In about 1931-32 in this service station located on the N/E corner of Kansas Ave. and Fifth St. This particular cold and overcast fall afternoon, there was not much going on in this little town. The usual card game was in progress, occasionally someone would place a log in the stove (oil barrel laid flat and made into a stove). Go outside to the outhouse and spit some tobacco juice, usually they would open the stove door and spit into the stove. Present at this gathering, Shite Holt, Boss Mill, Dave Coulter, Thad Stevenson, Lloyd White, playing cards, Mr. Pyle, Mr. Crow, Lew and Clarence (Gob) Glinkman, Mr. John Cumbers, my grandfather I. J. Cornelius Dale Jordan and myself. These old timers were talking about many old things of Lane and I will attempt to record as many as I can.

     The story of when the railroad was being built from Paola to Leroy, that the railroad wanted to build the railroad repair shops at Lane. This would cause part of the town to be moved and the men who owned most of the property refused to sell to the railroad and the shops were built at Osawatomie.

     The old Lane school on the West Side of the street on S. Kansas Ave. where the Crites lived, they thought it was started by the Methodist (black board still on old rock wall). Where I was born in 1921. No one could remember where the old Baptist school was located, some thought it was north of the creek.

     Talk of Will Rogers had turned down an honorary degree from the State Of Oklahoma.

     Wiley Post air plane flight around the world, "Boy O Boy did this start a young boy to dreaming"?

     The talk about Dolly Belt wanting to move the graves of the Doyles, to the cemetery and Floyd (Biddy) Martin postmaster would purchase a historical marker for them. (Doyles killed in the Potawatomie Massacre by John Brown.)

     Talk about the new gymnasium if built and what it could be used for, it was mentioned picture shows. "Boy O Boy" We would have picture shows in Lane!

     The improving of the muddy streets of Lane. I remember they stated the town had bought four railroad cars of sand from up near Bonner Springs and had scattered it (by horse and wagon) on Main St. - Kansas Avenue on the business Block, it disappeared into the mud, every one thought they needed rocks or bricks. The mud was still there now frozen with tire ruts eight inches deep.

     Mr. Averal's old white horse had died, 27 years old on the S/E corner of Fifth and Elm St. he was trying to get some truck to come and pick it up.

     Mr. John Cumbers passed on to the pipe smokers, some of the pipe tobacco he had raised and processed. Only Mr. Crow and Gob Glinkman did not smoke a pipe. Dale Jordan and myself sneaked some and tried smoking out in the outhouse with a little clay pipe we had won at the fair.

     Clifford Atkinson was opening up another barber shop down by the Cross Creamery.

     Many other things were discussed that dreary afternoon, it was too cold to play ball, no snow so we could not go and sled down a hill, not cold enough to freeze the creek so we could ice skate. The Glinkman station was the only action in town. When it was warm the benches in front were full of loafers, whittlers and tobacco spitters. Some times this was called "Loafers Heaven" The "Liars Club" from this location you could see every one coming to town, and what was going on if any thing. Some women would not walk by this station, they would walk around several blocks to avoid this group of men.

     One afternoon a car pulled into the station for gas and Lew Glinkman raised the hood to check the oil, finding it a quart low he returned with a container filled with oil. As he was attempting to pour the oil into the motor, either accidentally or on purpose the driver of the car hit the horn. This startled Lew causing him to throw the oil all over the engine, then he became mad as a Dutchman can get and he threw the balance of the oil onto the windshield of the car and walked away. The driver had to drive to the local garage to get the quart of oil the car needed and have his car cleaned.

     At this time I. J. Cornelius had purchased the garage across Kansas Ave. Formerly this had been the livery Stable and Garage run by Roy Bump with Hap Smiths blacksmith shop in the rear. The benches in front of this garage had been the home of the Loafers for years. Lee and Llinley Cornelius used a battery and a coil from a Model-T-Ford and hot wired the chairs and benches. About the time the loafers would get comfortable, someone inside would hit the button and the loafers would get a big jolt. This did not hurt them but it sure got their attention, now when you are loafing and resting you do not want to be disturbed, so the loafers moved across the street to the Glinkmans station. I can remember every one in town would try to get someone to sit down on those benches and have someone hit the button. It was the talk of the town who had gotten the hot seat that day.

     This Glinkman service station had the first running water in Lane. They had built a platform in the rear, with a large round cattle watering tank up high and they ran the rain water off the roof into this tank, then a hose out front to fill the car radiators and water a few flowers. This was quite a feat in those days. The only other running water was at the Ray and Dolly Belts place N/W of Lane, Ray had went up the canyon behind their place and ran a pipe from a spring into the house.

     Now that I have described this service station, there was nothing wrong here, but Lew was head of the school board and can you imagine a fresh out of college your girl going to this service to be interview for a job as teacher for the Lane School.