Donald Edwin Miles

by Linda Pagel

 
Ella came to the U.S. to help Marie with Marie’s children.  She went to country school with Lillian and Clara for 6 weeks to learn English. At some time, she started working at Kakac's General Store in Saratoga and lived upstairs.  One time someone came in looking for "information".  Not knowing what that was she looked at the shelves of grocery items.  We don’t know if the poor soul ever did find out what he needed. :-)  
 
Saratoga had weekly dances and some fellow asked her to go to the dance with him.  She accepted but while at the dance noticed a tall good looking gentleman at the side with a bunch of his friends.  He noticed her and told his friends, "Someday I am going to marry her."  Ella's date escorted her home before the dance was over and after making sure he was gone she went down the back stairs to the dance and the rest is history.  When we would ask Ella about this, she would just giggle so I am pretty sure it really happened this way.
 
Donald grew up on a farm in Howard County.  He graduated from Riceville High School in 1916.  He was farming with his parents and World War I had broken out.  As the story goes, he thought he should sign up for the Army.  His parents had purchased a car, but Donald was the only one that could drive and needed to sign up in Cresco, which was about 20 miles away.  He drove over to Cresco; where they were sending a group of young men who had signed up for the Army that day so he parked the car and loaded the bus for Camp Dodge in Des Moines. After several days, his parents received a letter telling them where the car was and explaining what had happened.  I am not sure who drove the car back to the farm.