think on that one for a while. Meanwhile, you jot down any ideas you have on paper. Set yourself some goals. I'll talk to Ralph's dad and see if he has any ideas." "Thanks dad," said Sam as he stood up. I'm going to the park. I do some of my best thinking there." Next read chapter 3 of "The Great Locomotive Caper" |
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