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60. Overrun with Attention
- University of Wisconsin Press
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233 Overrun with Attention 60 Holy moley,” said Fred Russo when he pulled out a chair and sat down across from Oscar Anderson at the Eat Well. He looked around the crowded restaurant. “This place is packed to the gills.” “It sure is, and these aren’t local folks either. I couldn’t find a place to park my pickup, had to walk three blocks. Whole damn Main Street is parked full of cars and vans and buses. I told you it would be a circus when people found out who Stony Field really was and I was right.” “For once you nailed it, Oscar. I never saw so many bigwig newspeople in one place in my life. Let’s see, I spotted CBS, NBC, ABC, CNN, Fox— each has a big old truck with one of them satellite dishes hanging on the top of it. Kind of interesting it is, aside from it messin’ up everyday goings on in little Link Lake.” “You know what I saw, Fred? I saw that big-shot CNN guy with the fancy hair, that Klayborn Stitzer fellow who thinks he’s up on about everything happening in the world. Well, I saw him talking to our esteemed mayor. The mayor looked like he was gonna wet himself he was so excited.” “Yup, Oscar, just look around this room. We are in the midst of grandeur . In this room are some of the finest journalists in the world,” said Fred. “Oh, calm down. My guess is these guys pull on their pants just about the same way that we do. I don’t know about the women, don’t know how they do it,” said Oscar, who smiled when he said it. “Know what, Oscar? I saw the CBS truck parked up there by the park and one of them big-shot reporters was talkin’ with Emily Higgins while they stood in front of the Trail Marker Oak. I can imagine what they were talkin’ about. Wonder what those gun-totin’ guards thought about that. 234 Overrun with Attention Wonder what the Alstage Sand Mining people thought about it? I’m sure the last thing the mining company wants is this kind of attention, just when they’re about to open their new mine,” said Fred. “I drove by Ambrose’s place this morning. Fred, there were cars parked on both sides of the road for a quarter mile in each direction, and photographers stood elbow to elbow in his front yard, waitin’ for a picture of the poor old guy. Sheriff ’s car was directing traffic. You’d think Ambrose was havin’ an auction, for all the people that were gathered there. Too bad. Too damn bad this had to happen. I feel sorry for poor old Ambrose. Wonder how he’s takin’ it. I wanted to stop and talk with him, but I couldn’t get near the place. Them damn photographers are something else. Like a bunch of wolves waiting to devour fresh meat. That’s how I’d describe them. Like a pack of hungry wolves,” said Oscar, who appeared to have forgotten about the cup of coffee in front of him. “I’ll bet Marilyn Jones isn’t too pleased about all this either. She never liked Ambrose, especially when he was datin’ her sister way back, lots of years ago. Did you remember that, Fred? Ambrose and Gloria Jones were plannin’ on gettin’ hitched and Gloria and Marilyn’s folks put a stop to it, and Gloria left for California and never came back.” “Oh, yeah, I remember all that. But I’ll bet you my bottom dollar that no one was more surprised that Ambrose Adler was Stony Field than Marilyn Jones. I’d sure like to have seen her face when she first got the news. Sure like to have been there,” said Fred. “Well, the Eat Well folks are not complaining; my guess is that they’ve never in all their years seen such business in their place as they’re seein’ right now. And my guess is that the supper club is doin’ pretty damn well too. Talk about improvin’ the economy in Link Lake. I wonder if the Economic Development Council has noticed the amount of money being spent in this town without one mining hole being dug. I wonder if they ever thought about that. My guess is that for years to come people are gonna flock to little Link Lake to...