“I hated to pump a tire. With all those able-bodied men standing around I would hate to waste their strength while I broke my back unnecessarily! So with a sly amused smile I resumed: ‘But this isn’t an exclusive party. You may watch, if you like. And I might let you pump!’”

“While this conversation was in progress, I had removed my coat and, crawling far enough under the cases at the rear, had placed the jack under the axle and raised the left rear tire off the ground. The men stood around feeling a little foolish and inept, no doubt, but respected my point of view on the matter. Maybe they were even a little curious, too.”

Excerpted from the book “Veil, Duster and Tire Iron” by Alice Huyler Ramsey (1961).