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by Scarlette Hall (Author)
In the 1940s, in Caddo County of Oklahoma, there was a rural intersection known as Sawed Off Corners; a name that probably morphed from Sudiff's corner. It was likely an acreage that belonged to someone named Sudiff, in an earlier time. If I recall correctly, it was a designated place for children in that area to catch the bus to school.
The name Sawed Off Corners was suggestive of a place where rough edges are sanded, polished and repurposed for the better. Some people think that nothing of importance happens in those little towns they speed through on their way to a more promising looking place. (In Oklahoma, they'd better watch their speed.) However, good things happen in little out-of-the-way places all over this land. As I drive through small towns all across the country, I often wonder what fine things are taking place there.
I like to research names of people, places and things-especially towns and streets. This story takes place in the Anadarko Basin which has a good supply of oil and gas reserves. The upper layers of soil are also rich and fertile. I chose Sawed Off Corners as an apt name for the place where Tallie Koums experiences some polishing. Her name is taken from the words 'talitha koum' found in the biblical passage where Jesus tells a little girl, seemingly dead, to wake up and get up! Mark 5:41.
