The following is an excerpt from "A Story of Maine Pluck" as told by Perley Ripley to Arthur Staples, the author.
Perley Ripley told about the way he got into the Ford Agency and how one day he took his life in his hands, cast discretion to the winds, bartered his future, called down on his head the reproach and the ridicule of the community that dubbed him "crazy" and a "damn fool" and bought a whole car-load of Fords - three cars in a car-load.
When they arrived at South Paris, Norway and as far away as Rumford Point, the rest of the nearby world came to the station to see them come in. Never was there such a crowd - not even at the circus. He himself had not slept for a week, awaiting their arrival by rail and pondering on their unloading. Perley had Al Spear from Portland bring a man with him and also had several house and building movers from around South Paris there. He also had the Republicans and the Democrats there, and the scene as that massive carload of Fords was unloaded was worth witnessing. "Well," he said, "times have changed. Now they send a boy and a man over and they unload a carload of Fords while you wait."
"Of course I sold 'em - just about did it and that was all. Some transaction, I am going to say. Almost $3,000.00 right there, yes almost $3,000.00, by gorry. Then I trade cars and bought them, and then I sold them. The first car I bought, I ran a season and in the time when I decided to sell it, I had a customer pretty well landed. He was backing and filling and I knew he wanted that car overmuch. That's the time to sell it and that's the man for a customer. He lived in Andover, so one morning I started bright and early for Andover to sell that car. He lived on top of a hill and before I got to his house, I drove the car into a side road to let her cool off. She WAS boiling - I assure you; yes, she was boiling. I oiled her up and smoothed her down and patted and encouraged her and when I drove by that man's house, she was going good. I turned back and sort of remembered that I had heard that, maybe, he might buy a car. Mebbe he might, didn't know, mebbe he might. I found him at home and he was interested."
"Well, I stood around chewing wheat straw, leg on the rail of the barnyard fence and talked with him all day. We were talking at noon and we were talking at 2 P.M. Finally, he did say all of a sudden that he would gimme a three year old colt and a pair of big seven-foot oxen for the car."
"You've got a car," said I.
"When you ready to deliver the car?" said he, kinder hesitating as though he were sorry.
"She's all delivered," says I. "There she stands; hitch me to the oxen and the colt and I'll be going along. I've got SOME tramp."
"How you going to get them oxen home?" asked the man.
"Don't you worry," says I. "Them oxen belong to me, the trade's made. I'll take 'em right in charge from this minute."
"Gosh," he said, "hain't going to walk "em home, be ye?"
"Now, if I hadn't taken those oxen and the colt then, he would never have taken the automobile. Night would have brought him different counsel. So I got a piece of twine, hitched those oxen together and started at 2:30 P.M. for South Paris. It was into the night when I reached Rumford Point. Think of what it meant with the oxen stumbling along through the night and I leading a three year old colt, footing it every step of the way."
I got supper at Rumford Point, traded with a man to drive the oxen in the next day and started with the colt, leading him into South Paris. Forty mortal miles it was between Andover and my door yard. I fairly stumbled in along after daybreak. And that colt was just able to totter."
"I got the oxen in a few days, traded them, sold the colt and got a good thing. THAT's an autombile trade. But the trek through the night, leading a colt, trailing two oxen walking mortal slow, edging them along, stumbling in the way, was unforgettable. But, that's partly how I made my start. And I was only a boy in the trade game at that."
The first Ford to be SOLD was in 1910 to George Atwood, owner and publisher of the Oxford Democrat. Ten cars were sold that first year.
I hope you enjoyed the story. There will be others to follow.
Thanks for reading.
Don
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