The Old Weird South

by Tim Westover

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  The speedometer on Joe’s new 1925 Model T Ford Tudor had marks up to forty-five miles per hour, but he knew of no reason for a human to go that fast. Once, on his journey to Neosho, Missouri, the needle on the gauge got up to twenty, but on the return to Quapaw, Oklahoma, the dark of night and rough roads kept him under twelve miles per hour. He wanted to get home before daybreak but dared not go any faster.

  Joe and his wife, Annie, had recently moved from the Arkansas Ozark hills to Ottawa County, Oklahoma, where he’d been hired by one of the new diggings in the Tri-State mining region.

  Joe, an experienced wagon master, and his teams of mules—hauling freight for anyone to any place—had learned to fear no man or beast on the roads. He’d built a successful business for forty-five years, and now two of his sons-in-law were among his best drivers. Within six months after relocating, Joe turned the company over to them and accepted the post of deputy sheriff when it was offered. He wanted to spend more time with his wife in their declining years.

  The vehicle’s lamps illuminated the dirt road, and the moonlight silhouetted the trees edging both sides of the road. Through gapes in the pines, Joe could see across the shallow ditches to the meadows and fields beyond. Civilization seemed very far away.

  In the midst of this empty expanse, Joe saw something out of the ordinary. He pulled the transmission lever on the floor to its midpoint and flicked the throttle lever on the steering column up to idle speed as his foot pumped lightly on the brake pedal, bringing the Model T to a stop. His sleepiness fled; he stared across the fields with a fixed gaze.

  When the event ended, he’d never felt so in need of telling someone of something he’d witnessed. He would be reluctant to admit to his dry mouth, his sweaty palms, or his hair standing on end, but what a story he had to tell!

  The remainder of the trip tested the speed and reliability of his Model T. He was too busy keeping the motorcar on the road to check the speedometer.