I can’t vouch for the truth of this story, but this is the way it was told to me by my great aunt Polly whose mother lived in a forlorn area of Illinois. She became an intimate friend to Jennie Wagoner. Now this Jennie had lived a life of luxury for her first 19 years as the only daughter of a prominent Chicago publisher.
As first love happens yet today she passed by a young cowhand, Luke Wagoner, who had been assigned a secret mission—it had something to do with selling a load of cattle to the Federal Inspectors in the Chicago District. Again I say, as it happens today, with little or no foresight about the future those two young innocents fell in love on sight! Jennie determined to marry Luke and settle on a small ranch in the country. And she did.
Jennie and Luke had been married about five years when my great aunt Polly’s mother met them. A woeful and pitiful couple she found. Luke had hardened with the years in face of the near-daily berating he took from his young bride. He tried to jump when she barked, but there was always some problem. If she yelled, “Fire wood,” he thought she said “Briar wood.” Upon bringing it into the house she complained about the thorniness. She said she wanted a dog; he got a hog. Her yeses were more like no’s; her no’s like yeses . He asked if she wanted a baby. She laughed hysterically at the ridiculous idea and snorted, “Baby!” Luke thought she said, “Maybe.” She soon was filled with hate. She hated briars; she hated dogs; and she hated the whole idea of babies!
No bathtubs, no electric lights, no running water, no water closet with a toilet flapper valve like her parents had in their Chicago home! Nothing to alleviate the constant boredom. It seemed nothing could contain the hatred that was building like valve on a pressure cooker, simmering, sizzling, and seething – very near the pop-off point.
She tried to do very little to make the situation better; in fact, it seemed the only thing she could do with expertise was hate. At that she was a master!
Unbeknownst to her, Luke was still trying to please. He had banked a tidy roll of money in the past three years. On her birthday, he begged for the pleasure of anything that would please her. She said, “The only thing that would please me would be to leave this God-forsaken place. I want adventure. I want the city. I want a whirl at the World Fair. I want to see Paris. I want a Paris whirl!” By the time her tirade was over, Luke was tired but determined. He went to the telegraph office and sent a telegram. He said, “Please send whatever is needed for a real Paris whirl.” No one knows for sure who made the mistake, the telegraph sender or the receiver, but the message said, “Please send whatever is needed for a real Ferris wheel.”
Six weeks later sixteen wagons came to the Wagoner ranch with all the parts for a Ferris wheel. Jennie looked at the driver of the first wagon and thought, “If it was love at first sight the first time, it can be love at first sight the second time.” She saddled up a couple fillies. The driver of that first wagon was on the second filly sooner than he could tell his shot gun rider to hop off.
Great aunt Polly’s mother was not sure what happened after that, but she was pretty sure they didn’t ride to Paris.
. . . . . . .
Random prompts character and setting http://danalatorre.com/2016/01/08/flash-fiction-challenge-i-hate-something/ I had to have 25 year old “rich”girl given to saying the wrong thing, and Ferris wheel; must include something hated.
Sweet aroma 
Love how you weaved the scene and the title in! Was this a true story?
I feel bad for Luke, though!
Made up all the way. Luke did turn out loser. But the end is not yet! He has money now; That might get him more second time around! When he gets that Ferris wheel put together out on those plains, he might get all kinds of offers! I’m still making things up!
haha…good one, Oneta! 😀
Very cute story Oneta!
Thanks much. Good visit today. I’ll see you.
That’s a fantastic story Oneta 🙂 great potential for continuing – I’ll look out for the next instalment 🙂
Thank you Colettte B. I think I will leave Luke to his luck – hoping it’s better next time! My attention span is too short to deal with anything that has to brew overnight!
lol, no worries Oneta 🙂
That was really cute, and told in a very compelling manner. Great job. I enjoyed it.
Dan, I wrote over on the comments on your blog; however, I’m never sure what goes where! So in case you miss there, I want you to know I really appreciate your fun challenges and value you as an author. Hope you have fun with the comments here as we throw around some more ideas about what to do with Luke and Jennie.
Great yarn. I enjoyed it too. I’d love to see an ending where Luke does extraordinary things and her life sinks but she gets to one day see what she missed!. Guess real life does not often turn out that way but sometimes it does. Truth is stranger than fiction. Thanks..
Hey, Faye. Maybe we could be writers in tandem. I could start and you could finish. Anyway I do kind of like the idea that Jennie finds out her second love does nothing to try to please her, so she rides her horse back to dear, dear Luke, who by that time has fallen in love with a lovely girl who came to help him stage musicals to entertain the people who are waiting in line to use his Ferris wheel.
Well, well, too bad for her. In my language it is said that when a damsel marries two husbands, she gets to find out who is better.
What a lovely yarn. I had a good laugh with this one.
I’m glad to please, It was lots of fun. Be sure to read my previous comment to Faye. That might be ending that would please you. Have fun. And thanks. I love to spin a good yarn. 😀
Yes you do and I love them 🙂
What a delightful tale, and what a great reminder that the smallest misunderstandings can have big consequences. For some reason, your chosen misunderstanding reminded me of the bumper sticker that says, “Pray for whirled peas.”
The image of a ferris wheel on the prairie is a good one. Everyone needs a landmark!
Probably whirled peas will arrive before world peace. I guess I have faith enough for whirled peas! Can’t you just hear someone saying, “Well now, son, you jist keep driving that way ’bout eighty more miles and you’ll see a Ferris wheel – you know what that thing is, don’t you – well, okay, when you see that Ferris wheel, you keep drivin’ ’bout eighty more miles and somewhur out there, there’s some buffalo on the right side of the road. You take a turn right past those buffalo and you’ll find . . . .Oh my, I’m probably giving those Illinois folk some Okie accents! 😀
Misunderstanding and different background can really put a strain in any relationship. I guess that makes a story compelling as yours with a lesson for us all. 🙂
Hello Shine. Thanks for the comment. Good reason to slow down “love at first sight.” Thanks for the comment. I appreciate your reading.
Woo-hoo! This is great! Are you going to continue the saga? I hope so. Have you seen how Mitch Teemley does his on-going story? Here’s a sample: http://mitchteemley.com/2016/01/16/the-wishing-map-125/ I would love to read “installments” of your creations!