Singing in the rain

Dear Editor,

Mr. Mike Hendricks, please be advised your "No Singin' in the Rain" is an absolute classic of what can happen to us mortals.

The recent years of drought and the beautiful rains of recent days are sort of a replay of the Herndon area -- year 1923 to this 90-year-old retiree.

The Herndon area received an abundance of rain that summer. Dryland corn made 60 bushes an acre, unheard of with the open pollinated seed of that time.

The farming of that day (was) strictly horse power. One of the Herndon area corn farmers of 1923, Mr. Ted Barenberg, put out a large acreage for that time -- bingo -- corn and more corn did he raise.

A Mr. Till Taylor of Atwood was agent for Kansas City Life Insurance Co. at that time. In the scheme of things, he sold a policy to Mr. Barenberg, which consisted of one payment, the policy in force 17 years for the one payment.

Time marches on and 17 years had almost elapsed when Mr. Barenberg deceased.

Mr. Taylor, still in business for K.C. Life, notified the family about the 1923 policy, which the family had seemingly forgot about. Mr. Barenberg deceased two weeks before the policy expired. The late 1930 years were still in the grip of the 1929 Depression. Money was a scarce commodity.

When good fortune prevailed as the policy was collected, a new automobile came into the family.

This account of Herndon 1923 happening was told to me by a close relative, Mr. Ed Barenberg.

Sometimes happenings do sing in the rain?

Karl Wendelin,

Herndon

P.S. Mike, your story stirred up the 1923 brain cells.