The Story of Arnold Pritchard's Life by Lorne Pritchard

Arnold and his older sister, Elsie started attending the Fordyce School located one mile east of the Pritchard farm in 1925. Arnold's Dad purchased a shetland pony named Gertie. Gertie was hitched up to a buggy in the summer, and to a sleigh in the winter, and that became the means by which the Pritchard children were transported to and from school. I think it was that pony that gave Arnold his love of horses!

During the 1920's our family attended Trossachs Gospel Camp every July for three weeks. As children, we attended three services a day. We sat in the third row of seats from the front, in the left wing of the Tabernacle between our parents. I heard a "special children's worker" say, "You can't expect children to sit still for two hours!" He didn't know our mother!

The first car that I remember our father owning was a 1925 Touring Car. No windows, just curtains! We were on our way to Grandpa Wilsons, and we had just crossed the CNR tracks going north. The four oldest children (Elsie, Arnold, Lorne and Les) were in the back seat and having a good time, and Arnold was the leading funmaker! I recall my Dad saying, "Kids calm down or somebody is going to get hurt." We were traveling about 10 miles per hour. Just about that time, Les (who was 3 years old) fell out through the curtain on to the road. Dad stopped the car, and ran back to Les who was crying his heart out! Dad said, "Are you hurt Les?" He said, "No." "Then why are you crying so loud?" Les said, "I was just afraid that I was going to be left behind."

In the spring of 1928, Gertie gave birth to a colt, and Arnold named her Trixie.

In the fall of 1928, Dad purchased a 1928 Chevrolet Car, and it had glass windows! In October or November our family packed into that car, and we started on a journey to Vancouver, BC. We stopped overnight with Aunt Mary Bingham (Grandpa Pritchard's sisster) in Moose Jaw. It snowed all night, so we left the car, boarded the CPR train. We stopped off at Proctor, near Nelson, BC to visit the Murihead's for a few days. After which we travelled on to New Westminster, rented a suite in which to live.

Dad purchased a 1927 Ford for $400. In that car we went to Seattle, Washington to visit Dad's first cousin, Bertha. She had a daughter, Barbara who fell in love with Arnold and so would only let him play with her toys!

Back in New Westminster, Joe Erickson had a Good News Mission. At that time, Elsie, Arnold, Les and I were a singing quartet. We not only sang for Brother Erickson, we also sang for Mrs. Britten, pastor of the Four Square Church in Vancouver.

Aimee Semple McPerson, the founder of the Four Square Gospel Church, was a well known Radio Evangelist and Pastor of Los Angeles Gospel Temple. She came to Vancouver for meetings in the Arena, and Pastor Button arranged for us to sing in those meetings! Mrs. McPherson, hugged and kissed each one of us! She was dressed in white satin, and Arnold thought she looked like an angel!

Arnold had a good singing voice, and he loved to gather with others around a piano and sing old hymns and choruses! We boys did not like Vancouver. For Arnold, there was no place like the home farm! On the train going home, Elsie remembers that Arnold led us through the train cars, singing, "We're on the homeward trail ... everybody singing, going home! At that time Arnold didn't mean heaven, but the farm!

Gertie gave birth to a second colt, and Arnold named him, "Happy." That pony was Arnold's pride and joy! He had a way with horses. Happy would obey his every command. He taught Happy to buck every time any student at school would climb on his back. And of course, they tumbled on to the ground. But, Happy never bucked for a Pritchard! We talk about "Horse sense," Happy had it!

I think it was 1930, and we continued going to school in our "one horse shay." But Trixie had grown up and Arnold was anxious to drive a team of ponies to school. But the buggy needed a pole! We bugged our Dad to fix the problem, but he was too busy to do so. But Arnold couldn't wait any longer (this day, I remember well)!

So Arnold and I went to Grandpa Pritchard's blacksmith shop to put a pole in that buggy. We found scrap material in Grandpa's junk pile, and then went to his trees and cut down a pole about three times the thickness of a broom handle. Arnold really worked on this project. We were about finished, and I suppose that we were very satisfied with our work. Grandpa came to the shop and with a laugh, said, "It won't get you out of the gate." But we knew better! We hooked up the team to the buggy, and we were on our way. When we came to the South West gate of Grandpa's farm, we were going south to get on to the road. Then as the horses turned west, the pole broke off from the buggy. Arnold and I were left sitting in the buggy in the ditch, facing south! And the team of horses were running home as fast as they could run! Arnold started running after them, but he couldn't catch up to them! We found out that Grandpa knew more than we did!

From the fall of 1933, until the spring of 1935 we lived in Regina. The farm was rented to Elmer Powers. It was the heart of the great depression! Arnold had an after-school job in Regina Butcher Shop. We boys, especially Arnold, hated living in the city. In 1934, we persuaded our parents to let us take our Christmas holidays on the farm with Elmer Powers. Aunt Minnie Lee would have us come to her place for Christmas dinner. Mr. Aldrich from Ceylon, and his son, Elwood drove the car over snowbanks to deliver us (Arnold, Les and I) safely to the farm before Christmas. Christmas Day, 1934 was the worst stormy day of the winter. We could not make it to Aunt Minnie's for Christmas dinner. I cooked Christmas dinner. Since Elmer was just batching, all he had in the house was a can of corn and lots of potatoes. That was our dinner! But we did not complain, we were at least on the farm!

In 1936, our Dad and Arnold went to the Big Muddy Ranch and purchased two "wild horses." Arnold gave them names, Dinah and Bubbles. That horse, Bubbles, was second to none! And she would do anything for Arnold ... he taught her to rear-up on her hind legs before taking off! Many a boy mounting her without a saddle, to Arnold's delight, had a slide to the ground!

For several winters, Arnold had a trap-line, catching rabbits, weasels, and at times, a coyote. It was a means of making a little money! Arnold would get up at 5 am and ride Bubbles for about two hours, covering about 20 miles to re-set his traps.

It was in 1936 that Uncle Ernie Wilson moved into Pangman to operate the Pool Hall and Barber Shop, and left a team of horses in Arnold's care. They were named Beauty and Darling. I can't remember when he bought that team from Uncle Ernie, but I know that he sold them to Archie Haggerty at Stoney Beach for $100. each. Perhaps he sold those horses so he could marry Reatha.

In 1937 we had sad days. August 15, about noon Arnold and I were at the bedside of our sister Elma. She had diphtheria, and was very ill. Suddenly, she died while we were present! There was no money for an Undertaker. Sid Hart, Norm West's grandfather made a casket, a nurse at our home, placed the body of Elma in the casket, and the next day a funeral was held in the farm yard. Arnold drove the car to the Pangman Cemetery with that casket in it. And we, three boys, with our Dad lowered that casket into the ground.

I think it was 1939 when Arnold was hired by the Federal Grain Elevators to work with a work-gang repairing elevators. He had to hang head down with a rope on his legs to nail loose tin under the eve of the elevator. At Swift Current, the young men on the work-gang, older than he, tried to get him to drink beer or whiskey! An older man in his 50's, came to his rescue by saying, "You fellows leave that young lad a lone. If he doesn't want to drink, that is his choice!"

In 1940, Arnold was in a soldier's uniform for a few weeks, but was honorably discharged for health reasons. Between the years of 1936-1940, Arnold and Les became pretty good cowboys, roping cattle, riding and breaking in horses until they tamed them. They had their own rodeos, riding steers, whatever else is involved with cattle and horses in a rodeo!

In 1941, Arnold and Reatha chose September 27th as their wedding day! At that time, it was necessary for Reatha to have a permission paper signed by her father before she could be married. But Reatha's father said that before he would sign the paper, Arnold had to get on his knees to ask permission to marry Reatha, and promise that she would not have to milk cows etc. Time was passing, and that paper needed to be signed! So Reatha and Arnold agreed on the following plan: Annie Lincoln (Gompf) was working at Johnson's. Reatha's parents were away, and Annie was ironing clothes. So Arnold told Annie a "white lie." Then when Reatha's parents came home, Annie told them that Arnold was white in his face, and really serious when he said, "Annie, we can't get married on the September 27th because it is too late to get that permission paper signed." In reply Reatha's Mom said, "Now Harry, you have carried your joke too far." Reatha's Dad said, "Where is that paper," and he signed it! That day, Reatha and Arnold had the last laugh!"

The Greatest Day in the Life of Arnold Pritchard!
In our farm home we had family worship every morning after breakfast, and again before going to bed. Sometimes the evening time of Bible reading would become a prayermeeting. In 1925, in one of those evening prayermeetings, Arnold received Christ as his Savior, and he shed many tears of joy. That was the greatest day in Arnold's life! The next morning, Arnold told of receiving Christ as Savior the night before. My mother asked me if I would like to be saved. And when she asked me to believe in Jesus, I did! So she said, "Lorne, you are now saved!" Arnold then said, "He's not save, he didn't cry!" Each one of us children, from the eldest (Elsie) to the youngest (Eric), were led to believe in the Lord Jesus by our parents!

In June, 2006 a lady was dying in a Vancouver Hospital. The hospital chaplain asked her, "To what denomination do you belong," and her reply was, "I am a believer in Jesus Christ." Oswald Chambers, author of "My Utmost for His highest," died in 1916. On his grave marker these words are written: Oswald Chambers, A believer in Jesus Christ. My brother Arnold lived and died, A believer in Jesus Christ!