In the evenings after work Walter set about assembling the automobile. He was very meticulous in his note taking as he would hold each piece up for a close inspection before assembling it and take notes on his observations. Some times he would stop and draw a picture of the part. By Saturday evening Walter had completely assembled the automobile to its original condition. He then added the necessary oils and fluids and gas. He then got in and made some adjustments and got the crank out, put it in the hole and gave it a hard crank, Pow ! then again, Pow! Walter got back in and made more adjustments and gave a hard crank Pop Pop Pop Purrrrrrr there she went running as good as new. Walter got in and drove off towards town. The neighbors came out into the street forming little groups talking excitedly. The general consensus was that Ol’ Walter was loosing marbles daily. There was those though that thought him a genius, a real mechanical marvel.

Some time later Walter pulled back into the yard and made sure he parked in the same tracks then got out, removed two sacks of groceries and a loaf of bread and went in the house.

Sunday Morning neighbors woke to find the automobile once again scattered over the yard. Walter making notes as he would pick up a part and inspect it, sometimes he would draw it.

For the next three weeks you could have ran a train service on the tight schedule Walter kept with the assembly and disassembly of the automobile. Between this and work Walter had little time for anything else.

Then on Monday when Walter was at work two men came to Walter’s home and got out with two post and a pair of post-hole-diggers and dug two holes in Walters yard close to the street about three feet apart. They put in the post and tamped the dirt back around them. Now while all this was going on there was a crowd forming out in the street as this was something new, along with the fact the car had remained assembled, this time since the usual trip to get groceries on Saturday. Then the men went to the truck and removed a sheet of metal three feet tall and four feet wide and carried it to the post and began to fasten it to them with screws. The front of the sign was covered with some brown paper. People were just dying to see what was on the sign, it had to be a sign right? well one of the men walked over and took one corner of the paper and gave it a long pull tearing it completely off in one pull. Big Six inch letters:

HOME FOR SALE BY OWNER

There was a loud gasp from the little crowd! What? Walter had lost what few marbles he had managed to hold on to. Why? What would Walter do with no home? Then someone said
– Hell, he will probably buy some more automobiles
– But where will he put them to take them apart?
– Never thought of that and I reckon neither has Walter.
Well what was going to happen next and that my friends is “The 64 dollar question”

To Be Continued