The wobbling wheel: a stranger saves the bus

And here comes a car right alongside of the driver, like, you know, in the same direction. And he was making motions that were even like if he wanted us to stop, see? And the bus drive. I was looking straight ahead, and he didn't see him at all.

And he tried, and he tried his best. I knew he wasn't just waving at us for fun. This was about 2 o 'clock in the morning already, see? And he made motions, and he hollered something. Of course, the bus was shut down, you know, the windows, and he didn't hear.

So finally, I told the driver, I said, this man was going on for at least a block or two and trying to stop you. I think you better look and see what he wants, see. So he stopped and lowered the window down, and he told him, he says, for God's sake, if I wasn't worried about all the other pile of people in that bus, he says, I would have left you go and get yourself killed.

He said, just look at the hind wheel. It's just holding on a bare thread. And the wheel must have been five foot high, as high as the man standing by. They're that big. You know, the bus was monstrous.

And he said, how do you know? Well, he says, I went following you, and I see the wheel wobbling off and off and off, and ready to fall off. So he said, I better tell you, but you wouldn't watch.

You wouldn't look. Well, he says, I got orders to watch the front of the bus to see where we're going, and who's going to be in front of me, or who's going to cross me or something. And he says, I thank you very much.

So he went to the, oh, just across kind of a torts of alley, across one of the side. streets, you know. And there was an all -night standard station, gas station. So he walks up there. He phones the headquarters of the bus thing.

Well, we traveled at least an hour, hour and a half on this, through the city of Chicago, see? So it took about a half an hour for the big guy to come with a big cigar, chauffeur, and another guy with him.

And they looked the thing over, and they says, yes, you have to stay right here. He says, I've got little phoning. So the big guy with a cigar went and flown from the standard station to the headquarters again.

And they should be here in 20 minutes with the new wheel and the repair and everything. Mechanics. It was three mechanics common. All they lifted the axe. and it was holding up with half of one lug. The rest of the legs were all gone, lost.

I suppose somebody didn't tighten up the whole thing, and as we were traveling, they went on twine. So while all this was going on, we had to sit, you know, stayed there. Some stood up and stretched. It stopped drizzling, and the streets were lit up.

Some went outside and walked around the bus, and watch the guys fix it, you know, and stuff. And here comes the first guy from this Amanah, Iowa, half asleep, you know, he'd come out right between the door where you go out of the bus, see, you know, and he was facing the bus driver, and he asked him how far we are in this night.

And then a little kid come, the little boy, And he says, Debbie, would you get me some pop? I am thirsty. So he says, yes, you just stay right here, and I'll be right back. And so he went to the standard station and got himself a selling up and brought back.

So the boy took it, went in the back of the bus to his mother and stuff. The husband stayed out. So the college kids start asking the boys, they said, hey, he says, are you really married? Well, he says, sure.

Well, what time? How old was you when you got married? Oh, I was 17.