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FIEST PLACE AHECLOTE WILL'S JOKE Mary Louise Seamons 1774 South 340 East Orem, Utah 84058 Will was a saver. Nothing was ever wasted. Perhaps he had learned this from the friendly Indian boys with whom he played as a young lad herding the family cattle in the Big Field north of his home in Mt. Pleasant, or from those who camped in his corral and prepared the offal he had discarded from his slaughtering business into "appetizing" meals, drying the stomachs and crushing then into meal, and roasting the entrails over their campfires. Perhaps it was a result of his early training as one of numerous children of a polygamous father and a conservative mother with limited means. Whatever the reason, Will was frugal. Once he was with a small group of other men, including his brother-in-law Billy Watson. When they spied a small piece of wire lying on the ground ahead of the wagon, Billy whispered to the others, "Watch Will. He'll stop and pick that up." Sure enough. Will, who was driving the team, stopped the wagon, stepped to the ground, and picked up the bit of wire before proceeding on their journey. The joke, however, was on Billy and the others. A short time later a part on the wagon broke, an incident which could have resulted in a costly delay. But Will, taking the length of wire he had salvaged earlier, soon had the wagon repaired, and they were on their way. Story told by Will's widow and children. Willard Frandsen was born 14 August I863 at Mt. Pleasant, Utah, and died there 24 May 1933. He is the grandfather of the author. 4 |