Busted Axle Road Chapter 4

Busted Axle Road
Chapter 4 of 44
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Time frame	April, 1987
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Location

• Spearfish Lake
  • Spearfish Signs, Jackie Gravengood's home business
  • On the North Country Trail behind Mark and Jackie's place
  • Spearfish Lake Bank
  • Spearfish Lake Record-Herald newspaper offices
  • Mark and Jackie Gravengood's house

Characters

• Mark Gravengood
• Jackie Gravengood

• Mike McMahon
• Kirsten Langenderfer

• Pat Varner
• Frank Matson

• Cumulus, the dog

Summary

Mark gets home to find that Jackie is busy making a sign, and it's a rush project that has to be delivered that day. He gets out of her way by going for a jog down the North Country Trail. He fondly remembers Vince.

Whilst out he starts thinking about dog sledding, and becomes aware that he is being followed by a stray dog, which starts him wondering if that's a sign.

Mike & Kirsten see Frank Matson at the bank to organize a loan to buy the house on County Road 427.

Unfortunately, it's paper day at the Record-herald and all three events that normally would fill the front page had gone bust... the County Commission meeting didn't have a quorum, the City Council meeting had an off week, and the School Board had converted a four hour meeting to fourteen minutes. So Mike writes a story about the storm sewer separation, which he passes to Pat Varner for paste-up.

At the end of the chapter Mike gets a call from Frank telling him that they have a loan, but it will take a month or so to tie up some loose ends. He and Kirsten decide to move during the first week after school lets out. They discuss adding a hot tub to the new house, and where to put it, and installing it possibly before they move in.

Jackie doesn't want the dog in the house, especially because of the cats. Mark feeds the dog out in the barn, and when he goes to see Frank Matson to repair his home computer he lets the dog go with him.

They call the dog Cumulus in memory of the dog they met at the the gliderport in Colorado.^Roc2-11

Also Mentioned

• Don Kutzley, the city manager
• Gil Evachevski

• Jack Kennesaw, the sewer system superintendent,
• Brother Erasmus

• Vince, the crew leader from the Appalachian Trail maintenance volunteer group, last seen working on the North Country Trail