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By America'sMaster of LiteraryHumor GAM arr m'&'uM AUTHOROF THEKUDZU CHRON'CIES Sugar Valley Saga
Carroll Gambrell
SEVGO PRbSS PUBLISHERS NORTHPORT,ALABAMA QuotationstuomTHEWRECK OF THE HESPERUS,by H. W. Longfelloware used by thepermission of the HoughtonLibrary.
Gambrell,Carroll, 1931- Sugar Valley SagaI Carroll Gambrell Copyright @ 1993by Carroll Gambrell All rights reserved.This book, or parts thereof,must not be usedor reproducedin anymanner without written permission of the publisher. NRST PRINTING- APRIL 1993 ISBN0-943487-42-0 PRINTEDINTHE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA SEVGOPRESS, 1955 22NqSTREET, NORTHPORT, ALABAMA 35476 Dedication.. .
To my threreaunts, the Ritter Sisters, who never allowed me to be homesick: Bertie Mae, who loved me and gave me her sparechange. Frankie, the big sister I never had, who read to me. 'til Teener,who scrubbedme the hide was gone,and told me talesI never forgot. Etemal love and eratitude . . . Thanksto:
The Houghton Library, Inc. for permission to quote from H. W. l-ongfellow's immorral THE WRECK Otr THE HES?ERUS.
SpecialThanks:
To charlie Rudder,P'ofessor of Philosophyat the local collegc,rvho sct out to help-arrd did; who mea'l lo be a fric'd-and is; iuid rvhosc words and deedsare one.
And. . . To Rich Oliver for his timely conlnlentsiurd skillful editing. Contents
Prologue ...... 9 I Bears,BoarsAndBlueTicks ...... 10 z FloydAndElwood . . . .i6 3 UglyRed . ....21 A a Chico's,SaturdayNight...... 29 ( JakeAndloney ... . .39 6 GoodbyeValley, Hello VulcanCity . . .47 7 TheSugarBlues ...... 58 B Mr. BatesGoes To Town . . . . .69 9 Mrs.Vandcrwort'sRoomingHouse ...... 77 l0 Tricks . . . .89 1l OpcrationVagabond .. . . .100 12 OpcrationBoardingHouscRcach . . . .ll0 13 SpringtimclnTheValley ....123 \4 ADayOf Discovcry .. . . .131 15 MorcDiscovcries . . . .141 16 OLrtOfThcFryingPan .....I52 17 InsideThcHcavcnlyRcst ....162 1B CauscAndEffcct ....I75 19 CopsAndRobbers . . . .189 20 TheMorningAftcr .....199 )1 VallcyRound-up ...207 22 Wind-rrplnThcVallcy .....218 a-)af Flcadlincs .....224 )/1 Pcace[n The Valley . zJ4 Epiloguc . . 238 DramatisPersonae...
In The \/alley Elwoodlarkin ....FloydBates'friend&cousin Floyd Bates .EhvoodLarkin's cousirr& fricnd Minnie Larkin .Ehvood's aur.rt JuneBates . . .Floyd'smanra, Elwood's aunt,Minnie's sister Charleneand Darleen Daggett Trvins, Vamp and Victorizur Chico Alverez Y ScaliaO'Keefe . Proprietorof Chico's CharleyFoster Sawmill Owner, Bootlegger Bobby SueFoster . Charley'sdaughtcr Aarorr Ledbctter Hound Doe Miur Mitch Harris iuroth--erone Eli Watts . ParsinroniousI)eacon ReverendOssie Knowles Paslorof Saint'sDelight ReverendJ.P. Waddelston,Jr. . Visiting Prcachcr Alphonse"Big Al" Scarpelli . "Collegc Prol-essor" Michael "Red Nose" O'Kelly turothcroue Duke Burton TexasOil Well Flunkcv Strortoff .Elu,ood'sltouncl Pmcilla . . Ugly Rcd'sbluc tick Cyclops Buzzard'sonc-cyed goat
In Luthersville JudgeHorvland M. Friday CountyJudgc Jakc Crabbe,M. D. Counlry I)oclor L,orrcyAdams, R. N. NurscMidrvifc SamHundlcy Shcril'fol'Kcowce Counly RaleighGates Chief'Dcputy Tiny Bohamon . Gcnial SlrongM:ut RoosterBohannon .Tiny's oldcrbrotlicr
BoBu,'oughs, M. D. =fi= . . htenrisr,cnici or'Sralr' Maggie Mae Orr Secretaryto Dr. B. Penny Parker, R. N. . Nurse Mortimer Maxwell Money, M. D. . Ambitious Incompetent Madame Zarelda . . . . Gypsy Queenand Palmist Mischa Son of MadameZ Mrs. GideonVarderwort ."HouseMother" Wilfred Dillard . . .Big City PoliceChief Solly Goldstein . KosherDeli Orvner Dunvard P. Hicks ex-PFC,US Armv, WWI ReubenC. Finchert "Cong".rrnrl" Sgt. Gunther"Gunboat" Wiggins .Veterar.rCop PatrolmanNorby Finch . StatiouCop Sgt.Liam O'Doul .Jailer Lt. Harry Cain .HomicideDetecrive AldcrnranJulius CaesarDorf . . . CrookedPolitician SonnyDorf . Alderman'sSou Angel .Thug Augie .Tlrug Bddy .Thug Rodin, The "Professor" Coturterfeiter Slick Rick Unlucky Hood Arthur Sudds . . Chairman CGP MarshaFritts ...Vice-ChairpersonCGP
The SwarnpBuzzards Rock Top Radley Leader,Lead Guitar- Ugly Red Wilkins . Harmor.rica,Piano BucksnortBailey Drums Nigltt Rider Robinson . Bass Mikki "The Mouse" Oshahara KamaliazeBanjo Abdul "Camel Driver" Rothchild Rhr.thnrGuitar'
The Girls Valeric R.edhead Carlotta . Bmnetle Hildegard BleachedBlonde Claudelle . Copper-Blonde Nataslra . .Dark russiiur Roxanne . ShirleyTemple Blonde Preface.. .
Mountains have a tender.rcy1o shapethe peoplc who live among them. This is certainlytrue of the southemAppalachians. We have had thehonor of knowing someof thosefolks, and nroving iurlongthenr. We have enjoyedtheir wit, eatentheir food, heardtheir tales,and joined in their music-making;and we might, in a weak nloment,have sippcd just a little of their white lightning-whiclr thcy assurednte was just "tuning oil." A good many adjectivescome to mind in describingthese folks. Witty, clear-eyed,hard rvorking, self-rcliant, intelligent, independent and imrocentare a few. You miglrt tlrrorvin slubbor-n,conscruative iurd "sot in their ways," if you like; horveverthese are not alwaysncgative charac- teristics.They knou,right fronr wrong,and rvhat works andtvhat doesn'1. Tlre Blue Ridgeand Smokies [ravc given us doctors,jurists, rvriters, teachers,bootleggcrs, soldiers, statesnlen, music and ar1.The nationiurd the world arericher for it. A rvord of cautiorrshould you evcr crossSlunrphouse Ridgc above Lulhersville and find yourself in Sugar Vallcy: ncver nristalielack oi lettcrsfor lack of leaming,or iur abundanceof innoccrrcefor at absencc of intellect.
Carroll Gambrcll Ne;n Luthcrsville August1992 Prologue
A AanON LEDBETTER'S olcl blue tick, Maggie, bayed acrossthe hollow in answer to Mitch Harris' big Plott hound, Rolly. The crisp still air carried sound well, and the neu's of a full moon rising was telegraphedup and down the valley. Hound dogs at each cabin site took up the chorus in ululating cadcncc anclscnt it on. Smoke from the cabins iurdstills hung low over Sugar Valley, reflecting in velvet tonesthe bright moonlight that outlined the Blue Ridge from Rabun Bald on the'*,estto Hogback on the emt. There would be frost in the morning. From Molly's Nosc above the valley, an observer could spot at least a doze:ncabin sitesfrom the pinpoinls of light that filtered through ',hethin layer of smoke'; and several more, hidden by trees and the undulations of the round hills, could be locatecland iclcntiliedby thc pcculiar voices of their respcctivc hounds. The brightestlight of all came from a placc wherc no hound dogs baycd. It r,r'asfrom Saint's Delight Church, cstablishcdin 1783 by the Valley's first settleni. From ils spire, piercing slightly above the haze, pealed the ancicnt bcll, announcingthe fourlh night of it.sannual two-wcek revival mccting. At this place gatheredthe most pious souls,mo.stly women, old men and reluctant children, a-swell as the guilt-ridden seeking a cleansing through public confession and thc visiting preachcr's thundering exhoflations, whioh wcrc calculatedto scarethe hell out of anybocly. Notably abscntfrom the congrcgationwere various stalwafls who found thc primordial baying of thc clogsmorc compelling than the summons of the church bell. Having alrcady either taken care of their sins at previous meet- ings,or not trcingparticularly consciousof any, thcy choscto gathcr that night at Molly's Nose. Fint to arive wa.s Floycl Bates, dark, wiry, khaki-clad, and in his t$'cntics; he was soonjoincd by a tall ginger-hcacleclyoung man his o.rvnagc. "You'rc r-unnin'late, Elu'ood," thc clarkman spokesoftly. "l'cl about drrciclecl you wcrt to Rcvival"" Sone 'em "Not rvith thatrnoon out," his friend ansu'crcd."Rcst of will bc here shorlly. Lct's gct up a fir-t'" Thcy gathcrcd up firc u,oocland had a roaring firc going by thc timc thc 'coon othcniarrivcd. It rvasa night for hunting.Not a in theVallcy coulclhop to passthc evcningunmolcstccl, Bears,Boars And Blue Ticks
YI 7 la/ V V AKE UP, ELWOOD! It's gettin' daylight.Themilkin' ain'tbccn donc; you got hogs to slop, an' Floyd's donc becn by to tcll you thcy'rc Aonnarun the sawmill today." Elwoocl wanted nothing morc than to bunow into his goosc clown mattress and sleep the rest of the day--or maybe forevcr-bul hc knc*, hc couldn't. Aunt Min wouldn't let him. Shedidn't soundmuch like shc u'ould allow even ten more minutes, which u,ouldn't do him any good anlnv:rv. Outside his window GeneralJackson crou,ccl.El'*'trcd crackeclon.r cyc and sat up. The figure of Aunt Min loomcd in thc cloorvay but Elwoorl couldn't quite bring her into focus. She was a large strong woman in her early sixtics, with grcying hair that had once been flame-red, a granite jaw, a mouth that had laughecla lot, iurd frosty blue eyes with merry crows-feet wrinkles at the corncrs. Thosc eyes had a way of peering at you on a dcad lcvcl, giving thc impression shc wouldn't back away from a Russianbayonet charge. That u.ould have bccn a correct assessment. "Come on," shesaid. "Old Jackson'sdone crowccl. Sun's comin' up." Elwood put his feet on the floor and lookeclout thc winclow oncc again. It was pitch dark. The early moon had alrcady set. "How's thatdang chicken knowwhat timc it is?" hc muttcrcclto him.sclf. "Same way earthwormsknow it's dark, an' time to corne out of thc ground," shc called from the kitchcn. SugarValley Saga 11
"That woman's got eats like a fox," Elr,r'oodthought. He had better sensc than to say that out loud, but figureclAunt Min would probably hear him thinking it cLn,vu'ay.He *'as right, "lf'n vou don't wanl mc'to hearit, cion't sayit," shecalled. "Come on. Breakfa-stis n:ady." The smell of chicken frying and hot biscuits in the oven made thc pfospccrsof the day seemmaybe not quitc so bad. Elwood buttoned a flanncl ihirrover his long,johns, pulled on his overalls,stuck his feet in his brogans, anclclraggcrcl himself to rhekitchen where Aunt Min wa-sdishing up the gravy. "Grits in thc pot," she said, motioning toward thc wood-burning range' Ehvoocl clrank a tlippcr of water from the well bucket before hclping himseif to a breastand clrumstick,four biscuits ancla couple of big spoonfuls of grits. Covering it all with gravy, he sat down and began to eat. Hc still coulcln't ftrtrs too wcll, and he aciic Elwgod looked from - up his nearly empty plate as if he had just thought of something. "Where's that preacher,any'way?" he asked. Since Aunt N{in boastedof having the best spare room in the valley, it was hcr proud cluty to act as hostess to the visiting clergy, much to her rival, SaclieBrewster's, chagrin. .,I "He's wore out, too," Aunt Min said. thought he ought to slcep late." "What's he wore out from--passin' the collection platc?" Ehvooclsaicl. He thought that since the preacheralways got the biggest piecc of chickcn, hc ought to at least slop the hogs. "Hush! You'll wake him up an' he'll hear you," Aunt Min caurioncrl. "'Sides, he worked harderthan you clidlast night." "What did he do that was harclerthan runnin' up the sidc)of a mountain through a laurel thicket?" he asked indicnantlv. "I don't know about no laurcl rhiltet, but he flat ran rhrough a briar patch,"Aunt Min saicl. .,What His curiositypiqued, Elwoocl asked, arc you talkin. alxrut,Aunt Min?" "lf you'd , a-goncto meetin' with mc la-stnight like you oughta,instca 'n figured if it were the Judgment Day, he'd have a head start on the rest of us up that tree." "Floycl wa.stryin' to turn them dogs," Elwoo 'em "An' they shot up that aisle with all them dogs after right u'hen the preacherhad just give the invitation for the sinnen to come down the aisle an' get Saved." "Down the aisle?" Elwood said weakly. 'em "Yeah, but the preachcrdidn't hang arouncllong enough to offcr his 'em hand, ner pray for either." 'What did he do?" Elwood asked. "What would you of done?" Aunt Min saicl."Hc bolted out thc back way fast as he could." "Aunt Min, that meetin' house ain't got no back way," Elwoocl saici, hoping she'd beenpulling his leg all along. "It does now," she said. "He wcnt slarn through the back rvall, splinlcrs a-flyin' cvcrywhcrc, and lit out do*.n thc hollcr rvith that bcar and hog, forty yowlin' clogs,and a pac. i^ drunk yenus right on his tail; but by the timc they got to ScluireHadley's pasturefence, he u'as a-runnin' thircl, rvith yo' dog, Olcl Shortoff, a-nippin' at his hccls. The fcrnccwoulcla probably stoppccl him if thebcarhadn't of flattcncciit't,hcn hc wcrrrthrcugh. As it u'as,hc clicln't 'til stop he hit that big briar patchjust this sidcof Hogan's.Thal's whcrerOld 'im, Shortoff caught an' wc likc to of nevcr pricd that clurnclog a-loosc frorn the preacher'sshin-bone." "Yeah, that Shorryis a littlc bit slou.aboutcatchin'on somctimcs," Elwooci adrnittccl. 'n "Slorv! If hc u,asany slo*,cryou'ci irlvc to catchhirn backin' up," Aunt Min said." Anyway. I broughtBrothcrWacltlclston back herc antl patchcd hinr up. He was a mcss.It took somc .stitchts,but I givc hirn a couplcof slugsol Charley'spanthcr juice an' hc ncvcl fclt a thing.l'll patchhis britchcsfor hirrr 'fore mcctin' tonight.You comin'?" "l ain't surc I could takc it." Elu,cndsaicl. "It'll bc a heaplamcr tonight," Min promiscd."Al1 thcrn hcarhcnsrvill be thercaskin' forgivencss." "l hopc thc bcar anclhog clon'1decicle to comc back." "Thcy won'1.Last lime anybcxlysccn thcm, thcv *'as hcacic Grabbingthe bucket,he went out to slop the hogs and do the milking beforehitching up the mule and headingfor the sawrnill.He had some cluestionshe wantedto a-skFloyd. Floyd andElwood I-rY THE TIME he slopped the hogs, hitched r:p the mules and got to Sarn Fentress' place rvhcrc Charley haclset up his portable sau,mill, thc .sunwas well up, and Elwood u,as feeling a littlc better. He would havc walkccl ancl led the mules becausehe didn't want thcm worn down by thc tirne thcy got there,but his vision was still fuzzy so he rocleKatc anclleci Jakc. They had to skid logs that day, and skidclingwas hard on rnan anclbcast. While Old Man Fcntressand his boys were skiclclingtic big harclwoocl out of the swamp with their ox teams, Elwoocl woulcl skid thc pinc ancl hardwood off the hill with Kate anclJake. Floyd was tailing slabsanci feccling the boilcr. "Time you got here, old man," Floyd grc.ctcdhim ashe slicloff thc mulc and headcd for the water buckct. "If I'da knowed Aunt Min rva^sgonna lct 'til you sleep noon, I'da gone home with you instcadof my place. Ma rollccl me out to go wake up the chickens.Wherc'd you go last night, anyhou.?" Elwood gavehim a wan grin and said,"I clicln'thavc timc to go chasin' no preachersthrough a briar patch, ner bearsncithcr- not to mcntion hogs." "You know about that. huh?" 'ccpl. "First thing Aunt Min told mc. [n fact,it wasonly thingshc tolclrnc when you blew your bugle at the church Dcacon Watts bailcd out thc siclc window thinkin'JudgcmentDay washcre." "He don't know who blew that buglc, yct," Floyclsaid, "anclif I rvant him to know, I'll tetl him myself." "You might haveto climb a trecif you wril1tto talk to him lxrsonal.Aunt Min said they coulcln'tgct him to come dou,n lastnight," El*,oo 'til "Wcll, he can stay there Judgment Day as far as I'm concerned," Floyd said. "Say, how come you fagged out on me last night, old buddy?" "l just got to feelin' so baciI couldn't keep up," Elwood said. "What you reckon is the matter *.ith me?" 'round "You be.enhangin' Charlene Daggett too much, that's rvhat," Floyd said, digging Elwood in the ribs. CharleneDaggett had been charac- Lcrizedby Aunt Min a-sbeing a female Will Rogers:she never met a man she tlicin'tlike. "I ain't bc'enhangin' around her a-tall," Elwood denied. "What about last Saturdayafter the dance?" Floyd jeered. 'hangin' "That weren't exactly around'," Elwoocl replied, "she neededa ridc home." "I bct shc 8ot it, too," Floyd said with a leer. "l'm serious,Floycl," Elu,oocl said, "I ain't felt good in a long time. I'm afraiclsornethin's wrong with me." "You think you bettcr go sce thc doc?" Floyd asketl,gctting scrious. I{c had ncvcr. in thc trvcnty-four yeamof their growing up togcthcr,hcarcl E1*,cx-rci talk likc that anclit alatmedhim. "lf Aunt Min's yarbscion't curc me, I rreckonI'll havc to," Elu'oodsaid. 'bout "Right nou' I got to get in thc u'oods.You're out of logs.'JPicking up thc rcins, hc clucked to his team eurdfollowc in saurnills-like lightning. It was do or don't in a split .second.Floycl rvas lucky he wasn't pulled into the saw and he knew it. "Go help Elwood in the u.oocLs,"Charley said as Floyd came back from retrieving his glove. "Billy'll off-bear the rest of the clay." Flo1,drvas all too glad to obey. "What happened?You look u'orsc.'nI clo," Elq,ooclsaiti whcn Flrrycl joincd him. '.Charley "Like to of tanglecirvith the saw," Floyd said. rhoughr I bcrrcr come ou1here before I made a tu'o-by-four out of myself." Floycl sa1on rhc log El'*'ood was aboutto skid and tried to roll a cigaretteu.ith shaking f ingcrs. "Most of you would probably havc endcd up on the slab pile, iurdthc rest wouldn't fetch much ar the lumberyard," Elwoocl observcd,cycing. his lanky cousin. "You're too knotty. Might use your head for a doorknob, lhoueh." "'Tain't funny, El," Floyd saidas he twistcdthr cnclof rhc.cigare tre,hc.d 'bout finally succeededin rolling. "Truth is, I u'ersthinking you havin' !o u.c1 the bushesevery time you tum around.I was afraiclthcrc might comera floocl clown the mountain and wash thc mill away." The jabbing andjawing back and forth with Elwood wa^scarmin* Frovd down some. He u'a-sn'tthe t)?c to *orry 1oo long about things thairticn'r happen,and as the only thing that did happcn u'as thc clcsrructionof a glovc, the possibilities of what might have occurreclbegan to takc their placcs in thc file labeled,"Expcrience and CloseShavqs." "I ain't haclto wct thc bushesquite as much torray,an' I can scc Lrcttcr, too," Elwood saicl,"least I ain't trippectover no mulcrslatclv." "Has it been that batl?" Floyd asketl. "Ycah, it's becn like looking througha shctt of iscngla.ss.Evcrl,t.hing'.s fuzzy." "How you fcel?" Floyci askcd. "'Bout like a flat tirc," Elwood saicl. "Well, gct yourflat tire fixetl bcforcrSalunlav night. Wc gor sorncjukin' to do," Floyclsaid, his spiriLsrcsrorcd at thc thought. "Who's playin'?" Elu,oodaskccl. "Rock Top Radlcyand Thc Swamp Buzzarcls,"Floytl rcpliccl. ..Thcy "l ain't gonnamiss that!" Elwoql said. srillgot old Rc "That lxry ain't too smart. Why clon't he get drunk on Saturdaynights like everybody elsc? Any idiot ought to have better sensethan to pick a fight rvith a deputy," Eln'ood said. Floyd rcplied, "He says last tirne he got drunk on Saturclayhe likcil to of swallercdhis harp:an' sincedeputies is al'*.aysthc onesa-putiing hinr in jail, hc figgcrsif theyclo it oftencnough they'lt gettired of it andlcavc hirn alone." "Boy, is hc dumb," El*'ood saicl."Don't he knorv they'll wear hirn out 'fore 'Sides, hc u'cani thcm out? cvcry clcputy I cvcr knou,erl likcrtl ltuttin' pcoplc in jail-'speciall), ones$'hat picks fights r"'iththem." "Can't fault him with lack of tryin'," Floyd obscrvcxi."'lhey clicln'teven have to come 8ct him this timc. Hc just n'cnt right up to thc jailhousc aurcl starlcclthrowin' rocks anclycrllin'at dcputy carswhen thcy camc oul of thc palkin'lot." "Sountlsnrorc likc hc oughtLo bc put in thc Booby Hatch,"El*'oocl saicl. "l{c's so craz1.',ho*, t:anthcy tcll u,hcnhc's drunk?" "Hc don't fight rvith no (leputic.\*'hcn hc ain't cirunk,"Floycl saicl. ".lus' !hc samc,hc can makc nrorcmusic on that littlc:French harp than thc rcstof thc bandput togethcr,"Elu,ocxl said. "l'm gonnabc thcrreif I have to hitch up to oltl ,lakcand lct him clragrnc." "Charlcnc'sgointi to br:thoe," Flol'd tcascd. "'lJratdon't mattcr,I'rn comin' anyu.ay,"Elwood answcrctl,dcflccting thc dig. "Sa.v,did old Shortoff cvcr get homc?" Floyd asked,changing the subjccl. " l ha(ln'Isccnhim. if hc clici,"Elu,oocl rcplicti. "Sometimcs hc clon'tcornc in for trvo or thrcc days aftcr a go "You got a deal,"Elwood agreed,getting up. "Take the axe ands1aft limbing thattree over there while I takethis pull to thc mill. I don'r \r,anito 'splain to Charleyu.hy u'e let him runout of logs." Charley shut the mill down about four o'clock so thc hands r:oulclgct home and feed before dark. Floyd and Elu'ood roclethe rnulcs homc. Katc and Jake weren't too tired that day; thcy hadn't skiddetl many logs. The gravel road they traveledwound through the heart of the val lcy past fields of com alreaclyharvested, pastures not yet bro$.r1edby hcavy frost. and burly tobacco ready to cut and cure. Foliage still clinging to trees.shirrimcrctl in yellows, golds, ochre.and deep scarlels. Smoke clriftedup frorn cook slovc.s and warming hearths.A stluirrel witn a fat hickory nut in its mouth bouncc(l acrossthe road in front of them and up a large u'hite oak that hcraklccl the fork in the road where the friends would oart. "Come on homc an' havesupper witli us," Floyclsaicl. "Ma's got plenty.." "That's mighty temptin'. Aunt Junercloes know how to roll a biscuit," Elwocxl said. He knew Floyd wa.sserious. Aunt Min iutclher sistcr,.Tune,wcr e famous cooks---cvenin a vallcy u'herc evcry womiur learneclhcr way arounrl ..But thc kitchcn beforc shc wa-solcl enough to attcnd thc onc-roorn school. I gucss I'cl bctter gct on to the housc and lcl Aunt Min cloctoron mc." hc 'til dcmurred."She r.on't bcsatisficd sheruns cvcry yarb in thc vallcvthrough me. I clonehad cnoughapple an ct Deft4 HUNDLEY was a pcaccful man. That's why he was a peacc officer. Sam u'as not just dcdicatcd to his job, he wa-scledicated to pcaceand quelling the clisturbcrsthcrcof. More often than not he found a bop on the heaclfrom his ham-sizedfist to bc thc most clirectmanncr of a-ssuringpcaccful tranquil, lity. After sleepingoff Sam's therapyin onc of his cclls,very few felt a call to rcpcat thcir of fcn.se. The rniscreant,who strxrclwith his grimy cap in hand before rhe judge as Sam anclDcputy Ralcigh Gatcs lookc{ on, \ ras clifferent. His recl locks might have bcen shoulclcr-lcngthhacl thcy hung as any normal locks should, but his stood out in frizzcs :rsif hc had bccn pardoncdjust sccondsafter thc switchhad bccn thro*'n. Hcadaching from a combinationof CharleyFoster's tigcr tonic and Sam's counscling.thc man \\'asuncommonly attcntiveand morc subducclthan r.r'hcnfirst apprthcndcd. "Hon, many u'inclshicldsdid you say he brokc, Dcputy Gatcs?"Juclge Hoq'landM. Friday inquircd. "Thrcc, Your Honor," Ralcigh rcspondcd,"a.s u.cll as a hcadlightand onc of thc u'indou,sin thc ofl'icc." Turning to thc prisoncrin thc dock,thc judge pccrcrlover his glasscsanil "Son, spokc, you arc turningout to be a harclcasc. This is the fourlh tirnc 1'69 haveappeare Ordinarilv, speaking the clficndcr's prt)p* nante alouri u,ould triggcr. another round of mayhem. l{ou.ever. rvith Sanrgiving him a hard look, errcl in cleferenceto His Honor r; rutusr [)rc,.,-,n.1,--itlt(]u'cll knorvn sobriquei "I{owlin' Mad"-Pcrcival Osx'alcilnri.f ll shuffledhis fccr, hung his hcatl and muttercd, "Yessir^" "You knou'frc lixpayen of Kcor.,,.L'County,which inclurjc,svour Ma andPa, will haveto replaccthe rl intl.shicitis,hcadlight ancl u,inrlow glass 1,ou so wantonly destroyed."Once againthcrr *,as a multcr€dacknowlcclgmcnt. "Do you knou' of any rcasonin the rv.rlil *.hy I shouldn'l scntl vou cl,Ln.rr to the Big Housefor awhile so tharvou mirr rlcrnonslratcyour touglhnc.ssto morehardencdcriminals?"whilcPcrci'alosrialrl u"asnrullingthat()\ilr\\,i{i} dirc apprehcnsion,Raicilh stcPpc(lferrrranl. "\'ou havc somcthing Lttsar., DeptrtyCatc.s?" "Ycssir,I havc.Your Honor,'"I{alci;lh siiitl. "l'vc bccntltlking u,ith tirc prisoner,ancl I think I kno*'wh'hc litr.six'r.':i priing out of his *,av to pick fighLsu ith us." " Cany on.Dcputy. l'rn intcrcstetl tr.rlrr_,u r.lh is," .lurlgc Fritlar sairi,icaning for-u,ard. "Last year,one of our officcrs riin i)\'fr his rkig uhile cng,lgcrlin a high speedcha.seafteramanrvhoha "Is that true, Deputy?" askedthe judge. "Yes, sir. She neededa good home, anclI thought Red- er, Perci- er, the prisoncr would give her onc. Thcy sort of took to eachother right off . He's done taught her to sing, Judge." "Show him. Red," Sam dire.cted,ancl Recl was glad to oblige. Percival Osr.r.aldWilkins wasled no time in whipping a harmonica out of anotherpcicket, and stood rcady to pcdorm. "ls it all right, Your Honor?" hc askcd,looking at the severalpeople in the courtroom. "By all means;why not?" said the judgc. "We don't get much cnrcrlain- mcnt herc," he commcntcd, gesturing around the room. "What would you like to hear?" Red asked. "Whatcvcr you and Pricilla like," thc judge replicrl. "lt's Pnr-cilla, Your Honor: namc "Son, thesecharges are serious.You know that." "Yessir," Red answered,trying to conceal the hope welling up insicle, which he felt he had every right to harbor. "The taxpayersmust be compensated,anrl you'vc got to pay for it. You will have to reimburse the county ior every penny of the damagesyou havc caused.Do you understand?" "Yessir, Your Honor," Red said" "Then I sentenceyou to one ycar and one clayin thc County.lail ar harcl labor," thejudge intoned, anclRecl's heart sank. "Sentencesu.spcnde.cl," Judgc Friday continued, "to one year's probation on condition of goocl bchavior." Red's hopes rose again. "Furthermore providal you pay ciamagcsof $21 3.,13 within ninety days of this date." That was a lot of money to Red, but he thoughthe coulclmake it. "Ytssir, Your Honor, and thank you, and-" "I'm not through yet," His Honor intcm.rptcd,cutting Rcd off in mici- speech."I'm placin' you in custodyof this herchound puppy, Miss Prucilla," he said, handing her back to her grateful owner, "and to make surc )'ou toc' the line, I will be out at your place from time to rime. I will makc personal inspectionvisils to ascertainthat you are usin'your time wiscly, such as teachin'this hound dog puppy to trail among othcr things, which 'SPECIALLY includes housebreaking-rvcn if shc stays in Ihc barnl" "Yessir, I'll see to it, Your Honor," saicla jubilant Rccl,as Sam iur ***** Floyd and Elwood sa1on the backpcw thatnighr, flankcrl b1, Aunt.tune and Aunt Min. The were suqpriscdto seeUgly Red rnarchdou,n rhc aislc, takc a seaton the front pew, and give his rapt and alrnosl turgclic attcnrion to lhc two preachersseated eithcr sidc of the pulpit rcadv to bcgin thc stn icc.s. SugarValley Saga 25 Brother Ossie Knou4es, the beetle-browecl regular pastor, was a man of the Valley who was thoroughly familiar with the habits of his flock. Brother .T.P. Wadclelston, Jr., the guest preacher, had come all the *'ay frorrr Honea Path, and although he could fling hellfire and brimstone with the best of them, wa-swholly ignorant of the ways of the Valley. Still recovering from the "bear attack", he wa-sfated to broadenhis educationeven more this night. Floyd and Elu'oodspottedthe bulge in Red's coatpocketwhen he entered the meeting house, and concluded it probably was a jug. And given Red's reputation,that could only mean trouble. But when Sissy Catescut loose on the organ and the choir led the congregation in the first hymn, a little black muzzle poppeclout of the pocket and began to sing. Aunt Min latersworc shc would havethought itu'as SadieBrcwstcr, who sat in the front row of the choir, except Sadie had neversounded that goffi. Aunt Min couldbt' a littlccatty at times. Whc:n the hymn, which drcned on for five vcrscs, cndecl,an outragctl Dcacon Watts jumpeclto his feet. "I demandthat that beastbe castout of this sacrctl temple at oncel" he yclletl. Deacon Watls, the richest and stingicst man in the Valley, and donor of the organ and bellos's, reckonc "You got it," came a voice from the sicle. "All right, I herebysuspencl serwices until the Congregationof thc Vallcry' Saints Delight Church concludes the businessbefore it," the revcrcnd sairl, bringing everyoneto order. "As I unclerstandit, there is a bunch of fcnls hcrc what wanls to bid on the future servicesof this little criner u,'hatain't ncvcr even seen a coon. "Miss Minnie, will you come down here and take thc names of those poor misguided souls who want to pay for a night's hunt that \r'on't cvcn take 'til place next year? While you're at it, put me down for five dollars." "I protest!" Deacon Watts shouted. "This is a disgracc. This ain'r thc Lord's business!" "Sit down, Deacon.You'rc out of order!" ReverendKnou.les glor,crcrl. "Me an' the Lord are in charge of theseproceedin's, an' Hc ain't tolclnrc not to procced." "I protest!I protest!I'm agin' it," thc Deaconshoutcd, not $.illingrO givc up so easily."This is a sin and a disgrace." There was a momentary pausein thc clamor, and thc room gire\\,cluict a.s the Shepherdof thc Flock andthe Pillarof thc Churchfaccd off. Thc prcachcr faceda challcngeto his lcaclershipes u'cll asthe grssiblc lossof his biggc.sr tither. This u'assomething to considcr. But it took Rcvcrc'ndC).s.sic Knou'lcs, coon hunter, man of Gocl, and-as it Drovcd-somcwhal of a gantblcr, ttxr, only a flicker to wcigh thc consecluencesiincl rcach a clecisicin. "Tell you what I'll do, Deacon,"hc saiclcvcnly, "providin' Rccl,hcrc" agrees,"he noddcrl in Rccl's direction. "I'll do whateveryou say,Prcachcr," Rccl said. "Bless you for your faith in the workin's of thc Lord, young rnun," thc rcvercndsaid. Then, turning to the Deacon,hc continuecl,"lf you'll agrccto match--{ollar fordollar-all the moncy thescfolks are willin'to put up ro help save this wanderin' soul frorn a lifc of dcbauchcry anclviolcncc, Rctl here u'ill turn that hclplcss little puppy ovcr to you to castout, or tlo *,hat you pleasc.That right, Red?" Red nodded. Upon hcaring thesewords, morc peoplc immc'tliatcly bcgan to linc up until nearly evcry mcmberof thc congrcgationhad unitcd in thc cfforl to "savc Recl."Judging how the ltncl lay, thc Deacongavc in. "I rvouldn'tpay a The Dcacon glarexla1 thc assembly.u'ho paid him scant attention. He hacllosi anclcoulcln't even thrcaten to remove the organ he had clonatetito shou'his l'calth without runningthe risk of isolatinghimsclf lrom o'eryone in thc Vallcl'. He couldn't give it all up. He haclplans, ald he had to prcserve a large dergrccof influence at all costs. Whr:n the line had shortenc'ci,and most of the congregationhatl retumcd to thcir pcu,s, Rcverend Kno'*4escleclarecl the BusinessMccting adjourned anclthen rcturneclto the businessof the Revival. Surrenderingthc pulpit to thc rathcrshakenRevercnd Waddelston, hc took a seaton the front pcw bcsicle Retl. Prucilla rerachcclout her muzz.leancl licked his hancl,thcn curleclup in thc prckct of Rcd's warm coat and slept the sleep of the innocent while Rcvcrcnd Wacldclstonlambasted thc Dcvil. RevcrendKnowles ba-skcdin the rvann glow that comes with full knou'ledge of having done thc right thing at thc right timc in the right manner. Rccovcring himsclf somcu.hat, RevercnclWaddclston ;urnounccd thc subjcctof his scrmonthat night to bc, "Thc Sin of Sclling Your Soul to the Dcvil." Dcacon Watts satsilcntly through thc cntire scrvicc"iron-jawccl and u'ith lips purscd;hc uttcrcdnot onc'of his customaryamcns whilc Brothcr Wad- dclslongavc thc Dcvil Hcavcn,so to speak.Whcn e'achof thc hounclclog rncn stood anclconfe.sscrl to having straycd u,hcn they ran the bcar and the boar throughthc chur-ch,thc Dcacon'sthin lips u'crc punecicvcn tightcr,and his nlouthtook on a dccidcddo\\'ll lurn asif hc hadbittcn into a grccnpt'rsitnrnon, * hilc hc silcntlycondcrn nctl cach onc to thc gallows.Most cspcciallyilitl that ;r14rlyto thc fool u,ho hatlhlorvn thc'ouglc at lhc momcnt thc Dcaconq'a.s in a slrtc of faplufc. Aunt Min antlAunl .lunc,ll.ssistc(l b1" Sadic Rrcrvstcr, cor.rnlc(l thc rnoncy undistractctlby thc serrlon. Aftcr thc sctvicc.s,Elu'ocxl, accttrtrltltnicd by Flo1,rl,Sanr, unrl thc olhcr now clcanscclbcat'-cha.scrs, rnct Rcd (1()\\'nlrortL to Irl L'.s\'r)l lrirtt ii itl r lllt'cr,l lt etion. "Hcrc it is, Rcd," Elu,otxl saicl,counting out thc rttoncv in grint1", nrut:h-foltlctlbills and a largchandful of silvcr andcoPpcrri. "Thrtt's $ l6-1.2,1. It otrghtto pay for a couDlcof thcm u,intlshicltls)'ou bustcdan' kccp Sarrt llundly frurricomin' up hcrc a-lookin' for vou." Rcd'.sf accrcf lcctcd thc gralituclche didn't know how to cxpre'ss,itncl thc folks dirln't cxpcct rnuch mort than a "l.hanks,"an)/\vay. Anvthing morc * txrltlhavc crnbarra.ssccithcrn. Thanks is what thcy got. 28 CanollGambrell "Thank you, all," Red said, putting the money down his shirt, "I'll get ir to the Sheriff soon's I can get to to$n. How'd you all know about that, any.way?" "I rva-sin town today, an' went by the Courlhouscto seeif the juclgewas still givin'outjustice," Mitch said."Hewas. We u'aswonclerin' ho*.rl.c might help you out, an' Deacon Watts gave us a perfect oppoflunity." "But now Prucilla belongs to you all." Red looked dou'n ar thc brighr eyed puppy who was peering out of his pocket. "Ncr,she's yours, all right," Charleysaicl. "Not thata one of u-srr,oulcln'l like to claim her." 'n "lf you all let me hunt with you, I promise Prucilla will bc rhc bc,srclog in the pack," a grateful Red said. "Son, we're countin' on it," Aaron lrdbetlcr out in. "'Cordin'to Aunt lvl n s re,rorr,,,"Floyd saicl,"you an' pmcilia owc us about sixty ycars of huntin' right nou.." 'scuse "If you bring your French Harp. t A la- H fCt )'S u as a long framc-ancl-logbuililing u'ith a lou,- pitchertltin roof sufficicnt1cl shc(l thc rainsof spring,and strongcnough to supponthc snorvs that sornctirnc.sfcll hcavily during thc l.inter. A chimncy rising frorn thc ccntcrof thc roof gar,enoticc of thc pot-Lrclliccliron stovein the roornbclou,. To gain the prch thitt cxtcnclcclacross thc front from corncr to corncr, onc haclto a.sccndfour stcps.Thc porch ,rva.sfurnishc Chico's forctrcarsdidn't sta;vin Oklahoma.'fhey just kept on'n'andering anclmceting new people. Almost single-handcdly, as it rverc, they seeme "Friendly, too," Burton said with a broad smile that shou'c "Oh, that u'as just a stranger getlin' acquaintedwith the girls," Floyd ansq,ered. "Soundcd like hc might've been goin' about it ali wrong," Elwood said. "Well, Charlcne watmed him up, and Darlenejust cooled him down." "Can't he tell thcm aparl?" "ltre's workin' on it," Floyd said. "That racket'*'as his first lesson." " There you arelI lineu,I'd find you someu'here!"It was Charlenearriving u.ith thcir bccr. Spotting Elu'occl,she put her tray clou'nand made a dive for hinr. Too late,he rcalizeclhc'u'as caught. "Norv, Charlcnc, I don't feel likc ciancin' tonight," El*'ootl protested valiantly,but in vain. "Surcyou clo,El," shcsaicl, pulling on his arm,"Come on: they're playin' 'Sugar thc Vallcy Boogie'." "No, Charlcnc,"hc protcstcdagain, but by thenshc had him on his fcct. "l rcallv rlon't fcr:l good. I can't clono kind of a bcxtgietonight. Why clon't you gcl that old Tcxas boy to ciarccrvith you? Hc's dyin' to, I know." "That ol' Dukc? Ain't no use.I ju.sttriccl, an' hc turncdtail an' ranwhen hc sarvrne comin'. What you rcckongot into him, any*'ay?Not tcn minutes ago hc rvastrvin' to gct mc to 1$ to Tcxasu'ith him." fly thc timc shc rnacicthis spccch, shc haclElu'oocl on thc tlance floor ancl had bcgun thc g1'rationslooscly associatetlu'ith thc Sugar Vallcl' Btxrgic- andanumbcrof othcrpopulartlanccsof thccra, cach with acliffcrcnt nruncbul thc sarncInotions. Thcrc *'crc no stcpsto lcarn.It *'a.sall clonc*'ith thc at-msantl various othcr parls of lhc anatomy. Fcct \\'erc not involvccl, cxccpt to kccp thingsmoving. Neitherphysical contact nor syrchronizalion of mclvcmentbctu'ecn the Pullnetr uas imptrrlant.Empha-sis u'as on cither total frccdom of the individual.or ricltlingonc's boclyof a plaguc of bugs rvithoutapplving hancls to thc itchingspots. Thc Aflhur Murray of thc Vallcy coultl han He took her at her word and, by faking a ca.seof the St. Vitus Dancc, worked his way through the mob to the edge of the dance floor ancl dragged himself back to the table. If Charlenemissed him, shedidn't let it show. Whcn the number ended she was still dancing, lost in her own world. Aftcr a ferv extra beats- unaccompaniedby the band, which was going on break-she regainedher composureand returnedto the table for her tray. She and Floycl arrived about the same time, where they found Elwond ga-spingfor breath, nearly out of it. "You all right?" Floyd askecl. "Oh, yeah, I'm fine," Elwood licd. "Some fun, huh. El?" Charleneaskcrl. "Yeah. Some fun," Elwood panted. "We'll do another later, okay?" Not u,aiting for an answcr, Charlcnc picked up her tray to g, L ck to u'ork. "I gotta find old Dude or Dukc or whatever his name is." '.Hc "I know he's lookin' for you," Floyd callcrlto hcr dcpartingback. said hc wants to take you to Texas and shoot cantaloupcs!" If Charlenc heardhim, she gave no sign. She had alreaclyspottcti Terxin a corncrfeccling coins into thc big Wurlitzerjukcbox, rnoppinghis hcaclu.irh a rcd bandannaand looking a grcat deal less sclf-assurcdthan bcfor.c.Thc turkey fealhersin thc Stctsonwcrc bcnt sornewhatawry, antl the crou,n rr a.sn't a jaunty. Bunon saw hcr corningancl triecl [o Lrccomcinvisiblc. "Why're you tryin' to hiclcfrorn mer, Ducle?" shc mkccl,grabbing hirn bv the arm bcforc hc coulclgct away."l ain't gonnabite you." 'Dukc'," 'lr,hilc "lt's hc saicl,"an' you cliclworsc'n bitc r-nc ago." "That rvasDarlene. Shc don't like folk.skissin' on hcr *,hcn shc 'cm. tl.n.r cvenknorv I'm Charlcne,an' I likc kissin'ju.st finc." 'crn," "How is shc whcn shc doesknoq' Dukc a.skccl,tulttti'g lhc ltunto on his hcad. 'cm "Wcll," Charlcnesaicl, "shc's not apt to conk u.itha bccr tra1,." "l likc kissin', too, but I rlon't rvantrnv hcaclbashctl in cycrl.tintc I puckt'r.Thar can gct bu(lclist'orrragin'," Duie suicl."l'm go.nrrtyuir rryin' unlil I figurc a u,ay to tcll you all apart.Ain't you got a nrolc or ionrctirin' thal she ain't got?" "Not wherc you can scc it," Charlcncgigglcrl. "Wcll, I ain't stickin'my ncck out no moic. It's too clangcrous,"Tcx rk'clarccl. "Try this,then," shesaid, rcmoving hcr apronancl hangin6l it aroun 'til hold you I get back." She pecked him on the enclrlf his nose and darted off to wait on a table that was clamoring for sen'ice. "Hot diggety dogl" Duke cxclaimecl.Thc bump 61'qrhis cvc wasn't throbbingnearly as much as it haclbccn. "Norv rvc're gettirl'somewhcre." Maybe the eveningwoulcln't be a tolal loss,aftcr all. ***** Eyeing thc retreatingform of Charlcne,Floyd u'as rernindcdof a sack of livc rabbiLs.Pondering thc sight for a momcnt, he tumed to Elworxl, u'ho was .slumpclin his chair moppinghis brow. "You gonnamake it, old builciy?"he askcd in a conccmed voicc. "I'll bc hcre when the sun contesup," Elwood declarcd ganiely. "You might be deadu'hcn thc sun corrcs up," Floyclsaid. "Why clon't wc call it an cvcning anclgo on home." "Aunt N4in'*.oulcl faint if '*'e carncin this carly," Elu'ootl pointcd out. "Besidcs,you got a lot of clancin'to tlo; 1'alsain't cven su'catin'." "Oh, I'm pudy worc out, an'old Rcd's tloneplaycd his trestnurnbcrs, any\\,ay." ***** "Daricnc,can you tcnctbar au'hilc?I goltago bring up sorncmorc bccr," Chico callcd. "Soon as I gct back from thc sanclbox."Darlcnc callcd back.Rcmoving hcr apron,she handcdit to Chicxr'soltlcst claughtcr."Rosic, look after m1' 'til tablcs I gct back.Takc a rounclto thc band,too, and watch that Radlcy.I think hc's bccnsippin'sotnc of Charlcy'su'ildcat." Pattingthe u'r'inklcsout ol'hcr ski11,.shc startcd lo$ ar1lthc latlic.s'rmm just the othcrsidc oi thcjukcbox, uhich rvasuailing a\\'il\rit nurnbcrabout Wa1'lonand Willic antl thc Roys. Dukc tLttncdari'tty from thc jukclnx and, sccirrg.lhe apronlcssfigure hastcning tou'arcl hint stcppcdinto hcr path,su'cpt hcr into a giant bcar hug anclplantctl a \\rarrn,sloppl'. lingcringkiss full on hcr lips. Finally rclcasinghcr, hc slcppd back, thrc'*' opcn his anns ancl Irnnounccd,"That's the way u'c do it in Tcxas,Baby!" Darlcncwas takcn by surpri.sc,initially, but cluicklyrccovcrctl. Grabbing him by thc apronthat hung loosclyfrom his ncrk, sheslamrncrd his heacl clou'n into thc pinball machinc,*,hich gave a louci"ding!" anclrcgi.stcrtcl TILT as liAht.sfla.shcd ancl bluc smoke rosc from its manglcd innarcls. 38 CanollGambrell "That's the u'ay u'e do it in Sugar Valley, _r,outwo-bit hog rustler!" Darlene shouted, as she stompcd on the poinrcd toe of his yellou,, fakc snake-hidecowboy boots. Once again Tex sank to rhc il ,f**** Exccpt for onc morc srnallinciclcnt, lhcrc rva.slto rnorcc\crilctncnt that evcning.Tiny kcpt thc l)cacrc.Duke Bullon trictl onc ntorc tirnc, antl 1,.cttit wrong. Charlcnc ncvcr qa.:;ablc ro ilcl \\irhin fiftl'fcct ol'hinr altain,an(l Darlcncwasn'1 trJing. It u,asclosc to thrcc in thc rnontingu,hc.n Chico paid thc bandoff, aftcr clccluctingfor bccr, anrlushqcci thc ll.stof thc die- haruLsinto thc nitht. Hc u'ascounting thc night's rcccipt.su hcn hc noticeclone of thc lrillsrlitln'r feeI right a-shc hancllcdit. It u,a-sa tcn-dollarbill. t{olrling it up ro thc Iig,htand snappingit a couplcof lirncs,Chicn rcalizecl thcrc coukl be no rnisrakc:it *'as a ohonv. DroppingEllr'oocl at the gatc,Flolrl askcrlhirn ho* hc l'clr. "Likc I bc.enpoopccl off a cliff," Elri,or-xlrcsp r-1 lt,LWOOo WOKE UP Sundaymorning thinking it woulclbc easicrto get clrcsseclancl go to church than to explain to Aunt Min hc fclt too baclto go. Hc was surprised*'hcn shc suggcstcdhc stay in bc That n'as El*'ood's routine for that entire Sunday.If he sat still, hc rvent to sleep. If he stood up, he had to go $'et the bu.shes.Whichcver he dicl, he felt constantly as if any strong efforl would clohim in. Poopcd off a cliff rvas about a^saccurate a cle.scriptionas he could givc it; constant thirst, constant drowsinqss.conslant calls of nature, and on top of all that, his vision w as so blurred he could hardly see where he *'a^sgoing. He wasn't getting any better, and hc didn't know u'hat to do about ii. Neither did Aunt Min. She u'as bafflecl. All of her rc'meclies.u,hich u,cr-e calculatedto cure everything from bangsto cholera, haclfailcd. Shc haclhearcl that there werc granny-hagswho could put a cumc on pcoplc but she clicln't believe in hexes--or. at least.she didn't $,antto bcrlicvein them. It did make a body wonder. But who would want to put a hex on Elwoocl? He was a good boy; worked hard, never sassedher, ancldicl all his chorcs. Of course,he did have some trifling u.ays,but mostly they u.crc harmless.All the Valley boys cha^sedcoons anclfoxes, iurd on Saturdaynights, they chasccl girls. That's just thc way men were. Even thc oncs that had gottcn Savcclhad all done it at one time or another:a lot of them still did. Aunt Min *'as wisc enoughto know that time wa-sa more certain cure for tcmptationsof thc flesh than hellf ire serrnons. Min dicln'tblow out thc lamp by hcr beclthat night. Shesaid hcr prayers, and turned it clown low so she wouldn't havc to grope fclr matchcsin thc clark in the event Elwood nccded her. She hearclhim go out thc Lrackcloor thrcc times in the night, but didn't gct up to chcck on him. Oncc shehearcl hirn clraw a frcsh bucket of water. She thought she had donc the right thing by having sent word to Chico to have Loney Adams stop by. Loncy alu'ays stoppctl at the store to see who nccderl her before she maclchcr rounds to chcck on all the Valley's mothers-to-be.Loncy was the County Nunc/lr4idwifc, and hacl spanked enough Valley bottoms in her nearly forty yc-an of scryicc 1ohave filled a gooclsized stadium. Maybc shc would know what to clo.Thc Vallcy women trustcd Loncv. Thc carly eclgcof daylight had changcdthc dark to gray. Evcn haclir Lx:cn full daylight,Elwood's vision was so bluncd hc u'oulclhavc bccn unablcto iclentify the form before him had it not spoken. "Well, well, Elwood, what arc you doing wallcrin' arounrlin bcd'til nearly daylight!" was Loney's hcarty announccmcntof hcr prcscncc as shc bouncedinto the room.Aunt Min wtusbchind her with a lamp,but it u,oulrln't SugarValley Saga 41 be needed for long, Old General Jackson crowed outside the window as if to add emphasisto Loney's remark. Elwood struggledto sit up in bed, but his eyesstill wouldn't focus. Miss Loney and Aunt Min were dim, fuzzy figures as if seen through an opaque window. "What areyou doin' here,Miss Loney? Why aren't you over at Lem Abernathy's birthin' Elly's baby? I heard it was about due." "I alreadydone that while you were lolling aroundwaitin' for Min to fix you breakfast,you sorry rascal,"Loney said. "l come by here to check on you. I didn't even know you \r'ere pregnant." "That ain't too likely. I ain't even beenexposed, lately," Elwood replied. "I can believe that," Loney said, "I heard you've been too lazy to evcn run around." "Aunt Min's been talkin' again,I gucss," Elwooclsaid with a v'an smile. "l hear talk around," l.oney said in a nonchalanttone. "Chico said you didn't evcn stick arounclfor the fight over at his place Saturday." "Hadn't heard about it, What happenecl?" "Ugly Reclcamc out fncm behind the chicken wire and puncheclout somc strangerfor getting frqsh with Darlenc Daggett. Reachedup and socketl him right on the thigh, I hcarcl.Must have given him an awful char-leyhorlcr. Thc cowboy picked Rcd up, anclwas about to shake the teeth plumb out of his head,whcn Rcd boxed both his ean;.Tiny Bohannonput a stop to things beforc it got out of hand. "Chico let the cowboy stay in his barn. He wasn't in much shapeto go home. Anyway, when I looked at him a while ago, he still couldn't hear what I was saying. His hcad was a mess. I haclto pick some turkey feathen out of his scalp. I wonder hou'thcy got there? You think Rcd might have hit him with a turkey?" "Can't put all that off on Red. Darlene had worked him over prctty *.ell herself, bcforc mc and Floyd left," Elwood said. "I clon't know what \t'e'rc going to do with that boy. First it was Sam Hundley's dcputics; now it's cowboys about four feet longcr than he is," Loncy said, shaking her hcad. "Well, any'u'ay,I necd to he'arabout you." She slappcda thcnnometerin his mouth andshot him a streamof qucstions,while .shercachcd in hcr bag for a slcthqscopc and blood pricssurccuff. Whcn Elwocxl triccl to answcr, she told him not to talk and to bc sur.cto hold thc thcrrnometerundcr his tongue. Elwoocl hcavcd a sigh and relaxcclagainst thc pillows. tlL CarrollGambrell After a brief time, Loney took the thermomcter from his mouth urd examined it with a little penlight she kept on a chain. "Mmmm," shc saicl. Then she shook the thermometerdown and returnedit to its ca-sc. 'Mmmm' "What's the mean,Miss Loney?" Aunt Min askctl. "It meanshe's running a little fever, but he probably won't dic fnxn it," Loney replied a-sshe wrapped the blood prcssurecuff arounclElu'rxrcl's ann. Adjusting the stethoscopeto her ears, she pumped the bulb until tho cuff tightened around his arm. This time, when the ta.sk*'as complcted, anclshe had releasedthe air from the cuff and removed the stcthoscopc,thcrc wirs no "Mmmm." "Blood pressure'sup a little, too; but you aren'tgoing to ciicfront that, either," she announced. "Miss Loney, I sure hope you find something u,rong with mc"" Elu,txrd said. "I hate to feel this bad and not be sick." Loney was reaching into her bag again. This time shc brought out a roil of yellow tape and a little bottlc. Handing the bottle to Elwoorl, shc saicl, "Here. Go pee in this and let me scc it." El*'oocl was puzzlcd,but giad to coopcratc.Hc had bccn u,crnrlcringu,hcn hewas going to be givenan opportunity to tcndto thatchorc. "This littlc bottlc ain't goin' to be ncar big enough,Miss Loncy. I'rn goin' to nccrtla Lruckct," he said. Unaccustomctlto bcing givcn sucholcicrs by a latly, hc was a litllc embarrassccl.Hou'cvcr, Miss Loncy'smattcr of factclircctncss rnarlc it casicr, and he hcadedout thc door to do a,sshc saicl. "That bottle will be a-plcnty. Do u'hat you '*'ant u'ith thc rcst o[ it." He rcturnedin a fcw minuteswith thebotrlc nearly full, anclshyly han ***** "tlold still anclit q'on't hutl asrnuch," thc littlc nurscsaid a-s she prcpalccl to sink a ncctllcinto thc vcin whcrc Elu'ootl'slcft arm bcnt. Elwoul coulclhavc su'otn thc nectllcu'as at lca.sta foot long. Stancling ncrrby,.lakcCrabl-rc. M. D., or "Doc" to most folks, rcaclEl*'otxl's thoughts andsaicl, "li'.s onlv aboutan inchand a half.The lestis your imagination." Elu'otxllooked up arrtlsnrilcd wanly. As hc ditl so.thcrc was a littlc prick antl hc fclt the ntccllc cntcr his vcin with harcilya pang. It u rs ore r in lt nlolrcnt. Thc rtursctcttrovctl thc svringc,applie'tl a ball of cottonto thc small holc, antlbcnt Elucxrd'sarrn r.tp to hold thc ball in placc. "l'helc wc iuc," sheannouncccl. "You havcgrcat vcins' Mr. Larkin. You \\,on'1havc an1'troublc at all blcc'dingall thc blood wc \\'ant''' Eluotxl took scantplcasurt frorn that bit of ncws. Hc had no iclcahow rnuchblootl she *anlc "How long you reckon I'll live, Doc?" Elwoocr askecr,fearing the worst. "I'd say probably anothersixty or eighty years,if you aon't g"etsnoke bir or run over." Doc smiled. "Actually, Elwood, it depencrsmostryin ho,*,well you take you care of younelf, can live a long lifeif you *.-ito, but you;ll have to live by some rules." "Aunt Min makqs me live pretty close to the Foot of the cr-o.ssno*,,,, Elwoocl said. "I don't seeho*. I can tighten clown much more.,, Doc pondered . a moment, consideringthe young man sitting acrossfnrrn him. Elu'ood had finished the sixth grade,u'hici u,a-sas far as the lirrlc school in the Valley went. He rvasa long way from durnb, but that was all rhc formal educational opportunity he hacrbecn offcrecl. Howevcr, what hc lackerl in education was made up in lore, a lore much more rich, variecranc.r profountr thar could be had in any uni'ersity. Life in thc Vailey pracecla h ighe,rp.c,miunr on lore than on letters;sr:'vival oftcn clepcnclcclon it. Doc considcrc "WHOOO! Vulcan City!" Elwood exclaimed."I've never been there before. It must be a hundred miles." "At least," Doc agreed" 'taters "Unless he'll take a sack of and a bale of coon hides. I clon't have enough moncy to pay for all that fancy stuff," Elwood said. "I've thought of that," Jake said."I'm going to write hirn and ask if there is any way he can affange to let you work it out after he gets you straightenecl out." The prospcctsof gctting bcttcr and seeing the sights of a city appealecl to Elwood; but the icleaof leaving the Valley and parring with frienclsancl kin fostcredsome misgivings. Still, if he didn't haveto fcel so baclall thc time- "Doc, I don't think l've got busfare to go thatfar, if it's a hundreclmilc.s likc you say." "I'vc thoughtof t.hat,too," Doc saici."Look, you got somc:hogs you'rc fattcningIor kill thi.sfall, don't you'1" "Well, yeah.I got themeight pigs of Lucillc's born lastspring," Elu.oorl rcplied. "All right, I'll takc a shoatand pay yciuin aclvance." "You gct your pick." "l'll lct Floyd pick it for rnc. Hc'll look aftcr your intcrcsl.s,anrt I'll probablygct thc skinnicstonc of thc bunch." "lf I know Floyd,hc'll givc you thc fattcstone anclthrow in rhc sow, rc) boot," Elu'ocrlsmilcd. "All right.".lake rosc, indicating thcir busincsswas finishcrl for the clay. "Taik it over u'ith Aunt Min ancllct mc kno\rrnext rvcck whcn you comcrback. '.lt's I want to scc how this ciictaffcct.s you." Hc handcriElwoocl some pa1rcn. all u'rittendou'n hcrc,ancl it's stuff she alreaclyhas. It won't be any troublc. Don't forgct to takc thosepills I gavc you, ancldrink lot.sof watcr. That'll clearup that infcction.By thetimc you gct back,your vision shoultlbc clcar, too." "Thanks, Doc. I'll sclcyou ncxt weck." Ellr,'ooclalrcady fclt bcttcr. Floyclpickccl him up in thc lumber truck aftcr he had clelivcrcd a loarl of rough lumbcr to thc planermill next to thc Blue Ridge tracksclou.n in Wcst Union. On the u,ayback to the Vallcy, Elu,oodfillcd Floyclin on rvhatrnight bc in storc for him. Floyd u.as brightcncd by thc prospcct of Elwoocl's not clying right away .Lshc'd fimt fcared, but thinking of Elu'ooclbcing far arva1, in a strangc1o\rn was a sobcring thought. That night, Floyd ancl.lune, Aunt N4in,Loncy and Elu.ooclsat arcuncl Aunt Min's big tablecliscussing the problcm.It took some harclthinking ancl 46 CarrollGambrell straighttalking, but it ait boiled clownto \\.hat*,as be:stfor Elwood in rhe long run. They took a vote, $'hich r,r.asfinal, clccisive,irreversible and propcr; thcy left it up to Elwoo more subduedthan anyonehad ever seenher, but she rose to the occasionby giving him a hug and a warm, wet smacker squareon the lips, which made Elwood blush. "There's some sugar that won't hurl you," she said, amidst a burst of applauseand appreciationfrom the male contingent. At the rear of the crowd stood the Swamp Buzzards;hairy, umkcmpt ancl solemn. They were always solemn, except Red, who was usually pretty bouncy, when not standing before a judge. As a group, they gave a strong impression of aliens, not from anothercountry, but from anothcr worlcl-a world not lost, but merely misplaced. The bus pulled up and, with a hissing of air, the door swung opcn and the driver steppedout. "Five minutes!" he callert,ancl then strocleinside for a quick cup of coffec while Chico loaded the mail and took off a sack for thc Valley. .,lf "I'll takecare of old Shortoff,El. Don't worry," Red callcd. I can'r find him, Prucillawill." The biurd began to warrn up for the farcwcll numbcr they haclplannccl. Problem wa.s, thcy hadn't all planned the samc song. Whilc rhcy u,crc cle'ciding,Prucilla, grown almosl too big for Rcd's pockct, justlccl hcr hcad out and bcgan warming up with thc band. Elwooci hugged Aunt June and Aunt Min, who werc fighting back tcars. He didn't remcmber evcr having sccn cither of them cry exccpl at funcr.als. Aunt June gave him a Bible, with an admonition to bc goocl.Aunt Min hantlcrcl ..It'll him a shoeboxtiecl with a string."A fcu, biscuils,"shc said. holcl 'til vou you get thcre," He shook hzurdslast with Floycl,who could hanlly lcnk him in rhc cyc. "Take care,old son," Floyd chokcd anclhis eycs fitlecl."Write sornctime, .ncl be carcful of them Big City women." "I will," Elwood said."Ancl you kecp rhcscVallcy gals in linc." "That's too big ajob forone man,old buddy," Floyclmanagcrl to smilc. "But I'll do my best." "I won't worry about that," Elwood rcslrcndccl."you'll gcl all thcrhclp you want." That brought a chccr from thc boys, ancla big "ycaaa!,'from Charlcne. Revcrcncl Knowks hcld up his hand, ancl prcpareclto dclivcr a long bcnecliction,but was cut shoft by thc drivcr's rctum. Hc managcrlto glctout an "Amcn" just beforc the drivcr callcd, "Boarcl!" anci.sttioclat thc rb,r waiting for his passcnger. SugarValley Saga 49 Ehvoorl gave Aunt Min a quick kiss on her wet cheek; then, catching the lump in his throat, he hoistcd the duffel bag by its strap,u'aved a last f arewell to all, picked up the suitcaseand boardtxl the bus. There wcre few pa-ssengcrs.Not many people had cared to depan Ashcville at three a.m. Sylva and Cullowee u'ere still sleeping when the bus came through. and Elwood '*'as the first passengerto board the bus sincc it lcfl Way,nesville.He slid the cluffelbag undertheempty seatbehind the clriver, stashcdthe suitcasein the rack overheacl,ancl took his scat.The door sealcd shut as the bus pulled away in a cloucl of clicselsmoke, a flurr1,of waving gocxlbycs, and the strains of "Aloha Oe" renderct by thc S*'amp Buzzards and Prucilla. Winding dou'n the mountain highway in the graying clau'n, thc only sound above the enginc and gears'*'as somconc at the back of the bus who wa-ssnoring. The shalp curves and steepgrade kept the driver conccntrating on his driving. Thcrc $ as no conversation. They passcdTunncl Hill, and a full vicu'of thc Piedmont Plain bcgiin to unfold a.sthcy approached Deacl Man's cun'c on thc la.stclescent bcforc lcaving thc mountains. When thcy roundctl thc curvc, if hc hacllookcd, thc drivcr might havccaught a glirnpseof IssuquecnaFalls in thc rcarvieu'mirror, but he was too busy negotiating the sharyrturn. Thc distant church spirc, cushioned in the carly mist, identifieci Luthersvillc a.sit caught thc fresh morning sun and rcflcctcrl thc first ra)rs.Far- out on thc smoky fringc of the horizon u'crc a fcw fircfly light.sthat markcd Forl Hill. Wcll to thc lcft of thosefaint sparks,the roundcdbrca-st of Six Milc rosc clarkly and alonc abovc thc ground mist that covcrcd thc plain. Thc rvorlcl u'as au'akcning to a Ncw Day. Elrvood rvashcadc'd for a Ncw Lifc. Milcs slippcxlby andcvcryth ing Elu'ooilkncu, a-s "homc" n:ccdctiin thcir u'akc. As thc distancc 8rew, the Rluc Ridge was revealcrl frclrn horizon to horizon. Frorn Rabun Bald in thc wcst 10Ceasar's hcad in thc cast, E,l*.ood had ncrvcrscen them from that angle',nor at that clistance. Thc clriverpointcd out Rabun,u'hich at a distanccof thirly milcs,sccmccl to risc straightout of thc plain. Elwooclhad ncvcrsccn a circustcnt, but if hc had, hc u'ould havc comparcdits.shapc to that of Rabun,u'ith it.shigh pcak .squarclyin thc ccntcr,flimkcrl by tu'o lcsserpcaks equidistant either sitlc. Strangcly, frorn a clistiurcc,it appcarcrihighcr than it did from thc Vallcy. Elwoodcould only imaginehc couldscc thc firc tou,crthattoppctl the highcst pcak. Rich Mountain, Poor Mountain, Sturnphouseancl Taminscc r,r'crcthc first wrinklcs in thc bluc blankctof undulatingridgcs, cach highcr thanthe other, 50 CanollGambrell that culminated in the crestat the shark's tooth of Satula.which seemedto be poisedto rip the vitals out of the sky. Falling a$'ay to the east of Satulawere Whiteside, u'ith its sheer rock cliff; Shortoff, u'hich started out to be sorne- thing but endedabtuptly; and the long rrclining mountain known m Hogback. Elwood drank it in until the sight becamcetched in his brain forcvcr, ancl he rememberedthe Bible quotation,"I will lift mineeyes unto the hills whcnce cometh my help . . . ." The old Psalmistu'a-s right; the hills u'erc his stt-cngth. He then turnedhis eyesaheacl toward a neu'world that was unfolding. ***** The silver coach slid into its slot and ciockcdsmoothly'*,ith a cu.shioncd stop. The interior lights came on a-sthc cloorswung opcn. "Vulcan City! One hour for supper, thcn this coach continircs on thc Columbus. Mcridian. Jackson and Neu' Orleans." the drivcr callccl as hc positioned hirnself oulsiclcthe cloor,rcady to hclp his passcnficrscliscrnLrark. Elwood kept his scatand u,aited'*'hile the othcr pa.sscngcrsgrabbccl coats and bags,and pressedeach othcrtoward the exit. Although he haclbccn awakc sincewell before Old GeneralJackson had floun cloun from thc rcx)stto cro\\' his harem awake, he had not closc Peoplehuried by u'ithout seeingor speaking.He u'ould have to get used to that. But not everyone was unfriendly. A man approachedhim in a warm, confiding manner, r,eicomed him to the city, and offered him a u'onder{ul clealon a watch. Elu'ood consideredthat to be a very thoughtful gcsture,but turnerlhim dorvn u'ith many thanks.He alreadyhad a fine, gold pocket watch, which had been willed to him by his grandfather. When the mar seemed skeptical, Elu'oocl showed it to him. The man admirctl it greatly and agreeci that Elwoocl cerlainly dicin't need a watch. It was goocl that Grandpa had willed hirn the gold chain. 1oo, because u'hcn the man turned to leave he jostlert Elwooci slightly ancl, u'ithout Elrvoocl'snoticing it, the watch chain had somehou'gotten tangletlaround the strangcr'sfingen. It might have been lcrstentirely had the chain nol becn sccurely attachcclto Elwcncl's trousers.With many apologies,which Elwoocl assurcd him rvcrc unncccssary,thc man quickly disappcared and Elwoocl rcturncd to the b'.rs.Thc cxperienccgave him a'n'arrnfc'eling ot- somcthinS to look forvarclto. Pcrhap.sbig citicswercn't so cold and indiffcrcnt aftcr all. Thc, aislc clcarccl. Elu'ooci shouldcrctl thc duffcl bag, rctricvccl his suitcascfrorn thc rack,and fcll in bchind the lastpassenger at the door. "Wcll, I gucssthis is u,hcreyou lcavc us, son," thc drivcr saitl,offcring Elrvooclhis hand. "Bcst of luck to you, and you bc carclul: thcrc's a lot clf slick folks in this torvn." "l'll u.atchout for'ern," Elwood assuredhim. Thankingthc clrivcrfor his nrany kin "What?" the cabbic said, a little confusctl. "I don't nced a cap," Elu'ootl repcated."l got one." "I mean a ta-.ci,"rhc cabbie said. "Where arc you going? Do you nccc-la ride?" "I'm going to Broad Street,"Elwcncl r-erplicrl. "Do you knou'rvhcrcthat is?" "This is Broad Strect," she saici. 'bour Elwood grinneclhappily. "Thcn I gucssI'm rhere,"hc .said."Ain't that a picrccof luck, though!" "I clon'tknow aboutthat," she said. "This is a longstrccr. Lct mc sccthat adclress." Elwood hanciedhcr the envclopc).ri,hich shc .scannctland hanclcrlback to him. "That's at thc Mcdical Cent<,'r."shc said. "Which way is thar'.",iilwoocl . icpirccl. "That way," shc pointccl."But it's a long u'a1,'." "How far?" Elwcnd askcrl. "Well, wc'rc at the corncrof Thirtl Avcnuc, so that u'ould rnakc it ovcr thirty blocks,"she rcpliccl."Hop in." Shc rcachcdfor Elu'ood'sbag.s. "Oh, "l no, Ma'am," Elwcocl.saitl. u.oulcln'trhink of purting) ou orit an\'. It's not thal far.l'lljust takcshank's marc," "Shank'sutat'?" the caltbica.skt'tl, rlrau,ing it hllrnk. "I'll u,alk,"Eluootl clarificd. "Arc you cnrzy?"shc sairl. "That's nctrrly thrcc ntilcs! yor-r ctrn't ri,alk that far rvith thoscbag;s." Shc hcld thc cab's rlooropcn. "Oh, Ma'arn,it's mostkind of vou, an' I do apprccilrrcit, but r.,ouitin'r cvcnhcadcd in thatdircction; ancl I u,oultln'tthink of punin' \,ououl anv." "Putrnt'trul...?" "Ycs'm. I just wouldn'tthink of puttin'vou out of your u,ityjust to takc rnc rrhat'snot as far asmy houscto Flovtl's,an' I u,alkthat ncar.ll,tn,icc a clav,sclrnctirncs." "But I'm a cabdriycr. . . " "Ycs'm, an' I'll bct you arclr gotxl onc, trxr; trnrl if 1,ou'llplirrlorr rnt.,, rna'am-you do look likc a finc \vornan,an'all that,but Aunt N{intol' rnc nol 1oacccpt rides fronr no stranLtcrT;.I bcttcrrlo likc Aunt Min suirl,"hc sairl, bowing politcly anclstarling off in the rlirection.shchlil pointcrl."But I tlo apprcciatcit! " hc callcclovcr his shouldcr. Elwocxlmoved off tlou,nthc strcct,an(l srvung along in I'inciashion i.rr scvcral blocks. Hc stoppcd anrl p'crcd in slorc winclor.l'sanrl rnarvclcrlat hou skinny thc manncquinswcrc; anclhc u'undcrcdhow anv \\,orriulcoultl rnilk SugarValley Saga 53 rhc cou, or hoe a gardt:n in one of those drcsses.Hc wtu scandalizcclby bikini-clad models, but stopped to 4Me anyway. Surely no mama would lct hcr claughtcrgo out in public in anything like that, lct alonc get it u'et. If it shrank, it u'oulcldisappear altogether. Fafthcr cloun in thc next blcr:k, he passeclan Italian groccry store next to a dclicatcsscn.The pungentand spicl'aromasmingled io rcrninclhim in ovcrl'hclming fa-shionthat hc hadn't eatcnsince Atlanta, an The biggestand obviously the leaderof the trio, flanked by the other t*'o, approachedthe bench. Elwood tossedhim the ball and retumed his attention to the pickle, which he eyed with anticipation.The youths didn't go back to their ball game, but crowded menacingly around rhe bcnch. 'bout "Hey, man," the leadersaicl, "how that watch." "Yeah, it's a nice one, all right," Elu'oo "I cloubtthey got a marna, and if they do, she's probably out on a street comer hustling. And I KNOW they ain't go a papa"' the deli owner observed sourly. "I'm Solly Goldstein," he said, sticking out his hand. "The way you hanctleclthose thugs, you can have all the tea you want, no charge' Want anotherhot do8?" "Elwoocl Larkin," Elwoocl offered, shaking the man's hand' "I'm rea11y not from around here," "Oh, is that so? I never u'ould have guessed,"Solly smiled' "Now, how about that hot dog---on the house," he added. "Couldn't hardly handle anotherone, but I will say that was the best hot dog I ever et." "Come around in the morning. I'11feed you a good Jewish breakfast," Solly offered. "Probably can't in the morning, but I'll take you up on it soon. Goin' to the clinic for a check-up in the morning, and I guessI'd bettcr be gettin' on that u'ay," hc saicl,shouldcring his duffcl. "See you soon, and thanks!" "You be carcful of those punks," Sol rcmincledhim. Outsicle,Elu'ood set the duffel on the sidewalk.Unzipping a sidc 1rcckct, hc femovecla small corkeclmedicine bottle, sniffed it anclmadc a u'ry facc' "That's it, all right," hc said. "Don't want to gct it mixed up in my smclly goocls.,'He madesurc thc cork was snug bcforc slipping it into his coat pocket. Thcn. shoulclcringthe cluffcl again, hc continucclup the long gradc leacling tou,arclthc hospital. A block from thc hospital,thc siileu'alkskincd the ctlgeof a dirnly lit park. Hc u'as about halfrvay pa.stit \\'hen sevcral shadowy f igurls cmcrgccl irom thc shrubirry bordering the park and thc siclcwalk.Thrcr: of thcrl faccrcl Elwocrl, u,hilc two othcrs rricd to circlc arorrnclbchintl him. Thc figurc in front of Elu'mrd'*'asobviously not thatof a youth. "That your rnan,Honcyboy?" thc figurc grou'led. "That's him, thc Hillbilly Honk7"' Honcyboysaid. "Bctter watch hirn, hc'sgot a knifc." ;;Knife ain't gonnaclo him no good this timc," tJredark figure said ancl hulkccl fonryanl. "Hou'cly," Elu'oocl saicl,placing thc suitca-scon thc sidc\r'alk. Slipping his frtc hanrl into his coat pockct, hc got a goocl6:,rip on the mcdicinc bottle. "l'rn just on my way up to the hospital." "You gcltthat right,boy!" thc hulking bearsaicl, and madc a lunge. Thc othqs iurnpcclat thc samc time. CarrollGambrell Elwood steppedaside to dodge the rush of the big man, and su'ung rhe duffel into one of the attackersfrom behind, knocking him into thc other one. At the sametime, he uncorkedthe medicine bottle and sluns the contcntsinto the faces of his assailants. There followed a coughing,spitting, vomiting, clau'ing. gagging and cursing scramble as five would-be assassinstanglecl u'ith each other in thcir ha-steto gct away and find a breath of brcathablc air. Elwoocl stood alone on the sidewalk cxamining thc medicinc botrlc. "Dang," he saicl,"took every bit of it. Maybe I can gct old Floyci to scnd rnc 'skcctcrs some more. Ain't nothing like pure, concentratedskunk oil to kccp off, or clcar up your sinuses." From the sidewalk, where thcy had bccn clropped by rhc departing quintet, Elwood retricvedthrec knivcs, a setof brassknuckles, ancla Sarurciay Night Spccial.He stuffedthem into thc duffcl andcontinucd on to thc ho.spital. The frontdoorwas lockcd, but a sign clircctcdlatc'comcrs to thc Ernc:r- gency Room at the rear.He was grcctcdtherc by a ratherlaconic numc, rvhosc baggy, watcry eyes and swollen reclnose bcspokc a monumcntal colc1.Shc wa-sthe only attendant on duty at the time. "Dogdor's oud on gall," shc sniffled. '1il "That's all right, I just needa placc to sleep mornin'," E,[u'oodsaicl, handing hcr the lettcr to Dr. Burroughs. "You seeid Dogdor Burroughs id thc bornict?"she askcd. "Yc;rh, an' if I could just slccp on onc of thesc cots, I'd sure bc much obliged,"Elwood said."I'm kinda tired." "I guessid be ogay," she said,wiping hcr cycs with a ti.ssuc."We arl very busy tonicleiddyway." Sheushcred him to a cubicle that u'as furnishcdu'ith a gurncy ca11,losscrl him a blanket and a hospitalgown, thc pullcd thc cudain ancldisapparcrl. Elu,ooclundressed to his undcnvcar and tricclthc ho.spitalgoun scvcral u,ay.s bcforegiving up. It felt backwardcithcr way. The nurseretumctl to her dcsk, whcrc shc t'as working on charls.Bcforc long, she noticed her sinu-seswcrc clearingsome. An hour or so latcr, thc young intcrn returneclwith the ambulanccdrivcr who had bccn on call *'ith him. As soon as they camc through the door thcy stoppeil as if thcy harl hit a brick wall. "My Gocl,Sally! What is that smcll?" thc doctorcxclaimccl. "Whad sbcll?"she askcd. Hcr sinuscsobviou.sly hacln't clcarccl cntirclv. "Jimmy, go checkthc exam roomsl" lhr rloctorortlt,rr.tl, runninl'. tg 9l,t:y 'crn!" his own commancl."Somebody's cliccl arouncl hcrc anclu.c forgotatrout SugarValley Saga 57 There was no doubt about the source of the problem when they found a reeking Elwood sleeping peacefully on the gurney. His snores assured them he was not dead. DorLning masks, they gently rolled him into the maintenance shed and closed the doors. When Elq'ood awakenedthe nex morning, he had a difficult time getting his bearings until his eye fell upon an old sign someone had stored in the corner. It read: WELCOME TO VULCAN CITY MEDICAL CENTER. He was in the Big Town. TheSugar Blues A WEEK AND A HALF had passctlwith no word from Elwood. Thar in itself wasn't too remarkable. Allowing for the journey to Vulcan City accountedfor more than a full day. It would take anothertwo or threc days to get settled.Add anotherday or two in which to write a letter, anclthree or four more for delivery. Throw in a weekend when nothing much movccl,iu"rcl the next thing you knew, a forrnight had passed. When that much time had elapsed,Aunt Min, who had bccn paricntly awaiting news, wits becoming a little anxious. People wcrc bcginning to inquire as to what she'd heard from Elwood. On thc tenth day after his departure,she was in the kitchcn canning beans,whcn the insistcnt honking of a pickup truck's horn at the mailbox told her somcthing was up. It was GroverHarkins, the mail carrier,holding up a lcttcrancl sitring on the horn. By now, everyonein the Valley who could hcar knew Aunt Min had gotten a letter from Elwood. Quickly drying her hanclson her apron, Aunt Min hurried out to retrieve the lettcr before Grovcr hacia hcaft attack. "Forcryin' out loud, Grovcr, will you hush that infernal racket! Everyonc will think the bam's on fire!" "lrtter from Vulcan City, Min," he said excitedly. "I comc straight out here with it. Now I got to go back and do thc whole durn route again. Old Eli Wattsis goin' to havea chickenfit. He was out standin'by his box a-waitin' on his new mail- ordersuspenders*'hen I come by so fast it likccl to of blowcrl his britches off! t*t me know what El says.Gotta go-scc ya!" "Thanks, Grover!" Aunt Min wavcd anclbackcxl cluickly out of rhc wa1, of flying gravel. "I'll let you know when you come back byl" SugarValley Saga Shewent back into the houseand satdou'n at the long table in the kitchen, u'iped her handson her apron, adjusteclher specsand, with the sun streaming through the windou'over her shoulder,she readthe letter u'ritten in Elwood's broad hand. Dere Aunt Min, I hav arrit,ed here OK v'ith no unusual incidents. Thedocs hav boked at me and declared me to be helthy, accept of course, I do hav the dibeetous. I spend most of my time ll,ing up here in bed, altho I ant sick, as I hav alredy said. Theyjust tl,ent to be abel to find me v,en lhe_vwant me on account of thel'alvtlys either want to stick a needel in me or get somepee in a dLV,gyp. I culd not go novthere anyhcnv on account of they taken n!) clothes to be stemc clened k; get the shtnk juice out wiclt I tuill erltlain laler. Anyu'a-y,s,I hav nothing to 14'earaccept lutsspiddel clothes u'iclt Lsvery funny. Ilosspiddels don't put rut backs in thcre clothes,an I don't crave to sltou,m! behind tctlhe worU so I stay in bed. I like Dr. B a lot and the folks here too. I wil write often to let ),ott kno hctu,I am. As et'cryour ktvin,gnefeu,, Mv,ood P. lnrkin Aunt Min foldcd the lcttcr and put it in thc box shc had savctl cslrccially to kccp Elu'ood's letters in when thcy arrivcd. Given the efficiency of thc Vallcy grapevine and Grovcr's shcnanigans,she '*'as prctty surc u,ord hacl gottcn all around the Vallcy by now that she had gottcn a lcttcr from Elwood. Pcoplcwould bcgin casuallydropping in soonto gc1thc laresr. Grovcr clclivcrcclone arklresscclto Floyd the vcry next day. This 1ime, thanksto lhc Dcacon'sthrcat to "turn hirn in," Grovcr marlcthc rounrlsancl dclivctcd thc lcttcr in thc usual official fashion.Ncvcr-thclcss, long bcforc nightfall,cvcrycrnc rvho carcd to knor.r.\,asa\\,arc of Floycl'slcttcr, tcn. Floyd clrcrva buckct of watcr, clranka dippcrful, and sat in thc shaclcof thc u,cllhousc to rc'adhis lctter. Dcrt' I, ht)'d, Not nuth to tclll,et accq)t lifc is suredifrunt in thc B$ Cit-t,. Bul lcl ntc tcll 1'11vv'at lns happu sofar in thc hctsspiddel. Furst lhing tht:)t/11 is tukalov in thts rLtom x,ith a long tablrcl v'hare therc i.su okl doctcrand a ktt ofyun.g docs. I think theyung docs Lsslill 60 CarrollGambrell in docter school, brtt they calls one another docter anyu,ay even tho thq) ant real docsyeL One was a red hed gal with bts of frakek. Look like Ilarold Bottses dotter. The one u,at sings in the kwier. Purty as a pichur. Anyhow everone starts by askin kv,estins lak how o/tenSt6111p1' 1o go to the bathroom, and does everone eLsein the familst lrrrl ,,, f ,, too. I tol tltem we dint lnv no bathroom an I got tired of going nt tlte woods all tlrc time in the middel cf the night tuiclt was v,h_yl jusl peed out the winder til Aunt Min made me quit on acL'ounl of it was goin in the ranebarl and she washedher har in the raneu'ater.IJut I gesl we all u,entsome time, but v,edint all haft to go at thc sane time but irt u,e did it u,as alright Ltecausethere u,asplenly of u,oorls ltesides lhe regular outlutuse u,at evarbody in thc Vallt'1, has rtne. I dint lak tct ht: i tll:in,qalt r! tfure things infront 0f thut purt| gal with thefrakek ltut it dint seem Io ltctther hcr nonc accept rr,('n I got to that part about the ranebarl shc had to dntp hcr c-vtsund lutn awa!. Infact it ntustof madc crer on{'ofthem sadbcutusc thct) all lurn therefaces and old Doc dn4t his hcd and sfuxtk hk fittks does al funeraLs. I dont wenl lo talk ultotrt rant'barls no ntrtrc. Il made lhem too sad. Say, oA budd-y',canyeu st,ndntc somc morc poleL:otitric'c'l I done usc up all I futd. It crtmc in mitc1, 1161na11,. Your friend, EI Floyd folded the letter back into the cnvclopc anclstuck it in his pockct. He wondcrc.dhow in the world Elwootl managcd to usc up that much skunk oil in one weck. It didn't take much skunk oil to go a long way. Thcrc *,a.s enough in that bottle to last for ycaru. Big City muscluitocsmust lrc prc[y fierce. ***** Bo Burroughsassumcd two things about his paticnts:il)that rno.stof themwcrc rcasonablyintclligcnt, and (2)most of thcm \\'itnlc{lto lcrrrl to corx with thcir mala Penny blushed a little in spite of herself. he u'as always coming up rvith things that, in spite of her training, got her a little flustered. Shc didn't knorv for sure if it was deliberate,but it happenedmore often than shewantcd. Well , he was going to have to do better than that to get her goar. "So? You're feeiing better, aren't you?" she askert. "Say, you've got a nice touch. That didn't hurt at all." "I haven'tstuck you yet." "Maybe that's why it ctidn't hurt. Have you cvcr delivercd a babr,?" That last was right out of the blue, zurclcaught Pcnny off guard so rhar she reactedslightly, "I've helpeda feu'times . . . I got it. Why do you ask?" "Got what?" "A baby-I mean blood. I stuck you." "Have you got a baby?" he asked innocently. "No. I'm not evenmarrictl. Where is that darnedtube? I've lost thc 1ubc." "That's good," he said. "lt ts not good," she said. "Keep blecding until I go gct one." She returnedin a few minutcs with a containcrof test tubes,and Elwcio "I was just tryin' to cooperate." She was saved oy the entranceof Dr. Burroughs, followed by a retinue of interns and students, including the red-headed gid with freckles. They surrounded the bed, looking down at the patient, waiting for the doctor's lead. Bo Burroughs noted the rosy hue of Penny's cheeks and smiled behind his professionalmask. "Patient doing all right, Miss Parker?"he asked. "He's-" Penny began,but was cut off by Elwood. "She says my sugar's pretty good." Elwood beamcd. Catching the double entendre,Bo couldn't resist a little needling of his ou'n. "That so, Miss Parker?" he a-skeci,lifting an eyebrow. "I rvas rcferring to his glucose level, Doctor. Here," she said coldly' handing him Elwood's char1."See for yourself." Burroughs examine{ it for a moment anclnodded his head seriously. "She's right. You aren't nearly a^s.sweetas you '*'erc." "You were eavesdropping!"Penny exclaimed. "No*'. now, not at all, Miss Parker," thc cloctorsoothed his star nurse "You u'ere hanclling it so smoothly, I just thought it would be a good opportunity for thesefolks to get some expert instruction on how to deal with a dif f icult situation." "Well, thanksa lot," Pennysaid clryly, tossing her head."Next time I'll tcach them how to get blood with a hammer and a ten-pcnny nail." She thrcu' a menacinglook toward the paticnt, who acknou4edgcclthe thrcat with a rnost angclicsmilc. "I have other patientsto sce,so if you'll cxcuseme, Dr. Burroughs." Shc turncd tou'ard Elwoocl."I u'ill visit you tomorrow, Mr. Larkin," she saicl,then musteringher rcmainingdignity, which u'a-sn'tmuch, shelcft thc scenc. Survcying the group surrounding his bcd, Elwood saicl, "Doc' if you 'cm brouglt all thssefolks to be pallbearers,you're Sonnahave to bring back latcr.I ain't dead,yet." "From thc look of thesechart.s, you aren't going to be for a u'hilc. One thing, though. Dots it burn u'hen you pc-e?" "Hou,'tl you know?" Elwood askcd. "Urinc's cloudy, and you .stillhavc a fever.Probably bladdcr infcction. Happcnsa lot whcn thc sugarSeLs high." Bo rcpliccl. "Makc a note of that, Doctor," he said to Amy, thc frccklc-faccclgirl, "ancl u,c'll scnclhim clo*n for a work-up." To Elwotxl hc said' "You'rc looking good. Scc:you tornorro\\',and takc it easy on Miss Parkcr. Shc lakcs hcr worli vcry scriously." 64 CanollGambrell "I'll try," Elwood said as the doctor and his rctinuc left the room. A few minute.slater, Amy poked her hcaciback in the room. "Mail for you, Elwood," she said, handing him two envelopes.When Dr, Bun'oughs and the other students wercn't around, she dropped the ritual "Mr." with Elwood. Very often she and some of the other med stuclcnts woulcl drop by Elwood's nrom early in the morning before classe^sbegan. Their mission *'as simply to chat. They were learning a lot about the Valley and its folk. "News from home?" Amy asked. "One from Aunt Min, and one from olcl Floyd," Elwoocl bcalncd. It u,'as the first he had heard from the Valley since leaving. "Tell me about it in the morning," Amy said, and lcft him to enjoy his mail at his leisure. He openedAunt Min's letter fint. Dere Elv,ood, I take pin in hand to tellyou all the ncu,sI can think tf sini'c you left. You ma.ybc glad lo know that Red i^stakin,q care of Sfutrtoff wich may be a blcssing as l)ekin Watts ha.s sv,orc to shoot lhe suck-egg hound unt has bcen stealing hLschickens, if ht' cvcr.finds him. I am sure hc mcans Shorlrff. Speking of the Dekin, he come lU, I1rr r,,rg dtu) swcet or l)'(', willt ttuo men he says are pcrlessers drtn,n al thc ag t'ollc,gt' u,ut wants to rent lhe upperfield to rase somc nev,kind of tttbacco. T'he.v pay cash rcnt so I toU them to go ahcd sincc-y'11v v,ant lrc hcrc lo work that fiekl any how. I thot we wuld gct somc gtxil of it. I must cautionlou nol to mcntion lhis kt anyonc as I u'astttld by them tlnt this was a secre!Borernmenl ltn,ject and the Rrxtshins must not learn rf it. I must say I hav ncver heard of secrat tctbucco. Do they have Rctoshinsin Vulcan Cily? So I wil closefor now and hopcyou v,il soon be back and v,cll. We missyou very much and lookforuard to v)enjou u,il be rcstorcd to us. Dontforget to write ever chanct)'ou gcl. Always your loving aunt, Minnie l^arkin Elwood folded the lctter back into its cnveloJrcand u,ondcrcclwhy thc "perfessers"wantcd to rent that rough olcl high ficld rathcr than onc of thc bcttcrbottomlandfields. It was alsoharcl to gct to, and if you clidn'talrcacly SugarValley Saga 65 knou'it was there,you would miss it entirely, becauseit was hidden from the road. Elwood thought Aunt Min was lucky to rent that old rocky strip. Putting Aunt Min's letter aside,he openedFloyd's and scannedit before concentratingon the contents. Dere Elu,ood, Your letter arrived and I v,asglnd to herefromyou. I tuasglad to here lhal-you,qot to lhe Ilig I'ou,n and nol had no trouble. I hav not ever scan no girl doctcr, but she culd cure me an! time, ha ha. I gcssAnt Min has told_youthat Rt'd is taken ker of old Shonoff fctr 1,q,. It was not eas)) lo round him up. Wat happen was thqt Charlc.y,hired Rooster lJohannon to hep out since))ou are not here, and mc and Rooster spotted a coon den in a old tree hanging out oycr thc branch. The tree u,ercntfit to maka log, so we dint cut it but u,e did decide to climb up and takt, a ktok in the den and surc anu.ff hc u'as in therc snoozin av'a-r'. So wile Roostcr helt thc sack v,ich he v;erent too kcen on doin, I rech in and grab him by the tale and comc out with him. Bout the time I got him out he u,okeup and started snarling and a scratching. 'l'hat old Rooster v,as ayellinfor me to put him back and I kcpyellin lor him to ltold the sack stedd),. Well hc u,hurl around and bit old Roostcr on the lhum and Roosler droppcd the sack and lcll out rI lhc trcc smak on hi-shack in the branch. I'he he rech around and bit ne in the /lcshpart just ovcr m-ytl;71ss 61nd I dntpt that ra.scalright down on to? o/old Rooster ltcltrc I fell on top of both r{ thcm. I gessold SfutrttfJ'u'ashiding lxtck in !ht'wrxxls causehe conta a running oul v'han he ht'rd that old coon a yov,lin,q,and hejump right in tht'pilc of u.sand starlcd ,graltbing for thc t'oott wot ,qot up and run t{1. But that dint stolt old Shortoff from gcttin ahold rf x,haleverhe culd tpichtutn out to bc thc seat ofold Roos/erspants. Roostcr likc tct of dmt,nt beltre I culd,qet u1tand mak okl Shortoff turn him ukuxc,. Wc tied him to a trct: and Red comt, and tuk him homc. Rttoslcr hc ain't ltcn to wtrkltr thrt'e days ltut thc.sau,mill is still nrnnin. Ilopcyou arc thtt same. Your fricnd, Flolt6l gn1''t oo CanollGambreli P.S. How did you use up all a that polecat juice in one u,eek? I wil send mor wen I can round up anuffskunks. Elwood was pondering whether or not he should tell Floyd what hap- pened to the skunk oil, when there was a knock on the door. "Came to get you for anothertest, Mr. Larkin," said a kindly voicc. Thc door opened and a pleasant-facednurse Elwood had never seen before pushed a wheelchair into the room. "Taxi?" she said. He could never undentand why they insisted on making him rictc all aroundthe hospital in a wheelchairwhen he was perfectly capablcof u,alking, but he had long since ceasedto argueabout it. "Hospital policy," wa.sthc onlv answer he ever got, and it would have to suffice. Elu.ood climbcd aboarcl. "What is it this time?" he askedover his shoulder. "We're going to Urology," she announced.stopping the wheclchair a1 the elevator door. "Where is my Ology?" Elwood asked as the elevator cloomopened. He would soon learn. His position asChief of Surgery at Vulcan City Me Staff, anclwhat better choice than a manof visionwho alwaysplaced the best interestsof the hospitalabove all else--especiailyin fiscal rnatte$' In themeantime, Dr. Moneyhad a varietyof otherbusiness interests of his own to promote.No one ever accuseclhim of neglectinghis own best intere.sLs. The arrival of Elwoocl's letterperkedup an otherw'isedrab day for Floyd' He tore into it eagerlY. Dere Flu.1'd, I hate tollyou rtf all the purty nursesthey is in thLshosspiddel' II secms thcy cant dtt ant(ffor a body, evcn things a bod,v culd drt I v'anl be v'ctrth nruch u'cn I for itsctf if they wuk! let it. Ifear SeI bak homc, hut then I .e,essI never v'as,ha ha. Ilut It!rLt,rlI hat'got to tells'11vrtf tt'al happened todal' andyou hcil:egtil lo pr1mLsenol lo qer ret'eol it to nctone on Qccounlof tltt'v u,ill tjink I have ltst n11'marbcLs. You knttw how RevKnowles talk's alr,tut them Ilible phces likc Soddumand Gamorrah? Well I cuAnt harrlLel, ct'cr beleve it was real, ltut l"lct1'dit Lsa going on ritc here in this hosspiddcland I secnit! Wat httppt'n u'aslhty u'hecl me plumb across thLshosspiridel v,ol i\ ncar as bi,q as Dckin Wattscs cornfield and dttu'n inlo thc basemL'n!to wa! thcy sairl was m)) oktgl'' 7'l1q' v'ercnt rutbodj there but rhLgone vr)man x'al ltu^srile purt-|'herselfand thcfirsl thing she tr,tkl me rite off the lnt was to tak off my cktthcs! And shc dint look lak that kind of u,oman.I gcssS'ou cant naver lell- I dint knov: Y'at lo do at first ltul she dint ack like she wuld tak of liked u'at she saw at no for a anscr, so I di/l it, and she musl ruft alibccausc shedint smile none.Bu! lct me tellyou u'athaPpcnt nc-rt' You aint g()in to bclcve it, ltut sheiust come over and grab my privatcs and comntcnce sluffing a tube doutn it! Floyd I like to of tlicd ritc lhcre and ncxt lhing I kncw I gcss I past out' lVcn I conte ltt m.yselfshe had done hookctl lhat tultc up to a lillle ntrttttr pullel' thing and it u'asa pulling that tuba back out tvile .slrcx'ri^s a lrtoking ot some meter thing u'at I gcsslttld hcr how far it v'uld stretch. 68 CanollGambrell Igess.l mustofpast outagaincause wen I wokeup thi^etimc I u,asback in my roctmand I dont rentembernuthin elsi v,atmite of tookplace. If il weregood I hateI ntissedit. Floy.d,wen the preachur told aboutSodclum and all, heclinr say a wr.trdabout horehouses wat had pekkerstretclters, nctryet hosspirt- dels wat had horehousesand et,enif he hatl no one trttkl of bcleved him. I.sure u:!.1Hryof if I hadntseei it u,ithmy own q)es. And I . v,ill tellyou thi-s,too. Wena drrcterpukkers up anclfrott;n.s and looks atyou all seriouslike, it meansS,r)y nite bi going to rtie bu-t.iou aint going to hu;rt.Ilut vtenhe jti easylike out tl-the sirle of hismouth tells somebody to,takel,ori to1,ou', Olog, it mcansyLtu aint go.ing to die, but),ou can betyire boritsyouarc afLtin to liurt! Alwaysyourfriend, EI Mr. BatesGoes To Town IT I IAS THIS PATIENT gottcn any su,eeter,Numc?" Dr. Bunoughs acl_ drcssedthe question to Penny in a serious tone, but with a glint of hurnor in his eyc, and tongue in chcek. She ignorcclthe obvious refcrence. Elwood had just opcned a lettcr from Floycl when Dr. Bunoughs ancl Pcnny walked into the room. "Not that I coukl tcll, Doctor," shercplied in her best nune-to-doctor-in-front-of-the-patientmanner. "Ancl the chartsbear mc out." "Glad to hearthat,"hc said,glancing at thc chartshc handcd him. ,,Looks as if his infcction is clcaring up, 1oo.Is your vision improving?" hc askecl Elwocxl. "Clear asa bell," Elu,oodsaid. "Taking your insulin rcgularly?" '.Nothing "Just like Pcnny show.cl mc," hc said. ro it. Just a lcctlc jibby-jab u,ith thc nccdlc.Don't hardly fcel ir." "Don't lct him kid y.u," Pennysaid. "Thc fint timc hc savc hirnsclfa shot in thc lcg, I thoughthis lcg wa.sgoing to run.\\,.),try iiself bc,for.ehu caughtit." "l can't.he'p it if my lcg's a conanl," Elq,oorl ..lr'sgot ' saitl. usc(lto it nr)\\. "You'rc going to bc gcrringout of hcrcju.st in rirnc for'fhalksgiving," Bo.sairl."Not much rnorc\\,c can do. Y.u didn't dic, and it (lcrsn't look ai if vou'rc going to, so \\'c can't bury you. Havc you madc any an-angcrnentsfor a placcto stay $,hcnyou lcaveherc?" "Wcll," Elu'oodsaid, "Pcnnv said I coulclmovc in u.ith hcr." 70 CanollGambrell Penny hastily cut in to correct the false impression, "The Nurses' Domr needsa maintenanceman, and El-Mr. Larkin can fill in until Mr. Hicks gets well again." Bo and Elwood exchanged winks. Perury continued, "There is a room and a bath in the basement where he can stay temporaril-v until he car find something better." "Hicks been on a toot again?" Bo asked. "I supposeso," Penny said, allowing her profcssionalmanner to lapsc a little. "He's at the VA Hospital getting dried out now." 'temporarily'- "That suit you all right-to live in a basement Elwoocl?" the doctor inquirecl,knowing full *'ell *'hat the responsewould be. "Sounds fine to me." "When Hicks comes back, then you can move in with Penny," Bo said. Penny was speaking and almqst missed the doctor's ln-stcommcnt, ". . . and I have invited him to have Thanksgiving u'ith us.Wc'll scc that hcrclocsn'r overclo."Then the rcmark registerecland shc cxclaimed, "Hc r,r'illrrol/" asircr chccks turned slightly pink. "Can you hancllcthat, Elwood?" Bo asked."I'm sonv, Pcnnv, I rnis undentood." "l'll do my bcst," Elwood said. "Okay, I'm glad that's scttlcrl,"Dr. Buroughs said."You go sta,v\\,ith the girls anclhelp them out. When Hicks rcturns,let mc know. Wc'vc gor a job waiting for you ovcr hcre." Elwood ncrldcdhis agrccmcnt."Ilcarcl any' news from the Valley latcly?" Elwoo Dcre Elu,ood. We hat,e nou, had scveralfrosts and a liftlc hit of snrtn'donc fell. T'hatRooshin hog what treed thc l)ekin c'ontcltak arul just u,cnt plumb ktco. IIe got to chasing chit:kcnsand thc lit'cstockand ntutlc a ?ass at Grovcr's pickup v,hcn he stoplcd at MilL'lt Ilarrist,s mailbox. Grovtr bktu,cd his futrn and Mitt'h ran and got hi^sgun, but time he got loaded and finc[, got t{f a shot thut old h(),gv,us hcddcd bak to tltc l)ig ltturcl. Thosefcllcrs u,at rcntcd Ant Min's lnk ficld has bt,cn goin r()un6lr('nlin,qultrcrfrt!k.rt,akfit'ltls. Iuttnrlcral,,,tttlltr,nts,,ntcrintt'.s. Thcy donl bok much lak collegc perlcsstrs, tho tltc l)ekin.!ai's.rr. SugarValley Saga 71 You know not to tell no bod1,66ot,,them cause it is supposeto be a govmint secrct from the Rooshins, but it look lak the Rooshins b done found out about them. You think that Rooshin hog mite of been a spy? IIa ha. You mite lak to knov, that old Texas dude is bak makin eyes at Charlene. IIes learnt to duck better and is willin to chance it aint Darlene hes grabbin. IIe still dont get it rite ever time but lrc keeps a tryin. Gctt to go chop Ma somefirewood. It is cold. Hopeyou are the same and wil soon be bak Your old buddy, Floyd Aunt Min's letterwas full of preparationsforthc big Thanksgiving Feast and All-Day Singing to be held at the Meeting House. The ReverendWad- dleston was to be the Spccial Gurst. He had become famous on the Circuit as The PreacherThat Had Been Savet From The Jaws Of The Bear. Sadie Brewster was baking cakes and making cranberry sauce, but Min u.as in charge of the turkeys. Elwood would have likctl to have been in the Valley for Thanksgiving, but being the only man at an all-girl celebrationu'asn't too bad an altcrnative. He didn't suffer from a lack of attcntion or frcm overeating.Pcnny wouldn't allow either. A few days aftcr the holiday, Floycl got a lerter. He had been fccling particularly sorry for Elwood becausehe was missing the special days in thc Vallcy. Surcly it must havc bet'n a lonesomctimc for him. Floyd opcneclthe letlcr and read. Dcrc Fktyd, You must knttw 14,nou, I am ctutof the hossltiddcl andleelfinc. I havc moved into tltc Nurscsllouse w,i<'ltisftlof nothing but purty girLs. I'enny, u,ho was my spe<:ialnurse, and about a dozcn ol her friends fLtt Thanksgiving dinncr u,ith turkies thcy bot at the store since there aint rcne in tou,n to sltoot. And they cooked up a lot of 'cludin othcr stu/f a lot of su,eetthings vtrt they made v,ithout no sugar ltut used somethinjusl as sl,i'ecl v,at dont hurt people with the dilrcetous. Ilut none ofthem pjes u,asncar as sweet as those nurses. M_yjob here is to keep afire in therefurnases (ha ha) tak keer rf thcre plummin wich Lsall inside. Not much to it accept sometimes 72 CanollGambrell wenI go to fLr somelhinthe girl v,at ataersthe door dont alv'ay;s hav on all lter clothes.It dont seemto botherthem near as muchas me but I gessI will hav to get useto it. Ha ha. Youcan keepwritin to the hosspiddel.Penny v,il bring me the mail and I will be bak over there workin out my bill as soon a,sthc oA man utatis supposeto lwv tltisjob gets hLsselfdryed out. I wil not be abel to be bak to the Valleyfor Xntas.It cost tort muchbut the nursessay they v,il takgood keerof ntc then too. I hopethat Rooshinbore stals in the l-aurel thikket. Yourold sugar time buddy,, EI :i**** "Mort the Mortician came by to sec you," the secrctarysaicl. "Miss Orr, I've told you a thousandtimes, u'e do notspeakclisrespectfully of doctors on this hospital staff. Pleasedo not make me havc to wam you again. Now, what did Dr. Money-bags want?" Dr. Bunoughs askcd as hc shuffled through his messageslips. "He didn't say," she answered,not aba.shedin the lcast. "Just wanteclto chat. was all he said." 'just "Dr. Money nevcr wants to chat,"' Bo said. "He had somcthing on his mind. I'll give him a call and find out what it is." Strangcly enough, the call did seem to bc about nothing much. A fcw questions about budgetary mattcrs and about a ncw anc,sthctist,but nothing spccific. "I scc you dischargedour Hillbilly," Dr. Money obscrvccl. "Mr. Larkin wir.sa good patient," Bo answ'ercclnoncornmittally. FIc didn't discusspaticnts with othcr cloclorson a non-consultivc ba.sis. "Must have run up a big bill," Dr. Moncy said."He was hcrc ncarly a month." Bo didn't corlment clirc.ctlyancl the small talk soon clriftctl, thcn 1x'tc|ctl out leaving Dr. Burroughswondcring more than cvcr and still suspiciousas to Dr. Moncy's purposcin contactinghim. Money was not in thc habit of wastingtime with idle chitchat,and he was ncvcr corclialto anyoncunlcss hc had an ulterior motive. Bo was to discover that purpose at the Board Mcreting. **:f:f* SugarValley Saga 73 Dere Elwood, That durn Rooshinbore done comebak agin the other night and rootedup the turnuppatch. Thenhe got over in thehog lot and bred two sov,s/oreI cuU get out there.I burnt himgood with both bark, but dint have nothin but birdshot,so instedofjunping the fence he wentthrough it and all the hogsgot out and scattered.I spentthe rest of the night and mostof the nextday lookinfor hogs. I finely found them gesswhere. In Dekin Wattsescorn crib, thats u,here.I.lwt is,all of themaccept old Sukie,my bestsow wat done tuk up v,ith the bore and heddedfor the Big lnureL Norpold Eli Lsdemandin I pay him dubblefor the corn thq) et and I cant evenpa! him onct let alone dubble,but i,fI culd get my handson that old boreI'd hanghim in the Dekinssmokehouse in a minit, or belter)'et around hisnek Youau,t to see tlnt Prucilla. SheLs growin lak a v,ced-U she gruv,s to fit herfeet sht,u,il he the size of a bear. Shegot a .qood nosetoo. Redsa_ys she u,il be thc bestdog in thepak. At leastshe v'ill be thebest sinqer. ThatLs alllor now. Yourohl ltudd1,, LoncsomFktyd P.S.Dont plunrmers nced helpers? ***** Thc chairman of the Boa-d rapped the gavcl. "Is there any further ncw busincss?" "Yes, Mr. Chairman," Dr. Moncy rose from his seat. "I u'ould like to havc clarification of hospital policy with rcfcrcnceto indigent paticnLs." "That has bcrcnclearly stated bcfore, Dr. Money," thc chairman said. "There should be no quastion rcgarclingthat policy." "May I have it restatcd,sir?" Dr. Money persisted."I u'ant to be sure it is clearly unclcrstooclby evcryone here." "Vcry u'ell," thc chairman sighect,"bricfly statcd,it is that no pcrson of any raccr,color, crctd or sex will be turncd away at the peril of that person's life or limb; but that once stabilizcxl,that patient shall bc tran.sportedto a suitablc hospital u,hcrc hc or she may rcccive treatmcnt at public expernsc." "Is that policy bcing cnforcc'd?"Dr. Moncy askcrl. "l ivould prcsumr:so, ycs," thc chairman answcrscl. 74 CarrollGambrell "Ladies and gentlemen,I have prepareda report that indicatesthe policy is, perhaps,not always followed, and I will pass a copy to each of you," Dr' Money said. The purposeof the chitchatcall becameclear. Money had wantedto lcan"l all he could aboutindigent patientsin generaland Elwood Larkin in parlicular. Elwood was going to become a "horrible example" of a breach of policy. It wouldn't cost Dr. Burroughs his position a-sChief of Staff, but it would bc part of Money's program of undermining Bo in order to gain thc posilion for himself. Mort the Mortician just kept pecking away. In his worst nightmares,Dr. Burroughs could not imagine that incom- petent, money-grubbing hacker becoming Chief of Staff. He ncvcr would have become Chief of Surgery had his father not been a heary donor and a large shareholder.On second thought, maybe it wouldn't bc a bad iclea. If there was adequateassurance it would keep Money away from slicing up patients and sending his mistakesto what was euphemistically rcfened to as 'Eternal the Care Unit,' Bo decided he might considerstepping asiclc. "Fat chance of that happening," Bo thought. "He woulcl never stay out of the operating room. If he ever became Chief of Staff , we u'oulcl have a fool directing the staff , and Attila the Hun in the operating room." On the grsitive side, the poor and needywere in no dangerf rom Dr. Money; he opcratedon ly on well-to-do or well-insured paticnts.Shaking of f his reverie, Bo tumed hi.s attention to reality. '. . . if you will notice. mosl of the indigent paticnts u'ho havc stayc "You bet we u'on't," Dr. Money exclaimed' "He'll head back to the hills as fa*stas he can go, where *'e'll never find hirn, and the hospitai *'ill be stuck with rhe bill. I remind you, Dr. Burroughs,that this is not a charity hospital." "Might I remincil'olr, Dr' Money' that collection of the hcspital's bills is not a conccrn of the Chief of Surgery." Bo answerccl. "Gcntlemen!" The chairman rapped the gavel. "I think a legitimate question has been raiscclas to adherenceto hospital policl' with regard to incligentpaticnls. Woulcl you care to commcnt fudher' Dr. Burroughs?" "Not at the present time," Bo said. "I would suggestthat the rnattcr be r-cfcntd to the Finance Committee for furlher study." "l agrcr:,and hereby referthe matterto the FinanceCommittcc for furlher srucly,anri re"cluestrhey subrnit a u'rittcn reporl to thc Chairman prior to the next quarlerly meeting. If there is no furthcr businqss,I declarethis meeting adjournecl.My rvife is u'aiting for nic to take hcr to a conccd. The Harmonicals arc in tou,n and I don't want to miss thcm." Thc gavcl rappcd,chairs scrapcd,and the me'etingendcd. rt*rl.** Dere lrktyd, It Lshard for nte to belcve that thcl' a'tually pay mefttr drLing v'at I am tlctin since I aint axualb, doin an-ythingyott utU caU work even have lo cc;r.tk' I fcct likc a mulepullin on cmlt! wagon. I dont Iiach night a diffcrcnt setof nurseslccds me and they ack lak it iust tikkelsthem to dculh ttt do it. I can tell.you it sure likkek ne. It u,as hard rul bcing homefttr Chrlstnns, but lhe girk that dint get lo go lrctntethercselvcs all gol logclher and had a big pany antl clinncr. After lhat thcy drcssed me up in a rcd sttit and v'e all wcnt ot'cr lo the litt lc childrcns v,ing of the hrtsspirtdcland I u'asthe Sandy ( la111,t tha t pa sl 0ut l he ll ifls. I t u'ukl bring a tear to ))ou r e))cs to sce lhose hap1tl' kids. I hopc old Sandy Clat's came Io scc everbody in the Valley. AIwlu,s lttur friend, EI I'.5. I)cnn-y, tlnts m-1'special nurse friend I mcty have wrote abr,tut, sa1'sshe u'uld lak to vi^sitthe Valley some time. If she does, heras she Lsa city _yout+,il hav to pul onlour tie belorcyou nteet gal. Ha ha. 76 CanollGambrell ***rf* Dere Elwood, Wenyou left "for the CiU I u,asfeelin miteysorry for ),t)u, but now it seemshk eversince you lefi herea ll I hav done Lsu,ork feel sorryforyou causeyouhad the dibeetous,and chasehogs. I of ghd to . knowyou havefallen into gctodhand..r and lct,l better,but here is how mailersstand hcre. Thedam boredone ate up all the tumuls. Weaint gctta single oneleft. Last night he nockeda hole in thefence,run off tiith anot'lter sow,and the rest of my hogsgot in thc Dekin's corn crib aJ:in. Thethirty gallons of ciderI madelastfall doneturn t,t t,inc,qar. Thebig New Year'sparty at Chicrtsendecl up in afight u,itha bunclt of those51as line flukeys from Tcxas.Some body iit mc u,itlta cltctir and nockedme into BucksnrlrtBailcl,'s basedrum. I wokaup injail with the rest of the Buzzardsccpt Red wat tuk off/rtr thcBi,g Inirre I an I gesshe is still there unle.sslha! ctldfutrc donepot him trxt. Charleneand Darleneboth donc ntn off lo Odis.ta,7i,.rrr.srr,r7l Dukellurton. tlilly hasfooledaroun and gotlloblD,gllc 11ntgnet arul it made Charlel,so mad hc sv)orcto shoutIlill_1,, an 8ift1,tlont: lt:ft thecountry, an Charlel,donc shutthe mill down. I aintgot nojob. I ointgot rut,qirlfrit,ntl.I aim .qorn() turnuDs kt gct with lhat 30galktrus of vincgar wat usettt ltc citler. T,heDciin is dunnin me the corn for themho,qs ct antl m_yheatt still hurt;^fronl bangin inkt Buckgnortsdrum. Another thing I aint grtt is thc dibt:ctou.s,hut scein es to lu)vl lou are gettin all the sugar in more wa-ysthon ctnc,I'nt c.ontintct VulcanCity b seeif I can catchit. Yourold buddy, Flunkedout F'ktyd Mrs. Vanderwort's Roomirg House LY I\I I \ OWJUST WHATdo you fellemthink you're a-cloin?"said the rheumy- c),cclcharactcrr stancling in thc doorvay. Elwood raisedup from the cot where hc rvasslecping, anclFloyd stimeclwherc he was trying to sleepon thc pile of cardboarclboxcs in the comer. "l knorved it," the rhcumy-eyedgnome continued, "the minute my back is lurnecl I not only get replaced,but they hircd an assistant,too." He iooked at a bcrvilclercdFloyd. "Wouldn't hirc one for me. Dicln'1 care how hard I rvorkccl.Took two to replaceme-Ha!" "What's he talkin' about,El?" Floyd askccl. "I rcckon that's Mr. Hicks." Ehvood saicl. "Durn right, it's Hicks," thc littlc man replicd."Ex-Private Fimt Class Durvard P. Hicks of thc U. S. of A. Anny Infzurtry,ancl I got the papersright hercrto provc it," he said, pulling a sheaf of documents out of his pocket. "Scc!" He offcrcxl them to Elwood. "I was in doubleyew-doubleyewuno-the Big Onc, you know. Eighty- scconclInfantry Division. SergeantYork's old outfit. ln fact, it was me that 'Alvin, said, you circle aroundthere and capturcthem machineguns while I hold off thc rcst of the German Army,' and that's cxactly what u'e done. 'Course, Alvin got the medals anclthc glory and all that; but I dicln't mind, long a-swe won," he said moclcstly. "Worv," Floyclbreathetl, "a real hcro, El." 78 CanollGambrell 'cause "And here they done turned me out and give my job au'ay,just I got sick," Hicks moaned,"It ain't fair, I tell you. It just ain't fair." "No, it ain't," Elwood agreed. "Who'd take a job away from a genuinehero, anyr,l'ay,"Floyd askcci. "Y'all did. that's whol" Hicks exclaimed. "Wait a minute!" Floyd said."I just got herc.I don't even knorv1'ou." "That's even worse!" Hicks complained. "Took my job away and givc it to a complete stranger!" "I ain't a stranger!"Floyd shotback. "He knows me." hc saicl,pointing to Elwood. 'causc "Is that so!" Hicks retorted."That's worse'n ever, I don't knorv him, either. You'rc both nuthin' but a couple of claim-jumpin' .job-stcalin' strangeni, and you done put me out on the strc'et whcn my back was turnctl an' I was in the hospital gettin' over a war wound. But you ain't a-gonnagct away with it! I'll go seemy Congersman.Me an' him arebuddics, and u'c'll see what happenswhen Rcuben C. Finchc.rtgets through u'ith you." "Reuben who?" Floycl asked. "C. Fincherr oI thc Congcls of the Ycu, Nincty Sratc.sin Wa-shingronD and C," Hicks informed him. "Oh, that Reuben," Floyd said. "Ain't he the one rvhat likcd to gor pur in jail lastyear?" "They never proved nuthin' ," Durv'rncl P. Hicks was quick lo point our. "Anil his secretarycoulcl type, too, just not very fast." "Hold it, hold it!" Elwood said. "Well, shecoulda tvpd, if she'cla-$'an1e(l to," Hicks rnaintainccl. "I know, but that'snot what I'm-." "Reubentolti mc thathissLrlf," Hicks cut in, not 1obc clcterrrccl."And ain't I dandleclleetlc Rubc on my kncc whcn hc rvasjust a voungun?And don'r hc call me'Uncle Fizz'? He call.smc Uncle Fiz.z.onaccount of I l'as thc onc what boughthim his vcry first Cokc.And RcubcnC. Finchcrtalrvays tcll.s thc 'causc tmth, too, I taughthim." "l know, but-" Elwood trieclagain. "You slill cion't think so, huh. Well, I'll havc you know hc st:nrrnc a picturc of the vcry typcu,riter shc coulcl of typetl on, if shc'cl a-rvanLcclto," Hicks continuecl."Now, if you can't believethat, what cranvou bclicvc?" hc conclucledwith the confidence of one who has irrcfutably provccihis ca.sc. "Oh, I gucssthat provesit all right. Wouldn't you say so, Floyd?" Elrvcxrcl nodded his hcad vigorously at Floyd. SugarValley Saga 79 "I guess so," Floyd replied, not really convinced, and still sore at being labeled a "stranger" and a "claim-jumper." "Durn right, it does," Ex-PFC Hicks said, "Now, do I get my job back' or clo you want to go up against the likes of Reuben C. Finchert and the Congersof the Yew Ninety States?" "We u'ouldn't think of d'privin' a genuine hero and a friencl of a Congersmanof his job, now would we, Floyd?" "Oh, no. I agree.hands down, absolutely,"Floyd said,catching Elu'ood's clrift. If Hicks wanted to think he had won a great victory, well let him. lt woulcln't do any harm. "'Well, I think I'll jusl call Reubenany'ways, just to make sure," Hicks said, prcssinghis advantage. "Oh. no! Don't do that," Elwood pleadedin mock alarm. "Aw, you clon't ned to beg. I weren't goin' to get him on you boys," Hicks said magnanimously."l know y'all didn't havenothin' to do with it. 'thout You all just took the job knowin' the consequences.I just want to teach a lessonto that fool u,hat give you the job in the first place." "Now, Mr. Hicks, can't we just talk this thing over?" Elwotrl said, rcaching into the duffel for Charle1"5jn1. Hicks spottedthe ancientduffel bag. "Was you in thc Big One, too?" he askcd.eyes lighting up. "You look mighty young to of becn in that one." "No," Elwood answered,gesturing towanl Floycl, "this old duffel be- longec{tohisPa. Hewas in theBig War. Floyd'sMajust lentittome." Elwood brought out the fruit jar, Hicks' eyes lit up even more and, for a moment, he forgot all about the Big One. "Well," Hicks said, his eyes never leaving the jar, "since it belonged to his Pa what was in the Big One, maybc we could talk things over a bit, and I'll seeto it Reube:ndon't go toohard on anybody-'speciallyyou boys.What was your Pa's namc, boy? Maybe I mighta knowed him." "Horace Bates,"Floyd said,passing the jar to Hicks. 'Course "No, I never kncrv him. it was a mighty big army ancla mighty big war. I couldamissed him, I gucss,"Hicks said,taking a swig. Thcre wa-s a pausewhile he swallou'c "Whoo, where is that valley?" Hicks asked,reaching for thejar again. "l want to go there when I die." He took another long pull and then said, "Come to think of it, I'd like to go there before I die." Several more sips, and Hicks' rheumy eyes were beginning to unfocus. In fact, they were crossing, and he was definitely becoming rubber-legged. 'bout "How if I go there to die?" He asked,groping his way toward the cot. "Where'd you shay it wash, again?" "L,ong way from here," Floyd said, taking him by the arm. "Sho's Arkingshaw; but that don't mean you can't get therc. Hee, hee," Hicks was pleased with his witticism. Charley's besr was *'orking fast. "Whoops! That floor's gettin' a mite uneven," he said. "Gesh it's gettin' to me. I don't really drink mush, you know. Doctor shaysit's not good for me, only a little one once in a while, Jush a little one," and he mcasureda "little one" between thumb and forefinger, and giggled. Floyd and Elwood helped him to the cot, where he lay with an angelic expression clutching the jar like a child with a Raggedy Andy. Elwood removed it, and set it on a nearby shelf. Hicks &ifted off u'ithout protcst. "Man! He done sipped near half of it," he saicl "Lrct him have it," Floytl said, "I broughr a u'hole jug." "That oughtto last a while," Elwcnd said. "Not if it goes like that skunk oil," Floyd repliecl."You never did say what happenedto it." "Sometimes you need it just walkin' down thc streclt around hcrc," Elwood said. "Are the skeetersthat bad?" Floyd asketl. "The kind that jump out of the bushesand stick knives in your ribs are," Elwood said. Then he told Floyd what haclhappened that first night. "I think they were just a-funnin'," he added, "but they were a mitc too rough about it, an' I felt kinda bad that night. They didn't have any busincss a-scarin' that lady, either. She was right nice." "Well, I brought a couple more bottles of skunk oil, too," Floyd saicl. "Can't never tell when you might nectl it," Elu'ood said. "We goin' to leave him there?" Floyd asked,gesturing towarclrhc limp form on the cot. "Reckon so," Elwood replied. "l'll stop by the hospiral and tcll pcnny he's back. Then we'll go look for some place to stay." "Where you got in mind?" Floyd askecl."Wc ain't go1rnuch moncy." "We'11 look for a roomin' house," Elwood said. "Therc's bounclto bc some around here somewhere." SugarValley Saga 81 "What time vou gor," Ftolc! a-skccl,shaking thc)watch on his rvrist. ..My bran' nervwatch doner rluit runnin'." "Scvcnthirry," Elu'oodrerplied. "Wc gorplenry of timc. Whcre'syou get that rvatch?" "Bought it from a fellcr at the bus stationin Atlanta," Floyd ansn,crud. "Nicc fcllc'r." "Yeah, I think I nrc[hir]1, too," Elu,otxlsaid. "Tell1,ou all aboutAtlanta?" "Ycah. Iltustabccn thc sanicman," Flovd said."lv4akcs you fcel gorxi to know all Big City folks aren'tso stuck up theydon't havetime 1()talk to you." "That's *'hat I thought,roo. Smallu.orld, ain't it?" Ehvoodsaid, hoisting thc *,**** "Hospital Ariminisrrarorcallctl rvhilc lou \\,ercout," Miss On-saicl. "Did hc lcavc a mc.ssu6lc'?"Dr. BLrrrlrrrthsu.skcd. "FIcjusr qantcrltoknoq rihcn [\4r Larkinrvlissrrplxrscil tostarl\\,ork." "S/hat ***** Out on the street, Elwood and Floyd milled around a few minutes trying to make up their minds which way to look for a rooming house. One way looked as promising as another. "I guessthere is only one sure way to knou', El," Floyd said. "Never fails," Elwood agreed,and spit into his hand. Floyd did likeu,ise. "Ready?" Floyd asked. "Go!" said Elwood, and they simultaneouslysmacked two fingers onto their palms. "Mine went this a-way," Floyd said. "Mine went a mite to the left, but that's close enough," Elwoocl saicl,and they moved off in the direction the spit had flown. "How far you reckon we'll have to go?" Floyd asked after a couplc of blocks. "I don't know, but it never fails," Elwood assuredhim. They were walking down a street pa.stwarehouses, some sccdy looking stores, and a few empty lots. Up ahead the street becamc tree-lined, with garbage cans on the curb sigrifying the presence of houses. As thcy ap- proached that area,they could seethe sigrr on the corner house that proclaimed it to be the "Alta Vista- Rooms to [et." "You were right; it never fails," Floyd said. "Wait a minute," Elwood said, grabbing Floyd's arm. "We can't stay in that place." 'Rooms "How come?" Floyd asked,puzzled. "It plainly says, to L.e1'." 'let' "trt what?" Elwood said. "That might mean they tutything go on in there." "I never thought of that." "Besides," Elwood continued, "with a name like Alta Vista, ancl thc Hospital bein'only about ten blocks away, there's no tellin'what thcy'cl charge." "I never thought of that, either," Floyd repeated, amazeclat how quickly Elwood had picked up Big City sawy. "We'd better kecp goin'." Eight or ten more blocks took them past servcralmorc largc, old houscs situated off the street,but on lots so narrow there was only a slit of an allcy betweeneach house.Some bore signs announcingthat thcy took in boardcrs, but Elwood thought they wcre still too near the hospital to havc favorablc rates.They kept walking. SugarValley Saga 83 On one such block, after they had continued on another thirty minutes, they spottecla large, white two-story house that stood directly acrossthe street from a sprawling brick structure with a big neon-lit sigr in front that pro- claimed it to be the "Heavenly Rest Funeral Parlor." Crossing tlre street to the white house,which bore asign overthe doornaming it, "The White Peacock," Elwood looked it over and pronounced,"This is the place." "You sure?" Floyd a-sked,"It looks kinda fancy to me." "This is the place, all right," Elwood said confidently, "and it won't cost too much, either." "How can you tell?" "You see that light bulb over the door?" Elwood pointed. "Ycah," said Floyd, "but so what? Lots of housesgot lighls over the front cioor." "Not red ones," Elwood said. "lt's rcd all right," Floyd agreed."What's thal mean?" "It means they still got the Christmas Spirit, and they won't overcharge us." "By Dog, I'll bet you're right. I've gottastart watchin' for things likc that if I'm evcr goin' to lcarnhow 10get alongin the city," Floyd said. "We won't have any noisy neighbon, either," Elwood said, indicating the funcral parlor acrossthe street. "Boy, that's for sure." " Let's lcravcour bagsbehincl those bushes," Elwoocl said. "We don't want 'nuff, thcm to scehow many clothcsrvc got; thcy'll think we're'*'cll to do, sho if they do." Parking theirbags in theshrubbery, thcy steppct up on thc porch, crossed thc broad verancla,and rang the bell. After a few minutcs, the cloor opened rcvcaling a large buxom woman with a dyed-reclupswept hairdo. "You'r'e carly," shc said ttl Floyd. "I wasn't expecting you for at least anotherhour." "Oh, no, rna'am," Floyd said,"it's not early; it's . . . " he lookcd at his watch anrl shook it. Putting it to his ear, he listened a moment, then said, "Elwoocl,u'hat timc is it? My rT'atchhas stopped again." "Ninc-th irry," Elwoo 'bout "I *,as thinkin' old Daisy, myself, *'hcn she bent over to hand me this sand*,ich,"F'loyd sighed. "I nevcr got thathigh," Ehr.ooclsaid. "El, you think this place is goin' to bc as cheapas rve thought?lt rich wornenslay hcre,thcy'rc Sonnacxpecrt io soakus a lot." "Wcll, I rlon't knou'," El*'ood saicl."Thcy's two wavs of lookin' at it. ln the first placc,that gal is probablythe old u'oman'sdaughter." "That's trle," Floyclagr'eecl, "but what's thc othcr u'ay?" '"Wcll, if shc ain't thc olcl *roman's claughter,horv you think she got rich'1" "l cion't knclrv,"Floyd ansrvcrctl. "Wcll, it wcren't from spendingmoncy, that's 1orsurc; it was Irom nr-rl .spcnclingi'," Elrvoodrc'asoncrl, "'That's thc ri'a1'old Eli Wattsgot dch." "That's right," Floydsaid. "You canbct yourbootsif old Eliu'as in torvn, hc'clbc lr.rokin'for thc chcapcstplacc hc coulti fintl. Ma1,bcwc donc l'ouncl it, aftcr all. That wirs an cxpcnsivclookin' \\'oman.Shc'd probablyspcn(i all )'our monc\/,but I bct shc clon'tspend much of hcrs." "That's thc way I'm hopin' shc figuresit," Elu,cndsaicl. " Makcsscnsc. Lct'.s finish this ancltalk to thalold woman.I want10 slccp in a bcrl tonight." 'bout "l'm gcttin' wol-coul. I'cl assoon try to mow bobwire a-sthat dum u,intcr-killcdgrass," Eir.r'oorl complaincd mildly. "l bct this lawn ain't bccn 'causc rnou'cclsincc.luncr thcy ain't rvantcclto spnd the monc1,." "Wlial.u,as it that rich gal said to us?" Floyrl askcd. "l think it rvassomcthin' aboutrvashin' winclows," E,l repliccl. "I'd bcttcrgct starlccl,Lhcn," Flol'rl commentccl. "l le'ftthc laclcierarouncl back:I'll just stadthcrc." Elr',,otxlhad finishcdrnou'ing antl u asbu.sv prlning shnrbbcrl *'hcn hc hcarrlthc crash.Rouncling the corrcr on lhc nrn, hc sgrttcd Floytl strc'tchctl oul on his brickin thc bcgoniatx:d, trying to sit up. "What happcncdl"hc cxcluirnerl.".'\rc 1'ouhurt llutl'?" "\\/e ll, it don't fccl lot.rgtiocl," Flovrl nrorncrl, "but I clon'tthink nothin's ltrokc.l'hosr.'Lrushcs brukc rn1,fall,turtl thcsc L^-gtiniasain't no fcatherbcd but lhc,r''rc .softer tltartccrjlent." "You gonnabc all right?" El*ootl askccl. " I think so," Floydsairl, strctching. " Lct nrescc iI I canstancl u1r." El*'cxrcl helpeclhirn to his fcct and Floyd tcstedhis legs."Ycah, I think I'm finc." "You're not Soin' blck up thcrc,arc you?" Elwooclaskcd. 86 CanollGambrell Floyd put two handson the ladder and made as if to climb, then,thinking better of it, backed away. "You think we could just talk to the old lady now and get a room, and she'd just let me finish this tomorrow?" "You sure you want to finish at all?" "Oh, yes. I'm sure, all right," Floyd statedpositively. "Bur I'm nor sure I'm up to it right now." Elwood cocked his head, Iooking askance at his fricnd. He coulcln't imagine why he was so determined to wash windows. "Floyct, you sure vou didn't hit your head on something?" "No, my head is clear as a bell; it's my legs that are sort of wobbly." Elwood peered up the ladder at the bedroom window Floyci hacl becn washing when he fell. A look of suspicion crossedhis face. Floyd shookhis head,and said, "Honcst, El. I wasn't pcekin'.I was busy washin' away when that rich gal and two otherscame in that roorn anclsrarlccl undressin'and changin' clothes right thert in frontof my eycsI I gucssit kinda 'cause suryrisedme, that's when I fell. I don't think thcy e\/cf.\a\\, me." "Well, I won't tell if you clon'ttcll," Elwooclsaicl. r won t tell. "t-et's go see if u,e can talk to that olcl lacly about a r(xrm," Elrvcrccl suggestd. "Suits me finc," Floyd said. "We clonernowed her lau.n, pruneclhcr. bushcs,wiuhed hcr winclou's,and I plowcclher bcgonias.I'lr u,orcout." "Mc, too," Elu.ood agrccd. This time thcy wcrc aclmitteclto a largc opulcntty doooratcdparlor by a tall brunettein a flowing silk gown of robins cgg blue, ancibaclc to $.ait while she wcnt for "thc Maclanc." Thcy rcmaineclstancling. "That one's got a mole on her fanny," Floyclrvhispcrccl to Elu,oo "Did you break anything?" she asked, looking him over with deep concern. "I'm afraid a few of them got mashedpretty bad," he said, "but not too many got broke. They'll probably straightenout by spring." "I meant bo---oh. well. I'm glad you \'eren't hurl," she said. "Will you be able to come back tomorrow and finish?" "Well, ma'am," Elwood said, "we figured if we could trade on a room, Floyd could finish up tomorrow. I got to go to work at the hospital, but Floyd doesn't have ajob yet." "Room.. . ?" "Yes'm, that's \r'hat we carne here for," Elwood paused as voices were heard in the hall. Five girls came down from upstairs and headed for the dining room. "I hope, ma'am," Floyd spoke up, "that you don't mind us sayin' that you have the most purty daughterswe've nearly ever secn." "Daughters...?" "Yes'rn. They are your daughters,aren't they?" Elwood asked. "Oh . . . yes, I supposeyou might say that," the Madame replied. Shewas beginning to undcrstandthat the tu,o gentlemenbefore herdidnol understand. 'cause "Now, just Floyclain't workin' yet don't mean we can't pay the rent, if it's not too much." Elwood said. steering the convenation back on track. Big Bcrlha Vanderwort u'as a businesswoman-a successfulone-and she clidn't becomc successfulby sleeping at the switch. She thought shc saw opporrunity standing beforc her, bright-eyccland bushy-tailexl. "Can you boys hanclleplumbing?" she a-skecl.Her plumbing bill in that hugc old housewas atrocious,and the plumbem wanted overlime paid for in trade,which kept hcr "daughtcs" from morc lucrative pursuits. "I ncvcr haclmuch to do with indoor plurnbing," Floyd said, "but I caur pipe a stcam engine." "Close cnough," Bertha clecidctl."How about wiring'?" "Can't saymuch aboutthat, but I'm willin' to leam," Floyd ii.ssuredher. "I'rn a fair caryrenter." "All right, boys. Tell you what I'll do. You keep the plumbing going and hclp me kcep the place up, anclI'll give you a room ancltrvo meals a clayplus walkin' aroundmoncy." "You mcan you'rc goin' to pay us to stay hcre?" an astoundeciElwood askcd. "Best I can do. Take it or leavc it." 88 CanollGambrell Looking at each other in disbelief, the boys noddecl ancl saici simul_ taneously,"We'll takeitl" "Good," Bertha said. "My name is Mrs. Vanclen\,.or.t.Most folks call me Bertha. You can get your bags out of the bushes where you hici rhcm rhis morning, and Valerie *'ill shou. you to your room. Suppcr is rcatly: v()u ciln eat in the kitchen." .,She "That old gal is prettv sharp,El," Floyd saiclfrom his cor. sii\\,us hide our bags." El was changing into a fresh shirr after a showcr hc had almosr haclto sharc with one of the daughtcrs. "All the samc, she gave u.sa mighty, goorl deal," Elu'ood said in Berlha's favor. "I tolcl you shc still haclthe it iiJnro, Spirit." "t et's go find the kitchen.I'm hungry," Floyd said. After severalfalse turns, they finally made their way to thc kitchcn.whcn they got near enough, odors coming from it rncrringly rcclthcrn lhe rc.stof "Smells likc home, huh, El?" Floyd said with a pang of hornc,sick :X:-J'.t When they entercdthe kitchcn, thcy sau,a young \4.omanstancling at thc rangestirring a tangy stcw in a largekettle. Shc turncclas she hcarcl thcm cornc in, anclsuddenly ceaseclstirring. Hcr eycs grcw wiclc and hcr mouth tlroppccl open. At thc same time, the boys got a goocllook at hcr ancifrozc. "Darlenc!" thcy exclaimcdat once. 10 Tiicks F |.' LOYD! ELWOOD!" Darlcne cricd cxcitetlly, dropping thc stirring spoon and rushing over to grcct the t\4'oilslonished boys. "What are you doing here!" Floyd exclaimed as thc thrcr:of thcm wound up in one big bcar hug. "What are,yorrdoing hcrc?" Darlcne countered."Am I glad to scc you!" "l thought you had skippecloff to Texas with that Burton clude," Floyd said. "So I dercidetito come join El." "l wouldn't skip acrossmy Pa's back pasturewith that phony climwit," Darlenc's facc registercclher disgust. "It wa*sthat dippy sister of mine he talkcclinto mnning off with him, and I took off after thcm to bring her back. This is as far as I goi." "Boy, am I glaclto hear that!" Floyd said. "What? That my sisteris a dingbat?" "No, I ahcadyknew that;I mcantI'rn gladyou dictn'trun off u'ith thcm." "You clidn't think I was that rnuch of an idiot, cliclyou?" Darlenc a-skcd inclignantly. "Wcll, old Bunon was u,avingaround an au'ful lot of rnoncyand acrin' thc Big Shot," Floyd pointedout. "That could turn lots of girls' heads." "Not mine!" "You neverknorv whal a high rollcr like Bur'1onrnight talk a girl into," FIol'dsaid. "High Rcillin' Big Shot, rny hind foot," Darlenesnofied indclicatcly. "Flc's nothingbut a big hat,big boots,big talk,anci no cou's.Those rcn dollar 90 CanollGambreli bills were as phon,vas he was, but mi' dumb sister didn'r knorv it. I've got to get her away from that crummy faker before she lands in Big Trouble," "What?! " Floyd exclaimed. "Phony bills?" Elwood asked. "That's right," Darlene said. "Chico spotted a couple of them, but kepr quiet about it until he wa-ssurc of rvherc they came from. Then hc tipped off Sam Hundley." "Why didn't Sam come pick him up?" Elwood a.sked. "He told Chico just to stay quiet until he had done some invcstigating. I guessold Duke caughtwind of it somehow,or mavbe he w.a-sjust plain lucky. Any.way, he grabbed Charlenc and beat it before Sam could arrqsthim." "You rneanall that happenedand I didn't know it?" Floyd askcd."Wh1, didn't you say something?" "You weren't around," Darlcnc pointed out. "You were iilways off chasin'hogs or something.Besides, I didn't kno*.all this myselfunril lhc lasl minute. Chico told me." "You took off alone," Floycl asked,amazecl, "to thc City?" "I had to get after them before the trail got cold, ancirherc wa.sn'rtime for much planning." "Horv did you enclup here?" Elwoocl askedhcr. "I'll get to that," Darlencsaid. "Firsr of all, it wasn'l too harclro rrail a nine-foot cowboy wearing a Stetsonfull of buste'dturkey feathets, and a pletty girl. The bus driver remembcrcdthem well. Duke paid for thc ticketsrr,ith a phony bill." "Then what happenecl?"Floyd askctl. "Well, when I got to Vulcan City," she continued,"l askcdall lhc cab drivers at the bus station if they had secn thcm. Onc of thcm was a woman, and she rememberal them right off . She hacltaken thcm to the hospital. Thcy didn't come to seeyou, clid they, El?" "I was probably out by then," Elwoocl saicl. "Ary*ay," Darlene picked up hcr story, "I lost track of them at the hospital. Then I had a stroke of pure dumb luck-" "You found a turkey feather!" Floyd guessed. "Close,but not quite," Darlcnesaicl. "l got hungry anclwcnt into a littlc place on Broad Streetwhere they make the bestsiindwichcs I cver rastcrl.Thc guy who runs it-" Again shewasintemrpted, but by Elwood thistime. "That wouldbc Solly Goldstein.He's a fricnd of mine." SugarValley Saga 9l "El, for somebocll'who'sbeen in the hospitalever sincc hc's becn in town, you sure do get around," Darlene commented- "bon't intem-rpt.El," Floyd said irnpatiently."Go on' l):irlene'" "Any'rvay, this littlc guy, Solly, thought he recognizedme' I knet' right off Charicne haclbe.en in there. I tolcl him prrtt]- quickly what thc situation wa,s-$,ithour going into too manv cictails-anci askedif he kncw rvherethey \r'ent." Floyd u'aswidc-cyccl. "Dicl hc know?" "Floyd, will vou hush and lct her tcll it?" El*'ood admonishe: "That's a funny thing to ask somebody," Floyd saicr,"but I've hearcrrich people are kind of peculiar sometimes." "I was afraid she u'ouldn't hire me if I coulctn't do tricks, but she clicln'r act like it made that much difference," Darlene said. "In fact, I think it sort of sulprised her, the way she laughed.Any.u,ay, she gave me thejob. Told me if the cooking was good enough I wouldn't have to do any tricks, anclnor to worry about it." Darlene pondereclfor a moment, then saicr,"Do you think maybc thcrsc are circus folks. and she might have bcen lookin' for somcbocl_vro clc,,nagic tricks or something?" "Judgin'from the way they ckess,they coulclbe shoiv Jirrks.i's.r.rc kind," Elwood said. "And you're livin' right here in this housc?"Floycl askccl. "r c.n'r ger over it." "Yes, Mrs. Vanderwortlct mc have this littre room off thc kitchcn--r '*,alkin' think it usedto be a pantry-ancl a little arounclrnoner,' she 'cause calls ir. and you got to walk it's not enoughto ricle.Bul for nninu,." c,^rkinl than I have 'ccpt to do, it's not a bacrcrcar. for Mrs. Vanrler*,or1,*fio cals like.a starvedgnzzly,lhcse women clon't eat cnough to kccp a cat ali'c." Darlene said. "I gues.sthey gotta stay skinny to clo their tricks," Elrvood saicl. "what did she hirc you 1ocro, Floycr?" Darlcne askccl."Shc crocsn'th.r,c a sau'rnill to run." "No, but got . shc's pipesto fix, walls to paint,grass to rnoq.,bushcs r. trim, and plumbing to keep going, anclI gucs.sabout anyrhingcl.sc.shc can think of," Fkryclrcpliecl. "lf you run out of somcthin'ro rlo, Darlcnc.r.()u clr) hclp mc *,ash the u'indows." "Yeah, Darlcne,you can standundcr thc lad rl.*+** when Elwood rcporlcrl - for u'ork thcrnext mo.ning bcf.re cl.vright,hc foundthathisjobwouldconsistof pushingpaticntsin u.hcclchrrirst.rliifcrcnr pafls of the hospital for tcsts,X-ray.s, antr othcr purlx)s(.s.when hc trxrk paticntsto "Thcir ology," he cliscrcctly*,aitecl out .f .sight,.)r-rr(l rh(, c()rrL,r. until summonecl "\\.oman" by thc *,ho ra' rhc lab.()lhcrri.isc. h. rrvrrirletlhcr like the plague. SugarValley Saga 93 He alsowheclerl discharged patient,s to thcir vehiclcsl'airing at thc curb, anclbadc thcm farcuell. New mothcmand thciroffspring u,erehis favorires. AII in all, it u'asnrtt a difficult job, aftcr he Ieame-rlhis rvayaror.rnd, and it gavc him the opporrunity ro see Pennv fairh, ofrcn^ Elwoc'rilliked that. So clid Penny. Although shc tried to conceal her plca.surc,she wasn'r very successful. A good chunk of Elwoocl'spay went to*'arclhis hospitalbill; horvever, bc'causcrFloyd and Darlcne'*'erc working to kccp a roof ovcr their heads- with thcir rn.u15[eing part of the cleal-Ellr'oocl sharec]his rcmaining pay u.ith thcm so they had a littlc left ovcr for plczr.sure. ".lukin' tonight,Perrny?" hc saiclafterhis fint payday. "Hou, abouta movic, instead?"Pcnny suggcstcd. "John Waync?" "Whv not'}" shc agreetl. "Your placeat scrvcn?" " [t's a tlatc." Floyrl, Darlcnr-'anrlEl*crxl caughr a bus that droppctlthcnr ncar thc Nur.sc.s'Dornr, antl *'erc slanclingin thc lobLll'atIive minutcsto scvcn.Flovcl thought thcv rvcrc forl_viii,c rninutcscarly, Lrutil turncrlout hi.swatch harl stoppcd.Thev u'alkcrlto the thciltrc,bought pr)pcom, ancl sat in thc balcotry. 's .lohn Warne arrilthc cavalryarrivccl in tht'nick of tirnt-_-Thc[)uke uatch hacln'tstoppctl anclthc wagontrain u,a.ssavcti. Aftcrwarrl lhcv droppcl in at Solly's. Pennvancl F]lrvor-xl sharctl a lcan roastlx:cf on u hcal. Darlcncancl Floyd ha *{.*rfirf 94 CarrcllGambrell ln cerlain circles, the fame and glory of the White Peacockwas knou'n far and wide. The quality of its product u,as vierr.edfavorably, iind regarcletl as a community asset-if not an outright necessity-by cerlain high-ranking membersof the political, as well as the businessancl the professional,ivorlrls from which the clientele clerived. It was an attitude studiously fostereclbv Mrs. Gideon Vandenvort. Each parly to the alrangementcurricd thc favor of the other. Each helclan ace that, if playc'd,coulcl ruin both. lf the politicians could have, they would shut her down; Big Berrha hclcl enoughdocumented information in her private filc.sto spcll doorn to political careersand reputations,young and old: or to marriages,the ltrrmination of which might drive coqporationsinto bankruptcy.Mutual trust was rcinl"orcccl by a mutual grasp of reality. As mentioned before, Berlha Vanclerwort wtr.s,among other things, arr astutebusinesswoman. She knew cxactly *'here thc brcaclu'as anclon u,hich sideto apply the butter.The gamewould cndurcas long asncithcr sidc t ippcd thc balance.Over the yean the Whitc Pcacockhad becomc clrtrcnchcda.s an in.stitution,antl its proprictress morc or less a legcnd. Whcn thc occasiolr demancieda gala celcbration,no establishment-Eastor Wcst--rva.sbcttcr prcparcd to stageBacchanalia than the Whitc Pcacock. Such an occasion \rrasno\\'in the offing, and bctau.scit inrolvctl "importantmcn from Washington,"Nllm. Vandenvorl dcctidcd to involi'c hcr ncwly accluired"housc staff." Accordingly,Floycl ancl El*'oocl rvcrc sr.ritabJl.' outfittcrl in waiter's formal attirc, and Darlcnc rr'astailorcrl into l nurirl's costumc,rvhich cliclmore to displav hcr considcrablccharrns than tlisguisc them. All q'crc schoolcclin thc propcrmanncr to scrvc,pour rvinc,Lrou,, anrl abovc all. fl/// to spcak. Haclit not bccn for thc clanclcstincnaturc c.rf thc affair, it r,rntloulrtctlll u'oulclhave gr:accdthc Socicty Scctionoi thc Sunclaycclition. Onc ncctit,rl only to consult[h(] Sucst rcgister for proof o[ the color,il'not the oulri;llrl socialbrilliarcc, of tht:rrcca.sion. The list, *'hich incluticda Mr. White. NIr. Black,Mr. Grcy,Mr. Grccn,Mr. Bluc,two Brou,nsancl a Nir.Rcdtl.'Iir nrrurtl itout,afcmalcmcrnbcrofthccstablishrnentnamcrlVjoltt "By all means,clo; but u'atchyour hands,"shc said,po.sitioning hersclf so as to offer him at least a fair shot at the effant clelicacy. "Very well, my ciear, I shall use no hancls," hc saicl ro the (lcrnurc Roxanne, placing his harcls behind his back. The iuserlbly leancclforri,arcl for a better view, anclRoxanne giggled in anticipationof thc expectcclclisplay of delicate labial clexterity.A good bit of frec advice was offcrccl anclignorccl. It would havebecn a neatpiecc of work, indectl,had his toupcenot lanclcrl in her lap as he bent to the task: and haclhis ill-fitting, bargain pricecllon,er plate not fallen out, joining the olive in her decolletage,ro the mc.rimenr of the onlookers anclthe discomfort of Roxanne. It was, however, an occasion for back-slapping,rib-digging ard congrarularionson a noblc cfforr. Roxanne hastily removed the forcign objects from her bosorn, ancl presentedthem to their embarrasse "I guessthe first thing you have to do is find a grapevine,"she said, wanting to get au,ayfrom rhis rxldball, bu1nor wishing to offend him. "Excuse mc, I've got to go passout theseclrinks." "l'll go get one righr norv,if you'll rvair,"hc said. "Sincc I live herc,I don't gucssI'll bc going an).where,"she said. .'l'm "Hot diggc'tyclog!" he saicl,rocking unsteadilyto his feer. gone!" Hc pausc'tlat rhc door and calleclback, "Say! Where do you find grapevines, an1'uaY?" "Try looking up a tree," she suggcstetl. "Right! Back in ajiff," he said,reeling slightly ashc disappearedrhrough thc f ront cloor. "Boy, thcsercity guys surc ar.trpcc,culiar," she said under her breath bcforc clismissinghim from her mincl. **rt** '"Sargc,, I think we got a problem,"patrolman Norby Finchsaid. "That's why thcy pay us thc big moncy, Finch. If rhcrc wercn'l any proltlcms,r,e coulclall go homc, u'hich is cxar:tlyu'hat I'm going to dci in lhirtccn morc minutcs.Now, u'hat makes this protrlemanything spccial?" Scrgcant Gunther "Gunboat" Wiggins maderthcse rcmarks in a tirccl rll'-)ncrtonc.\4/ith tu,cnty-ninc 1'L-21.ancl tcn ntOnthson the force, rctircmcnI $'asj ust aroundthc corncr, anclh c u,asprctt.v conf idcnt hc haclsccn just about cvul' kinclof problcm that could arisc. "Yriu knou,that pccping tom $'c pickcd up hangingoff a lirnb oursiclc thc ntayor'.sbctlrucyn u,intlou.?" '.lohn "'r'ou rncan thc Srnith' that r:lairncxlhe *'a^sjust looking fcir a graPcvincfrtr a girl todo a trick on, and thal it *.1il;a mattcrof lifc anilclcath?" "That'.sthc t,rnc." "l told you ro put him in rhc binlcagrr,anil if hc startc(lchirl)ing, call the ccxrkicu,agon," Scrgciint Wiggins said. "l rlicl,Sargte." Finch said. "Sti. what's thc big dcal'?"Wiggins aske.tl. '.lohn "l alsochcc:kcd his 1.D.,antl vou'll ncvcrgucss who Srnirh'tumerl out to be." "Wcll, arcyou going to tcll nie,or cloI havc to chcck it out mysclf? I cut h;rrdlyrvait to hcar," thc scrgcantsairl drily. "[{c's Sonny Dor{." Finchsaid. 98 CarrollGambrell A suddenweight made up of equal parts of gloom, despair and misery, tempered with a sudden shot of panic, descended upon the head of the gocrri sergeant;it then flowed immediately to his stomach. "You mean . . . " "That's right, Sarge.Son, heir, and apple of Alclerman Dor{'s eye. The Aldetman just called threateningto sue everyboclyin sight, and fir-ethc rest of us, if we don't spring his baby boy right au'ay." 'til "And only thirty-six days pension," Wiggins rrioaned.He u,asparcnr- ly aware that Alderman Dorf was a power{ul ligure in City govc,:nmc.nr,u.ith more connectionsthat a six-mile freight train.Among his many officcs $,as that of Chairman of the Police Oversight Committee, u'hich hacla grcar cleral to say about hiring, firing, pensionsand investigations. "Why me, Lorul?"he asked,casting his eyesHeavenward; but thc crackccl ceiling of the station house gave no answer, and offered little in thc way of slrnpathy. "I rrckon you shouldn't have tapped Sonny on rhe head quitc so harcl, -fhc Sarge," Finch said, intcncling to offer u,hat solace he could. r-cmark, however well-meant, afforcledSergeant Wiggins scant comforl. "Thanks a lot, Finch," said thc veteran, raising his head and cocking a jaundiced eye toward his informant, while stifling thc ancient urgc to shoor the messenger. rt*+** For many rcasons,customers, clienls and patronsof the Whitc Peacock preferred to settle the tab in cash. Bertha Vanderu'or1 ccftainly had no objections. She loved the fcel and smell of cash, which u'as ri,hy shc rvas alertedimmediately when a couple of the bills didn't measurcup to the usual standardsas she counted the night's receipts.They didn't look quirc right, either. "This will neverdo," shesaicl to hcrsclf."No, this simply w ill ncvcr clo." But she had no idea which of hcr gucstshacl stuck hcr wirh thc phony bills. They all paictin cash.Removing the tu'o countcrfcitlens frorl rhc rcst of the stack,she slippcd them into the strongboxancl lockccl it in thc slfc. There were tfi) many well known pcropleat last night'.sfcstivitic.s ro risk making any false accusations.Shc would biclchcr time iurclkccp rluict until shekncw more thanshe tlicl at prcscnt.In thc mcantimc,shc w,ouldkccp hcr eYesoDen. ***** SugarValley Saga 99 Darlene wa-stired and a little puzzled as she preparedfol bed that night. No ferv'er than seven guasts had asked her to do tricks, ancl all seemed disappointedu'hen she told them she was just too busy and didn't have time. A couple of thcm got clownright insistent until Mrs. Vandenvort herself intervene}(i. City life and city folks had some mighty strangeways. Shesupposed she u'oulcl get used to it in time. Meanu'hile, she u.as an-riousto find Charlene and gct back to the Valley. Mecting up u'ith Floyd and Elu'ood was a stroke of fonune. If Charlcnc wa-sstill in Vulcan City, she felt with their help she coulcl find her. She likecl Penny, and Floyd u.a^sbeginning to grow on her in u.ays she hadn't anticipatetl. She flickcd out thc light and was aslecpthe moment her heaclhit the pillorv.Hcrs was the slcc'pof the truly innocent,which washighly unusualin that oarticulardomiciL:. 11 OperationYagabond f) I ollrlclANs LIVE By rI{E VOT'E anriclic by rhevorc. Thc rxrric,vl'or somcis if you can't*'in thcm,buy thcm; if r.oucan't brrl'thcrn, ,ic.r th",.,,; anclif you can't stcalthcm, manufacturc 'fhcv lhcrn. bciicvr_,thlrl.if _r.ou rcr caught the conscquencesarc mininlrl: v(r1 g,(tlo prison,|,.t,t r.cl.6111rrl iilti u'ritc books.It's thc AmericanWal,. Altlc:nnan Dorf, sca.redvcturu thlrtht irlrsof rnlrnr,.cuarll.i{rr, *.lrs facing a tough clcction-an eicr:tionhc nrighrrose in sPirt',,t' ir.,i,,gr," m ight rcasonably ",.:q cxllcctto tlo. Thc stirringlso[ a grirssrootsre l9r'1r 11.r'e rrrt,rrr wcrc unmi.st.akablc.iinrl u.crc bccorning trru.,, ,,r,1 nror.c lourlly v6c1l. .,l.lrr.* lhe Ra.scalsout!" rr,as thc u,atchu.oxlol'rhc rt,forrnmovcrncnl t,nrrrrxiietl iri thc Clcan Governrncntpar1y. Dclrl-couldfecl a chilr in his poriticlr rronc.s,arrcfirc c,L.rrtr .\clr,\c l] cl1rirr,.r,. in thc pclliticral air. His supporlrvir.s rapi NI .ro a r.rr.: Z 'r n rrt. n.,t Fortrrncs'Iold Adr,isor, I lcalcr, Futrlrtr Rcvcalcd "'l-hul's it!" Dorl Lhor.rght,cxc:itctllv, "Gvpsicsl (iypsics tlon'l vore, llrel stcul <'r'ernont'krrou'stlrlt. I'll Lrlarnclhcm for all thccrinrc, rrnti nril lhenr out oi to,uVnlN0 onc \\,illprotc.st, and I'llc\,('n grt cro.s.soVcrYotcs: Thal'll I)ul an cnrl to thc Clcan (lovcrlntcnt nonscnscanrl their .striology-tt,uching busvbcrlv." Wh utt'vcrclsc onc nright s;ryabout A lrlcrrnan .ltrliu.s Cacsar f)orf , no onc could accuschini of inuctivityrvhcn a votc \\,a.sto bc'u,on.I-css than trvcnty nrinutcsaitcr thc:rcvclation had hit hirn, hc u.ason thc phonc to thc policc Cornlrissioncrplottingaction on thr:"Gvpsy Situation." It hadn'ttakcn much to gcl his attcntion.Thc Comrnishhad his own politicalproblcms anrl thought it a thurnpinggood iclca. It u,asan old 1xiliticitla(lagc provcn alrnostinfallible: Whcn trer.clancl cornercrl,tlrapc yoursclf in 1'ournation's Ilag, ancl blarne thc counlrJ's \\,oes 102 CarrollGambrell on someoneelse. This scheme had proven it-s*.orth from the days of N{arc Anthony. Since this particular plan dicin't blame the opposition for the rror-rblcs, they wouldn't have a chanceto cleny,answer, or claim cl'edit.Ali thev coulcl do u,ould be to say, "Me, too." It u.a^sclever; it u'asdiabolical. It ria.spurcr Dorfmanship.The suffcrersu'oulcl be a fcu,swanhy violin playcrsancl sornc for'1unetellcm, but mostly theopposition. Be.st of all, ir rvasstrictll, in thc bcsr Arnericantradition, acconling to Dorf. Acloscddoorstratcgyconference\\'ashclciinvrrlvinghigh lcvcl ol'l'icials whosefate lay in thehandsof thc votcrs,and also-cluitc naturallv thc Chicrf of Police andhis lieutcnantsand staff. Orclcruwere cut covcring evcry conlingcncy, including, prcss con fclcnccs that would clistributccrcclit to tho.servho stoodmost in nccd. Eren joinr in the Long Arm of the Larv, and cvcr-v knuckle in its hand, \\,crc l.o l)r ccrrrclinateclin onc vast swccp. Hclicoplcrs anclthc Rior Stlulcl ricrc not omittc{l, nor \\.crc thc mounl.exlpolicc and thc crou.clconlrol .sc(.lions.This rr,a-sserious busincss that requiredmaximum exlx)sure. Rccognizingthat a gypsyncvcr stole ntorc than hc could run rvilh,sltcrcrl u,asessential in prcventingthe cscapcof the rluany, u,ho might othcr\\'isc vanish in a scconcl.To prcventlcakage of infonnation,all nrcrnlrcrsof thc Planning Confcrencc wcre swom to sccrccy-ils was dulv r-cllortcrlon lirc ChannelSix EveningNews. Howcvcr,thc *.orl "gypsy" wa.snot uscrlin tht rcport,only thc lcrm "crirninalclcmcnt" n,a.sspokcn. As a result,it failcd to alcrtthe gypsies, u'ho diclnot consitlcrrhcrrrsclvcs parl of the "criminal clcmcnt" anyway,whilc thc rcalcrinrinitls tlrcu, corn[orl frorn thc knorvlcdgcthat thc)'*,erc unrlcrthc acgisof, anrl in sornct:l.scs in lcagucrvith, thc politiciansu'ho wcrc instigalingthc oprlrrion. II'iirrlthing was in thc u'ind t.hataffcctcd thcrn, thc1,u,orrltl havc hcltrrlfronr.sevcral diffcrcnt.sourccs.Nonc hacl rcporlc(1.'I'hu..;it rias that its thc J)c()J)lcol .lohnsto\\,nslcpt on that fatcful "rlay oi thc ilocxl," so to spt'uk,rhc i5 psr populalionslcpt as u'cll, blissfull),unit\\'ilrcthat thc florirl *urers rrcrt, I,athcringtn s\\.ccpthcrn au'av. Woc tx' unt()thc t) p.s)- or hc \\ h()rnilr.ltt llc mistakcnfor a ;1ypsyrtr ltc in clo.scproxirnit,\' to onc-\\,hcn lhc net \\'ascu.\1. EithcrMatlalrtc Zlrclda's lcil lcavcshittl forsakcn hcr in l cnrcirrlrrronrt.nl, or' shchad fclt no nccdto consultthcm. Floyclanrl Els'cxrcl rr,erc in to\\,nthc rlavof thc 13ig'.Suc'ep, lurtl littlrr,:r.ctl to thc sircnsand clamor,drcu,nigh to ol)scrvc.Alas, thcy (lrc\\'toonilih urr Whcn the padclyu'agons unloadecl their catch at thePolicc Station Floycl and Elu'ood,along u'ith NllaclarneZarelcla, hcr crstu'hileclicnt anclhcr small band,u'crc shovcd into a largc,noisy holding ccll, rr'hichu'as alre ad1' cro* tlctl t'ith a ctxrplcclozcn othcr offcndcn. Opration Vagaboncl,as thc vcnturchacl bccn narnctl,had alrcadybccn dubbed, "Operation Bag-a-Bum" by a u'ag in thc Editorial Room of thc [')venin.eChronicle. Floycland Elu,oodrvcrc making thc bestof thc situationtrying to figure out not only how they had gottcn into this ntcssin the first placc,but also, hou, thcy wcr-cgoing to gct out. Madamc Zarcidatold them, "Oh, not to \\'or'ry. I u'ccl tell thccm you are'not G)?sy. Thcy u.cel lat you go." "You think that u'ill u'ork?" Elwoocl a-skcdcloubtfully. "Ecf not, you can call your gooclfrecncl, Dr. Bunoughs, u'ho rvill vouch for you," shesaid. "Dr. Burroughs!"Elrvoocl cxclaimed. "Hon'did you know-" "Ect ccsmy bcesincssto know," MadameZ saidmystcriously. "Bcsiclcs, 'Propcnl' you arcwcaring grccn scrutr shirt thatsays, of DiabctcsClceneek'. You must knorv zcc gocxl Dr. B." "Cnn 1,11urcally rcad palms and tcll thc l'uturc?"Floyd asked."Dunrb Leadingthem tn a tabienear the ccnterof the cagc,shc shotrccra\r,a' a teen-agedglpsy Trpl: 9f bo1's,ancl baclc Flo,vci ancl Elwoocl ro sir. l.aking Floyd's hanclfirst, shestrokeci the palrnancl examinctl the linc.sanrl crcvicc,s at length.Noting thc splinrersfrom thc lacl Taking advantageof the small crowd of non-glpsies who had drawn near during the reading, Madame Zarelda quickly set up shop and rvas soon doing a br-iskbusiness. A shon while later she took a break and, jingling a heary bag of coins, said to Elwood, "Have done more businesstoday than all last u'eek." As a noisy crowd was usheredinto the station,she commented, "Ahhh. More customers."Apparently, Operation Vagabond was still in progress. 'til "Wait Congersman Reuben C. Finchert hears about this!" a voice yelled. "I didn't know Hicks was a gy?sy," Floyd said. "I didn't know rr,e\\'ere, either, until they put us in the pokey," Elwood saicl. Spotting Floycland Elwooclshortly alter being thmst inro lhe cage.Hicks smileclbroadly through a somewhatthick alcoholic haze and made a beelinc to'*'ard them. "Don't worry. bovs," hc saicl,"Olcl Rubeis in to*'n, an' assoon as I ciur get wonl to him, hc'll come8et us out..lus'you wait. You clon'thave no mort of that pantherjuice on you, do you? Boy, that was good sruff. I surc coulcl usca littlenip rightnou,. It's my stomach,you know. Acts up badsomctimes." "Nope, clon'thave any on us," Floyd said. "Too bad," I{icks saicl,clisappointed. Thc haul that hari nettcd Hicks in his favorite haturt u'as the last of thc Vagabond raids. Chicf Dillard, Alderman Dorf, and various other interesrexl officials anxiots to inspect thr: latcst in the War on Crime in thc City, and if possiblc,rcap the publicity ccnain to accruc,entcrcd thc Stationu'ith quitc a bit of fanfare close on thc heels of thc final haul. "Look, Elwood,thcrc's Mr. Bluc," Floyd said,pointing tou,ard the chief . *'ho u'a^sstaring at thern in honor. The last thing hc u'anrcd was ro bc, rccognizeclin front of TV camerasby ernployc.csof thc White Peacockwho had beencaught in a rouncl-upof criminals. "And thereis Mr. Redd," Floyd indicatccla distinguishedgentlcn'ran hc recognizcclfrom thc party of a few evcnings back. He, too, was blinking in astonishmcntand trying to avoid recognition. "That ain't no such of a thing Mr. Rcrld," Hicks infonncxlthcm. "It's RcubcnC. Finchcrtof the Congcn of thc Ycw Nincty Statcs." Aldcnnan J. C. Dorf, whcrscbrainchild thc infarnousraids haclbccn" failctl to gct rccognitionfrom any of the threc inmatts; hou,cvcr,his cycs bulgcclin disbclicvinghon'or upon mcr:ting those of the unfortunarclr-rmp of jelly coweringin thcrrcarof theccll bcncatha rcd u,ig and falscniusrache' half of ,*'hichhatl drcppcclofl'. Thc Altlerrnan,tor'n bct\\,cl:n honticiclc antl 106 CarrollGambrell suicide, opted for immediate retreatinstead, offering no solacervhatscx:vcr to the erstwhile object of his filial affection. Shortly after thesepuzzling episodesthe jail rvarder,goocl Officcr Liam O'Doul, came to the cell and called the namqsof Bates and Larkin, 1owhich at leastnine of their cellmatesresoonded. "Chief wants to seeyou," he iaid when he had finally cstablishcclproper identities. During the confusion that occured a-sthe real Bates and Larkin were being sorted out from the impostors, the warder's keys disappeared, causing no little concern to the jailer. "All right, Mischa, let's have them," MaclameZareldasaid. A ),oung la(l of no more than nine yean shuffled fonvard with heradbent, and from thc folds of his baggy trousersproduced thc keys. "And the wallet." she demanded. "Criminy!" saidthe jailer. "And the watch," she said firmly. The jailer gaspedancl starcd as thc watch camc forrh. "The rings." she insistedncxt. "Oh, Ma," the child wailed in protest as thc gocxi Officcr O'Doul examined his empty fingcrs u'here the rings haclbecn onlv morncnls bcfore. The child gaveup the rings. Madame Zarelda held out her hand expectantlyancl saicl, "Nou, thc gokl pen and pencil." "Ye littlethicf ! I oughtarun you in, tyke thoughyc bc," O'Doul glowered as his goods wcre rcstoredto him. 'run "Anclwhere areyou goeengto him in' to, Offisair?" Maclarncaskcrl pointedly. "The electre'ekchair, pcrhaps?" Officer O'Doul snoflcdto hidehis embarassment."lf u'c rlirl,hc ivould probablysteal the fuscs.Hc ought to be homc with his milhc:r,"hc saitl. 'mither' "I am hees anclhe ecs wccth me," Madamc Zarekla said. "Ancl we would like very much to go home now, if you plcasc." "I would like that very much, too, Matlame,"he said fctvently, "but in the meantime, I've got to deliver thesetwo genls to the chief ." "Theenyou had besthave these, also," she said, hancling him his badgc and a St. Christopher'smedallion. "Begorrah," he said softly. O'Doul rcaohcclinside his panrs ancl l'clt around. "Meesing anFhecng eemportant?"Maclame inquircd sarca.sticall\,. "Justbeing on thesafe sicle, Madamc. At lcastI'vc slill got rncunclcrrvcar, and----er,everything clse that counts,"O'Doul saiclwith obvious rclicf. SugarValley Saga 107 "Ma1,bcso," thc chilclbreathed to himsclf, "but I stili got )'ouf u'histlc." Hc f ingert:clthe silvery treasurethat hadonce becnsecurcly attaclit:(i to Off icer O'Doul's uniform. ***{.,fi "My namt: isn't rcally Mr. Blue," a shc'epishChicf Dillard cxplaineci' aftcr offcring Floyci anclElu'rx,cl cigam' t'hich thel' acceptctl along rvith a lighr. Hc motionedthcm to a scatin the plush lcathcrchaim that gracedhis officc. "You sec, that's just a cotlc namc' hch hch. A.s('c'rclcocie namc)' Unclcnitand'1" "We il, not cxactly." Elu'ootlr;aid, looking at Floycl. "Mc, eithcr,"Flovd said. "Wcll, lct mc put it anothcrrvey," thc chicf said."lt u'orrldbc a bad thing to lct an"v-oncknolv yorr sa\\, mc at the whitc Pcacock thc rtthcr night. No$. dtr ),ou undcrsland?" Thc bo1'scontinucd to look blank. "Look Pcrspirationu'a.s bcginning to bcad on Dillard's high foreheacl. boys, rhat thing u'iLhthe olive and being clrunkand all u'a.sjust part of thc planso thcy lr'ouldn'tknou'I'm rcallythc Chicfof Police." A glimnrcr of undctstandingbcgan to da\\'nof thc countcnanccsof thc t\\,o\roun8 men hc facccl."You mean it's likc spics?"Flol'd askcd. "Ycs, yeslThat's it!" thc chicfsaid, scizing thc opporlunitr'. "Yclu mcitnyou'rc spvingon cncnlv agcnt.sat N4rs.Vanrlcrl orl's Boarti ing Housc'?" "Yorr rnight sav I u'asthcrc tloing, cr, uh, untlcrcovcru ork," Dillarclsaici truthf tr llr.'. "Won," thc lxl's brcttthctl,irnllressctl. Flovd rcfrainctlfrotll Illcntioning tlrr spv ',r'orkhc hatl cloncfrorr thc latltlcr. "Which one oI tltcrnrich wtttlrcnis it']" El*'ooclaskctl. "Ibet it's thc onc thcv call Nata.sha,"Flol'd gucssctl, "shc looks likc a Rooshin.r\nd I knou shc ain't onc of Mrs. Vandcrl'or1's "Shhh. Not so loud," the chief said. "We clon't'*'ant anyonero knor.r,u,e suspectthem." "Right," Floyd whispered,and Elwood lou,c'rcdhis voice. "Man! Right acrossthe streetl" "That's right," saidDillard, "and I want you bovsro hclp mc." "Help you?" Elwood asked. "How?" Floyd breathed. "I'm making you boys Special UnclercovcrDe'tcctivc agcnr.s for Opcrra tion Boarding House Reach,we call ir," the chicf saiclin a conspiraiorial manner. "l want you to kecp an eyc out over therc anr.lr-cpor1 anvthing suspicious." "Do we ge1to wear baclges?"Floyd askecl. "Well-" Chicf Dillard bcg;ur. "Of coumenot, Flo),d,"El*'oocl interruptcd thc chicf. "D9 r,,.rurhink hc wants us to advcr-tiscthat \\'c arc Sccrct Agcnts? What thcy do i.s$,ritc your niime clor"'nancl givc you a numbcr. Right, Chicf?" Dillarrl gavc a sigh of relicf and r-e.spondcil,"'fhar's absolurclvrighr." "What aboutDarlcnc?" Floyd asked. "Darlcnc?" .,Scc, "Ycah. She u,orkswith u.s,"Elu,oocl said. shc's frorn thc Vallcr,. too, anclu'c'r-e trying to finci hcr sistcr, charlene, u-ho ran ofl' rvith rr rlutlr namcd Burlon to Odessa,Tcxas; only this is asfar asthey got, \\,ethink, ancl hc pa.sseclsome phony money to Chico and a bus clriver." "Charlcne and Darlenc? Budon, oclessaancl phonv r'orrcv'l Chic:' i1 and-" u'as coming 1txrfast to (iigc).st,but thc chief clcciclciilit u,,rultlbc lusr ']" asu'cll if hc p|ctcndecl to unclcmtancl,so henorklcd. " ycs, [ .st.e: rrn,.l Darle rie "Shc'.sthe cook ar rhc BoardingHousc,'' Elq.oocl cxplaincrl. "You saw her thc othernig,ht. You e'cn rricrlto gct hc. t. d. a trick, but .shecan't rlo any-rxccpt swing acro.ssthc crcck on a grapcvinc,*,hich ain't toti bacl.Nonc of thc othcr girls in thc Vallcy ciin cloit," Floyclsrirl pror-rcll1,. "Grapcvine? Is that wherc that carnc from?" Diil.rtl rnuscrr.Thtrr hc shucldetcdas Sonny'sproblcln carnc into bcttcrfmus. "You rncanshc isn't a-,<'r, uh, onc of Mn. Vanclcr*,ort.s.tlur-rghtcrs',1" .,Do "No sir',shc's the ccxrk,"Floycl saicl. you \\:antto $.or.k,n([.r.c()\,rr rvith hcr''1" ',Er, "lnclubitably,"thc chicf said. that is, yc.s." "Justgive us thc nurnbcn,thcn," Elwocxl .said, "unrl uc'll rcll L)rrrient, all alxtutit rvhcnrvc gct back." SugarValley Saga 109 "Nurnbers . . ." Dillard wa^svisualizing the image of Darlene'slovely lcgs in that skimpy maicl'scostume. "Okay, herethey are: Darleneis C-38; you, Floycl, areW-'2A: and Elwood is Ftr-36.Got that? 38-24-36." "Aren't you going to write it dou,n, Chief?" Floyci askcd. "I assurcyou. I u,ill remember it forever," said the chicf . The boys uere given cigars "for the road" and sent on thcir way. The chicf brcathcd a deep sigh of relief anclpoured himself a gcncrous dollop of Tcnncsscc:Sour Mash. He was pleaseclwith that piece of u'ork. Sworn to sccrccy, thc boys would never te'll; and there is no quieter place in the u'orld than a moftuary. Kccping tabs on stiffs in that funeral parlor ought to keep thcm too occupicd to gct into any other mischief, His secretwas safe. He might not havc felt so confidcnt haclhe knou.n what rvasgoing on in thal gloomy sanctu?lry. ***** "Hcy, Elu'txrtl,hou'much cloyou rcckonthcy Paysecrct agcnt.s?" Flo--vd a.skcd. "l'rn not sure." E,luooilsaicl. "l gucssthat's a secrct,too." Thc lobby of thc Stationu,as cluict rvhen thcl,passcd through, Rculrcn C. Finchcrthad hatl a bclatcdchangc of hcartand sc.curecl the rclcascof Unclc liizz rvhcnhi.s prcs.s agcnt rcmindccl hirn it rvouldbe gcnd politicsto bc sccn lusa "fricnd of thc poor." Unclc Fizzhad not txcn clatcdat thc dclay,anci x'as still fizzing u,hcnhc u'asrclcasccl to an unclcrlingfronr thc officc of Reubcn C. Finchul of thc Congclsof thc Ycrv Ninct,vStatcs. Thc American Undcr-c:mploycdLau,yers Union had seizcclthc oppor tunity to lakc up thc causcof thegypsics, u'ho wcrc now safclyback in camp cclcbratingu'ith a largc contingcnto[ thc pre,.s.sancl the Clean Govelnmcnt party. Mischa s'as shou'ingSonny Dorf his ncw whistle.Sonny *'a.strying to clccideu'hethcr to join the gypsiesor thc ClcanGovcrnmcnt party. Whcn thc Partyoffcrcd hirn its nominationancl full backingfor mayor, hc acc--cptcd. Crctlit for inspiringthc raicl,u'hich ncttecino criminals,but roun(lcclup tri,cnlv-four g1'psicsancl sixty nine assoflctldrunks, bums, anclothcr vagrants (ntit countingour lricnds fn:rmthc Valley), \\'cnt to the Clcan Govct'ntncnt purtl' for having cxcrlccl"unrclcnting pl'essurcfor aclion." Blarne u'cnt to l-hc Porvcrsthat Bc for havingmisscd the "realcriminals u'ho hauntour socicty." Sonny was rapidll,becoming thc darlingof the CleanGovcrnmcnt party. Aldcrr-nan.lulius Cacsar Dorf wa.sunavailablc for comtncnl. 12 OperationBoardirg House Reach Y-\ -F On THE NEXTscveral day.sSccrcr Agcnr.s C-J8, W 2J arrtlH -i{rkepr closctabs on activiticsacross thc strcctat thc Hcavcnl,r'Rc.st Funcral parlor. Thcredicl sccm to bc morc activitythan onc u oulclsusPccr arountl li lrorluilr\;, but nonc of thc kincl that would ordinarily arrusersuspicitxr.-Iherc ucrc funcrals,of coumc,lr.ith lots of cars an "Let's try to get thetag numbernext time he tunrsin," Darlenesuggested. "He generally comes about the same time every night." "We'11need some spy glasses,"Floyd said. "Nfts. Vandern'orl keepssome little bitty onesin that table drau'el in the hall. I can slip them into my 1rccketwhen I dust that table,and no one will erverknorv u,e've borrou,edthem," Darlcne said. Thal evening,in thebest sccret agcnt tradition, C-38 andW-2 hid in the shrubberyin front of the White Peacock,arned u'ith Mrs. Vanderuoft's opera gla.sses.H-36 q,as on iluty at the hospital iurd had to miss this part of thc opcration. Pcering at the foreboclingbrick pile that was the sprawling form of the Hcavcnlv Rcst. thercrva-s little activity to note.Dim lights on the ground floor, diffused and yellowerl by lace curtains, mingled with the wa-shecl-outblues cast by the ftickcring ncon of the sign out front and failed to disperse the gloom. Anothcr light came from a shaciccl,sercond-floor windou' at the rear of thc housc.Thc rcst of thersc'cond floor wa-sclark, but a bright light se:cpctl through a crack in the shuttereclfront winctou'sof thc garrct. "What cio you supposcgoes on in thc attic of a funeral homc at night'?" Floycl asked. "Why don't you clirnb up that lree and find out?" Darlene suggested. "['m not thatcurious right now," Floyd said. Darlcnelookcri at her watch."Hc'll bc hcre in about1en minutcs," shc saidto hcr shivcringancl somewhat doubtful companion. "Wc bcttcrgct rcady." "l hopc hc's carly. I'rn gettin'coltl," Darlcnesaid, huddling closcr to Floyd. Thctrc'wa.sa moment of silcnce,thc'n Darlcne voiced a thought that hacl bccn foremost in hcr rnincl .sincethey had met thcrtl at the While Pelrcock. "Floyd, do you think wcr'llcver find Charlene?" "l guessshe'll comc back when shegcts tired of Tcxas," Flovd said. "l don't thinkshc's in Tcxas,"Darlene said. "But that'su,hcr-c Budon said-" "l don't carc u'hatthat lou.se-ridclcnvannint.said. lf thcy wcrc going tcr 'Icxas. u,hy did thcy stcp off in Vulcan Citr,-itncl why this ncighbolhor-xl? Why "I don't know, Floyd. I just knou' if she q'as free to come anclgo, u,e would have seenher. Think aboutit. Do you really betieve Charlenecoulcl be in this town and we nol hear of it, if she coulclcome and go as she plea^sccl?" Floyd had to admit that whatever else Charlenemight be, she definitell. was not a low profile type. Just standing in one spot she could attracl morc attention than a four-alarm firc in a skyrocket factory. Hc lookeclat Darlcne and saw large tears reflectcd in her eyes from the street lights and thc clirn lights acrossthe street.She pressedher head againsthis chqst and hc hcki hcr close. She made no noise; he held her withour speaking. A car tuming the comer a couple of blocks au'av intcmrpted the thoughts racing through his mind, and brought them back to rhe busincssat hand. "Here he comes,"she said. "I know thesouncl of thal cngine.Gcr reacly'." Sheheld the operaglasses in readiness,*,hile Floyd, poiscclu'irh parl ancl pencil, got reaclyto u'rite as she called out numbcrs.Thc car tumcc.lsrnoothl\/ into the drive. 'M, M, M clashone." shesaid. "M, M, M dashone," Floyd echocxl."What else?" "Nothing-that's it." The brake lights flashed as thc car swung inro thc garagc, anclthe cloor staded down beforc the car had come to a full stop. It was f ully closctl bcl'orr. the ciriver steppeclout. "l wish we could seewho wa-sclriving," Floyd said. "We coulclwait until he leaves,"Darlcnc saicl, "but I tloubtu e coulrlsce him then. It's too dark to seeinto the car." "I'll call the chief in the morning and get hirn to tracc rhis nurnbcrfor us," Floyd said. "Let's go in; it's frcezing." "I'll make us some hot cocoa," Darlene saicl,sclucrczing his hancl. "That'll bejust the ticket," he said as he helpcd her to hcr fcct. "l guess we've done about all we can do tonight." "Not quite," shesaid, turning her face up to his. Shekissccl hinr harcl,full and long, and he returnedit. Aftcr a lingering moment, she stcppcclback, "Thanks," she said softly. "Oh, any time," he said calmly, althoughhis hcariwas spinning."An1, time." 't**** The man who steppedout of thc cilr \\'a.sgrirn facetl,unsniiling and humorless.He ran briskly up the staim insidc thc garag.cancl rlisapg:lrrccl SugarValiey Saga 113 through a door-n'ayat the top of the stepsas if on an urgent mission. To him, anything that involved money was an urgent mission-and this involved money. Ultimately, eveq'thing he did involved either money or po\\,er, or both" A small elevator delivereri him smoothly to the top floor. He stepped acrossthe hall and through a door into a lighted office. Three men awaited hirri therc, antl stood when he cnteredthc room. He motioned them to sit ancl took a seatbchind the desk.The men sat silcntly and waited while he rcad the repoft on the dqsk. Placing it down aJterhe had scannedit, making note of its contcnts,he spoke. "This looks good.The pressis runningfine. The platesare pcr{ect. What'sthe problem?" "Thc ciamc\r,anls morc moncy," said the swanhy,bald man with a mustache. "Hou'much?" "She didn't,say," the balclman ansu,ered."Told Angel shewanted to sce you." "Anything elsc?" "She left this.Show him. Angel," the bald man directed. A caclavcrousform in a dark suit rose and handed the man behind the dcsk a manilaenvclope. "You know what's in herc,Angc'l?" asked thc man bchindthc clcsk. "l didn't opcn it, but my gucssis it's troublc,"Angel rcplied. Thc rnanbchind thc clcskslit thc cnvclopeopen with a lcttcropcncr, ancl rcrnovcclits contcnts,r",hich rvcre half a dozenglossy eight-by-tcns wilh a nt.)leaila(:hc(l. It le a(i: 'l'lutu.ght.tou might likc to sc't'thcsc.T'herc are l.tlent_)'more wht'rt' lltcst'camc fntnr. Sntile,.vou'rc tn Cantlid Camcru. C "A rcalcomedienne," hc saicl;but hc dicln'tsmile. In sontcof thepictures, hc r.r'a-sshou.n looking at platcs or a small printing prcss. Othcr shots u'ere closc-upsol platcs and prcss.Not ncctssarily the kind of proof a goocllau,ycr coul "No. no1yet," he replied."I u,anther to talk first. She's got somcbftl)' insiciehelping her, and I want to knou'u.ho it is; iind I rvantthe negativcs.She dicln'ttake those picturts herself . If sheu'on'1 talk senscto me. u'e'11lct Augic and Angel reasonu,ith hcr." The rat-facedman, who had spokennot a $,ortl.lookecl up at Angci; rhc -fhcrc corneni of his mouth turneclup sligJrtly. rl,asmcnace in his facc, but no mirrh. ***** "You're u'ho?"saicl thc voicc at thc othcrcn(lof thc linc, u,hichbclongcrl to PatrolmanNorby Finch. "SecrelAgent W-24," Floyd repcateil."l u,antro talk ro rhc chicf." "Hang on a minute,I'll gct thc scrgcant." "I don't \\'antthc sergcant,"FIoyd said, "l want thc chicf." But thc voicr.' \va.sgonc. Floyclove rhearul somc discussionat thc othcr cncl,but asthcr rcccivL'r \\'as beingmufflcd in Finch'shancl, hc could catchonly a u,ordor lwo cvcrv now an " Right," Floyd repliccl. "Wcll, I gucssif you'rc goin' to do undercoverrl'ork, thal's as good a placca.s ary," Wigginschuckled. "Tha1's pretty goocl' fella' At leastit's bctter 'Do thantht: olcl, you havc PrinceAlbe'n in a can?' routine.Don't botherus anymole,nou'. We'rc busy." Hc hung up. "Ncver rninclthc traccon that call, Finch," Wiggins said."lt *-a-sjust a jokcr." "l got it dn1,'s",.',Sargc; hclc it is," Finch said, handingthe scrllcanta slip ol.papr. Wiggins gliinced at thc picce of papcr antl said, "Wcll' I'll bc cllr- rlumbctl.Hc was at thc Whitc Pcacmk.Thc chief will gct a kick out r.rfthat 0l'1c." "l-ct.nrc gct this slrtright,Eirvocttl," Pcnny sllid. "Yotr sitl thechicl nratle You all.serrrctallcnts tr.l kccp an c1'con thc f]caYcnlt'RcstFuncral [lornc']" "Thlt's right," El',r'r-rcxlsaitl, "but hc didn't say cxaclly what was going ()n ov1.l.tirclc,just thlrt hc suspcctcdskulduggcry of sorncsort antl lhat \\'lls ri lrYhc sp('ntso trluchliinc ilt thc boar(l;ngliottsc." "Ellootl, rihat is thetturnc oi )'our'lloartlinghotrsc"l" Pcnrtlr n5lgi1. "-l-hc1cull it thc \\'hite Pcactrk,"Illlorxl sllitl."Seenrs likc lr strang.t' nanrctor lt itrtltrtlinl'.httttsc.'" "lt is,trclicvc tttt'," I'cttttt'slitl, tlrt'tltlLh l)!'girlllillS, l()(lll\\'rl ()ll llef "l*.'sihinkin'it*'a'slrccauscNlrsVancle*'r1 hatlr'ostl1'1lltltose 'ich \\()r)r(,lrtherc,anclthtt'tanlcclittosound.sortoircfincd like,tokcePoutthc rilf rafl'. Sornc ol thoscu t)nrcnarc hcr daughtcrs,you knorv.\\re tlccitlcclthcv nrusthc shou busincsspcttplc, bccausc thcv kcpt a.skin'Darle nc to clotr-icks." "l'nr srrrcit's sorncthinglikc that,"Pcnnv said. "l'll cxlllaini1 1o t'ott sorlrctimc,lrtrl it isn't irnpollantritht no$." "An1'ur1'.t.hc chicf saitlhc rvascloin' untlcrcovcr *'ork thcre'rrlrich is ri hrrlltc *'tt.stloitt' at thcJ)at1v," Elu otxl saitl. "Makcsscnst' , Pcnnvsitid tlrllr', "antlhc lct Youout of jail, gil\re)'otr il spccitrlussignr)t(,nt \\'atching a I'uncralhontc, ancl toltl 1'outo kctp tluieI atxrttl sccinghirn trtthc \\/ltitc Pcacu.k'1" "Yelh, hc sttitlil wttrd8()l ()tlt, it ilotritllllo$ hiscoYcr, llttcl hc *tlultl l^. in trrrultlc."[ll"itxrtl sltirl. "l'lrr srtrctltilt is tl.tlt',"Pcntry rctttarkctl. Altl hc'skccpinll Igtt 6ccttpietl q lrleit in r'. tictttl 1tt'o1tlc, so \,Ott\\'On't c:lttrsc him llnYlnc)fc l rotttrlc,shc t htltu'.h 1. 116 CanollGambrell "But when we found out about thc car and tried to reporl it to the chief , they told us he w'asn't there," Elwoocisaicl. "What car?" Penny asked. "The iittle red, sporls moclel that C-38-that's Darlernc,you knou'- noticeclcomin' and goin' in the middle of the night." "Little reclsports car?" Peruryrepeated, lifting her eyebrou,s. "Yeah. We got the license number, but we never havc bccn able to scc who's driving," Elwood said. "See,here it is. We want to ger that numbcr traced,but we haven't bc'enable to get a-holclof thc chief ." "[.et me seethat," Pennysaid, reaching for the slip of papcr."MNIM- I I Elwocxl, do you know u'hose car that is?" "No. That's what I've beentelling you. Wc can't gct ir tracccl,bccausc the chief is in Miami Beachat a chief's convt:ntion,iincl won't bc back until next wc\ck." "That's Dr. Money's car!" Pennycxclaimccl. "Dr. Money?" Elwood askccl."Arc you surc'?" "Yes, I've.seenit a hundretltimcs. It's probablyout thcrc in his plrrking spaceri;y'rtnow,ifyouu'anttocherk,"Pennysaid."rhattripleMishisinitials, and numbcrone is how he ratcshimself. I knclri.that's his car." "What's he cloin' at the HeavcnlvRcst every night?" Elu,ooclaskcd. "Probablychccking the btxrks,"shc said. "Why doesn'thc want to be secnthcrc?" "He tloesn'tlr ant anyoncto connccrthinr u ith a funeralhornc. It * oulci 'N,lorr, be bad for his practice.Wc'vc bccn calling him rire Nlorriciun' lirr' yean, bccauschis lackclf surgical skills is rnltchctlonlr,trl his ulrilit,i,ro ger rich paticnts.Nolr. it looks like morlician u ls a lrcttcrnlrrrc thiur* e ktrt'n. Hc just scnclshis blunclclsto thc HcavcnlvRcst, ancl collects 1'or.surgcr-r'lrntl 'Ialk thc funcral.What a rackct! abouthcdging )our bcl.s." "trsthat againstrhc law"l" Elu,oodaskrxl. "No, but it's definitcly a conflict of intcrrst.\:althourh N.4orrrroultln'r .'llc consiricranytlling that rnaclchirn moncv to trc a conflicl," pcnn1,suirl. hasa rrcll-clevclopccltcndency to bc kind to himsclf." "If it's not againstthc lau', why would thc chicf \\'antus to slrv on rht pllce?" Elu ood askutl. "Maybc hc can cxplainlhat bcttcrthan 1," pcnny saitl. ***** SugarValley Saga 117 Pcter Po.s"sum,a,k.a. Slick Rick, u.asn't playing possum '*'hen he heard the footfall on the staim nutsidethe garret room he occuiricrl in the Heavcnly Rcst, Hc' u.as napping, but he was a light sleeper---espccialiyu.hen he u.as q,orrictl, and he had becn u.on'ied latety. But that was one of thc problcms of running a "hazaldous opporlunity," u'hich u'irs u'hat hc prcfcrrecl tcrcall a cornrnon,orclina rv tloublc-cross.He hacldonc it before,antl had got away u'ith it: but this one rvasa bit morc hazarclous.The brain behind this opcrationknerv u hat it rvascloing. Thc operation was big, well organized, anclruthless. A lrcrccptivc British Prime Minister once said rvords to the effect that, "Nothing concentratcsthc minclso wonde,rfullyas the sight of the gallo*'s." Pctcr Possum'snrind was conccnlrated.He haclbecn living in thc shadou.of thc gallorvscver since hc had allowetl Carlottato talk him into joining hcr schcmcto blackmailthc boss. Allhe hadto clou,a-s takc picturcs ancl tum thefilm ovcr to hcr: shcu'oulcl clothc rcst.Although thcre u,asno rcasonto.suspert that his pan ha(l bccn dctcctccl,1'ou coulcl ncvcr be surc,ancl hc didn't trustdantcs. For u'hatcvcr rciLson,therc must have bcen somcthing al,xtutthc sound ol'thoscapproaching footsteps that alerteclhim. Pcrhapsit u'asbccartse thcrc rvasa pair of thcnr - Angel had gainedthe lori,erfloor and 11,n5lqgging it tou.ard rhe rcar.exit, but he rv'asa great deal lessthan an Olympic sprinter. Pctcr Possumhad maclc it to the ground and rvasflying don'n the alley to freedom.He probably u'outd havemade it had not a car turneclinto the allcyway anclblockcd his parh.It u'euBaldy returning from an era.nd. Car and quarry slid to a srop.Baldl sizcrl up the situationin an instant,and leapcdout of thc car,dlal.ing his l'capon. PetcrPossum froze for an instant.Hc stadcdback up thc allcr,,and frozc againwhcn he hcardAngcl slam the backdoor. In a flashhc junrpcl l'orrht' fcncethat dcfinedthc alley,and vaultcd ovcrjusl as Balcl1,loosccl a shorrhal caughthirn in thc left lcg, shattcringrhc shinb,tnc. l{c hir rhc gr.ountlhcar.ill on the otherside.and lookcclarouncl u,ildly, franticaill'sccking.srrrnc r.cl'ugc in rvhich to hiclc.Thcrc q,a.san olrl fifty-gallon rlrurn irr ihc rtcccls,anrl dragginghis ri'ounclcdicg. hc br-rrrou.cdinto it. A !'cn rninutcslllcr, trl'lt'rlrt had lostconsciousncss from blotidloss anrl shot:k , his ltursucrsli runtlh int irrrti maclcsurc thc carccr of Pctcr Possum,a.k.a. Slick Rick. hari lrt'cncnrlctl pcrmanentlv. "What arc u,c going to do u'ith him'1"Aultic askcrl. "Sincc hc was nicc cnough to ctra\\'lir)to that ltarrcl l'or us. sonlc l)t)rlr 'll concrctein it anclclrrp hirn in rhclakc," Biiltlv ordcrcd. "That's thc iirsrrie cvcrhcar of thatrat." "Dicl Carlottasu,v ri hv shc *,a.slea'ing, or Itorvlonll slt. rv.ulrl ltc 1,.onc, Valcric?" Mrs. Vanclcr*or1 askrtl. "Shc *,as in an a*ful big,hurr1, ntil',r)1. All shcs'itl *us thutsht.*,rrs lcavingfnr hcr hcalth,"Valcric.sairl. "Dirln't shc sa1'ri,hcrc shc u,a.sgoing.'?" "No, ma'am,"Valcric shook hcr hcati. Bcrthuthought of thc lxrgrusnronc' shc harlsl'crc1l_r' slrsll(.(l in Ir.r slri't,. "J-ror.rblc s ith thc policc,vou think'i"This ri ls rlirecrt'rlllt Nirlrsllil,rr srrllrr', tllrrkh:rirttl 1lirl. "ccrulrl Lrc,I supgrsc,"Nata.sha slirl in a rJistinctlyrrrirl qt'slgr-p uc6t'11. "BLrtnone of us kncrvanvthinl. ulrout i1, iI it ur..rt'." "Thank1'ou, gliris. That u'ill bc rrll," sirc nrxltlerr. l'hc r,.irlslrrnrt'tr rg rlrrrr, cxccl)tollc, a blcac:hcrlblr-rnrlc rlitlr a Callicbob, riho linrlr,rt'tllr nlonrr,rrl. "Ycs, Fli ltlcgarrl?"N.lrs. Vantleni o11 prorr plcrl. SugarValley Saga 119 "Wc wclc just wondering:since Callotta left all her clothes,could the r-cstof us clivide them?" Hildcgard askecl. "l think not yet," Bcnha decidcd."Carlotta may regainher healthand come back.We'll u'ait au'hilebeforc'u'e cio that." "Yes'm," Hildegarrlsaid, and left to join thc others. ***** Carlotta clicln't rreturn.Three clays after her disappearance,the police fishcd a bcxll' out of the City Rcscrvoir. It had a u'ound in onc leg, thretrlargc holc.sin thc torso, ancliinothcr trole in the hcad. It u'as ucrring cxpensivu Gucci shocs,sizcTi/z D, ancllittle else.It u.asn'rCarlotla. It rvasn'tcvcn a fcn-rale.Thc policc \\,crcn'tintcrcsteci in Carlotla.Thcv didn't cvcn know shc rvasmissing. Thc u,ctcn't scarchingfor this btxlv, citherl it.justI'loatcd in on thcnr,in a manncrof spcaking. ScrgcuntGunthcr "Gunboat" Wiggins u'asin chargcuntil thc hornicidc bors could takcovcr', rvliich ri ould bc q'cll bcforerhis RetircrncntDai'. "Takc hirn ovcr lo thc nrorguc,lxrvs," hc toid thc anrtrulanccclcu'. "Wc'll gct an autopsvlor thc crimc lab guys." "What clo you think he dicd of, Sargc?"Finch a.skcd.hcr hacl a dccitlcd ucak stornach,and haclavoiclcil looking too closclyat thc cor1.lse. "Hc Icakcrlto rlcath,Finch," the scrgcant said. "l,cakcd todcath'lRcrrlll'?" Finch a.skctl:hc hatlncvcrhcttrti of thlttlt.s tt carrsco[ tleuth. "Ycah.Nolxxll couldsu,inr rr'ith tliill r)ri)nv holcs in hirrr.Hc leirkctllikt' a sievc.N'lust havc sunk likc thcTitlnic." "l gucssthat's it, all right,"Fincfr suitl, still not cortvincctlhc hittltrccrt givcnlr strlight uns\\cr. "Whut'!l thc t)cpurlnrcnte()r)ri: to rihcn l'ttt gottc,"Wiggins rtlullt're(1. shuk ing. h is hcatl."-l-akc h inr uu ur,,lrovs," hc rnotionctl to thc urrtlrrrlrutcL' crL'\\ . *ho hatl fini.shedlcxrding thc Lxxly."Teil Dtr- I'll bc ovcr lltis al'tcr-rtootrttr rnakcout lnv rclx)naltcr hc finishcscutlin' him up. Tcll hirn nttt t()lhro\\' il\\'ilyan)'thin8 r'ital, hclt hch." "Yuck!" Finchsaitl, turning a lightshltlc of grccn. Thc arnbulanccpullcd a\\,u\';no ligthtsfllr.shing. lt r',a.sn't an enrcrllcnc\'. ***** 120 CarrollGambrell The car Wiggins drove to the norgue late that afternclonhacl sccn about as much service as haclthe sergeant.Like him, it was slateclfor tctircnicnt soon, and was only in serviceclue to a budgct glitch that u,oulcln'taliou replacementwhen it shoulclhave beenreplacexi. The paint job q,asf aclccl,and therewere multiplc scars,scratchcs ancl contusions on its buly, lt hatl onll one hubcap,anci thc tires w'ouldnevcr stanclanother high-spcrl cha.e- or evena lou'-speredcrha.se. for that matter.Wiggins ciicln'tcarc. It dirln't rnattcr now. Justa feu'more daysand he would be baskingin thc sun at Gulf Shores on the ReclneckRiviera. No cares,no Finch, no Dorfs, no rS*rf*tf That night, Carlotta'sroom was ransacked.Clothes were scattercd. The lining of her mink coat was ripped out, indicating that the intruder was probably male as no woman would ever desecratea mink coat. Nothing seemedto be missing. Bertha decidednot to burden the police with the problem right then. Locking the door to the room,she stowed the key in her amplebosom. 13 SpringtimeIn The Valley r-1 )ff OnfOpF RAISED UP anclsnapped atrhe flybuzzing arounclhis heacl. Missed. Snappd again. Missed. Waited patiently for the fly to retum. Snap! Got himl Yuckt He shook his head, making a canine version o'iptooiel and gazcd u'ith sleepyyello'rv eycs acrossthe Valley. His nose twitched taking in and sorting out the moist. rich sccnt of ncu.ly plowed lanclancl bunting buds bomc on the spring zcphyrs wafting through the brcezeway. Unintcrcsting. Snapping at flics rvasmore fun. Thcy tastcd bacl,but he couldn't rcsist cloing 'Ihcy it. tcascclhim into it Nothing to cat ncarat hand.Bcsidcs, hc wasfull. His headdrou,scd back on thc top .stcpof the cabin polch, anclhc stretcheclout. It u,as a good time to sfccp. Hc ',r,oulclf incl someth ing to invcstigatclat cr.Bzzzll. Anothcr f 1y.Hc'cl gct hirn. Snap!Missccl. Shortoffhad a way of coming andgoing to suit himsclf. Hc movcd morc ol lcssback and fonh bctr,r'ccnthc Wilkins' cabin at onc end of the Valley, andAunt Min's at the othcr,with appropriatestops in bctwccn.Somctimcs it took scvc,raldays to make thc'circuit.Hc sccmcdto have a sixth scnsethat told him rl,ho matlc gfavy that night, who Lrakcdbi.scuits, or rvhosefemalc huunrlwas corning in hcat. Hc usually shoq,cdup for cithcr occtrsionrvcll lhcad of thc pack.It rva.sn,hcn thc packwas on thc trail of garncthat Shorroff \\'il,saPt to rlrn a little bchincl. Aunt M in had thrcq.n opcn the winclorvs,ciustccl cvery stick of fumiture, lurncrl thc mattrc'sscsancl polishecl the big, carvcd walnut sicleboarclthat her grcat-grcal-granclparentshad haulcd up all the u'ay from Charleston.Ashes wclc canicd out and clumpcclin the lye bin Quilts, blanketsand down pillows 124 CarrollGambrell werehung on theline to air out anddrink in sunshine.The mountainside was u'hitewith dogwoodblossoms, and choruses of birdsongcascaded from bush andcove where males staked out territoriesand trilled for mates. Springhad come to theValley. ***** Davc Daggett looked at the lctter from Charlcnc and shook his heacl."l don't like it, Martha," he said."lt don't sounclonc bit likc Charlcnc,ancl it's the third onc we've gotten." "lt's in her hand,though, Dave," Marthasaicl, although .shc harl to agrcc it ciidn'tsouncl at all like hcr daughtcr.It was too stiff, too forrnal,and spokc of thingsnot likely to be of thc slightcstinterest to Charlcnc."Mavbc shc's finally got goodscnsc ancl cleciclecl to scttloclorvn," shc offcle Coq,sarc apt to 8ct out rnostan1'tirnc, but this i.scspcialll' truc i1 thc spring.Pcrhaps it is tluc to a primorclialurgc to migratc.Maybc thc grussis alrvaysgrccncr -u,hatcvcr thc rca.son,somc of DcaconWall.s' corr,s gol oLrt anclmigratecl up to Aunt Min's back ficld',i,hcrcthcy procccdctl1o ririrzt'on sorncof thc ncu,plants thc "pcrfc.sscrs"had sct out. Whcn Aunt Min spottcdthcm, they \\,crccavolling in a nro.stunbtivinclv rrallncr.Rccalling the strangc behavior of thc u,ild boar,rvhich had roorctlr,rp SugarValley Saga tlc some of the planls on his earlier raid, Aunt Min put two and two together and came up u'ith the logicat ansu'er. That u'as some slrange type of tobacco, ancl she rvasn't sure it really was tobacco at all. She decided that not enough checking had been done to find out about this project or the peopie who were running it. They clidn't appearto be professorsany more than the plants they wcre growing were tobacco Plants. She voiced her suspicionsto her sister after Prayer Meeting, and sug- gestetlthat perhaps thc Collegeshouid be contactedand askedsome questions. After all, no one had checked. They had simply taken Eli Watts' word for evcqvthing.That should have becn sufficient, but then you never know . . . .lunc agreecl,but thought they should get an opinion from the boys before going much further. After all, they coulcl be wrong, and they wcre Setting good rcnt for marginal lancl.unforrunately, ean othcr than her sister's hacl ovcrhcarclthcir conversation. As soon as she got home, Aunt Min sat clou'n and began a lcttcr to Eiwocxl: I.)erc Illtt,rnd, Yrtttr Aunt -luncand I tt'erctolkin,q tctnight abttl hov'nici: it u'ttod bt' Io .st't'.t'oLr.Sfutrttlf tt.'ushcrc.for a fcu' du-1'56r, musl hattegonc buk trt llt'd's. At thatlrcint, the pcn ranout o[ ink and,rathcr than look for thc ink bottle, Min clccidcdto go to bccland finish thc letterin the rnorning. Whcn Min carnc in from milking thc next morning about da1'ligfit' Shorroff l'a.s no*'hcre in sight. "Gonc back to Wilkinses," Min thought, htrnginghcr bonneton a pcg anclsctting thc full rr,ilkpail on the tablc.Maybt' shc hcarcla slight noisc,or maybeshc just fclt a prcscncc.Pc'rhap's shc rvas unconsciou.slya*'arc that hcr lettcr to El*'ood haclbeen movccl b1'solncone othcr than herself . A look of nervous conccrn shadowetlher face. Whcn she stadcclto turn, a hard,sineu.y hancl was clampedovcr her mouth stifling anl' noisc and ncarly shutting off hcr air. Hcr arrnswr: re pinncd to hcr sidcs bv a for-ccshc coulclnot resist.Therc \\'asa strange,su.crctish oclor, ancl thc worlcl clisapparccl. Shc ncrvcrsaw hcr assailant. *,t*** tzo CarrollGambrell Juneread the note Tommy Ledbetterhanded her. It waswritten on apiece of onionskinpaper, and in Min's hand,all right;but June was still perplexed. The note was brief: it read: Dere June. gone to see Elwood. Bak soon. Min It lvasn't the lack of a capital lctter at the beginning. Min u.as al*,a1,s indifferent about punctuation and spelling. I\4ostly,ir *,as becauseMin had left without telling her orwr sistcr.That was definitely not like Min. Srill , rhcre it was in Min's handwriting. You coulcln't argue with that, bur . . . "Who gave you this, Tommy?" she isked the straw-hcacleclyourh wirh two new front teeth,who nou'stoocl bcforc her expcctantly. "One of them per{esscrfellers," hc saicl."I was on my wa)/ honrc frolt school,an'since I comc right by hcrc.he tol' me to give it to you. Saiclit rva.s from Miz Larkin, an' he give mc a nickel to bring it to you." He continuccl[o stanclbeforc her as if cxpccting something. "Was thcresomcthing elsr:, Tommy?" Junc askc {c*+r(* Whcn thc goat larntcrt()ssc(.l a balc of h11,6,,a'- l.hc l'cnc:r, tlre onc, cvecl billy goat in lhe centcrof thc pasl.urc,]orvr:r'c 'un," "You said you wanted a mean the owner of the goat dairy said. 'un 'un "That's the meanest I got. In fact, that's the meanest I ever seen." The one-eyed bearded man knelt down and got eye to eye with the one-eyed bearded goat through the fence. It took a rnoment for the goat's eye to focus. He had struck the fence a mighty blow, but when things cleared for him, he found himself eyeball to eyeball with a kindred soul. Not only was an undentanding reached, a bond was established between man and beast. They became like unto brothen. "He' ll do," said the bi g, bearded man without looking up. "We'll takehim." Rock Top Radley led the now-docile goat into the van and closed the sliding side door. The Swamp Buzzards had a new member, whom they promptly dubbed, "Cy," short for Cyclops. Except for the fact that he smelled better than the other members, Cy fit right into the family. All things werc shared equally in this commune-in- cluding chores. It was Cyclops' duty to stay home and protcct thc propcrly when the band was called away to perfom. That u'as the purposein acquiring him. He was a watch-goat.Anchored out front of thc trailcr, hc proved a very effective cleterrentto friends who came to "bormw" a jug of u'hiskey while the band was out. Three friends were found huddled on top of the trailer u'hen the band returnedfrom playing on the very first night after Cy had joined the group. ln celebrationof this coup, the Buzzards shareda well-earnctl jug with the hero of the event, who proved to have a very low tolerancc of, and an overweening fondnessfor, the liquicl fire. Cyctops slept until noon the next day, and woke up under the trailer with a monumentalhangover. It u'asnearly sundown before his good eye was once again lining up with the hole in his head. In spite of the fact that Old Cy drank more whiskey than he savctl, "borrowing" ceased, and harmony reigned in the Buzzard household. Min's cabin was in perfect order when June inspectedit early the nexl morning. The windows were shut, the dishes put away, and surc enough, the clothes and toiletries she would have taken on such a trip were missing, as was her old suitcase.Satisfied, but still puzzled by the abruptnessof Min's departure, June was closing the front door u'hen she had another thought. 128 CarrollGambrell Min's newblue dress was missing; u'hat about the new blue hat she had bought to matchit? Shewould havenever taken the dressand left the hat. Re-enteringthe empty house, she went to thecloset in Min's room and pokedthrough the contents.There, on the top shelf, shespotted the hatbox. "Pleasebe empty," sheprayed as shetook the box down and lifted the lid. Her heartsank. The prayerwas in vain.The little nary blue strawhat with the daisyon the brim wassecurely nestled in the protectivetissue paper. **'i** Aunt Min awakenedslowly. Her headached fiercely, Shewas lying on a smallmetal cot in a semi-darkroom that was lit only by a single,fifteen-watt bulb hanging from a rafter in the centerof the room. Most of the room u'as in shadows,but shecould seenewspapers scattered around. There were bales of hay stackedin one corner,and a small tablenear the centerof the room held an emptyplate and a cup. Someonehad beenoccupying the room. Wherewas she? There was no immediateclue. No sounclscoulcl be heard otherthan the noiseof a small gasolinemotor somewhereoutside. She sat up anddragged herself to herfeet, and immediately had to graba hear.1lirnbeir pillar nearthe cot for support.Waiting for her headto clearand her lcgs to becomesteadier. she looked aroundonce more. Shewas nauseated, too, but held it. Electricity!Nobody in theValley had electricity, except Chico, who was nearthe highway.She didn't think this was Chico's.If it were,she would have been able to hearcars on the highway, and she hadn't heard any. So, then where was she?Closing her eyesa moment,she remembcredthat thc "perfessers"had hauledin a small electricgenerator. That wa^sthe noisc she heard.If that was the case,she had to be in Eli Watts' old barn on the back sideof his pasture.It waswell off thebeaten path. No onecould hear hcr, no matterhow loudly sheyelled. If shedid yell, shereasoned, it would only attracther captors. Sheexamined her prison,and satisfied herself there was no way out for a fairly hefty lady in her sixties.That old barnwas stout,built of solicloak andheart pine, more that a centuryago; well beforethe menof thc Vallcy lcft to join Orr's Rifles andrryel the Yankeeinvaden. The mom had beenframed to serveas a tack andharness room, andfor generalstorage. The door was sassafras,barred and locked from the outside; but the boardswere spacedwidely enoughapart to be able to seethrough SugarValley Saga 129 them, and there was about a four-inch spacebetween the sill and the bottom of the door. A catcould squeezethrough, butnot a woman of Aunt Min's heft. 'lhe floor wa^srough-sawn plturks, u'orn smooth by a cen1uryof use, and as solid now a-sthe day it was laid doun. There was no window. Running \\'ater \\'aspipct to a sink and commode in u'hat had been a large closct in a back conicr. The rvatcr was piped through a gravity system from a stolage tank supplicclby a u'indmill pump. Eli had installeclthe systcm so hc coulcl rcmainat the barn all night during the calvingseason. Min sat in oneof thetw,o chairs at thetable to think. Okay,she was being hcld in Eli Watts' olcl barn, more than likely bythose tu'o "perfesser"fellows. But ri'hy? No cloubtbccause they discovercdshe was planning to contact the Collcgc and check up on them. ll they clidn't \\'ant to be checkedup on, thc)' must be a couplcof fakes.Shc had beensuspicious all along. Ancl I'll bet that'lobacco'they are raisingisn't really tobacco,either, shcthought. "What is it then?"shc a-skcd hcnelf . " Dopc;probably marijuana," shc ansu.crcrl.That would account for the strargc bchavior of thc anirnals. whcn thcy ate it. Min haclncvcr seenmarijuana, but shehad heardhorv a lot of people-"hippies" they wcre called-hail bcun using it out in California anclin New York: anclthey said it u'as sprcadingto other placels.No*' it hacl corncto the Valley, and sheclidn't like it one bit! Shc had to get out of thcrc anclwarn thc penplc. Thcy wcrc using Eli Watts.Pcrunickety old fool thathc was,shc tlicln't likc secinghirn bcing usctl by out.sidcrs.Shc didn't like beingused, hcrsclf; norhcrfricncls and ncighbon. Thesc vcrmin were dcfiling thc Valley, and she clidn'tmcan to standfor it. Thcy had to bc stoppc{! Shepauscd in hcr rurninationsand a naggingthought madc hcr shucltlcr. Why wcre thcy keeping her alivc? Shc triccl to push thc thought asitle,but it kept insinuatingitsclf into thc forefrontof her mind. Shecoulcl bc oi no trsc to thcm,but shc coukl harrn them. And shcmeant to, if shecvcrhad lhc cltance. Thc only rcasonshe could think o[ asto u'hy they hadn't killcxlhcr q a.sthat thcy were au'aiting onlcrs frorn somoonc-a Big Boss .sortrcq'licre. Ponclcringthese thoughts, hcr handunconsciously wcnt to herthroat, antl shc ncrvouslyfingcrcd thc c,oldchain shc alu'aysworc. It had conreuith a small,cylinrlrical metal il,histle that Elu,ood bought whcn he got tiltlShorroff. Shcharl thought thc w,histlcrvas usclcss. lrcause it clidn'tniakc a noiscrr hcn you blcr",it. Elu'ocxlhad laughecland told hcr httmanscouldn't hcar it, but clogscould. Shc'thought he was tcasinghcr until onc tlay, shc blc*' it at oltl Shortywhcn he u'aschasing a chickcn.Ilc haclstoppcd ard conreover to hcr with his headcocketl as if askingwhy she wa.srnaking all thal racketrr'hcn 130 CarrollGambrell he was trying to catch a chicken. Then he went back to his task, but by rhen the hen was safe on her roost. Elwood never used it, so she wore it along with a few other items of practical use and impractical sentiment. There u'as a little good luck charm that was also a screwdriver. and a silver medal she had won in school for reciting, "The Wreck of the Hesperus."She could still reciteitu.ithout a hi1ch, if anyone asked;but no one had askedin quite a while. The scrcwdriver had come in handy severaltimes. There was also a tiny pair of scissolsthat rcally did wor*. Maybe the screwdriver and the scisson u.ould help hcr cscape.Shc didn't know how, yet, but they were the only useful objecm shc possesseclat the moment. An old medal and a whistle nobody could hear sure rvouldn't be much help. She thought of June, and wondered how long it u,ould be bcforc.Iunc discovered she was missing. She wonciered,too, how long shc hacl been unconscious;it could have beendays. She was hungry. This brought though,"s of old Shorty. Strangedog, old Shorty. Came and went as he plcasccl.Seemcd to hear the beat of a different drum. Definitely had a mincl of his ou.n, if hc hadamind at all. Whenhegot hungry,hecaught achicken. Shc was beginning to understandShorty a little better. Right now, if she could catch a chickcn, she was sure she woulcl wring its neck and eat it raw-just likc Shony. Were peoplesearching for hernow? Surely it wouldn't bc long, but where would they look? How could they find her? Thc fact was, she couldn't w,ait. to be found. That might be too late; she had to escapcif she could. Shc hacl to find a way, somehow. There was a noise outside the door. Sommne was coming. Woulcl it bc rescue?"Who's there?" she called. No one answered.The door wasn't opened. lnstead,someonc shovccl a can of sardines and a box of soda crackers through the crack under the door. It was feeding time. The sound of footsteps faded. It wasn't fried chicken, but it would clo.At leastthey clicln'tplan to starve her to death, and apparently they didn't plan to kill her right away-unltss this was to be her last meal. I4 A Day Of Discovery rr |. |.OW WAS THE FISHING TRIP, Chicf? Catchanything?" askecl Licu- IcnantHarry Cain of thc HomiciclcDivision. "Lord, I hopc notl" muttcrcd thc bleary-eycdchief. reccntly relurnccl fnrm thc Land oi Sunshinc.Hc had passcdup thc traditionalend-of-convcn lion ovcmight fishingtrip in favorof othcrovernight cliversions. "Hclc's thc makc on that borll,wr got out of lhc rc'scrvoir."Cain placcd a thin rnanilafoltlcr on Chicf Dillanl'sclcsk. Thc chicf u,ishcdCain dicln'thavc to rnakc.somuch noiscshuffling that folclcr;arrd rvhy tlid hc havc to tillk a bluc streak?"Lou,er thatblind andclosc thc'w,indorr',rviII vou, Cain'1"DilIanl rcrluc.stcd. "Surc. Clhicf,"Cain movccito do as dircctetl. ]-hc chicf u,inced*hcn thc *,inclcll carncdoun. Ilc u'a.ssurc Cain had .slanrnrctiit on pur1rusc. "Anvthingcl.sr'1" Cain askcd. "Ycs. Closc thc clcnr bchind 1'ou."Cain followcclthis comrnanclrncl Dillardquickly adrlcd,"Softly." But it was loL)latc: Cain l.as alrcadl,gonc, Hc rvinccclagain as thc dtxlr slarnmcclshtrt. On thisplrlicrular rlorning, a pairof kittcnson a dccppilc clrpl u,oultl havc bccn tocinoisl' for thc chicf. Bright lillht hurt his cves,ancl lhc noisc of pigconscooing on thc *.indou' ledgeannor,ctl hirn. F-reshair u,assorncthinS his lungshad to gct accru.stomcdto graduallv, not all at oncc. Whv did.spling havc to makc so blastctlrnuch rackct? Hc adjtrstcdhis gla.s.scsand blinkcd cycs not yct accustorncdto focusing on srnallobjccrts actuallv,llrey wcrc not y(-'tacc:ustonrccl to fcrcusingat all. tJt CarrollGambrell Maybe sunshaclesu,ould help. He aLtachcdthem to his reaclingglasscs iintl took anotherlook. Better,but not much. l{oq.cver, tvith a sigh atrcla scrcri-ing up of his rqsolve, he set out to concentralcon the crontcnt.sof thc foltlcr, ancl after that he intendedto deal q'irh rhe accumularionof papos clogging his "lN" ba-skct. "Mmmm," hedclibcratecl overthe first paglcin the foldcr.A picturcfrom "WANTED" an olcl postc:rshou'ed a dark-complccrccllxrckntar-kc Maggie shook her headat the naiveteof her boss."There aresome skunks that can make somepeople think that a polecatis peeingChanel Number Five: I'm telling you this guy is a ma^ster." "This is hard to believe," Burroughs said. "Listen to this: "'There are severalof us who agree'withyou that this hospital u'ould be bctter off if a u'eak leaderu'asreplaced. More raspectwould be shown doctors if there \ ras more discipline among the staff, particularly nurses,aides, orclerlies anclte.chnici ans.' "'With your pcrmission, I u'ill preparea petition to be circulated among those of us who rvoulclsupport a changeof Chicf of Staff in favor of you.' ...JCB' "End quote,"Dr. B. saidemphatically. 'JCB'?" "Who is Maggie askcd. "Hc's thatjackass urologist, James C. Bamcs' that gctshis kicks out of bellou'ing at orderlie-sand bullying nurscs," Bo said. "He yclled at thc \\'rong one in front of a patient last month. The 1rcornutse was rcclucc'clto jelly. Thc paticnt complained, u'hich got him hauled in front of the Board. I u'antctl to revokethe s.o.b.'sprivileges; we don't needthat kind of mqssin this hospital, or even in this profession,for that matter. But his fellow polecat convincetl the Board to let him off u'ith a warning," "A slapon the wrist," Maggic said. "That's aboutit," Bo sighcd."And now hc's squau'kingabout lack of disciptine." "What are you going to do?" Maggie askcrl. "Get mc the Ailministrator and the Chairman of thc tsoard,whilc I u'r'itc a littlc cover note for this memo. We aregoing to scnd it on to whcrc it should havegone in thc first place,"Bo ordercd."Oh, andrnake us a couplcof copics for our filcs," he addctl. "Ahvays," Maggiesaid. **,f,** Dr. Moncy rcaclthc tncnrofrom JCB and srnilecl.Thcn hc scannecithc neatlytypcd notc attachedand stiffcncrlwhen hc recognizcxlthc signaturc' 'l'his camcto me b-t,mLs/ake..lCBmo.)t \rt\h to,qrtb-t'und dclit't'r petitilrn to llospitalAdminLstrutlttron /tic rtztt'to the Iilurd IIt'urin,q !'r tltLthrt'uch tt/ ctltics. []u rrou,ghs. 136 CanollGambrell Money fumbled in his desk drawer for a packageof Tums. His stomach suddenly felt sour. A few minutes later,the phone on Maggie's desk rang. "Ycs, hc's in, Dr. Money. Wait one moment," she said sweetly. Putting Moncl' on holcl, shc buzzeADr. Burroughs. "Damage control," she said. "He's three minutes late," Bo said with a chuckle. "Put him on." The next several minutes were taken up with Bo nodding his hcad tcr Money's professionsof loyalty and denials of knowledge of a pctition. Bo assuredDr. Money that he was confident Dr. Money had nothing to clo u.irh JCB's little plot; and that, yes, a loyal staff was vital to thc runnirrg of a hospital;and, again, he was indeedconfident of Dr. M's fidclity. "Don'r givc it anotherthought," he said."I've neverdoubtecl the quality of your )oi,altv and dedication a single moment." He hung up. Maggie, standing in the doorway, heard every u'old. When Bo hung up, she moved over to the sideboardand took out a bottle of scotch. Pouring hilr a stiff one. she said, "You had better gargle with this. Your rnouth is bourrrl to tastebad after all those liqs." "Tarzan always lell truth," Bo said. "Tarzan get his grapevinegrea-scrl after thal one," she saicl,handing hinr the glass."Here, takethis." "Is it after five?" he asked. "Close enough," she said. "You're an angel,Maggie," he saicl,sipping the smooth twclvc vear,olcl Highland single malt. "And you're a hypocrite," shesaid overhershoulder, just bcfore thc door' closed. A wily old politician once saidthat to win an election,a candidarcnecdcd to have gray hair to makc him look mature, and hemon-hoicisto makc hirn look concerned.Whether or not that wa-sa winning combination in thi.sca,sc, Alderman Dorf was blessedwith both, and the one designcclto givc conccrr was giving hirn concern-a greatdeal of it. The smile he haclwom sincc carly that morning seemedfnrzen on his face. His head hurt from bagpipc rnusic, but he couldn't stop smiling. His jaws woulcln't relax. His hands hurt l'rorn having been squeezeda million times. It was St. Patrick's Day. Parades.Partiqs. Pressing thc flesh. Posing for pictures. Puckering to kiss babies. Pumping paws. Proffcr-ing prorniscs, SugarValley Saga 137 Pointing ri,ith pridc. Panclering,to reponcrs. Paving the piper. PapaDorf rvas poopcci. Italian.srvould crnbraccyou ancllaugh and cry. Jeu's clappe i.+:i** "Whl,rlitln't )ou rulx)r1this sooncr, l]crthlr'1" N{r. Bluc a.skctl,looking arounclthc ransacketirottnr. "Wilircd, you knou goticliurcl ricll the la.stthing I u'ant is a burrchoi unifor-rncclJxrlicemcn mnning all ovcr thc placeanrund hcrc," shc an.su'crtxl. "Yc.s,I unclcrstantlthat," he saitl,mbbing his chin. "Whcn did you say the roonr *'as ransacked?" "Thc night aftcr shc rlisappcartrl." "And nothingis missing?" "Nothing I can accountfor, cxccpt thc clothesshc took u'ith her ri'hen shclcft." she rcplied. "Do vou havc any iclcau,ho nright havc donc it?" the chitrfaskcd. 138 CanollGambrell "I washoping you couldtell me," Berthasaid sarclonically. "It couldhave been one of thegirls," he said, "but this looksmore like a professionaljob to me.It wasrifled by someonelooking for something.Look, all thedrawen arepulled out andturned over; th.e mattress \r'as cu1; anci thc pillowswere shaken out. I{ it wa.sone of thegirls, she dicl it for pule spitc,if noneof Carlotta'sclothes are missing." "Thatwas what I wa-sthinking," Bertha agreed. "But that doesn'teliminate the possibilityentirely," the chief said. "Womencan be an'fullyspiteful, sometimes." "Presentcompany excepted," she smiled somewhat like a crocodilc. "Oh, Of course,"he said,praying he would neverfind out diffen:ntly. "You haven'tmentioned my hiredhelp," Bertha offerct. "They don't reallystrike me asbeing the sort that would closomething like this,"he said. "If theyhad done it, somethingwould be missing,and that girl would be wearingit." "You think they arethat dumb?" Bedha asked. "Well, they don't exactlystrike me as the brightcstpcoplc on canh," Dillardsaid. "I don't think they aredumb at all." "Really?"he said. "Wilfred,my love,those people have something you seldomever see in your line of work," Berthasaid. "And whatis that?"he asked,somewhat piqued. "Innocence,"she said. "I don'tsee much of it, either.It took me a while to catchon; but don't evermistake innocence for stupidity." "Do you think they areinnocent of this caper?"he askecl. "Call it intuition.but I do." He agreed,but didn't think it would be wise to bolsterhis point by revealingthat he hadconned her "innocents"into spyingon funerals:so hc droppedthe subject. "I'll getthe fingeqprint boys to dustthe room in themorning. 1-hen you canget this messcleaned up," he said. After theyhad retired from theroom, Bertha relocked it, anclhc followe'cl her inlo her office. "I've gotone more little itemto showyou," she saicl, taking a littlc black metalbox from thesafe. "Here, take a look atthese." She handed him thctwo phonybills. "Counterfeit,"he saidalmost immediately, and thought of thcgrccn ink the lab found underthe fingernailsof the body fishedout of the rescrvoir. SugarValley Saga 139 Darlene and Floycl met Elu,ood and Penny at Solly's for suppcr. It rvas confcrcnce time. "Thcrc is sonrethingfishygoing on arounclthere, all right," Penrtyagrecd, aftcr hearingDarlcnc's tale. "Thatisn't all," Darlcncsaid. "l havcn'ttolcl anyone this, ye1. becausc it rnightjust bc my imagination,but do you knou' rl'hy I think thcrycfuoppcd that cr:ff in?" Thc othcr threelistcnccl intcntly. "l havc thc stronScstirnprcssion that onc of thosc guys saw mc ancl thoughthc rccognizctlmc, anclit startlctlhim. Thcn trhcarcl thc crashrvhen thc coffin hit thc:pai,crncnt, and all thatstuff camc pouring out." Floyclrubbecl his chin. "lf hc thoughthc rccognizctl1'ou, it coulclrtrcan he thoughtyou \\'crcCharlcne." "That thoughtclicl cross my mind," Darlcncsaicl dryly. "What tlo you think u'c ought to do?" Pcnnyaskccl. "l think u.c nccd to gct insidethcre anclscc *hat is going on," El*'cxrd sairl."Fio_"-d and I u'ill sncakin thcrc thc iirst timc \\'c 8ct a chancc,an(l scc u hal rvc can linclout." "You and Flo1,'d,becr-lonc,r'," D'rrlcnc said. "What arc Pcnn1,turd I slrppo.srtlto do ri,hilcyou'r-c in thcrc rnaybcgetting yoursclvcs killcd?" Pcnnynoclclcd cmphatic agr(rmcnt. "That's right," shcsaid. "Wc should all go, or nobr-rclygcrc.s. I u,iint to fincl out u'hat olcl Moncybags is doing over thcrc,bcsitlr-'s buryirig his mislakcs." " lt coul "Or just hungry country folks that likc Ko.shcrcooking," Flovtl said. cligging in. "Where is Kosher, anyu'ay?" 15 More Discoveries rT\ I HE NEXTDAY, tuo mcn from thc Crimc Lab camc, (iustcd thc roorn lor'lingcr'1lrints, antl ailt'r a couplc of hours,lcft. Thcy askcclno clucstion.s, nor ilns\\'L'rt(lanv; 5il11llyclicltheir job, packecltheir cquipmenland quictlv dcpartccl. Darlcnchclped Bcnha collcctCarlotta's things and stotc thcnr in a trunk. A rnink coat$'ith the lining slit and rcrnovccl\\'as among thc thingsput a\va\/. Whcn thc la.stblousc haclbccn carclully foldcd and packcd, Bcrllta. arrtrs akirnLro,stu ***{cx 's l'ulr.olrrurnNorbi'Finch la1,a f ilc lolrlcronthc chicf desk."Hclc's that rcJ)()l'lI-r()rl thc fingerlrint lro.r's,Chicf ." 142 CarrollGambrell "Thank you Finch," Chief Dillanl said. Finch dictn't leavc. "It's the one from the White Peacock,"he stated. ,,Is "I knou', Finch; thank you," the chief said. Finch stayeci. ther:e something else, Finch?" "Yessir," Finch hesitatecl."That is----cr,I wru u'ondering . . . " "Wondering what, Finch," the chief promptctl "l u'as u.ondering what I u'ould havc to do to gci as.signecldut1, aL thc White Peacock,"Finch blurledall in one brealh. Dillard lookcd mildly increclulous."Assignccl dury?" "Ycssir. Secrctagent cluty, sir, likc C-38 anclW-24." "Are you trying to bc funny,Finch?" thc ciriefcvcd hirn unsmilinglvoi,cr the top of his readinggla.sscs. "Ycssir-,cr, no sir. I mean,likc, I undcrstand,sir. It's sccrctstu[f, arr Thc Clcar Covernment Party Chairrnan, Arlhur Suclci.s;ancl l\'lartha Fritts,thc ablcVice-Chairperson, bcnt over thc map of thc citv s1;rcatlbcforc them, (NOTE: A Chairman may bc of eithcr genclcr;but thc officc of Chairperson is usually occupicd by a femalc, *'ho is oftcn acltlresscclas "Madam Chair" cvoking an image of a picce of furniture of thc fcnrininc pcrsuasion, ancl raising thc cluestionof u'hcthel or not it rlor-rltl tic rnorc consistent for the proper designation for the femalc of the spccies to bc "wopcrson"ratherthan "woman." Very confusingto grammaticalpurists, but politicians seem to understandit). Presentu''ith the tu'o-member cxccutivc committee wa.sthat dedicatedreformer. reliable volunteer ficld wortcr, ard rlisillusioned former followcr of Congersman Rcubcn C. Fincherl-nonc othcr than Durwarcl P. Hicks, latc Privatc First Cla-ss,USA, vcteran of WW I, thc Big One. Mamha u'tu instructing Durward as to thc routc of thc sprntancous tor-chlightparadc they had arrangcdto erupt follolr'ing thc rou.singspccches of the Big Rally. This paratleu'as to bc lcd by the intrcpiciHicks along thc |anclomroute that was now bcing carefully planncd. 144 CarrollGambrell Hicks listenedintently as Marsha,flicking the ashesof hcr Carnelonro the floor, issued her directions in a gravely voice not unlikc that of his old Master Sergeant.Hicks' jau, tightenedand be'cameset, anclhis r-heumvcycs held a grim spark-whether of determinationor dasperationwas clifficult to tell. Hicks had been held in conference far longer than his alcohol-ridclen kidreys were accuslomed to waiting. Then, too, perhaps Marsha's ordcrs evoked memories of "going over the top," and the fire of batrlc rvis Lrcing rekindled. If that *'ere the case,he certainly was holding sufficienr \\:arerto extinguish the blaze. The Rally was to be held in a park not three blocks from thc Whitc Peacock.The spontaneroustorchlight paradcrvas to proceeclupon a circuirous route thal would terminate ultimately on the stepsof "City Haul." Following a feu'more ex temporespeerches, a list of Clean Governrncnt Party demands was to be ceremoniouslv nailed to the door of the builcling. Actually, to refer to it as a "list" might be an exaggeration.Originally thc list had containedonly slightly fewer demandsthan that which Marrin l-uthcr had nailed to the door of the Cathedral; however, aftcr much wrangling ancl recrimination in committee, the list was pared to one item, which simplifictl matters considerably and seemeclto please all. That demand was: ". . . the immediate resignationen ma*sseof the entirc City Governmcnt." A morion lcl demandimmediate self-immolation had bccn voted down in favor of thc morc moderate request. No one could fault the GrandOld CGP for lack of arnbirion. The route Mamha indicatedcame within a half block of thc Whitc Peacockancl its neighbor,the Hcavenly RestFuncral Parlor.To Arlhur's rnil "Well, whatever. It's not important," she said airily, "The point is, we don't want anywimps in this organization,and if they can't standa little hike, 'em. *'e don't need Right, Deadwood?" "That's Durward, but you canjust call me Hicks," he said, "and yes," he nodded in agreement."By the way, don't this army get a little somethin' to wet its whistle?" Ignoring the question, Marsha pressedon. "This is the way to separate the men from the boys; the sheep from the goats; the wheat from the-rhe, er .. . " shefaltered. "The voters from the candidates?"Arthur a-skedtimidly. "What?" Manha asked. "The Bold from the Can-nols," Arthur said, thinking quickly, theteby averting a storrn he doubted he could weather. "Now you're coming, Art," she said. Arthur adjustedhis horn-rims anclsmiled deprecaringll,. "I wcs thinkin' some good double-run Georgia Moon in the lcmonaclc would be just about right," Hicks was saying to no one in parlicular, *'hich was just as well, asno one was listening. "GuessI'd better go makc room for it," he said, and disappearcdin searchof the men's room. "El, there's something about that wall that just don't look right," Floyd said, backing away to view his handiwork. He hadjust hung the fimt strip of new wallpaper over the old wallpaper. "What do you think is wrong with it?" Elwood a-skecl. "I'm not sure. I think it's kind of out of squarcor somcthing." "Out of square?" "Yeah. Look. It makes the lvallpaper have some funny litilc wrinkles when you try to smooth it out." Elwoocl looked closely and saw where some tiny wrinkles haclgalherqi 'I up in one corner. think it's slipped kincl of *'honker-jawcd," he said. "you think anyboclywill notice that?" "Mrs. Vanderwort will," said Floyd. At that moment, the ncu' strip hc had just hung broke loose and dropped to the floor. Elwooclmade a face."l'm pretty sureshe would notice that." He gathered the paper from the floor. "I guesswe'll have to scrapethat old paperoff and maybc siind rhe *,all before we hang the new stuff ," Floyd said. 146 canoilGambrerl "There must be a trick to hnngin'this stuff," Elwood said. "I'd jusr as soon paint it." 'trick'?" "Did I hear someone say said a voice from rhe hall. Roxanne stuck her head in the door. "Come on up to my room, Elwood, and I'll show you a couple of tricks you won't forget," Claudettesaid, joining her colleaguein the doorway. Floyd and Elwood exchanged looks. "You know," Elwood said, "we've been wondering what kind of tricks you ladies do." "Well, come on down and we'll show you," Roxanne said. "I guesswe had better put up this wallpaper, right norv," Floycl said. "Mn. Vanderwort is kind of anxiousto get this done.We u'ould surc likc to leam some of those tricks, though," Elwood said, politely. "Anytime you want, Lil Abner," Claudettesaid, and laughing, thc girls went on down the hall. "Elwood." Floyd said, after the sound of their laughter had faded. "What's that?" Elwood asked. "Have you ever noticed how far back on their shouldemthose girls' arms start?" "Floyd, with thoseskimpy little short skirts they wear, I just about ain't never looked that high." "Well, we'd better get to hangin' this wallpaper, or Mrs. Vanderuorl is goin' to hang us," Floyd said. "That dame has got thosenegatives hidden somewhereover there,Boss. I know it," Augie said. She left too soon to have had them with her, and I know she planned to come back becauseshe left all her clothes." "You think so?" Money said. "No dame goesoff and leavesher mink coat," Augie said. "She'cl lcave the negatives before she would leave something like that." "Yes, but where?" Money asked. "I don't know. I tore that room up so bad a cockroach couldn't have hidden in it, and there was nothing there," Augie said. "It's too bad you let her get away from us," Money said, "or wc woulcl have them by now." "And the couplehundred G's of funny money sheswiped," Angel acldccl. SugarValley Saga 147 "No sign of that, either," Augie said. "And I couldn't help she got al!'ay' Boss.The Possummust havesomehow tipped her off that we were on to them, 'cause she left in a hurry." "Hou'could he have tipped her of f?" Angel askccl."He didn'l evc'nknow it himself untilju-st before you stuck your gun through thc window and shot at him." "All right," Money saidfirmly, holdingup his hand."We've beenlucky' but I don't want to rcly on luck an)'tnore.I want results." "But-" Angel began to protest. 'buts'. Money cut him off. "No If you can't get the job done' I'll get someonewho can." "But-" Moncy stoppctl Augie's protest rvith just a look. "Is that undcrsto ****,fi "Wcll, ivhcredo \\'c start?"Flovtl askcd. "l gtuessat thc starling,placc," El*' "Floyd, look at this," he said. Floyd examined it closely. "What do you reckon that is?" "[,et's see," Elwood said, peeling the strip of wallpaper off completely. Unfolding the waxed paper, he removed the dark celluloid strips and dis- covered they u'ere actually strips of film negatives. "Have you ever seen any'thinglike that?" he askcd Floyd, holcling the negativesup to the light" "That must have come out of a mighty small carnera,"Floyd .saici. "Like one of those leetle bittv spy camera-s." "Yeah. Like in that Alan Lacld picturc show $,e wcnt to in Luthcrrsvillc before you lcft." "What cloyou reckon it was cloin' stuck behind that u'allpaper'?"Elrvoocl musecl. "Whatcvcr the rcason,it didn't get therc by no acciclcnt,"Floyd com- mented. "Someboclywantcd to hidc it." "You think it mighr havc somcthin'to clou,ith Carlorradi.sappcarin"?" Floyclconsiciered that fora rnomcnt,then said, "Could bc.Thc ladicsslicl she left in a hurry." "What's in thosepicturers?" Elu'ood said. "I can't tcll rnuch." "I can't eithcr.It's too littlc," Floytlsaid aftcr squinting through thc strilt tou'arclthe light. "What are you two whispering about?" came a voice frr-imthc cloonvay. The boys jumpcd as if each of thcm hacllrcen zappcd by a hornct. 1'hcv hacl bccn so cngrosscxiin their find that ncither had hcard approaching footstcps. "Darlenc!" Floyd exclaimctl."Why tlon't you lct u.sknou, u hcn vou'rc corning?" "Somc spicsyou arc; I wasn't cvcn trying to sncakup on you. Whut urc 1'ouhiding?" sheaskcd, holcling out hcr hanrl."L.ct mc.scc." "Closc that dcxlr,"EIq'ootl said. "Wc tlon't nccclanvonc clsc sncukinl in un us." Floyclhandcd hcr thc ncgativcs,t,hich shccxumincrl curi "We ought to give the whole shebangto the chief ' but he's so halcito get up u'ith, maybe we should get them developed and see q'hat's in it," Floyd said. "We can't clothat," Darleneprotested, "it might be sornesecrct spy sluff, and someoneelse would see it if we got it done at a drugstore." "l bet Pennycan do it," Elwood said. "They develop X-ray picturcs dght there at the hospital. Maybe she can use their developing stuff ." "Can she dcvelop this kind of film there?" Floyd askccl. "We can find out tonight.We'rc going to meet hcr at Solly's," Eiu'ood saicl. "l've got to get supper stafled," Darlenc said. "By the wa1', if you wiint that olcl'rvallpapcrto comc off ca-sy,wet it Sood with warm watcr." Darlcne lefl; Floyd anclElwood stareclat each other and shruggccl. "Hou' do you reckon shr:kncu'that?" Floycl askcd. Elu'ocxlshruggcd and said,"l'll go gct a buckct." A fe*' minutcs latcr, their cyes once again buggcd out w'hcna t'hole sccrionof wallpaperslid off revealinga forlune in bogusrnoncy aclhelccl tcr thc backside,with somestill clinging to thc rvall. "You rvantto count it?" Floyd askccisoftly. ,Tusta.\ quictly, Elrvooclrcplied, "Latcr. I don't think I can takc much nrr)rctLxlly." Diviclingit into neatstacks of tcns,tu'cntics, fiftics, and hundrcd.s,thcy packcdir into four of Caflotta'sshoe boxcs, rvhich coulci barcly contain it all. To kcrp thcrn irom popping opcn, they ticd the boxcssecurcly u'ith stoutcor(l. "Durlcnc \\'on't bclicvc'this," Floycl said. "I clon't think I bclicvc it, cithcr." "Lct's clon'ttcll thc girlsjust yct," Elu'oodsuggcsteil. "Thcy rnight gct a littlc cclgvif thcy kncu'u'hat'rl'asin hcrc." "l'nr gcttinga taclcdgy, myself," Floyd.said,ancl they agrcctl. lrlazccl * hcn A lxrto1'grcasc in s'hich Darlcnehatl lrcn f rying shrirnp ttp shc harlbccn callcdas'ay for a morncntby N4rs.Vardcrl'orl Whcn shc glol backln "This time you pay for the picklcs," Solly said, as he set four srcaming cups of coffee in front of the girls seatedat the table. The boys werr sranciing at the counter waiting to talk with Solly in private. "You haven't been in for a week, and I am sad because you have dcserteclme." "We didn't desertyou, Solly," Elwood saicl."We've been awful busy, and it's a long time between paydays." "In that case,you're breakingmy hear1,"Solly saicl,"ancl the watcr's frcc." "How about a beer?" Floyd askecl. "Okay. One rouncl.Then you pay," Solly said. "We'll cven pay for the bccr, if we can get you to kecp somcrhing .saic for us," Elwoocl said. "What's that?"Solly asked. "This," Floyd saicl,placing on the countcra largeshopping bag, ivhich containcdCarlcltta's four shocboxc.s. "Shocs?" Solly a.skcd,puz.zlccl. "Woulcl you just kccp thcm anrlnor let an1,[e6ylook in the boxcsuntil we tell you?" Elu,orxi rcclucsted. "What'sin thcrn?" Bcnclinghis hcacltorvard Solly and cutting his c1,c.ton,ard rhe giris, Elwocxlwhisperccl, "About a mirrion clollars,bur $,cdon't u,antrhc riirs rc, know r"t'r'erich." "Oh, I gct it," Solly winkccl."A.surprisc. Don't worry, it's safcwirh mc, anclnothing will happcnro it." "what clidyou havcin thoscLroxcs," pcnny a.skcd Eru oo "I can get Benny-he's our x-ray technician-to let me use his private darkroom tomo.'ow," Penny said. "It's in the basementof the hospiiai. He showed me how to use it a long time ago, and it has an enlaiger and everything." "You can give the pictures to me tomorrow at work," Elwood said. "Haveyou seenthe papertoday?" penny askecl. "We've been too busy," Darlenesaid. ,.Why?" "There will be threewakes at the Heavenly Resttomoffow night," penny said. "old Moneybagsmust have beenworking overtime latety. iwo of them were his patients.There'll be lots of people there.,' "That's ourchance," Floyd said. "When?" Elwood askecl. "As soon as it's dark," Darlene suggasted. "As soon as it's dark," the others echoedin aareement. T6 Out Of TheFrying Pan Aur.rr MIN hadbeen a prisonerfor goingon four days. She wasn't too surehow longshe had been unconscious, but she didn't think it hacibeen more thana day.She hadn't talked with asoulduring the time she haci been captive: nor hadshe heard a humansound, except the footsteps outside the door when theybrought her food. She had no ideawhy shewas being held' but was pretty certainthey wouldn't just holdher forever. Other than isolation and anxiety, she had not suffered at all-unless a steadydiet of sarclinesand crackcrs constitutedsuf f ering. Judgingfrom sunlightthat came through cracks in the roof,it wa-slatc afternoon.Soon it would be dark again;another day of captivity woulcl be over.She still hadnot found a way to escape.As shesat contemplating hcr plight, she heard a faint, faraway noise. a disturbanceof some kind. Thc distinctrattle of guineahens mingled with thehigh-pitched cackle of abanlam rooster. "That's Eli's guineasand that seabrightrooster' Shorty's after thern,' Shethought she saw a ray of hope. *!trf*{. June, for her part, had suffered greatly. ln her hean, shc knoi \Iin u a: in trouble; but where, and why, and what kind of trouble? There *'iu no clue. She was just gone. Of course,there was the note. It was in Min's hand.June u'assure of that Eli Watts had said Min had left it on his door, and he gave it to the "perlcsscr," SugarValley Saga 153 who sent it on to June by way of Tommy Lcdbetter. And E1i was milking Min's cow and feeding the stock. Maybe that's what madeJune suspicious.Being that neighborly was out of character for Deacon Watts. Then, there was the note again. Everything addeclup, all right, but it gave the wrong answer.There was still something fishy about the note and the whole busine.ss.Ancl Min would not have left her hat; nobody had a satisfactoryexplanation for that. She hacispent a whole day stewing and fretting. fhcre rvas no one she could really turn to in times of indecisionexcept Min, and Min's being among the missing was the problem. Loney Adams would knou' what to do, bur Loney was in Columbia at a mceting. She could easily get *'ord to Sam Hundley, but u'hat would she tell him-that Min forgot her hat? No, she would have to work this out henclf. She took our thc note and studied it again. After a bit, she got up anclfished through her scwing things for a ruler and the magnifying glass she sometimes used for rcading small print, or threading pesky needles. *tf*'** Min collected all thc cmpty sardine cans shc had accumulatctland drained the small amount of residualoil in cach of them into onc of thc cmpr,v tins.ln all. it amounteclto a coupleof smallspoonfuls. Into thatshc cnrnblccl somc of thc crackersthat were now growing stalc.Then shc sct thc ctrn in frontof thc door aboutsix inchesfrom thecrack into rvhich hcr caplor s lrushccl the food when thcy brought it. Hungry as she u'a.s,shc hopcd thcv uoulcl lx: latethis time. Removingthe chainfrom aroundhcr neck,she blerv,,the whisrle , u,aitccl a bit and thenblew it again.The noisc at thc hcn houseclicd dou n. Shc blcu' thc rvhistleagain and waited.While shewaitetl, shc torc thc lacecollal froni her ciress.After what secmcd likc hours, but wa.sactually only a fc* nrinuic.s, she hcard a soft pacloulside. "Plcasedon't bc a pcr{esser,"shc prayecl.A snuffling at thc crack uncler the door told her the prayer had bccn ansu'ercd.Shony smellerlsarclincs. Rcaching through the crack, she slipped the lace collar around Shorty's ne'ckand tiecl it as best she could while Shorty u'a-sbusy licking the sarciinc car. Thcrnshe fa^stenedaround his neck the gold chain from *,hich shc had removed the whistie and the screu'driver.She wished shc had figr"rrcclout a '*,ayto senda notc,but there was nothing to write with, anclshe hadn't u'orkcri lc.+ CarrollGambrell out a way to fasten a note to his neck in a way she thought u.ould hold until someonefound it. Now then; if Shony resumedhis wandering ways, someonewould see him and wonder what he u'as doing u'earing a lacecollar. Someof the u omen might even recognize it a-shers-June certainly would. June hacl tatted the lace. If they didn't recognizethe collar, they would remember thc meclalshe had won in school. It had her name engravedon the back. She hoped thc sight of the collar would trigger a hunt. and she was prctty sure she had figured out a way to get Shortoff to lead them to her. 'He1!" There was a shout inn the hallway of the bam."Get out qf lrcre!" Shorty scampered.A shot rang out, and Min's heart leapedto her throar.Trvo more shots, a yip, and tears welled up in her eyes. If they killed Shony, her hope was gone. "Did you get him?" a voice asked. "Missed," anotier voice answered. "Mangy mutt." "Might havewinged him that lastshot," the first voice said."He yipped." There was hope; maybe slim hope, but hope. Shorty was a hunting dog. He had heard shots before. He had even been shot at and probably hir with birdshotwhilestealingchickens. That wouldn't keep him away, it would only make him more wary-if that last shot hadn't been fatal. Aunt Min was praying again when they slipped anothcr can unclcr the door. This time it was Vienna sausagesand a small u'edge of cheese."Well, the.ywon't kill me tonight, anyway," she said to herself. June unfolded the note and pressed it against the u'inclo*' panc. With the sunlight behind it, and with the aid of the reading gla-ss,she could dctcct thc uneven pressunesof a pen having moved slowly acrossthe paper. She coulcl also discern small wavers of direction in the lines. Writing a few words in the margin of the paper,she helcl it againsrrhe pane again and studied her own writing. Pressurewas even, and the lines dicl not have those little wavers in them. She then took the rulcr and after lining it up carefully so that it was barely touching the bottom of the lcttcm of onc line in Min's note, shedrew a light line under eachseparate u,ord rvith a sharp pencil. Extending the lines about a half inch beyond each word, each exlenclecl line either crossed or fell away from its neighbor. The lines were neither parallel nor even on the same plane. SugarValley Saga 155 Putting the note dourn,June rernovedher glassesand thcught about this for a minute. "This note was traced," she concluded.Any lingering dclublsas to Min's safety vanished. E,li Watts anclthe professor they calleclScarpelli hac'igone out of thcir u'ay to deceive her; undoubtedly they u'ere linke'dwith Min's disappcarance somehow.Who elsemight be involved? Shedicln't know who shecould trust: best not trust anybody. She had to get rvord to Sam Hundlcr'. ***** Min clicln'tknor"'*,here Shortof f mighl wancler.Shc kncrv it u'ouldn't bc far from a knoun sourlc of foocl-but that coulclbc an]'u'hcrc in thc Valley. Hc had a rr'ayof showingup u'hc'iehe u'aslcast cxpcclccl. Min knc*'her chanccsof r'cscucand sunival wcrc slctrtlcr,inclecd. It dcpcndctlon someoncspotling Shonof f iurdrccognizing hcr collar,if Shorly clicln'tmanilgc to gct rid of it somchou. Shc thoughtshc had ticclit sccurcly crrough that it ri'oulcln'l comcl loosc casily. Thcn it clepcncledon Shorloff lcading them back to hcr bcforc hcr captorli dcciclc.clto do a$,ayrvith hcr. Shc ivas pretty certain olcl Shorty u'oulcln't just go up to somcone anci bark at thc:mto follou,hirn back to thc batn,like thcy iliclin thc picturcshows sornctimes.Whateverr else he was. Shorty \\.asno Rin Tin Tin or Lassic. Hc clidn'tthink likc that,nor wzlshc rnaclefrom a hcroic molcl. Shorly u,as a practical pocrch.His r-cquircmentsu'erc simplc. Hc u'ent r,r'hcrctherc was footl, u,armth, antl prcfcrably a fcmalc in scason.Abovc all, hc u'oulclmaintain his indcpcndcncc.If thcr-c\\.tls onc thing yctucoulcl say ahxrutolcl Shortoff, it u'tt^sthat hc rvas bcholtlen to no onc. Evcn at that, Min was prettysut-c shc coultl gct him to corncback to thc barn. Hc rvoulclrcmcmbcr thc rich salclincjuicc, and hc u'oulclassociatc it ri'iththc *,histlc. Thc qucstionu'as *'hethcror notsornconc u'tiultl follorv him, For norv,shc could clolittlc but bidc hcr tirlc and pral' for a Lrcttcrlorlrorro$'. ***** .lunc u'cnt tcrChico's and callcclSurn Hundlcy. Sartt*ast.t't thcr-c,but Chicl' Dcputv Ralcigh Gatcstcxrk thc rnc.ssagcfor Sarnlo corllc scc hcr as soonas possiblc. Ralcigh didn't knorvu'hcn that *'ould bc, Lruthc u'cir"rldgivc him thc mcssagea.s soon as he could contllcthinl by laclio.Hc u'asoff thc air at that timc, anda.s it u a.slatc, it rvoultlprobablv bc in thc nlorning bclorc hc tco CarrollGambrell could get there. Could anyone else help? June decideclvery litrle coulrl bc done at night anpr.ay. Morning rvoulcibe fine. Night had failen bcforershe got away from Chico's. As she rounclcclthe bend near Watls' farm, her headlight beam fell on a large object in the road. Tu,o pinpoints of reflectctl light shorveclit ro be an animal. It u,as Elr.oocl's old hound, Shortoff. She braked to a stop and called him. but he tumccl anLl trotted with a decidcd limp into thc wood.sancl clisappear-c'd. Shc callcd again, but Shortydidn't comeback. Thatwas strange, shc thought. It lookcda.s if hehacl a banclagcricd around his ncck.and he waslimping. June u'ent home ancl\\'en1 to bcd. Shc didn't slccp *,cll. Shc \\,astoo u'orriedand felt helplcss.N'lin u'a-s in rroublc-rnaybe lying olrl rhc'c (lca(1, somewhere-and Junc couldn't hclo her. Shortoffu'allou'cci him.sr'lf out a placcin a shcltcrcclspot bcncilrh il rocrk overhang,but hc dirln't slccptoo u'cl1,cirhcr. I{is front lcg anrlshoultlcr.hurl whcrc thc buliet had grazcdhim. It had blcd some,rnd hc'd lickcclit clcan. but it was gcttingstif I anrlthc rnusclcs\\,crc sorc. oncc in thc night hc bristlcdand gr.*,lccl *,hcn hc ca'ght thc por'erl'rrJ sccntof an intruclcr.'fhcrervas an ansu'cringgr-uffanrl Shortv barctl his lone canincsan "I don't think so, either,"Sam told her, "but we shoulrlchcck out thesc othcr things fimt. In thc meantime,I am going to make someinquiries in the Vallcy. Someonemay haveseen her." "Are 1,eugoing to the Deacon?" she asked. "Not until I get a betterfeel of u'hat'sgoing on," Sarnsaicl. "l cion'twart to spook thcm. That's why I'm not organizing a searchparry right a\\,ay. I clon'thavc a searchwanant. nnd if I facc "Sinceyou mentionit, I think I will," Samsaid. "What do you knolv aboutit?" "Sam,you know I clon'tknow any'thing,"Chico looked bland, "but I'd 'tobacco' sellrotgut to a minorbefore I wouldsell him anyof that thosebirds aregrowin'. Doe.s that tell you anything?" "dll I needto knou.,"Sam replied. Laterthat morning, the professor known as O'Kelly camcin for sr,rpplies consistingmostly of sardinesand socla crackers, which he paiclfor u,ith a counterfeittcn. Chico took it withouta flickerof aneyelid. "Sam's goin' to oweme for this,"he said to himsclfas he countecl out thc chanAc. Junc clidn't go insiclcaftcr Sam lcft. Shc staycdoutsidc anrl s'orkcclirr hcr flou.er garden. She u'a-sbusy wccrling the hollyhocks rvhcn shc fclt shc wa.sbcing watchccl.It maclcher spinc tinglc, and she fought to control rhc suclclenmsh of panic that seizc After attending to the patient, June examined Min's bloody collar that she had removed from Shortoff's neck. It was difficult to tell for sure if the blood had come from Shorty's wound, or from somewhere else, and June didn'tcare to contemplatethe latter. It did seem logical that it had come from Shorty's wound. The gold chain and medal could tell her little, except she knew Min alsohadworn the funny littlewhistle that didn'twork and the lucky charm screu'driver on the same chain. What had happened to them? "Oh, Shortoff, if only you could talk," she said. "Where is Min?" she asked the dog, but he only snapped at a fly that was buzzing around his bandage. "Take me to her, Shorty," she ordered. Shony put his head on his paws and closed his eyes. "I-eave me alone, lady. I've had a harclnight," was the messagehe sent. June sat on her front steps$'atching Shortoff catch up on his sleep, and u'ishing there was some way she could find out u'hcre and hou'he had gotten that collar. She knew Min wa-strying to send a massagc,if only she knew what it was. While she was deep in thesethoughts, Shorty's headshot up ancl his tail wagged almost imperceptibly. It caughtJune's attention;she rvatcherl clo.selyas Shortoff struggled to his feet and. u'ithout warning or preamblr:, starledout in the purposeful manner of a dog with a definite place to go. -lunc followecl.Even though he was limping, shc had a tough time keeping up r.ith him. Everso often, he u,ould stop and cock his head,then continueon hi.sway. June struggledto keep him in sight. His path led over fenccs,which June hacl to climb, and acrossclitches, u'hich June had to jump. Hacl Shorry not bccn hamperedby his wouncl,June could not possibly have stayectin thc chasc.At last, she watched him disappearinto a little copse of trc.eson a nclgc. When Junegot to the top of the ridge, shecould sceShortoff limp-trotting along the edge of the u,oodsstraight toward DeacclnWatls' olcl bam. Hc ."r'as being very careful notto exposehimself to view from anyoneat the bam..lune followed and did likewise. Min could tell the sun was high overheacl,because it u,asshining straight down through the cracks between the roof shingles. She u'as sitting at the table, apparentlytalking to herself. 160 "Slrcft u,as the Wreck of the Ilesperus, In the milnight and the snow! Chri-stsave us allfrom death like thLs, On the reef of the Norman's Woe!" Upon completion of this recital, Min ble'*' a silent blast on the u.histle. Then took up the cadenceagain at the beginning, "lt was the schctoner llesperus, That sailed the wintry sea; And the skipper had taken hk little daughter, To bear him compan!, " At the end of each verse, she gave the whistle a blast before setting out againon the stormy sea.She had nearly lost count of the timcs shehad crossecl that sea,when she heard a familiar snuffling at the door. In only one lesson, Shorty had learned to associate whatever sound a silent u'histle makes with food! "I hope you brought help, Shorty," shesaid, shoving the Vicnna sausages to the crack where he could get at them. He inhaled two and Min shovcclhim a cracker to slow him down a little. "I thought they had killed you last night, boy," Min saicl. Whcn she reachedout a hand to pat him, she felt the bandagcJunc had applicci,ancl thcrc was no sign of her collar or chain. "Well, you found somconc to fix you up," she said to the dog. "l hope you brought them with you." "Min," carnea tentative whisper, "is that you?" Min couldn't believe her ears."June!" June rushedfor the door, no longer tentative. "Let me out," Min said. "I thought you would never come! I clon't knorv 'The howmanymore times Icould have recited Wreck of the Hesperus'bcforc I became a wreck, myself." "Is that all you could find to do?" June asked. "It was better than doin' nothing," Min said. "Come on, gct mc out of here!" "I can't. There's a hea\rylock and I can't get it open," June rcsponded. "Find something and knock it off before somebody comes back and f inds you," Min said urgently. "Who put you in here?" June asked while she searchedfor something to break the lock. SugarValley Saga lol "I don't know for sure,but I think it's those perfessers." "I knew they were up to no good." "You thought they were pretty good when you rented thcm that field," Min reminded her. "Ahal Here's an axe," June said. "Stand back." She whacked the lock u'ith the axe, but it helcl for several hard blous before it came off thc door, hasp and all. Min flew out the door and into the arms of her sister. Shorty wcnt in to get the rest of the sausages-he wasn't big on reunions. "Let's get out of here before someonecomes," Min said. "Sounclslike a good idea to me," June said, leaning the axe against the wall. "Going somewhere,Ladies?" Eli Watts was blocking the entrairccto the barn. A double-baneled shotgun wa^sleveled at their waisLs. *rt:F** When Sam returned to the Valley with resulLsof his morning's invcs- tigation, he found that he had not one, but tu'o missing womcn. He kneu, there was no time to waste. T7 InsideThe HeavenlyRest fD .1 ENtIY PLACEDTHE SHEETSof photographicpaper in the.smalltanks of developingsolution and watched the printsemerge. As the imagesgrew clearer,Penny's eyes widened. There were thirty-six prints altogether, most of them wnazinglyclear and, without doubt, incriminating. After the printshad dried, she sorted them into two categoriesand tuckcd the prints andcorresponding negatives into two separateenvelopes; onc she wouldturnoverto Elwood, the othershewouldkeep forthe time being. Those shotshad nothing to do with activitiesat the HeavenlyRest, anylvay. Pennymet Elwood in the cafeteriafor lunch.She steered him to a table in a back cornerwhere they could examinethe resultsof her early morning work without beingintemrpted. Handing him the envelope,she watched his faceas he took in thesignificance of thephotographs. The first pictureshowed an opencoffin filled with small plasticbags containing a white substance. "Is this whatDarlenesawwhenthey dropped that coffin?" Elwoodasked. "Probably,"said Penny. "What's in the bags?"he asked. "Heroin, I imagine,"Penny replied. "And thoseare bricks of marijuana." "Bricks?" "That'swhat they call them,"Penny said, pointing to the darkbags. "It looks like all thesebags are done up readyfor saleand distribution." "And theway theysmuggle them around is in coffins?" Elwooclguessed. "What better way? No one would be stspicious of a funeral home transportingcoffins, andno one would look insidea coffin just on a whim," Peruryreasoned. SugarValley Saga 163 "Wou'," Elwood said softly. "You haven't seenany'thing, yet," Penny statedemphatically. "Look at the next picture." Elwoocl flipped to the next photo and examinerl it: the picture u'as of a man apparentlyremoving the bags. Elwood did a cloubletake. "That's-" "Dr. Moneybags,himself." Pcnny interjected. "Oh, bcly," Elq,ooclbreathecl, "no u'onder the chief u'antedus to kcep an eyc on the Heavenly Rest"" "Elwood, I doubt if the chief rcally knew---oh, never mincl," Permy sighecl. Elu,oocllookecl puzzled. "You don't think . . . ?" "I think thatChief Dillard will be very gladto get thesepictures," Penny said."But that isn't all. Kcep looking." In the next onc, Dr. Money wa-sexamining a small rncchanical rlevice unclera brighr light. "What is this?" Elwood asked. "Probably a printing press for counter{eit money," Pcnny iursrvcrcci. "Look at the ncxt shot." Elu'ocxl lookeclat thc ncxl photo, which u,asa close-upshot of thc open prcss u'ith the imprcssing plate in sharp focus. The follou'ing picture u'as anothcrclosc-upshot that had bc'cn taken over Dr. Moncy's shoulciershowing him lmking at lvhat appcarc'dto bc a twenty-clollarbill. Ncxt, thcrc werc l\\'o shots of peoplc gathcrcclaroun "Well, the guy next to Money that you say may have been the man they fished out of the lake . . . ?" "What about him?" "Do you think he might have beenthc one u'ho took the first picturc, rhen he slipped the camerato Carlotta, .w'hotook the secondone anclhappenccl to catch him in it? Either that, or they each hacla camera," Elr.oocl saicl. "No, therewas only onecamera," Penny said. "Both of thescshots came frorn the sane strip of negatives." "Then they must have been working rogether, if that i.s thc ri ay il happcncd."Elwoorl saicl. "Well, they havc at lcastonc thing in common," penny said. "What is that?" "They are both missing," she stateclflatly, "and ar least onc o[ rhcm is clead." ***** Whcn Samgot backto theValley andfound June, a.s u,ell a.s Min, amorrg the missing, he rvas dccply conccmecl.He knc*, hc ,*,a.sdcaling u,ith a wcll-organizcdoutsiclc gang, and that it involvcdboth countcrfciting and "Thc chiei ain'thcrc," said acting Scrgcant Norby Finch."Ctrn I hclp?" "lthink I bcttcrjustuait forlhc chicf,"Elu'ood said. "Hc'.sgonc ovcr to thc Bug Hou--<'r,uh, [he Mcnta] TrctrtrncntC-cnter to a rctircnrcntparr1, for ScrgcantWiggins," Finch said. "l'rn taking his 's." placc-lcmporarily; thc scrgcant's,that i.s,not thc chicf "Whcn t.ill he bc back?" " Hc \\'on'1bc back. Hc's reriring. Thar's rr'hv I'm takingthis placc," Finch sai cl. "l mcan thc chicf," Elrr,cndsaid. "l'r'e g{ll s()r)tcirnlxrlttrnr.stul'l'herc lulroutthc I{cuvcnlyRes-Oltcrlrtion Boalding HcluseRcur:h." "llcll Rcally?I tricdto gct in on thlrr,"Finch exc]uinrctl. "Hori tio vou gct clut'"'likc thut in a place u,ith ull thosc looking riorrren?Arc ull o[ 'crn ltcxrtl hol to trot'1" "lclon't thinkI'rn supposcd to talkaboul il," Elrvtxxlsuitl. l-hc trLrth \\,a.\, hc u oulcln'thavc knoq,nh()\, to atrsuer thc (lUcstion,an),\\,a\,. "l gr.rcssvou'rc right," Finch sairl,clcltrll'cnviou.s of anvonc*,ho rva.s puitlto live irtit uhorehousc."Are I'ou W,2-1'?" 166 CarrollGambrell "No, I'm H-36," Elwoocl said. "Floyd's tN-24,but I don't think I'm supposedto talk about that, either," Elwoocl was unsure of what was secret,ancl who he should be talking to about it; however, he knew he didn't like being asked questions he didn't know how to answer,and wasn't sure he should, even if he did know hou'. 's "Sergeant,if you would just show me the chief office . . . ?" "I'm not really a sergeant,yet," Norby Finch said, "but you can call me sergeant,if you want." "Okay, Sergeant,"Elwood said. Norby Finch swelled just a little. "Can I just leave this on the chief's dcsk u'here he'll be sure to see it?" Elu'ood asked. "Sure," Finch said. "His office is up on the top floor to the right as you get off the elevator. Sign on the door; you can't miss it. Just tell Lieutenant Cain who you are,he'll show you." "Thanks." Elwoocl follo*.ccl the directions Finch had givcn, and founcl 's thc chief office with the door opcn. A vcry large man u'ith extremellr[;6x61 shouldcn was in the corner of the room where he had just placcd a filc in a file dra*'er, He looked up as Elwocxl entererl. "Can I help you," hc askedElwoocl. " l just wantto leavethis for thcchief ," Elrvoodsaid, placing thc cnvcloJr on thc clcskarcl turningto lcavein hopesof avoidingun)' Inott tlirr.sti,'ns. "Anything you wanl mc to tcll hirn?I'm LicutcnantCain of Honriciclc." "l don't gucssso," saidElrvotxl. "Pcnny lcft him a nolc in thcrc thatwill cxplain about thc picturesand thc guy in thc lakc. Hc'll untlcrsLancl.I ri,ill havr:1otcll him aboutthe moncy latcr." With that, Elwocxldeparted. He had to gct back to thc Whitc I'cacock and get rcaclyfor the businessthcy haclplannccl for that cvcning.Therc rvas onc thing Elwoocl had noticcti in Chicf Dillarcl'soffice that bothcr-cclhirn somcrvhat.On thc chicf's cleskhacl bc'cn onc of thosclittlc pink "Whilc You Were Out" mcssagcslips that said, "Hunrllcy, Sheriff Kcou,cc County callcd. Retum ASAP. Why was SamHundlcl callingthc Chicf? Thc four sccrctagcnts wcrc u'cll hidclcninsidc thc garage,rvuiting for thc little rcclsporls carto pull in. f-loydand Elrvoocl rr'orc bluck knit caps,and had blackcncdthcir faccsin onlcr 1omakc themsclvcsharclcr 1o clcrlcct in thc clark.Darlcnc flatly rcfuscdto blai:kcnhcr facc,prcfcrring to takchcr chunccs SugarValley Saga to/ u'ith detection rather than ruin her complexion. She did, however, wear low-top tennis shoesand a knit cap, like the boys. Penny, on the other hand, unaware of these preparations, came dressed as if she were going to attend a u'ake. They didn't have long to wait. The sports car slid into the garage,the door came down, and the driver stepped out. As they'd expected, it u'as the doctor, and if he had any idea he was being observed,he gave no sign. Not pausing to look around, he ran up the steps and went into the private entrance from the garage. After a brief delay to allow theirquarry ample time to get inside, Elwircd took the lead; they crept softly up the stairs and listened. Hearing nothing, Elwoocl tried the door. It wouldn't budge. Locked! "What do we do now?" Darlene asked. 'With "Go in the front door," Floyd suggested. the size of this crowd, maybe they'll think we're plumben and no one will notice us." Floyd had a point; the parking lot was full. Businesswas booming at the Heavenly Rest. "Mort has been real busy in surgery, lately," Penny observed, "and he only operates on the wealthy or well-insured." "We've got to get in there some way," Elwood said. "Okay, let's go," Darlene said. "Maybe we can get a\\,aywith it. We do look like plumbers." "No. Wait a minute. There's a chance someonc will recognizc us," Elwoocl said. "After all, we're just right acrossthe strcet." The other nodded assent. "I'll go around and open the door," Pennysaid. "At lcasrI'm chcssexlfor fic par1." "Arc you crazry?"Elwood protested."Moncy u'ould recognizeyou right off the bat." "He would more than likely dodgeme," Pennydisagrced. "The la-srthing he wanls is to be seenhere by someonefmm the hospital. Besides,if hc does seeme, I'lljust say that one of the drceasedwas a patient of mine. As a matter of fact, that is true." "That makes sense,"Darlene said; Floyd nodded agreemenr. "Okay," Elwood said reluctantly."We've got to get in somehou,.Pcnny, do you think you will be all right going in the front door alone?" "Sure," she said confidently. "I've be'engoing in and out of lront doors all my life." 168 CarrollGambrell "Then get on around there. We'll wait ten minutes, and if you haven't opened the door by then, *'e'll come in and get you-Money or no Money. Don't forget; theseguys are dangerous,"Elu'ood said seriously. "I have known Money was dangerousfrom the first time I sarv him operate," Penny said. "You know what I mean," Elwood said. "Yes, I know," Penny said quietly. "I'm just trying to give mysclf courage." "Just be careful," Floyd said. "Okay, hang on. Seeyou in a jiff." She left the garageby a side exit. The others waited anxiously while the secondhand of Elu'oocl's watch ate up the allotted time. Floyd's Atlanta bargain watch only ran in fits and starts,so they wisely used Elwood's. Just as timc was running out, thc cloor rattled and Penny stuck her head out motioning thern in. "What took so long?" Elwood demznded. "Did Money see you?" Floyd asked. "Nope," Penny answered Floyd's question. "He was nowhere to be seen." "Then what kept you?" Elwood insisted. "Had to potty," Penny said. "Me, too, now that you mention it," Elwood said. "Whcrc is it?" Penny pointed up the hallway toward the front. "About thrcc doors on your left," she said. "Be right back," Elwood said. "Wait here." "Diabetics get suddenurges," Pennyexplained, "and when you gotta go, yougotta...." They waited nervously. Rich strains of carpet-muted organ music f loatccl down the hall from a room toward the front. While the dirgc occupiecl their minds. it did little to ease their tension. ln a few minutes. Elwood was back and he, at least, did look less strained that before. "Where to?" Darlene whispered. "This way," Floyd said. "I want to see what's in that back room whcre the light burns late at night." They moved stealthily down the hall, Floyd in the lcad followed by Darlene and Penny, and Elwood bringing up the rear. As they werc passing the stairway, a dooropened at the head of the stairs and a man emergecl.From the room, Dr. Money's voice called, "I want them there in ten minutcsl Gct Rodin. too." SugarValley Saga 169 "Okay, Boss," the man answered,and hurried do'*m the stairs.When he reachedthe bottom, he turned toward the front of the building and failed to see the quaflet of spies lurking frozen in the shaclowsbehind the stair'well. Perhapsthe blackface was effective after all. Peeking out to see if the coast was clear, Floyd again led the expedition do*'n the hall. Elwood was rear guard. Floyd pausedat the intersectionof the back hallu'ay, and cautiously peered around the corner to make sure no one wa^scoming from that clircction. It was at that moment Elwood became aware of the figure standingbehind him. He stiffened and froze whcn he felt the jab of a hard object in his ribs. He slowly raisedhis hands and turncd around. A fct'blocks au'ay in a neighborhoodpark, the Clcan Govcrnmcnl parly was prcparing for ils big rally. While the canclidatesminglecl u'irh the cror,r'd-shakinghancls, kissing babies and making promiscs-a rcdhot bancl, lcclby a one-eyeddangerous-looking Cajun, u'as u'hipping up cnthusiasmand attractingmore people. Blazesfrom a dozcn bonfirescrcated dancing reflections on campaign signs,most of u,hich proclaimedunboundcd ardent sup1xrrl for "SONNY: THE PEOPLE'S CHOICE." Thc most imaginativeof the po.stcrs.shou'ccl a smiling blow-upof Sonnyswinging into thc mayor'sofficc u.ithonc hundon a grapevine,ancl the other gripping a paper titled, REFORMS. A bcerlc- browcd cartoonf igurc of a fat rat ran for covcr. Thc rcrl, whitc andbluc caprion rcad,"Gct In Thc Swing With SONNY." Thc Associationof the Mothcm of thc Unknou,n Soldicrs gavc un qualified backing,and u'erecirculating through thc throng soliciting fiscal cvidcncc of support from the bcttcr-hcelcrl. Mischa and several other members of Madamc Zarrltla's band ri,erc circulatingthrough thc crou'd, also,collecting donations frorr pcoplc u'ho had no idca they werc donating. Sonny Dorf wasn't the only Clean Govcrnmentcandidatc prasent, but he wa-sthe most pncminent.All wcrc to be givcn opportunity to plc-senttheir ca-sesto the public, and to flail their opponentsunmcrcifully. A great tleal of Viewing with Alarm was anticipatetl,following u'hich a torchlight parade wa^sto wander through the strcertsterminating at "City Haul," rvhcre more specrhes,enumcrating the vi(ues of the CGP candidatcsantl thc shorlcom- ingsof thc incumbents,would bc givcn. 170 CarrollGambrell A Manifestodemanding the resignationof theentire City Govemmenl would be nailedto the door of the Hall. Hou'ever.those most likely to be affectedby thedemands would not be present."City Haul" u'ouldbe cmpty, its occupantsattending rallies of theirou'n; but onemay alwayshope. Theband ended its program with a rousingrendition of "Whenthe Saints Go Marchingln," duringwhich the banjo player crashed the instrumen! over his own headcreating a simulatedhalo. Following that crescenciic finale, the speakersmounted the platform to a thunderousovation. The Speakerrappeti hisgavel, and afterseveral more minutes of gavel-rapping,the crowd gradual- ly grew quiet. Thewaterpitcher on the speaker's stand u'as f illeclwith pure,double-run, aged-over-the-weekend,Georgia Moon. Ex-PFCDurward P. Hicks, USA, had takencertain matters into his own hands. The speechestonight promised to be rousers. ***** Chief Wilfred Diilard was faggedout by the time he wa-sable to return to his office.The afternoonhad been a shambles.It wasthe first timehe had ever had to presideover the retirementof an officer with such fragilc and questionablecompos mentis. Sergeant Wiggins was still givento cryingjags interspersedwith fits of uncontrollablelaughter. This hada tendencyto spoil 's the timing of the chief jokes, andgenerated some serious problems tluring his presentationspeech. It was a realpain in theneck when the gucstof honor laughedduring a seriousmoment and broke out in a torrentof weepingat his best story. Consequently,he had spentmost of the aftetnoonaltematcly comfortingthe Sergeantas they relivedthe goodtimes, and laughingwith him throughthe tragedies. Thedoctor assured Dilland that, although the case wasn't hopeless, a cure would taketime. When he last sawWiggins, the sergeantwas guffawing at a patientin a wheelchair.There was somethingabout a brokenleg thatjust set him off. Thechief didn't spendmuch time at the office. When he returneci,it was nearlyfiveo'clock. He riffled throughthe pictures Elwood had left, but dicln't readthe note explainingthem. He stuckthe whole batchin his bricfcase.He would checkby theWhite Peacockto seeif they hadseen any morc burglars, andif he felt like it, he would look at the folder of photostonight; if not, he 's would look at themtomorrow mornins afterhe returnedthat shcriff call. SugarValley Saga 171 He might have sparedhimself a ferv sulpriseshad he rcad the note and examined the pictures a little more closely at the time, and if herhad retumed Sam Hunclley's call then. ***** El*'ocxl'shands were slill in theairwhen thelittle man with gold-rimmed glassesapologizcd for havingstuck his fingcr in Elu'ood's ribs."Oh, pardon mc," the man saicl,"l was just u'ondering if thc rcstroornis in orcler." "Rcstroom?"Elwocxl asked. hands still in thc air. "Yes, the mcn's room. You are plurnbcrs,aren'1 you?" lhc nran asked. "l'r,e got to go rcal bad, turclI tlidn't $'antto go if it rva.sout of or'cler." "Oh, no," Elu'ooclsaici, "it works finc; I wasjust thcrc." "Thank you vcrJ'rnuch," hc said."Uh, rvhcrt is it?" "Around thc comcr, thircldoor on your right." "Oh, thankyou. You u'illparclonInc if I hurry,won't you?" " Srrre , " Elu ootl suitl. Thc littlc man pauscdunccrlainly. "Uh, Sir?" "Yes," Elu'ooclrcpl icx|. "Er-,you can put your arms clo*n nou,, if you u'ant to," he saicl,bcforc turning and hurryingdoq,n thc hall. "You scnt him to thc laclies'room, Elu'ocxl,"Penny said. "Hc shouldn'thavc scarcrlme," Elu cxrdsaid. "Con',con, you 1wo,"Darlcne whispcre "I bet this is what today'sbatch came in," Darlenesaid. "We've seenabout all thereis to sechere; let's see q,hat's in somcof the othcr rooms," Penny proposecl. "Soundslike a good idea,"Darlenc said. Penny peepedout the door to se.eif the coast was clear, quickll, jcr-kcrl hcr head back in, and closedthe door. "Hicle quick!" she hissccl."Therc's somemen coming!" What follou'eclwas the fastcstgame of hide-ancl-scckever pla1.'cd.Flol'cl and Elrvood each enclcdup in a coffin; the girls found empt)/ lockcr\ .u'rcl closed their cloorsjust i$ the men enlcrccl the room and srvitchcclon thc overheadfluorescent, floocling the room u,ith light. ln thc mad scramblc,Penny had lost a shoc,which wa.slvin-q just in front of the lockerbcnch. Shc prayeclit .r,ouldn'tbc sccn. Money cntcrrd thc room follol.cd by thc man u,ho had conrcclo*n thc stairs*.hilc thcy hid unclcrthcm. A morncntlatcr, thrcc or four orhcrsf ilctl in. Darlcne and Pcnnycoul The f lat-faced man spokeup this time, " lt would havc be:enf inc if Angcl hacln't folgot to put monar in with the sancl." "You got me in a huny, Augie," the big man said."You know I clon'tclo gocxl in a hurry." A iook from Money haltetl the exchangc.He continrrc'ti,"l tell 1'outo gcr grab a dame u'hosebusiness is getting grabbetlby men, anclshc gives you thc slip. I scnclyou 1oriflc a room, and you corncback empty." "Boss,I-" Augie started. Moncy cut him off. "l send you to torch thc placc, antl vou gcl toir.srt:Ll. You can't cvcn do a simplething like unloadinga couplc of coffins u'ithout c|rpping clneancl shou,ing the rvholc norld what u'as in it. Whv dicln't f ou just call thc nc$'spapcranrl lct them take a picture?" "Boss, I thoughtthat damc acrossthe slroctwls the broail upstairs.It rnarlcnrc jurnp," Angtl said. "l'll nrakcyou jump, if you pu)l an)'morc clumLrstunl.s," Nloncy thrclrt cricclhirn. "You can'tkill a rut.Ytiu can'tpick up a u,horc.You cran'tstrikc a nratch. You cln'1.rnix a clabof concra'tc,"hc gavc thcm all his rttostntcnttcing glarc. "l * anIio knou'what I am payingyou forl" Thc rnan ri'ith thc bristll'rnr.rstachctprailcd tts N'loncr"sgitzc ltttrtcci torvarrllrinr. "l'nrnotlctting)'ouoll,cither, Rotlin," Moncr aclrnonisltccl,"r'ou lre up lhcrc runningthc prcss,and yotr lct hirn tltkepicturcs of Lhc$holc srinkingl()J)criltion. I'm surpri.sctl\\'c arcn't on thc front pagesol-eve11' rre\\'sJ)lrJX'rin thc counttn!" " I rlitin'tknoq, hc u aslaking thcrn, Dr. N4oncv,"the oltlcr rnlut sliitl * ith sornerligrrilr'. Bccause hc cngravcdthc J)lalcsancl rttn thc prcss,Ilotlin *tts consitlcrcrlu spcciitlistin his ficld, anrl u'asgr-anterl a cer'titittirttlr)Lult L'l Iutit utle . Bt'for-eMoncy conlrlrcplv antl ntuchto thc rclicl'ol'thc nrcttbr'in;l ftrl'lctl()r'e r thc coals thcrc *'as I ral)()n thc tloor. "What clo\'ou want?" N'loncyycllctl. ".luslcar.tc to gct lhosctu,o stif fs, Boss,"a voicrtsltitl. "Ctirncon in," l\'loncl .said. Thc rloor opcncdrtntl four Incll cilnle in. "l gtrcssAllrt'rt glottltcrtt irt tht' col'fins, lll rig'.ht.,"onc of lhc nrcnsaicl. "Whcrc is Allxrr'}" N4oncyinquirctl. "l huicn't sccnhirn," thc rnan anstcrctl, "llttt hc u'assupposctl to ltltvc lhenr reutl),.frolks itrc gathcringand uc nccd to gct thcrnL)ul thcrc. Shrxrld Iln,c lrccnitn hour ar.o. I'll chcckthc coffins,"hc said. 174 CarrollGambrell Floyd lay perfectly still, held his breathand prayed asthe lid was cracked, and an eye peeped in briefly; then the lid was closed once more. "They're in there,all right," saidthe attendant,notbothering tocheck Elwood's temporary haven.The attendantcan't be blamed too much for failing ro spor trouble, He had no acquaintancewith the deceased,or the living, for that matrcr. He was looking for a body, and he saw one. "Okay, get them on out of here," Money said irritably, motioning towarcl the tu'o coffins againstthe u'all. Darlene and Penny watcheclthrough the ventsas Floyd anctElwoo O*r rtr*G ABour SQUIRRELS is that they gnau,.Like their cousins thc chipmunks, beavers,porcupines, and mice ancl rat^sof all dcscriptions, they gnaw. lt is not only habitual and instinctivc, it is necessaryto thcir well-being. Their front teeth grow like fingcrnails, and if thcy didn't keep them trimmed by constantgnawing, their teeth might eventually grou' right through the top of their heads.As far as is known, no one has ever secn a squirrei with teeth growing through the top of its head. But that is the theory. Any way you look at it, no one would contestthe fact that scluin'clsrank high on the list of world champion gnawers.They gnaw cverything: rvoocl, leather,hickory nuts, pine cones,and sometimesthe insulationoff olcl u'iring. Squirrels don't usually do that, especially if plenty of acorns are available, but in a puckish or inquisitive mood, nothing may be consiclercdbcyoncl them. Squirrels,not being a malicious breed,might well gnaw insulation as a means of satisfying the curiosity of one of Nature's most active creatures.At least that is the feeling shared by certain animal lovers. Harassed homeow'ncrs are more apt to viewthem as"pesky limb-rats," and let loose a chargc of bird.shot, often to their own disadvantage, if the squirrel happens to be inside the attic at the time. Such a squirrel with an inquiring mind lived in the attic of the White Pcacock. This particular squirrel was a real Nosy Parker, until he discovercd firuthand the live wire inside the insulation he gnawcd and, while it didn't roast him, it did knock him a double loop, cure his appctite for elcttrical insulation, and satisfy his curiosity about u'iring in general.Nol enough u'irc hacl been cxposcd to cause a short circuit in a thirty amp fu-se,but thcrc was l/o CanollGambrell enough to generatea rather warm spot beneath a long-abandoncdpigeon's nestjust inside the attic's louver. Several days had passedsince the squirrel had done his thing. As rhe warm spotgrewwarmer,thepigeon's nestgrewdrier, until itw'asonIy amatter of time before the flashpoint was reachetl. On the night in question,it grew from warm to hot. The age olclprinciple of causeand effect \4/as,once again, about to be demonstratedin spectacular fashion. A wisp of smoke curled upward from the pigeon's nesr. ****rl. At the CGP Rally in the Park, it wa-s being demonstraled thar rhc temperaturcof the speechesrose in direct proportion to the fall of thc lcvel of liquid in the water pitcher. There, too, the flashpoint u'as rapiclly bcing approached. The catalyst that pushed it over the top \\'as a tub-thunrping rouscr b1' Julius Caesar"Sonny" Dorf, Jr., CGP candiclatefor mayor, and last slrcakcr on thc program. Sonny's ardent oration might havc cvokecl comparison to William Jennings Bryin's famous "Cross of Golti" spccch, hacl he not switched over to paraphra-sea specchby an earlier, m.orefamou.s orator. "And in conclusion,"he preparedto hurl his final lightningbolcl, "l say, uh, give me, ah, er, (he momentarilylost his train of thoughr)Oh, ycs (hc respondedto Marsha's prompting) Give me a library, or givc rne wcalth!" (Not exactly, Marsha thought, but close enough). So saying, he brought his fist down hard on the rostrum, catapulting the now-empty pitcher into rhe audience,bringing a cheerfrom the crou'd. Even the most talentedperformer will tell you that tcn perccnttalent, ancl ninety percent showmanshipwill win the crowd every time. Sonny's pedor- mance confirmed the rule. The banging of the fist wiu the cuc for the rrusty Durward Hicks to "go over the top" as it were, and trigger thc prcviously planned impromptu and spontaneous parade. While Marsha stood on the platform calling for a march on "City Haul" to "throw the bums out," Hicks was passing out torches to his well-primed torchbearers. Grabbing the last one for himself, he ran to what appcarerdro be thc hcacl of the milling mob and led it off. apparently Hicks' peoplc haclclippctl intcr the Georgia Moon asdeeply as had Hicks, himself , for the paraclertook off in the wrong direction. Marsha followed, frantically flailing hcr anns ancl yelling. "Not that way, you nincompoops!" Her shouting was to no avail, rurcl it took three blocks to catch the leaders,turn the paradearoun :S**** Floyd anclElwood heard thc voiccs clcarly, anclcxpcricncccl a hclplc.ss feeling u'hilerbeing lrundled away. Pcrhaps,if thcy coukl avoid dctcction thcmselve's,they rvoulcl gct a chanccto comeback for thegirls, latcr, provirlctl thc girls u'ercn'tdiscoverccl in the mcantime.For their par1,thc girls llv lo* likc Brc'rRabtrit in the Briar Patch. Scparatcll',Floyrl anclElrvood cach conclu "He was," catne a female whisPer. "Then who is that in the coffin, Al Jolson?" came the rejoinder. "What!" said the female voice. "Well, go take a closer look." Floyd prepared to bail out. Elwood was having similar luck. "We must be in the wrong place," said a hoarse whisper. "That's surc not old Max." "That's what the card on the flowers say," someoneprotestcd. "That must be Max." "Max is Jewish," came the hoane rejoinder. "What are you tryin' to tell me-this guy ain't circumcisecl?How can you tell? You got x-ray vision, Superman?" "It don't take x-ray vision to seethis guy ain't Jewish, dummy." "Then who the hell is he?" croaked the first voice. "How would I know? I ain't a Rabbi," said the other. Elwood didn't follow that whole conversation,because his attention\r'as behg drawn toward the strains of a band playing "Happy Days Are Here Again" coming closer and beginning to challengethe dirge being plal'ed 6n the organ. The tune was not exactly in keeping with thc somber occasion inside. Elwood's attention was brought back to the moment at hand, horvever, when a ratherhefty, near-sighted woman wearing inch-thick glasseslifted the veil. Squinting at him almost nose to nose, her wheezingly laborccl brcathing, heavy perfume, and lavender-scented face powder proved to be too much. Elwood cracked one eye and loosed a sneeze that sent the woman reeling halfway across the room. She screamed,"Max is Alive!" and fainted dead away, almost crushing a skinny little man in horn-rims who was standing behind hcr. Elwood, deeming the time ripe for vacating the premises,lcapcd from the caskettojoin Floyd, who had about a half-step on him as thcy raced for the door, just onejump aheadof a mob of peoplewho wanted to be elscwhere on Judgment Day. In the meantime, back in the lockers, Penny and Darlcnc werc sweating out their own problem. Angel, Rodin and Augie continued to sit arounclthc room talking. "What are you going to do while the Boss is gone,Augie," Angel asked, tapping Penny's shoe on the bench. "Nothin', that's what," Augie said. "Absolutely nothin'." "What about vou. Rodin?" Aneel asked. SugarValley Saga 179 "I'm going to ke.epmy e,veon you t*-o. In ca-sehe asks, I'm going to know every move you make," R Across thc strcct,the pi;tcon'sncst blossomcrlinto flarnr',rihich tlrricklr sprcad 1o tirnltcrs.scitsonctlbl ninctr,\'eilrs()f irllic'hclt in tlrt'sorrlhrnrsrrn. Up thc strct't rlarchctl thc Clctrn (lort'r-nrnc'nlPlirlr's ricll pitrrrnt't1. sponlane()trstorchlirlht Plrttlc. leil lx,thc'r'eclorrbllrblt'L)rrrulrtl P. iIir'ks. ri lrl qa,sltcing cllrsctl lrr lt brolrl hi1t1x'iinonlut in lt'nnis shot'ssitoLrlinrt, "\'i,Lr l-urnctlont'lrlock loo so()lt,\'()u lirtrll irr-lriltcrlrltiriril" Thcslxtttlrttrt'oLtstorcltligltt I)l1r'ir(i('slx)ntirncorrslr L:a()ulr(l l() il Lenll\)r'irr\ halt antl rnillcrl unrLurrlin llre slrcc'tin Irrinl ol thc \\'hite Pt'uctx.korr onr sitlc'. ltntl Ilcttvcnlr Rt'sl ritt llrt'ollt,-'r.'l-ht'Plrrrtlt'rsrllrrvclt'rl 11t1h(..\J)c,('tltculilr' si1:htoffiarncsslroorint:sk\\\ilrli J'r'rrrnthcrrrrl of lhcbiiluhite hoLrse.[]r rht tintc sttrltconcstrl'.11t'stt'tl clrllilrrl thc Fire [)e1ltrtntcn1,lllcv hltrl trlrcltlr lrr' rivcrl loo lale.l-he \\'iritc I)t'lreock\\ lt.\rll()rtitll\':;ir-ickc'n. During ihc conft,rt,ncr:lhirl r.n5LlLri,rht, runki uf thc llrrailc \\crc con5irl cralllvsriclletlbvthcarr-irltlof plrrticslriekcnlnourncrsscckinllt'sclrpt'l'r,ri: .lurlgrncntDar,, arrtlscilntilv clurl rlcnizcns ol' thc Whitc Ircrcrrk, st,tkin,, cscilPc frclln strlttke, firc iintl u lttt'r frorrr thc l'irc hoscs ttl lhc rt'cr'ntlv lrrr-ir,,,l firrcfil:htcrs.Whilc it.s Iclrlcrs got their lictrring.s,Mischu tinri sorrrt'r,11,.' rncmbct's of N'llttlrrrncZalclcia's bunrl circrrlattrl lhrorrl:lr lhc tlc'ntor;r ;, , crc.rntl .str,:utning f rtrrn the Ht'avcnl1, Rcst, col lccl iltt rlt()rc tk lr lttiorr: SugarValley Saga 181 Chief Dillard. w'ho haclclropped by the White Peacockfol a rnomcnt or t*,o of rela,ration.had escapedwith his briefca-se,wearing onlr. his shocs,one of Bertha's old robcs, ancla towel loopcd turban-style around his heacl,Hc appeareda little dazed, Bcnha *,as u.earinghis trousersand tunic anclan old pair of bcdrcnm slippcrs.Hcr upsrvcptrccl-dyed hairdo had bccn mashcd arounrl,but was csscntiallv intact. Shc joinctl thc mob ancl stoically watchcd thc Whitc Pcacockgo up in smokc.It hclpedto knorvthal a storcof valuablcsrr asinsidc hcrr'I'ircprcxrf safc. Evcnabove the clin ancl confusion of thecrowd insidcther Heavcn lv Rest, Fiol,cland Elu'oodhcard thc soundof shotscoming from thedirtction of the rcarof thc building.Thcl,knew instantlvit mustbc Darlcncand Pcnnyin troublc,but thcrcri,a.s littlc thc1,'coulddo. Fightingthcir'rr av throughthc tidc of strugglinghumanitv shoving through thc cxits u'asbcvontl thc clpritrilitl' ol nrcrcmorlals. N'light as ri,cil bc a salmontrying to nrakcit up NiagaraFall.s. Jhcl ucrc:s\\'cpt out into thc strcctlr,hcrc thcy hccarnc*'cldcd into tht'ma^s.s crl-paradcrs frorn thc park,moumcrs from the Hcavenly'Rcst, ancl cclcbrants fronrthc Whitc Pcacock. ApparcntlyDurrvard arrcl Marsha rc.scllvcd thcir cliffc'rcnccs, becausc thc tran ***** Darlcncanrl Pcnnl shotup thcstai rr ri ith Rotlirrhartl orr thcir hcels. l-hc shotslotisctl Lx Auric lnrl Angcl ri'cntqirlc, sPlintcringPla.stcr but having no olhrr cl'fcctcxccl)1 1o inclcusc thc spccrlof thcir (luurr.i]. At thc top of thc strirs, thcr'pauserllirr l frightcninltrnonrcnt, nol knou inll u hichu ur'1o go. "Foliorrrnc, larlics,"Rotlinurgctl."Thisqa,r."Ile lctl thcrrrrluicklvup s()nle!rin'ro\\'l)irck sllrirs 1o thc g,arrct.uhiJc Augic lrntl;\ngcl trn lrr'otrn(1 Irt'erilrtlinlo r-txrrttsantl sltrnrrtring tl(xrrs on thc sccontlfloor. Protlucin{sL)nlt' kt'r's.Rtxlin trnlocrketl irrlcxrr at thc endof thc hallq,ar'."ln hcrc,tluick!" hc suitl.closinrl ilrtl lrx'king,thc iloorbchinrl thcrn. It urrs lr lortg,nlrrro*, rlark rurrn, illurninatecionll'b1'tlinr tri'ilight scepirr! llrroug.hit srnallu irttlorr,at thc cntl of thc rotitn.Futrtitut'c \\'a.s sparso, irrt s(,utc(l()n thc onc slraiShtbackc "Charlenel" Darlene cried. "Quickly!" Rodin said,cutting Charlene'sbonds. "Get out of here, all of you! " It was too late to go back the way they came. Augie anciAngcl rvere already climbing the stairs ro the garret. "How?" Penny asked. "Out the window," Rodin pointed."It's our only chance." Charlene wa-srubbing her wrisLsto rcstorc circulation. a thousanclun- askedquestions cro*,cling her throat.Darlene was firing qucstionsa milc a minute.No one was gettingans$rers. Charlcine still haclthe gag in hcr mouth, but it didn't matter,therc \4'asn't timcr for talk, any'way. "Let's go, laclics.Talk later,"Roclin urgccl. Pcnny wa.sthe first onc out. She crau,lcclout onto thc roof ancltulnecl tct assi.stCharlene, follorvcd by Darlcnc, thcn Rodin. They ucrc jusr in tirnc. Augic anclAngc:l rcachccl thc cloor ancllixr.sccl a fc*.shots through it into thc nrom just as Rcxlinpullccl himsclf out onto thc roof. Wherc to nou.?Darlenc nccdcd no prompting.Spotring thc big oak ar thc rearof the house,she lcd the u'ay along the samc routc thc unforrunatc Pclcr Possurnhad takcnscvcral davs cariier.Not puusingtci ask rprcstions, shc jumpcd for t.hcovcrhanging limb, rnuclcit to thc trunk, untl .siidto lhc grounclin ncarrccord tirnc. Thc othcrsfollou,cd suit, and wcrc alrcadl'on thc ground rvingingup thc clrivcloward thc mob in front by thc tirnc Angcl had burstthc cloortlou,n and discovcrcclthe qLrarryhacl florvn. Augic ran to thc rvindorvancl spottecl thcrn disapJraring into thc throng. "'lherc lhc)' go. Angcll Aftcr rhcrn!"Augic shouletl. "l ain'tjumpin'out thatwinclol', Augic," Angclprotcstcrl. "Dow,nthe stair.s,you idiotl" Augic shoutcrlovcr hi.sshoulricr, alrcarlv halfway doivn thc stain, himself. By thc tirnc Angcl andAugic arrivccl,thc four escapccsharl disaplrcarc Betha wiped away a tear."You know, I shall miss the old place,Wilf red. Do you think they might have saved it?" Dillard didn't really think there was a prayer it might have been saved, but he wm reluctant to say as much to Bertha. "We shall see tomono$', my dear," he said. He r.r'asq'ondering what the neuspapersu.ould have to say about a whorehouseburning down around the ears of the Chief of Police. It was not a prospect he relished. "I'm not worried about myself so much," she said. "I've got a little nest egg. It's the girls I'm concernedabout. They'll be out on the street." The chief had to admit he didn't see anything too unusual about a lady of the evening being on the street, but he certainly didn't encourage the practice. The girls at the White Peacockweren't exactly nuns, but they had been more or less shelteredby Bertha, and the clientele wasn't made up of roadbums. He hopedsome satisfactory arrangemcnts coulcl bc rnadefor thcm; but right now he was thinking of his own plight. "Bertha, you do carry insurance,don't you?" hc askcrl. "Oh, sure. It u'as insured to the hilt," she said. "I don't meanfire insurance,"he said."I meantinsurancc of a morc, uh, personalnature. The kind that insures,er, influence." "Oh, I see u'hat you mcan," she saicl."lf you are refening Lo our ncwspaperpublisher, I could probablypemuadc him to bc discreet-if my safcris as fireproof as they said it was." "I u'ashoping you'd say that," he said. When they disappcarcdinto the crowcl,Darlcne and Pcrnnymanagccl to hang onto each othcr, but thcy becameseparatcd from Charlene antl Roclin, who bccameseparated from eachothcr. Augic antl Angcl dove itito thc cro*'cl, searchingdcspcrately for the eavcsclroppeni. Thcy u'ere nr.rtltxtkinlt forl ltrcl to a confrontationwith Money, if they let them get away.'Ihosc \\olncn ovcrheard too much, and Rodin coulclgivc the u'hole operation away. Augic could see nothing but the back of thc 1rcrsonin front of him, and feet; lots of feet. Angel, u'ho stood u'ell over six fc.ct,u'as able to look out ovcr the crowd, but he could see no sign of the girls or Rodin. For all appearances,they had been swallowcclby the crowd. Floyd and Elu'ood had becn swalloweclup, too, but they had managcd to stay together.Floyd had caught a glimpsc of the girls running tou'arclthc mob, with Augie and Angel too close bchind lor comforl. Thcy ucrc lost in 184 CarrollGambrell the milling throng before he could get their attcntion. It u,as such a fleeting glimpse,he didn't notice Charleneand Rodin. At leastthe boy.skneri.the girls had gotten away from the Heavenly Rest, but they had to get to thcm bcfore those killers did. [n the meantime,the seethingmass of people followccl thc band-much as the ral^sfollowed the PieclPioer-ancl oresscdon to$.ard "Citt, llaul." Charlenelost Darlene and Penny as soon as they got into thc crowcl; but knowing Augie and Angel were right behind her, she kept going. If thcr-eis one thing a good cocktail waitressknows how to do, it is mancuvcr through a crowd. Spurred by fear, Charlenesoon had a lot of people betu'ecnhcrsclf and her pursuers. Perhapssubconsciously drawn towarcl thc sound of thc music blaring from the green van, she kept going until she reachcclir. Thc one-eyedCajun leaderof the Swamp Buzzards rccognizedher immcciiatcly. The side door slid open; eagerhands reacheclout to pull her aboard,ancl shc: fell safely into the arms of the CGP's Favoriterthe mayoral canclidare, himself. Julius CaesarDorf . Jr. rf tl. {. * tt Rodin wormed his way through the crou'd *.ith nearly a-smuch skill as Charlene.He, too, was goadedby fear bordering on panic. Hc haclr.il.ncssccl firsthand Dr. Money's retribution to the disloyal. Rodin was a seedy character,but one of thc rcal profcssionals of thc underworld. He was an engraver; a maker of plates for printing countcrfeir money. He was good; one of thebestin the business.Being both indispcnsablc and cliscreetwas what had kept him alive, so f ar. He was not a violcnt pcrson. Perhapsit was the artist in him that prcvcnteclthat. In ary casc,hc u as afraicl of Money. He didn't like the world he was in. He u'anteclour-and hc u,antcd to live. Feeling a jostle that wa-sa little out of kilter with the movement of the crowd, in a move much like that of a cobra striking, he grabbe ri*rf*rt SugarValley Saga 185 By the time the caravan reached City Hall, the mob had attained rather outlandish proportions, picking up parade followers along the route. Cetainly it was far beyond Marsha's wildest dreams. Arthur had managed to round up two sleepy reporters, one of whom was a pimply faced cub who had received the assignment because of his juniority in the department. The other was a society reporter hoping to pick up a juicy tidbit about the CGP mayoral canclidate.However. she had fled at the sight of the unruly mob bearingdou'n upon thern. The cub reporter, future City Editor and man of great influence, Iicked his pencil in eageranticipation of the scoop he was about to make. When the caravandisgorged from thc streetinto the City Square,it spread into a looser formation and coveredthe entire squarebefore City Hall and the Courthouse. Floycl and Elw'ood, taking advantageof the added elbow room, looked high and low for the girls, but *'ent in the wrong direction and faile'clto scc' them. Penny,however, spottedthem from halfway acrossthe scluare.Waving her arms and shouting frantically, she managed only to attract the attcntion of Angel and Augie, who were much closer than Floyd and Elwooci. Darlene spotted Augie at the same time. Grabbing Penny, thcy flccl toward a nearby building. Augie yelled for Angel to block thcir path. Thc girls, much su'iftcr, made it to the alley u'ell aheadof the hulking hood. But the alley provcd to be a dead cnd-they were trapped! Searchingfor a way out. they spotted the fire escapelanding overhead, too far out of reach to jump for. Making a stirrup out of her hancls,Darlcnc called for Penny to climb on. Penny,standing on Darlene's shouldcrs,barcly made it to the landing. Reachingdown, she was able to gra-spDarlcnc's hand and pull her up, just as Augie and Angel gained the alley'u'ay. As quietly a^spossible, and hugging the wall, they stoleup the firc cscape, while Augie anctAngel searchedthrough boxes and trash cans in vain. They might have gotten away undetectedhad they not startleda sleepingcat on onc of the landings, which dislodged a flower pot when it fler1.Worse luck, thc pot barcly misseclAugie when it landed u'ith a crash. Throu,ing caution to thc wincl,the girls flew to the roof in a hail of bullets that attractcdno attentionwhatsoever from the crou'd in the squarc.If anyonc hearclthc shots,they were ignorcxla-s firecracken touched off in cclebration of the anticipatedvictory on the morrow's election. It was a long climb to the roof, and they anived windcxl, but safc-at lcast for the moment. Looking around, Darlcne and Pcnny searchedfor a havcn where thcy might not be found. There was none. The roof rvas anothcr 186 CanollGambrell deadend, but coveredwith a layerof rocksand pebblas that might give them somemeans of fightingback, feeble though it'*'ould be.Pebbles don't score too heavily againstguns. Snatchingoff herknitted hat, Darlene began filling it with suitablysizeci rocks.It would be like huntingpolar bears with a flyswatter,but shervasn't aboutto go down without a fight. Penny,in themeantime, had spotted the only placethat might scn,e a^s a fortress,however frail. Oneof themarvels of the Vulcan City skylineu,as the billboardon theroof of thebuilding whereupon Dadene and Penny now found themselves;the samerooftop being approachedby two thugs u'ith deadly intent. This billboard advertiseda brandof Indian tea.The featurethat caught the eye and made the sigrr such a marvel was that it depicted a smiling hotrsewifeenjoyrng a cup of tea, which actually moved to her lips, as hcr dotinghubby peered over her shoulder.Not only did thecup move to her lips, it actuallyspouted steam to show that the teawas hot. The cup would move to the lips and back down, then steamwould pour fonh from a steampipe insidethe cup. The visual effect from the groundwas that of a steamingcup of teabeing enjoyed by a lovely youngwife. Centeredabove the charming domesticscene, the ad copy, in blazinglight, proclaimed: FINE DARJEELING BRAND TEA ONLY PENNIES FOR A CUP OF CHEER HELP YOURSELF Augie's headappeared over the edgeof the roof, and Darlenelet fly a good-sizedpebble that nearly removedhis hat. "Quick, Darlene,in the cup!" Pennyyelled, grabbingDarlene, ilnd draggingthem both into the cup,just as it beganits asccnt. Augievaultedonto the roof, followed by a puffing,wheezing Angel, who fell overthetop railing and collapsed in aheap,panting and gasping forbreath. The cup had madeseveral cycles before Angel was up to mounting an assault,Dadene and Pennymade use of the time by exploring the resources at hand.They found that the steamwas fed to the nozzleby a flexible hose, andthat the nozzle could be removedfrom a bracket,and aimed. They thought it might be useful,but didn't havetime to makeany adjustments before Augie andAngel madetheir first move.Remembering the rock that almosttook his headoff, Augie was too wary to expectto be ableto simply walk up to them. SugarValley Saga 187 "Okay, we've got you cornered," Augie called. "Might as well come on out and savetrouble. We don't want to hurt you." "ls that why you're shooting at us?" Darlene askedsu'eetly. "We just want to talk to you." Augie said in u'hat he thought was a rea^sonablypel$uasive tone. "Then get out of herc anclcall us tomorrow'." Pemy yelled. "No*', look," Angel said."Come on out andmaybe you $'on't get hurt." "Go fish, turkcry,"Pennl' 53i61. "We aren'tcoming outl" 'em, "l'll "All righr,)'ou askedior it. Go gct Angel," Augic ilcmandetl. covt:ryou." Angcl time{ his chargc with the descentof the cup, leaping for the rim just as it arrivcciat lhc bottom.Darlenc was u'aitingwith hcr knitteclcap iull of rocks, which sherLrrought down on his hcad with all her might' Clunk! Angcl fcrll in a hcap. Darlene would have jumg:d orrt and finishccthim off if thc smiling lady hacln't u'anted another sip of Fine Darjeeling Tea at that momcnt. Before the cup came back ciou'n,Angel had recovcretlcnough to crawl back to Augic's position. "l thought you were Soing to cover me," he complainccl. "shaclcluplI might havehit you, stupid,"Augie rctofied. "'fy'Erll,you go after thern, thcn, Einstcin," Angcl suggcrsled. "All right, rvatch,"Augie saicl,"Piecc ol cake." Augic dccidedto givc it a go, and he was rvaitingrvhcn thc cup camc back down. Lcaping on the rim, hc pointcd his pistol straightat Pcnny ancl ycllc ,,We've "Surrender!Are you nuts?"Augie yellcd back. gotguns." "We just thoughtu'e'd give you one more chance,"Pennycalled. "Haven't you had enough?" 'til "We'll show you who's had enoughl"Augie yelled "Wait tharthing comes back dou'n." While Penny was holding that shoft dialog with Augic, Darlenc *,a.s wrestling with the steamnozzle. "we've got to get somc help," Darlenc saicl, looking around. "And quick," Penny agreed."We can't holcl them off forcvcr.', Darlenebrightencd. "I've got an idca.Take off your bra." "What!" Penny u'hoopc A fILDERMAN JULIUS CAESAR DORF'S OffiCCWiNCIOW' iN IhC DOrf Of f icc Building lookcclout ugtn the City Squarenow teeming with supporlers of lhc CllcanGovcrnmcnt Party, primcd for a cleiur swecp in thc monow's clcction.J'hc office wa-sdark. Thc only light,coming through the largepicturr' u,inclo*, facing the s(luare,softly illumincrl thc two faces pccring out at the sccnc.Onc face,lincd and craggy;the other,finc-featured ancl fair. Thcy haclbccn watcrhingthe cvcning ncws, anclhad just learncclof thc firc thatcornplctcly dcstroycd thc Whitc Pcacock.Thc man spoke."Well, my tlcar',i1 looks a.sif 1,ouhavc no home to go 1tl,ancl aftcr tomorrow. I rnay bc' out of a job." "l arr sorryforyou," Carlottasaid. "I can find anothcr'situation',but thisis 1,ourlifc." "Oh, I don't know if it's all thatba "Perhaps, but I wouldn't bet my life on it," she said. "I am still a dangerouswitness, you know." "Maybe you should think about traveling, too." "What do you mean?" "I've got a couple of tickets ontheArctic Tem,sailingfrom Charleston next week. Visits Greenland,end New Zealand, u'ith layovers in Tahiti and Singapore.We could be married somewherealong the-" "Marrymefint, andyou've got a deal!"she cried, jumping atthechance. "Ma'ry you fir-you clrive a hard bargain, my dear." lIe sighed, thcn squaredhis shoulders."Well, why not? I've been al,r'idowerfor sevenyeam, and that's seven yearstoo long," he smiled. "I1won't takeme long to pack. I've only got a toothbrush,"she said. "We'll take care of that tomorow," he said. "You are a dear," she u'hispered,and the fulure mayor's fulurc stcp mother gavehis fatherancl her futurehusband a most unmothcrll'kiss. "But u.hatif you u,in?" shesaicl apprchcnsivcly. "Don'l wony, I won't," he said."lf thcreis onc thing I knorvhorv to clo. it's stuff a ballot box. Thc sociologytcachcr is going to havc to lcarnto lr a politician,whcthcr hi: likcs it or not; whilc you anclI arc sailing thc Sci'cn Sea-s." "lt rvill probablyscr.re hirn right." shesaid, kissing him oncc morc. Thc curtaincloscd. shutting out the sccncbclow. In the mcantimc, thcy rcmaincd blissfully unawarc of thc clcspcratc str-ugglctaking placc abovc, on thc roof of the Dorf Building the vcr-y builciingthc1, occupiccl. ***** The sociology tcachcr was winding up a specrohfrom thc srcps ol Cirl, H.lul, r','hichmight, u'erc it not for the wcll-spikcd lcmonaclcclolcd out bv Hick's helpcn, haveclampencd thc ardorof a TedclyRooscvclt prirncrl l'or thc chargcup SanJuan Hill. In what might bc termccla plcthclraof obfuscalion. hc obfuscated: ". in cxtolling the virtucs of our noble cnclcavor,I implorc thc cxorcising of the blasphcmousmiscrcanls, thc autho$ of aborninalions, throughpopular cxcrcization ancl utilization of the franchiscin thc ballotinl: proccssbcriucathcd to thesuccc'cding gcncrations of thc cnfranchiscdpopr.rlrr tion by our cnshrinc'dantcccclcnts . . ." SugarValley Saga 191 Atnzzy-hwredex-mourner, turned CGP supponer, leaned to hersome- u'hatglassy-eyed mate and asked, "What theheck is he talkin' about,Harry; all that'exercisin'stuff?" "I think he'*'ants us to do sit ups before\4re go vote tomor:row,"Harry answered. "Seemslike a crazything to do," shesaid. "Who cares,as long as they don't raise taxes?" Harry said, taking another sip of his lemonade."Why don't you makelemonade like this,Naomi?" "BecauseI spendall my time tendingto six ungratefulbrats, and trying to look like a sexgoddess when you gethome, Harry," she replied sweetly. A cheerwhen up whensomeone pulled the plug on the soundsystem, andthe droning voice ceased. However, when Marsha mounted the stand, the powermysteriously returned. "And now, the momentwe've all beenwaiting for-a few words from thenext mayorof Vulcan City-The HonorableJuliusCaesar DorJ Junior!" Therewas a delaydue to thecandidate's reluctance to leavcthe comfofls of thevan. He finally emerged,adjusting tie, buttons and zippcr; and smooth- ing his shirt,coat and hair. The fact that he wassporting a hickeythe size of anelephant's goiter was partially concealed by his upturneticoilar. He was greetedby a musingcheer as he mountedthe stepsancl took the mike.Sonny was clearly the darling of the CGP.It washis moment. "Fournights and seven weeks ago . . ." he began. :l**** Floyd and Elwood had split up and combed the crowd in vain for some sign of the girls. They were nowhere to be found. Even more ominous u'as thc fact that there was no sign of the tw'o thugs that had trailerl the girls intcr thc cro*'d. eithcr. Meeting Elwood at the Confederate Monumcnt in thc centcl of the square,a-s planned, Floyd shook his head. "Any luck?" he asked, although he knew the answer already from the look on Elwood's face. "I saw the chief over near that big elm tree with Mrs. Vanderwofi, but he was in somekind of disguise.I figured he wiu doing some more undcrcover work, so I didn't say anything to him, and I guesshe didn't recogrize me." Elwood rubbed his black face. "El, we've got to find the girls. They are in trouble, I know, and there's no telling what those people will do to them, if they've got up with them." 192 CanollGambrell "Let's go seeif we cantalk to thechief, anyway," Elwood said. "This is an emergency.Maybe he knows something." Keepingclose to the shadowsand creeping as close as possibleto the oddly dressedcouple sitting on the grass,the two agentsried to ge1the attentionof their chief without attractingthe notice of bystanders- or bysitten,as a goodlynumber of peoplehad made themselves comforrable on thegrass. A largeclump of shrubberyabout ten feet away u,as as close as rhcy 's couldget without being sean. No amountof hissingseemed to catch the chicf attention,although another couple who did se€mto be botheredby a hissing bushgot up andmoved away, andwere seento be whisperingto eachother and pointing at the bush. Floyd finally broke off a largedead limb and tossedir at thc chief. Dillard's first reactionwas, understandably,one of annoyance,until he realizedthat the bush, or someonein thebush, was seeking his attention. Gettingup andwalking orler to thebush, he said, "What do you want?" Two couplesdiscreetly eclges away from the manin a woman's robeand a towel aroundhis head,who wastalking to a bush.One of the menwent to look for a patrolman,while the other, keeping a wary eye on thc odclly turbanedfigure talking to the shrubbery,stood guard over the t\,!.owomen. He had heardof the strangepractices of someEastern religions, but he had neverheard of any that talkedto bushes. Maybethe guy thinkshe's Moses,he thought.If thatbush catches fire, I'm leaving;women or no women,he vowed to himself. "Here they come, Darlene," Penny cried. "Get ready!" "I'm ready," Darlene said grimly, aiming the steamnozzlc at the onrush- ing pair. "If it works . , . " As the thugs closed in, steam pressurewas rapidly building behind the rocks and other debris she had stuffed into the nozzle. Augie and Angcl werc about twenty feet away and coming fast when the dam broke. Borv! The makeshift shrapnel cut loose, shredding the air and stopping the charge in mid-stride. [n fact, it flattened it, and sent it scurrying for cover wirh more wounds to lick. "Wow! T\at really worked," Penny said, as the cup began its ascent. "That ought to hold them for awhile," Darlene said. "Here's my bra," Penny said. "What do you want with it?" SugarValley Saga 193 "Make a slingshot," Darlene insrructed."Use it to hold off those guys u,hile I get us some help." "How?" Penny asked. "Watch," Darlene said. taking aim and drawing back with her own ^slingshot."I'm going to send a message." Penny thought she wa-sgoing to *'rite a note on a piece of paper,tie it to a rock, and shoot it off the roof. Instead,she shot the letter J out of the sign above, while Pcnny stared at her a-sif she had suddenly lost it. The B and R followed in rapid order before the descentof thc cup made her miss the T. Augie and Angel were still taking a breathcr and didn't make any moves. Penny u'as beginning to think she was trapped on a roof with a iunatic and two thugs. "What are you doing!" she exclaimed. "I tolcl you, I'm sending a messageto Floyd iurclEhvood," Darlcne said. In short order,the E and the A in TEA clisappearcdalong,w'ith the T, arcl Penny suddenly caught on. Darlcnc uu.ssencling a messagcthe- u'holc town could read. "I'll t*e the ONLY," shecrietl. "You get thc rqsr." "Okay. Don't knock out any wrong lctters,"Darlenc saici. "We can't put thcm back up." "My daddy macleme a slingshotwhen I u,a-seight," Pcnnysaid. "l was prctty goori with it, but he didn't make it out of a bra. Can you rcally usc it like a clouble-barrel?" "What are those dumb broads doing, Augie?" Angel askccl. "l can't tell," Augie said."They shotout one of my cycs,anci I can't see too good." "You want I shoulclstop them?" Angel askcd. "No. t-ct's just rqst a minute," Augie said. "I \l'anr to think about it." "Suils me," Angel said with a deep sigh of rclicf. On the ground, Floyd and Elwood were having a tough timc making thc chicf understandthe situation; he coulcln't keep up with the flow of killers, bodies, dope, film, wallpaper, counterfeit money, blackmail, clclicarcssens and funeral homesthey were paraclingacross the scenc.Dillanl was a pcrfcct cxample of one who had not hit thc panic button,because hc didn't undemtand thc siluation. 194 CanollGambrell "Didn't you lookat thepictures and readthe note Penny u'rote?" Ehvood askedfrom behindthe bush. "Well, er, I-that is, I didn't reallystudy them," the chief said,"and I didn't seethe note. I musthave overlooked it-but I will checkit rightaway." Floyd suddenlygrabbed Elwood's arm, and pointing, he said excitedly in a hoarsewhisper, "I know wherethe girls are!" Elwood lookedin the directionFloyd waspointing. "Comeon," Floyd said;but Etwoodwa^s already three fast pacesin front of him, headingtoward the building with the sigr. Dillard, unawareof the precipitatedeparture of his star agents,was still explainingto thebush why he hadn't hadtime to fully examinethe reportand pictureswhen the man who had gone in searchof a patrolmanarrived with Officer (Acting Sergeant)Norby Finch in tow. "See what I mean?" he whispered,pointing at the turbaned figure conversingwith the azaleabush. "I don't think he shouldbe allowedto run loose." "I'll take careof it," Finch said,tapping his billy club in the palm of his hand. Strolling up to the strangefigure, he tappedhim on the turbanwith his club. "What's the matter,Sabu, lose your elephant?"he askedpolitely, but with a touch of sarcasm. "What areyou babblingabout, you idiot?" the chief said indignantly. 'Chief!" Finch exclaimed."I thought-" "Finch, you get in troubleevery time you think. Of courseI haven't lost an elephant.I'm talkingto thesemen here," he said,pointing at thebush. "Uh. whatmen. sir?" "The men in the bush.W-'A ndH-36." Finch peeredinto the azaleautd saw nothing. "Sure, Chief," he said dubiously."I guessthose secret agents really know how to usecamouflage." "Camouflage?What camouflage? lt'sW -U andH-36, I tell you! Getout here,you men,and show this idiot-they're gone!"he said."They wereright here." "If you say so, Chief," Finch said. "Say so!" the chief roared."I said so, didn't I?" "Yessir!You saidso,sic soit'sso, sir. Yessir!" Norbywas getting a little carried away with his esses. Chief Dillard threw up his handsand casthis eyesHeavenward, as if to implore a merciful deity to sparehim the companyof idiots. So doing, his attention was arrestedby the sigr adorning the roof of the Dorf Building and SugarValley Saga 195 the contented,ideal couple sipping DAR EELIN . . . he stiffened, and the delugeof information Floyd and Elwood had given him beganto make sense; at least enough sense that he understood where they were headecl' "Get to a call box and get the helicopter over here!" he roaretl,and Finch felt the chief had flipped for surc, this time. " Hel icopter, sir?" Finch hesitated. "Norvl Finch.Therc's not a momenl to lose!" Dillard shoutcd,scttrving in the direction Floyd anclElu'ooci hacl taken. "What tlo I tell them to do, sir?" "Tell themto pick me up in thepark !" thcdeparting chief bcllowed. "Ancl get all the black and *'hites you can fincl." Finch lcnkecl at the roof of the builcling the chief had printecl out, trnd clid a cloublc-takcwlicn he sau what had goltcn the chicf so excilccl. The Main Altraction of thc Vulcan City Grcat Whitc Way had sufferccl altcration. Therc, abovc thc contcnte ,* 't:* * * Floycland Elu'ootlarrivccl at thc fronl cntranccto thc Dorf Building and [ountlthc doorslockcd. Mischa, u ho u'asst ill sttliciting"tlonal ions" ncarby, hcarclthcm rattlingthc cloor-.s,Rcccignizing Floytl and Elrvcxxl,hc cartlcovcr tcloifcr his a.ssistancc. "Do you havc a kcy'?"FIovtl askcd. "Pcrhaps,"Mischa saitl, f ishingin his pockctittrtl t.'onr ing otit\\'ith a nlct{ll objcct.similarto an icc Pick. "ls that thc kcy?" Elutxrclaskccl. ..Nolcxactly',Lrutitu,rrc,l ol)cntlrcdoor,"hcsaitl. Ilcl'iickctl itit fcu titrlcs anrl thc tloctrrlJrcrtccl. Floycland El$'ood ran tori'artlthc stairs,not bothcrinSto $'ait for thc clcvator.Beforc thcy rcachcclthc toPfloof, twcntY-thrccflights up' lhc)'wcte thinking rnal'bcrhcv shoulclhavc *'aitctl. Mischa rvas tltcrc u'aiting fclr thclr. 196 CarrollGambrell 't**** The quartet on the roof heard the sirensu'ailing, "Okay, do you want to give up, now?" Penny called. "Surrender to a couplc of broads in a teacup! Arc you kidding?" Augic calledback. "Wait aminute,Augie," Angel rr'hispred."Maybe thatri.oulcln't trcsuch a bad idea." "What arcyou talkin' about,you clumbass," Augic snariccl. Therehacl bcen a lack of fire in Augie's voice.The gir'lsdcc:idccl to l)rcss thcir aclvantage."You might aswcll," Darlencvcllecl" "Thc copsrvill bcrhcrc in a fcu'minutqs." It u'a.strue. The sircns wcrc gctting closcr, urcl adclcdto lhar s,a.slhc whirring approachof thc policc hclicoptcr.The spotlight *.as alrcadl,il luminatingthe clarkcomcrs of lhc rooftop. "I clon'tcarc u'hat vou.\av, Augic, I'm givin' up," Angcl said."Thosc damcshavc fricd usin hot grcasc,kicked us in thccrotch, pukctl on rnc,bashccl in mv hcad,ancl .shot out yorrrcyc. On top of that,I think nti, lrrrklcis trustctl. Thc cop.sarc goin'to bc hcrein a minutc.I can'tcrau.l back do*,n th:rtfirc 'l'o escapcwith a bustcdanklc, ancl )rou can't cl6it [ccaust'youcan't scc. hcll u,ithit! I'rn riuittin',"Angcl sai<1. "You cio,and I'11 kill ya," Arrgicsaitl. "llou,, Augie?You'rc or-rttabullcts. I countc On thc lloor bclou,,Irlovtl anrlEl*ocrl brrrshcrlbv Mischu,rlcspclrtc,l' scckingthc rvay,lrp to thc roof.Mischa nin uftcrthcrtr. "Wtritl Wltil! Et,lt.e.s thccsr,ay," hc callctl. " Whcrc']" FIovrlrlcrltrntictl. "Folittrvrnc," N4isclur s;uitl, lcatlirig lhcnr to u riurkalcovc thlrt Irclri ir sh911 flightof .stairs.At thctol) \\'ii.\ u rnetaltLxrr nith l siglnin rcclprrinl lhll rqutl: SugarValley Saga 197 EXIT TO ROOF NO ADNIITTANCE KEEP DOOR LOCKED Thcy pauscdat the door, getting ready to cra.shit in. 'ave "Ther'c ec.sno nccd for that." Mischa saicl."Ect eqs not locked. I alr-caclyunlockecl eet." Withoui hcsitation, Elrvood flung opcn thc cloor, and the1.'dashed out onlo thc roof, ju.st as thc policchclicoptcr hovcrcd ovcrhcad r.ith thtrspotlight covcringthc full sccnc.What thcy sai,r'q.a-sthc tu.o girls stanclingover t\\'o pr-o.stratefigurc.s u,ho wcre cringing unclcrthc thrcat of thcrpistol Pcnnv hcld, lnd the fully loaclcdancl cocked slingshot that Darlenehacl traincd on thcm. 'coptcr Overhead a turbancd ancl robccl Chief hung out of the rvith a bullhorn."This is thechicf spcaking!"hc blared."l orclcryou to throw do$r vour \\'caponsancl sun'cnclcr!" Thc girls obligcd; .surcnderinglo thc arms of Floycl antl Ehvocxl. Hrss.s.r/JThc stcam blc'*, in thc tcacup as thc idcal, contcntcclhousc*'ifc took anothcrsip of DAR EELIN tca, and it only ccr,sta I'ENNI. ***** On tht grounrl,E,x PFC Dur*anl P. Ilicks' nrorncnlin thc political historl ol'Vulclur Citv hudarrivcrl. Sonny hutl just cornpletctl his sPccch, untl IIicks hrrdrnour)lc(l thc stcps,prerpurcrl to ntrilthc'l\'lunifesto to the tlooroi Citv llrrLri. "Thcreain't np yrlaccto nail it," hc callcrl."Er.'crl,thing up hcreis e'ithcr tlnrss.gll.ss, or alrnitcl" ".lustslitlc it undcr thc rloor.thcn." N'liu'shucallccl back. lle tlicl.It lac'kctlthe tlranrathitt nailing, it to thc tlooru,ould havc hutl. but it ri usthc bcsthc coulclclo u,ithout a juckhunrnrcr. Tlrejlnitor'lrickctl it up Jutcron his nighllvrotrntl.s. If hi.storlbolhcrecl r()r('c()rrl .sr.rch thin1l.s, it sor"rltlshou'that hr ua.sthc onl,r,cnrplovccof Citl Flaulto hlivcrcatl it, antlht'hacl no intcntionoi rcsigningl.Aftcr all, hc clearrctl uo Citv I{itulcvcryclltv. 20 TheMornirg After (1 \-,HIEF DILLARD ARRIVED at his officc carlythc ncxt moming, in sltirc of the fact that he had been up nearly all night. He was propcrly uniiormcci, having retrieved his tunic and cap frorn Bcrtha anclattirccl hcr in sornc of his latewife's clothqs,which fit her rcasonablywcll. Bertha anclthe girls had gottcn situatcd in a local motcl unlil orhcr affangementscould be made. Augie and Angel haclbc'cn bookccl iurd u,cr-cnorv in thc hospital unrlcr heavy guard. Both requircd surgcry. A squadof patrolcars had bccn disP.lchctlt. thc Ilcavcnlv ilcst, u,hcrc a large haul of marijuanaand hcroin hutl lrrn confiscltcrl, along rvith a printingpressanclplatcsforprintingcountcrlciil.rrcrrr,r'tkrlllrtrills.Pl;itt.sfur. tcn-tlollar bills were missing. Sutprisingly,no bills hatl bccn found, but scveralminor functionaricshacl bccn broughtin for tlucstirnirrg. The nc*s mcdia had agrccrlt. u,ithh.rd anv slorics ilrx)rt thc r)an clernoniumat thc Heavcnly Rc.stlast night in rctulr f()rIlrt. Irr.orrr ist, ,rf irnt.r,cn big;cr storysoon. Most oi thc nc*,s in thc nr.rning.paPers harl 1o rlo u,ith thc giant rally in thc Torvn Scluarc. It was ElcctionDay. Thc Pcoplcu,crc about to spcak. Rock rop Radlcy and thc S*'urrP Brzzlinls harlpackctl uP anclhcacrctl back for thc hills as soon a.sthr: r;rlly cnrlcr:I.Rctl hatl nol liee.n.,iirh thern. .ludgc Frirlay had thought it t^-st thll hc not lt,avc 1hr c.u.l1'. ucsiclc.s, someboclylrad to look aftcr Cy. Flovd anclElwood sPcntthc niglhti' tlick.s'.ld rlip.s,*,hilc [)lrlc'e .slcor on Pcnny'scouch. IIicks ncvcrsho*,ctl rrp. lle *us l,,rt.r.'",,tlorirrirrll thc SugarValley Saga 199 remainsof the lemonade.O'Doul let him sleepit off in his old cell in the City Jail. In the Valley, Samand Judge Friday met with the coonhunters, swore them to secrecy,and hunted for Min and June most of the night without success.Red was therewith Prucilla,but Shortoffwas missing. They agreedto meet the next evening to renew the search.In the rneantime,they would keep an eye out, but not do anything to alarm the "perfessers."Sam collectedsome samplesof the new "tobacco" and con- firmed his suspicions. Juneand Min huddledin the old barn andwondered if they would live to seeanother sundown. In the distance,they could hearthe houndsbayrng. Min tried the whistle severaltimes, but Shortoffnever showed up. He was at theother end of theValley wherea femaleblue-tick had just comeinto season. The otherdogs were not conditionedto respondto the whistle.Eventually the two sistersgave up anddropped into a fitful slumber. Outside their door, Scarpelli and O'Kelly took turns guarding ancl sleeping.With Money on his way, they were taking no more chanceson an escape. DeaconWatts retiredearly andslept on a feathermattress. Money and Baldy spent the night in an Atlanta motel. They would completethe journey tomorrow.Neither of themheard the old van without a muffler go roaringby. The SwampBuzzards couldn't stop until they got to the Valley.They might not be ableto getthe engine starled again. SonnyDorf slept the sleepof the exhausted.Charlene slept without disturbinghim. It had beenquite a night for everyone. **Srt* When Chief Dillard lookedthe secondtime at the picturesElwood had left, it was with new knowledge.There was Dr. Mortimer Maxu'ell Money inspectingsome new counterfeitbills. Therewas the pressconfiscated at the HeavenlyRest, There, in one picture, looking over his shoulderwas Peter Possum,a.k.a. Slick Rick. There, too, were Augie and Angel, another uniden- tified thug with a bald head,and a beetle-browedunkempt character he knew from old mug shotsto be Rodin. In the backgroundof onepicture was a shadowyimage he rerognizedas Carlotta.What hadbecome of her? 200 CarrollGambrell Penny's note called attention to that picture and stateclthat the fihn had been found by Floyd and Elwood, cleverly hidden in Carlotta's room. That explained the burglary, and might explain the fire, if it proveri lo bc arson. One other item of interesthe had learneciciuring the bricf question ancl answer sessionwith Dadene and Penny was that Money ard Baldy wcrc on their way to Sugar Valley located in Sheriff Sam Hundlcy's bailiwick. He neededto return Sheriff Hundley's urgent call of yesterclayright arvay. After brief introductions, they got down to business. "My poop sheetsshow you all have beena hot spot for bogus bills, latcly, Chief Dillard," Sam said. "We've been getting some over here, too." "In that case,you may be glad to know we bustedthcir hcadquarterslast night, and got their press and plates," Dillad said. "Hallelujah!" Sam exclaimed. "Did you get the gang?" "Not all of them," the chief said. "That was what I u'anted to tcll you. We have it from a reliable source the Big Cheeseis heacled/our wa1,r-igfi1 now in a little red foreign sporls car, convertible,license MMM- 1, this statc." "Got a name?" Sam was n'riting all this cloqm. "Mortimer Ma-xwell Money, M. D. Six feet, blue eyes, mcdium builcl, hundred ninety pounds, accompaniedby a gorilla named Baldy, rcal namc unknown. We're checking that out right now. We kno*'they'rc arme.d,ancl weknowthey'redangerous. Wc want to talk to them abouta body that showerl up in the reservoir over here, and we'd like to know something aboul a lady' who has disappeared, too " "Sounds like we got disappearin' women all over thc placc," Sanr said. "There's been a couple missin' up in Sugar Valley, too. In fact, I'vc bcen tryin' to get in touch with a couple of their kinfolks u'ho arc in Vulcan City 'em right now. Maybe you can run down for me." "Glad to," Dillard said. "Two boys, young men, Elwood Larkin and Floyd Batcs. Last known address, the White Pea-" "Larkin and Bates!" the chief exclaime,cl. "You know them?" Sam asked. "They helped crack the case," the chief explained. 'em "Better get notified. It might not be true, but I got reason to believe those two old ladies may have fallen into the hands of this gang," Sam said. "We are doin' all we can to find them, but haven't had any luck, so far." "Holy mackerel," Dillard said. "What are your plans?" "Right now, we're keepin' an eye on those two goons up here growin' pot, hopin' they'll lead us to them; but so far, nothing. Last night I hacl evcry SugarValley Saga 201 coon hunter in the Valley out lookin', but nothing shou.edup. That makes me think they may still be alive, and the gang is holding thcm someu,herc." "I hope that's it," the chief said. "l u'on't go into every4hingv'"e've got on this bunch," Sam said,"but if '*'e're lucky we might bag the *,holc shebangtonight. If 'n'espot Moncy'.rl c'll tail him anclhope he'll leadus to the\r'omcn. Wc'll try to grabthcrn all at onc timc. I just hope wc'll be ablc to get thosewomen back alive." "lt \\'ill be touchy," Dillard said."Those goons are cold-blooded killen, ancithey've got a lot at stake.Money doe-sn'tknow we grabbcd his placc l:r-sr night. We kept it out of the news; so I don't think he will be expecting any trouble from you." "That's goocl," Sam said. "We don't necclany more troublc'." "Will you needany help?" Dillad asked. "All we can get," Sam told him. "I'll bring the choppers,"the chief said,then hung up. Dillarcl thought he had enough eviclenceto prqsenta pretty strong casc to a Grand.Iury, but he was worried by the fact that thcy didn't pick up anv phony bills at the Heavenly Rest. There coulcl be a u,holc blizzard oi counterfcitmoneyoutlhercwaiting to fallon thccommunity.Alscl, if hecoultl get his hands on that phony moncy right now, it woukl add wcight to thc evidencehe already had. Thc ncxt stepwas to get in touch r.r.ithhis agcnLs;but u,here?The problcrn wiu solved when his phone rang, zutdElu'ood invitcd hirn over to Solly's for a la1t.breakfast. Fifteen minutcs later, he joineil them at thcir usual tablc in Lherear. They were drinking coffee and rcadingthe morning papcr.F loytl u'as dipping a bagel in his coffee. "TheseJeu'ishdoughnuts arr prctty goocl,"hc said, "but tircy arcn'1r'cn s\\.cct." Thc chicf sat clown and onlere'tla bagel r',,ithc:rcam che't'sc and col'lcc. "You ladicslook mighty frcsh for somconcuho s1rcntthc cvening in u t!'a cup f ightingoff hoocls,"he saicl. He wassmiling, but drtadcrlthc ncrls irr'ilrrj to impart to Floyd and Elwoocl. " Wc just discoveretlmy sisteris safe," Darlenes aicl. " l u,asu'orrictl sick. We got hcrraway from thc Heavcnly Rcst, and right away we got scparatr\l againin the crowd. Look," shesaid, shorving him the paper. There on the front pagewas a picturcof Sonny Dorf taken at thc fall!. Sonny u'as smiling wanly, but in the backgrounclthcrc was a happy face thar coulclhave belongcd to Darlenc. "That looks like you," Dillarclsaid. 202 CarrollGambrell "She's my twin," Darlenesaid. "rvVhenthis picture n'as tiikcn, Penny ancl I were entertaining a coupie of gentlemen at 1ea," "Some tea party," the chief saict."We had to take thcm to the hospital. They were a mess; they won't be coming to tea again for quite a u.hile." "Serves them right," Penny said. "'fhey were rrying to kill us." "Well, at ieastwe u'on't have to worry about Charlerreanyrnore," Floyd said. "Of course,we might have to worry about Sonny," El*.oocl put in. "You boys are awful," Darlene said. "That is my sister you're talking about,you know." "Oh, we know, all right," Floyd said, "and we still love her." "Well, I can let Papa know she is all right," Darlene said. "The1, have beenso worried. I didn't even have a charce to fincl out whcre all she's bccn, orhow she got tied up in that room at the Heavenly Rcst. I u,ould likc to knorv what happenedto that two-bit Texas four-flusher that ran off u,ith hcr. I n'ish I could see her, and I wish I could go home." Chief Dillard had been dreading brcaking thc ncws he haclIor thern. Hc decidedhe hadbetterdo itnow, ratherthanwait. It wa.sn'tgoing to gct any easier."You may be going home sooner than you think, my ciear,"hc saicl. "But fint, I'm afraid I have some disturbing news for you all." Turning to Floyd and Elwood, he continued, "Mrs. Bates and Miss Larkin arc missing." 'missing'?" "Missing? What do you mean Elwood dcmandc.d. "Sheriff Hundley called, and he thinks they may havc stumbleclon to this gang's activities in Sugar Valley. They were growing marijuana there." 'new "I knew there was something fishy about the tobacco' thosc city dudeswere gmwin'," Floyd said. "They didn't look like no collcge professors to me." "They weren't," the chief confirmed. "Sheriff t{undley chcckcd it out, and he's definitely identified the plant as marijuana." "[ct's get goin'," Elwood said. "It's a long way to thc Valley." "Hold it," the chief said. "I've got two police helicoptersbcing rcaclicd for the trip, now. We can make it in two or three hours." "When can we leave?" Floyd asked. "Two hours," the chief said, getting up to go. "We'11be ready," Penny said. "I nearly forgot," Elwood said. "We've got a prcscnt for you, Chicf ." "A present?" "Do you still have that presentfor the chief, Solly?" Floycl askccl. SugarValley Saga 203 "Got it right here, anclgift-*"rapped, toil," Sollv said. sctting four shoe boxes on the counter, r:achneatly tierl with rcrclribbon antl a borv on top. He shoved them acrrossthc'counter at the chief. "What is itl" Dillard a.skecl. "That's rvhatu.c've bcrcn *'ondering," Penny said. "It's a million clollars,likc rr,esaid,"Elrvoul dr:clarccl,r"'inking at Floycl. "For crying out loud. ope'nit!" Darlcnecried. Carcfullr',thc chicf unticd thc bo* on thc top box and rcrnovcxlthe lid. His rr)'csgrcr',rVirlc and hisja$,clroppctl as hc r,ir.'$r:d lhc contel..1..s.".lust Iikc ^'But t'ousaitl . . . a rlillion tlollars."hc sai **rt*,* " Wait a minr.ttc!Arn I hcaringtyou right'?Ar-c you tcllingmc to makc surc thutpip srpcirkso-ccc olly'gist u ins this prccinct?"thc voicc at thc othcrcncl of tlic linc * asincrctlulous. "\'orr hcrtrclr-ight, Stanlt:r'," Altlcrrnan Dorf said. "l'r'c ncverhcarcl of .stuffin' thc ballotbox for thc opposition,"Stanlcv "N'luvI a.skrr1t1' u c arc tloingtthis?" suitl, '.s "li'clrusc thcv tlon't kno,,r'hou ltt stuff onc ftlr tltcnrsclvc.s,"u'its Dorf logicll rcplr'. "\\'otilrl votr nritttlI)uttinLl irll this in ii ritingl'1"Stltrrlc,r' ltskul. "Ycs. I rioultlrnintl!" Dorl rcsponrledfirrnly. "But I "I haven't forgotten thcm," Dorf said. "The sociologist will takc c:areot' thern,if they get in ajam. That's l'hat sociologisudo. Let him knou.ho*.he got elected.I'm surehe will bc grateful." "Maybe so, Boss,but it won't be the samewithout you," Stanleysaid. .,Bur "A lot of peopleare hoping that u'ill bc the case,"Dor{ said. n,c'll be back in a couple of years, an maybe things *'ill have changedby rhcn.,' "'We'?" Stanleyrepeatcrl. "Who is'we', anclwhat clo you mcan .bc 'we' back'? Where are going?" "My bricleancl I areprobably going ro PagoPago. if wc can'r finil a placc farthcraway thanthat," Dorf said."Thanks, Stan. I kncw you u,oulclscc ir rn1, wa1.',"hc saicl,and hung up. Carlottaoverheard the cntire convcrsrtion. She smilcrl al hirn ashc hurrr:. up thcphonc, ancl continucd to packher brand ncu, rvarclrobc. shc coultlc';rsil v bccomcaccustomc.cl to this,ancl two ycaltsshoukl be ;rhrut righr. Sonny Dorf *'a.sconfuscd. Sonnv Dorf u.a.s.ftcnconfuscrl; bur this ti'c i,: i:acla rca.son.'Thisbcautiful girl u,ho hc huclrnct at thc \\ririrc l,clrcock, .r'h.-r scnl hirn into spasmsof ccsta-sy,,rvho had fallcn into his urrnsin Lhciriick ,rf Ilacllcy'sgrccn van, antl rvho did thr-'fabulous "grrpcvirrc" trick, tlitln't scL'frlt.o rccall mccting hirtt bcforc. Aftcr hc hatlgottcn hinrscll'lhrorrn inlo jlil anrlncarly disgraccd, shc, plcading ignomncc, rcnrcrtrl.rcrcrl nothirrri rt u1l itl tht inciclcnt.In fact,shc kncri'nothing ol'thc \\/hitcpcucock: she insi.sitrl shcltatl spt'nt lhe pastscvcraJ *ccks lockcdup irra rrxrrnin irlli;l hoLrsi.',,hcr.t, "lrrirrlc" Pr,:o1rlc nronrv trnrlforcccl hcr to u,rilctlurnir lcut'r.s to hcr l'olksbuck honr-'.Ilo*cvcr,otherthanhavingafanta.slicirnirgination,shcscerrrccl rrornlrl linrl rr,a.sa loaclc-rf fun. Sonny Dorf wa.sclccply iutl irrcvocably in loi,e. "Hou' u oulclyou likc to bccomethc Fint Lady?" hc askctlhcr. ,Evc', "Don't bcsilly," Charlenc gigglcd. "N,lv narnc isn'r i1'.s.Churlcnr,.. I couicln'tpossibly bc thc firsr lady." 'Dlrrlcnc'," Sonnv lrxrkcclltuzzlcd. "l thoughtit rva.s hc suitl. "No, silly.That's my sistcr;anc.l .shc coulrln't bc thc lir:t ltrrlr.cither.." "You mcln vou'r-ctw,ins?" hc askcti. "Is thcrc sorncthing u.iththat']" sh,-,inquirctl. "No "r'r'ong ., . . . oh! No, not at all," hc.sai "Oh, nothingimportant, I guess.I supposcnos' I'll never'knoq"il'hatlltc 'Glapcvine famous Tlick' is," hcrsaid. "Oh, that's easy,"Charlenc saicl. "l can do it." "You canl" hc saidexciteclly. "Lct's do it!" "Can't do it here',"she said, "not enoughroorn " "Worvl It mr.rs1bc something,"he said. "Oh, iL'sa lot of fun," she assurecihim. "l'll sliorvyou somcliinc if vou u'ill takemc backto theValley. Down on Spangler'sBranch is lhebest place." "I *'ill taki.'youit-s soon as I'm clcrcterirnal'or, anciyoupromise to bcicomc nry First Lady," he said. "ln thatcasc, I promise,"shc saicl. At that,Sonny sailcd off into another paroxysm of ccsl.asy. SonnyDorf u'a-sa vcry confuscdyoung mayor-to-bc.Hc sccmcclhrtppier thatu'av. :i rl. ,1. ,F * "N,lischa,hand 1,ourMama u,hatyou \\'crc trying 1clremovc frorn rn1 Irockctu,hcrt I caughtvrtu lar;tnight." Rtxlin dcrniurclccl. Mischa hanclctlMadarnc Zarclda a heavv nrctal objcct thr: sizc and llrickrrcssof a papcrbuckbook. Nlludarnctook it antlhcftcd it.ri itholltun\\'rap pingit to scc*hat it uas. "Whlt ccscct'1" Nlischa askcrl. 'donations'," "Eci lnakc.\ shcsairl. "Fiou long mav I stitv q,ith vou'1"Rotlin askcd. ",{s lonc asvorr likc," l\'latlanrcZlrrclrla irssurctl hirn. "Stln forc'r'cr,"N'li.scha said, looking up at R(xlin u ith lrlrnirinit r'r't's. Rotlinu usthc onlv pcrsunu ho haclci'cr rlclcctctl Mischa's light tor.rch. Rorlinrcturnc **rl.rF* 206 CarrollGambrell Two helicopters took off and flew away from the sun, u'hich was getting lower in the afternoon sky. Very quickly, the Warrior River passeclunder them, glittering for a moment like a spangledserpent headed for the Gulf. Floyd and Ehvood dozedoff andon. The girls u.ereglued to the u,inciou,s, not u.anting to miss an instant of their first helicopter flight. "It's like riding in a bubble,"Darlene said. The fa-scinationdidn't wear off, but fatigue from the prcvious nighr oveftook them before the skyline of Atlanta came into view anclthc Chat- tahoocheedisappeared behind them. Floycl wa.sstill clozing whcn Elwood nudged him ancimotioncd out thc winclow to their left. "Rabun Bald," he saicl.Floycl noddcd, Thc Tugaloo River loomed ahead,its path tracedby a linc of trcc.salong thc watcrcourse.A few minuteslater, the spireof the Lutheran Church bccarnc visible. "Gcttin' close," Elu'ooclsaicl. 2I ValleyRound-up rn I HEY JUST CROSSED the county line-ovcr," Raleigh Gatesspoke into his mike. He was in streetclothes, sitting in an unmarked car at the County Line Bar-B-Q. 'em," 'em "Okay, don't spook Sam said. "Just keep in sight-ovcr." "Roger." Gates pulled out onto the highway and stayed about a quarter mile behind the red sportscar until he was pretty sure they were heading into Luthersville, as cxpected. Then he gradually gained speed and passed the rerJcar a couplc of miles outside of town. He was several minutes ahead of them whcn he pulle{ into a parking space on thc square in a position to see whethcr thcy continued cast toward Greenville, or made a lcft turn towanl the mountains. About five minutes later,the little rcd car drove into the squareancl turned in the directionthe Confe Fordon theChattooga; and he sure couldn't cross the ford now.It rvasclosecl 'Ihe dueto high water. river wm ragingwith springmelt arrdreccnr rairrs. "Roger,out," Raleigh said, cradling rhe mike, He chcckedhis cquiprncnr to makesure he hacl even'thing in orderbcfore star"ting thc cnginc and heacling towardthe rendezvousat Chico's. ***** Red Wilkins, perchecl atop Molly's Nose, pecrcd rhrough a pair of powerful field glasses.He dicln't really need the glasscsro spot rhc rcrclcar. getting nearer as it travcled down the naffow gravel road; a plurnc oi dusl plainly marked its progress.Hc watched the car take the lcft fclr at thc Big Tree, and proceed to Deacon Watts' front gate. ln a few moments, the Deacon camc scuttling out. Rcrl coulcl .sechim gesturing as he talked, obviously giving clirections.He was pointing tou,arrl the old barn in his back pasturc. Directions completed, thc Deraconran ovcr and openedthe gateto let the little car drive through.The ancienl u,agonrrack was a rough route for a city-bred car, but it managcclto ncgotiate its rvay ro the old barn, where it disappcaredinside. A few minutes Iatcr, Red watchcd the Deacon's pickup following the same bumpy path. Sliding down the rock, Red restored the glasses to the lcather casc, and called Prucilla. "Come on, Pru. t et's go see if we can fincl out u,hat's goin' on inside tJreDeacon's barn." Two helicopterslanded in the pasturebehind Chico's esl.abli.shmcnr.Thc coon hunting coterie,gathered forthe occasion,wclcomed thcir old mcnrbcr-.s, hugged Darlene, and paid the greatestcleference 1o Penny. Chico openedthe dancehall and Sammotioned them all insiclc.Evcryonc took seats,and Sam, standing,addrcsscd the as.scmbly."Sinr:c our searchla^sL night, we have leamecla few more things. We know thcsc men ilrc anncclanrl dangerouscriminals. They won't hesitatcto shoot, and I clon't want anybcxly to get huft. "We also know now that the head of the gang is here in the Va[cy. ]lc arrived from Vulcan City about an hour ago. We arepretty surc that thi.sgang is probably responsiblefor the disappearanceof your ncighborc. Mrs. Barcs and Miss Larkin. SugarValley Saga 209 "Becausethis valley was combeclpretty u'ell last night by the best coon hunters in the country, q.ithout finding anything, rve hope the ladies may be alive and arc being held captive. If they are, u'e want to get them back alive and safe." Sam paused. "Any questionsso far?" "Is Eli Watts involved in this thing? I notice he ain't arnongstus," Charley Foster asked. "We don't have any hard evidence,yet, that he is; and I don't *'ant to accusean honestcitizen of anything, but I will say he is kceping some pretty bad company," Sam said, then added, "I haven't conficietl in him much, either." That brought a little laugh {rom rhe crou'd. "What's that stuff them fellers are growin' on our land?" Mitch Harris wanted to knou.. "Pot . . . marijuana,"Sam answerccl."l had it chcckedout today ovcr at the college." "I thoughtthcre u'as somcthing trad fishy aboutthat stuff," Mirch said. "l didn't much think they lookctllike collcgcpcr{cssers, eithcr; but you can'l everreally tell aboutthings like that.Why ain't thc FBI in on this thing?Docs 'cm Hary Trurnan havc all too busy tryin' to catch spies in Wa.shington?" "They would bc here,if u.e'd calleclthcm," Sam saicl,"bul thcr-crvasn't timc. If thosc crooks havc got those two women, we'vc got to get thcm out." The a-ssembledmen nocldedapproval. "We'll handle it," somccincsaid. "What's the plan, then, Sam?" Aaron l-cdbctter callcd out. "First of all, I'm deputisin' every man hcre that witnt^sto be dcputized," Sarnsaid. "Jutlge Friday, over thcrc, has issuctlall the u'anants rl,c nccrl. "Ncxt, Chief Dillard of thc Vulcan City Policc Dcparlmcnrhas Lrrought thcsc two helicoptersand a scluadof spcially trainedpc'oplc, in casc\\ c havc to drop in on them from the air." The chief noddedand acknou'lcdgcrithc looks of appror.alfrom thc ccxrn hunlcn. "Those choppcruare cquipped with spotlight-sthat will probably h a lot of hclp, if we neeclsome light," Dillard said. "We'll move in and surroundthe placc aftcrclark," Sam continuccl."l've got a man over therc watchin' the placc now'. I'm hoping hc .w'ill knon' something about the lay of the land when we get there." "What thcn?" Aaron asked. "Me and my rcgular cleputiesu'ill go in after thcm bcfore thc1.know 'em," rvhat's hit Sam said. "We don't want any shooringif we can hclp it-esrccially if those \4,omenanl in thcrc u'ith thcrn. 210 CanollGambrell "The rest of you men iie low and try tc stop them if they make a brcak. With luck, we'll grab the whole bunch," Turning to Ossie Krorvles, u'ho hadn't spclkento this point, he said, "Preacher,you can do a little praf ng, if you don'1mincl.Wc neercall the help we can get." "I've alreadybeen doing that, Sheriff," Ossiesaid. "l don't thirrk it s'ould hurt 10do a little more right now," he said, removing his hat. Red followed the rocky path down the face of the escalpment and tltrough the laurel thicket at the base into the woods. Prucilla stayed a little way in front of him, sniffing scent.Once she starteda rabbit, but he callcd her back. Another time she went after a squirrel that quickly scurried up a large white oak, then turned and chatteredsquirrelish imprecationsat the intruder. "Why don't you come on up and gct me?" the .squincl sccmcd to be chattering. "Why don't you come down and play?" the dog waggcd back. It was a standoff, and Prucilla got tired of it after a while. They got all the way to the Deacon's pastureu'ithout lcaving the shelter of the woods, but the barn sat out in the open, aboutthirty-five yards from the neareststand of trees.Red worked himsclf to that thicket, but there \\rasnc) way he could get to the barn without being secn. Prucilla, nearby,was hot on the trail of a molc, when shesuciclcnly cockcd herheadto one side andstoodstock still. What was that newsound? An instiiltt later, she was out of the thicket and trotting acrossthe meaclowstraight for the barn. Red didn't dare call her back for fear of alcrtins thosc insidc. :f**{.* Min and June, inside their all-too-familiar cell, coulclhear the voiccs of the men coming from the potting shed built onto the side of the barn. They seemedto be discussing their fate. The major question apparently was whether or not they would have any value in future as hostages. Once, they heard Eli's familiar voice, "You promised there wouldn't be any killin'," he whined. "You got any better ideas?" a deep voice asked. 'em "We could hold for ransom," he suggested. "They don't have any money, stupid," a voice said. SugarValley Saga 211 "I'r,e alwayswanted that Batesplacc," he said."That u'oulclbe a dandy ransom." "Old Eli is all hean,".lune said, try:ing to kccp up her courage. "If u'e clon'tgct hclp soon,it u ill bc too latc," N{insaicl. "It's abouttime for the coonhuntcrs to be out. I'll starlblou'in' thc l'hisllr:. u'hile you pral-." Thc voiccsfrom thc pottingshccl rrrntblcrl on. "I think onc of the old ladics had flippcC." That surnclerllike lhc rcd-noscdonc--thc ont:they calicdO'Kcllv. "All shedoes is r-ccitcpcr:tn'. I '-I'hc bct I listcncdto Wrcc:ko[ thc Flcspcnrs'a hundlctltimcs lastnight." "l think hc's rigJrt,".luncsaicl. "lt tl ,,Not "I don't think there is much time left," Min said. for us.,' *+*** Somebootleggers have been known ro negotiatewincling mountain toacls without headlights well after midnight. For many, it u,as a u,ay of life. For charley Foster,leading the unlighted caravanclo*n the Valley Roaclwas no problem. "You haven't forgotten how, Charley," Seunsaicl. "Sam, I can't tell you the numberof times I avoiclcclmccting you, jusr likc this," Charleygrinned. "Bur not larcly," hc aclclccl."l'm gettin' toclokl for thatstuff." "We both are,Charley," Sarn said. "Hc1,, sl61u tloun! What's rharin rhc roacl?" Il proverlto bc Ugly ReclWilkins, u.hohad bccn waiting for thernar thc Big Oak ncar thc fork in thc roatl."Thev'rc all up at thc Dcrcon's olclbam," Rcclsairl. "I{ow many?" Sanraskcd. "Fi'e," Rctl rcpliecl."Therc's Dcaconwarts, thc tu,o Jrcrlcsscr.s.u.t{ lrrc two guysthat clrovc up in thalfancl' littlc car. But thirrlrin;r lrll! l'rn r.t.rrlsurt, that'swhcrc they'r-choldin' Miss.Tuncanrl Aunt Min, too. Look," hc saitl, holdinglout thc lockcr. "Whcrc tlitl vou gct that?" Santa.skcd in arnazcmcnt. "l clicln't,"Rccl sairl, thcn cxplaincil. "pnrcilla \\,cntup to thc burl bcl'i.rr.c I coulrlstop hcr, anclcarnc back u.carin'it." Sarnopcncd rhc lockct'ncl shou,crlit to Floyclunrlcr thc bca'r of his "That's flashlight. Me's, rrllright," FI.yrl s.i.l."Shc alr,aysu'or-c it. Thcr-c'.s Pa'spicturc, ancl that's rnc," hc sai<1. "llorv long agowa.s this, Rcd?" Sanraskctl. "'Bout an hour,"Rctl said. Thc n,tc, rvrittcnon a tiny scrap.[ papcrin 'cr].,.srn.llprintcrl lcrtcr-s, r.l'a.sirarrl to makcout. Sarn coultln't rcad it. "Le l rnctrrr'," pcnnY sairl. Stutlr,ing it a morncnl.shc rcarl: EW'sbarn. tILJRRY no1inrc. * illkill i\lL and.lR SugarValley Saga 213 Gathering the posscarouncl him, Sam explained the presentcircumstan- cqs in a feu, w.ords."They've got those t'*'o \r'omen up fterc in Watts' olcl bam, and thcy were alive an hour ago. We got t*'o choices.We can go in there fast ard trJ,to nab them before they knou'\\'e're there;or we can surround the placeancl cail on thcm to surernde'r." "What do you think our bestchance is, Sheriff?"Elu'oocl askccl. "l think our bestshot is to move fas!," Samsaicl. "l agrcc," Floyclr.;aicl. "Thc quickcr, the bcttcr." "Okay." Samaclclrcsscd the posse again, "we leaveourvehicles hcrc iind mo'r,ethlough the rvooclsto the eclgeof the pasturc. Surrounclthe barn, arcl q'hcn thoseheiicoptem come ovcr u.ith the floodlielts on, me and my I'egular dcpulics*'i1l rushthe barn.Thc restof you all covcr us. "Be carcful. I Con'1want anybodyto make a souncl.If thcy hcar us, it may bc'all over for thoscwomen. "l'm in touch rvith thc choppcrsby ualkie-talkic. Whcn we gct in position,I'll give thc signal *,ith rny fla.shlightu'hcn it's time to movc in. Whcn you scc it, rnovc fast. " Docs cvcryonc undcrslan(l'1" A roundof no ***** Fronrthc prinrclrclilloozc, u,hcn liic on eurthfirrt stirrcdin thc chcmical s()r.rJ)lltilliillctl thccrcvicrtsol'thclllirnci,nofotcchlttl c't,crtnore affectcdthat -l-he lil'ethlrn hrrti thc murn. rrtoort,-'orttrols the titlc.sthat shiiPc contincnts an(i slir tht l'orccsin cverv liVingthing. The forcc.sPcttrll';rlL't\L't'\ ithutt'. lti,nl the highcst la1'cr.sof ozonc to the tlccpcstsca.s; frtim thc Ntlrth Polc to tht: Soulh; anclcvcn unto thc big LaLrrel,rrhcrcin clt'clls thc Roo.shinRoar. I lc first fclt thc stirringin thc m itl'aftcmoon;lcxrg bcforc lhc nl()oncamc Lrp.Rising f rom thc tlankntutl-r'allori' hc had rootc'ciout untlcrthcr laurcls, hc plotirlctlovcrto his favoritclol'hanging lirnban A sow with five pigs came into view and pauseduncer-tainly u,hen shc spottedthe boar. One of her pigs, a bold one, not at all uncerlain, u,alkeclup to the boar and staredhim in the gimlet eye. Unlike his mothcr, threpig u,as a half-breerdiurcl haci the courageof his sirc. courage was replaceby clisc.etion when the boar rose to his fect. The pig ran back to its mothcr, rvho facc'clthc boar ready to defend her young. She was afraicl,but unmoving. Mothcrs arc like that. The boar wa.snot sceking a clomesticsquabbtc. Shc could hai,c the mud-wallow. He had anotheritch hejust coulcln'tgcrt scrarchcd. Thc rtroon, slill unseen,'rvasgetting nearerthc horizon. This time hc rnovecla,"r,av wirh a little more purposc in his stricle. He headeclfor rhe Vallev ***** Shorloff,too, fclt an itch. It rva.sin his u.oundccllcg whcr-can angry rcrl *'as bordcrcclbyrhc healthypink of healingflcsh. It itcheclanrl hc lickcclit: hc kept Iicking it until the itch was rc;rlaccclby a morc conrlrcllingforcc. Thc moon \\rasno doubt stirring Shorly, trxt; but thc strongc.stforc:c rvas thlt of hungcr.He hadn't catensinr:e thc day hc u a.sshot. Decply etchctlin his one-trackcaninc mincj u,as a vision of thc l'athcns in Dcacon watts'hcnhclusc.To Shortoff,it uas a cafctcria*.hcrc hc harl a choiceof cntrces-all of thcm chickcn. shorty rosc arrcltcstccl his lcg. It u,oulrltki. Ilc vaunc(l ln(l strcrchc(1, q'alkcd thcn ovcr ro a ncarbvtrcc, *hcrc hc sniffc Evcn lr fractious,unilttcn(lc(I, onc.el't'il g()ill \\.on't stlr'c if hc is lcft fret, to roam. It *'as nguinsttirc princiPlcscslrotrsccl by thc Slrurnl)Buzzur(1.\ tr) prcvcntrrnvthing frrnr rrrarning,Provitlcrl it rvishcsto roillr. CYclt4lswas nol f i con ncd. Hr-'coulrl r oaln anv'' hc''ehc plcascrl. Th atn ig:h t, 1xrh lJrs corrr pcl lcrl SugarValley Saga 215 by the sametidal force-sthat had moved the boar, Cyclopssought to widen hishorizons. Crossingthe ridge,he droppeddown towardthe Valley and discovered the widest horizon of all could be vieued from the rocks that formed the distinctivenatural feature known to theValley's human denizens as Molly's Nose. No one rememberedthe Molly for whom it wasnamed, but viewingit from profile,one could easily believe that Molly neverwon a bcautycontcst. That wa-sfrom a human standpoint.In the judgment of a fractious, one-eyedgoat, whose horns had been decorated with barberpole stripcs of a luminouschartreuse paint, Molly's Nosewas beautiful. Thecircle of luminouspaint surrounding his missingeye ciicl nothing to improvehis vision.However, it didn't takestereovision to convinceCyclops thatthis place was his. One eye was sufficient for thetask. Cyclopsstood upon the rock anctgazed ab *+**+ Thc possereachecl thc edgeof the u'oods at the barn. Sam motionccl\\'ith hand signalsforthe group to spreadout an(lsurround thc placc. Hc clidn't have to caution silence. In a few minutes everything *'ould be rcady. The full moon had cleared the ridge and the crisp rnountain -springair wes bathed in a blue-silvcr wa-sh.Sam stood at about thc spot Rcd hacl occupicd earlier. Red had guided him there. From this vantage point, Sam could see movement along the edge of the field as his troops moved into 'copters position. Thcy would be set by the time the arrivctl. 'em Kcying the mike, Sam spoke softly, "Bring on, Chicf ." Chief Dillard clicked his keytwice in acknowlexlgmcnt.He diclnrtt spcak. ***** Shortoff nosed along the chicken wire until he founil his usual cnlrancc under the u,ire. Thc doorman u'asn't on cluty; stt he lct himsclf in. Bcing familiaru'ith theplace , anclbeing very hungry,he lost no tirnc in placinghis ordcr. This causcdquitc a stir. zlo CarrollGambrell "I want them out of the way with no trace." So saying, Money had sealedthe fate of the two women in the tack room. There wa^sno expression on the grim facqs of the men in the room. Deacon Watts' may have been a little more sour than usual, but he clid not demur. He was too deeply committed, now, to risk losing everything. The venture had already paid well, and was about to pay even more. One crop *'as all they said they wanted; then they would be gone, and he *'ould be richer. The Valley would never know. It would be worth the sacrifice of a couple of no,sy old biddies who had no business mecldling anyway. "When?" O'Kelley asked. "Not until I'm out of here," Money said. "Make sure there is no tracc, and make sure no one connects them with me. Understand?" Money in- structed. They nodded. "When are you leaving?" Scarpelli asked. "Tonight," Money answered. Min and June heard the worcls and squeezcdeach other's hands tightly. If something good wa-sgoing to happen,it had bcttcr happcn quickly. At that moment, they heardthe racket in thc henhouse. "Shorty," Min said. The Deaconheard it, too. "Blasted,.suck-egg,chickcn thicfl" hc roarccl. Grabbing his shotgunthat was leaning againstthc wall, he raccd for the cloor. Mitch Harris was raised in the woods. He knew the sights, the souncls, and the smells. His nose twitched a couple of times just before he started to make his way through a thick copseof sweetgum.It shoutd have erlertcdhim. Something's deadaround here,wa^s the fleeting thought that crossedhis mind just before he stumbled over the boar that had taken refuge in the copse when the human smells became overpowering. Few of us can relate firsthand with the event Mitch had just experienced; but those who have say it would compare f avorably with that of tripping over a speedingfreight train. This being true, perhapsit is littlc to be wondered at that Mitch formd himself unable to stifle an expression of suqprise. The Deacon was about twenty feet outside thc barn door when Mitch's, "Heeeyiiii!" rent the air and stopped him dead in his tracks. SugarValley Saga 217 Thoroughly spooked,the boar chargedblindly (not having beenblessed with goocteyesight, boars often chargeblindly, if they charge at all) do*'n the corriclorof leasthuman scent.This corridor led directly toward the barn. It took the Deacon,also not blessedwith good eyesight,a moment or t$'o in the moonlit darknessto focus on the source of the commotion. When he dicl get focused, he found himself precisely in the unening path of the oncoming frcight. Splat! The irrqsistibleforce met the extremely movable object,knocking him a double somersault,discharging both barrelsof the ten gaugeharmlessly into the air, before he landed on the pasture grass in a clazedheap. The boar, in the meantime, continuetl his way until, colliding with thc barn wall, he too fell back on his heels,more than a little dazedby the abrupt nature of his halt. If there was anything, human or otherwisc, in the vicinity that \r'as not yet alerted by the commotion. it had to have been deacl.Cerlainly thc hoods inside the potting shed were fully aware of thc tlisturbance. Sam was aghastat the prematuretriggering of action' His men had not yet completelysurroundedthebarn, but he could wait no longcrwithout losing the element of surprise, *'hich was what he was counting on to prevcnt bloodshed. They would have to proceed without the initial advantage of the helicoptem. "t et's eo!" he shoutetl.and the line closed in. 22 Wind-upIn The Valley I IJIVING CLOSE TO THE EDGE crcatesa supcmensirivityro thrcars;of anything appering to bc a threat.Thc dischargeof a ten gaugc doublc-barrcl shotgun outside thc door is gcnerally perceived a-sa double-barrcledthreat. There was no timc for an investigation. lt was time to move. If they ncccle Scarpelli fir-eila fc$,shots r.rutthe doo| to kccp the tleputies at bay while O'Kelley clasheda keroscnelantem againstthe wall. the ancienllogs flamed up immecliately.wirhin moments,thc flameshad spreaclto the shinglesat the eaves. Mrn anclJune smclled the smoke, and knew tirneu'as indced running out for them. There was nolhing to do but vell, and yell they clid' Two strong mountain women who had calleclhogs all their lives had no troublc bcing hcard on the out-side. "Thcy're alive!" Floyd shouted."Come on, wc've got to gct themout oi there!" Ignoriug thc shotscoming from the potting shcd, he racedto\\'ard the barn.Darlertc a1 his he'cls. Elu.ocxlq'as close to Sam on the othcr sicleof thc clearing,and apparently hc u'as the only onc io obscrue Moncy sneakrlut of the back of the barn and run srraighttowarcl thc cxlgeo[ thc u'oodswhcre Pcnny $'ashuddlcd, in a spot that was supposcdto havc bc'r:nsafe anclshcltcre'tl. El$'otxl tcnk off as fa.stas hc coultl run to hcatlhim off bcforc hc:reachcd Pcnny's hicling piacc' I{c hacln'tcovcrcd a dozcnstri ***** 220 CarrollGambrell when Floyd anclDarlene reachecrthe barn, the flames hacrreachecl the loft. Min and June u'ere banging on the door. "We're comin', Ma!" Floyd called. "Get us out!" Min yelled. "Hurry!" Juncurgcd. After Min's attemptcdescape, the Dcacon hacrreinforcecl thc haspsand haci .as added another lock for goocl measure.There \ no u,ay Flor.clcoulri have found rhe strengthto forcc thc locks. Sportingthe ar u,hereJunehacl left it leaning againsrthe wall, hc attacketlthe- locks with it to no avail. Ir was gctting warm in the hallrvay,ancl there *.asn't enoughroom to gct a full s*ing at the locks becausethe Deacon's pickup was parkexlin thc h;ll$,ay closc t6 the cloor. Darlcne, searchingin the truck bcd for somethingto use,found an ol **+** Balcly crashc "Allahl He's flying," saidAbdul Rothchild,bassist of the Swamp Buz- zards. "He better know how to sl'im," u'as the comment from Nightrider Robinson, the rhFhm guitar player. By the time the helicoptcr landed in a meadou' above the river, the Su'amp Buzzards u'ere linecl up ar the edgc of the flood *'ar.r:hing tu,cr pinpointsof light disappcaringin thc middlc of rhcriver ara bcndjust a quancr rnilc au,av.Evoy oncein a u,hilc,thc light.su.oukl shou.again, brief ly. Then they clisappcarcdfor gocxl. "Couldn't fly far enough,and couldn't swim a'tall," said thc onc-eyecl Cajun. ***** A bLrrningbrand landcci on thc ho(xl.Thc hcatwas bccomingunbcarablc q'hcn Darleneduckccl undcr thc clash,scarching for thc ignition u.ircs.In a momcnt she had thcm crcls.serl.Thc cnginc tumcclovcl anrl dicd. Shc trictl again.Ncl luck. Crackingthc throttlea litrlc,.shc tricd onc rnorctirnc, and thc fourcylinders firccl up. Droppingit intoIou, shcgunncd ir, lcr our rhc clurcrh. rtndpralccl thc bumpcrri,ould hold u,hcnthc sltrckjclkcd oul of thc chain. Thc;,'madc trucks u,cll in thc rhirrics.Thc burnpcrhcltl, and shc burst clur into frcsh air. Floyd grabbc'cl.lunc anclAunt Min, and follou,eclthc truck to safcty. Closcon thcir hccl.scarnc Scar?c'lli rind O'Kellcy, u,hou,e rc yxlunccdon by Catcsancl another "I'll takeit," Elu,ooclsaid, demolishing it in twobites. Turning to Penny, he said,"I thoughtyou were. . . I thought-" "You thoughtwhat?" Penny said. "I thinkI loveyou," he said. "I thoughtthat's what you thought,"Penny said.smiling. Deacon Watts slowly rose on onc clbow. His recovery time hatl about coincided with that of the boar, which was beginning to get its bearings,also. As his vision cleared, the Deacon saw the flames beginning to flicker inside the barn. Hc noticcd, too, that hc sccmcclto have been overlooked in all thc excitement.At that momcnt, everyone's attention u'as claimcd bv thc red car flying out of the barn and making a gcta\\,ay. The next thing he sa\\rwas the boar, his somcwhat rccldishgimlct cvcs trained dircctly on hirn. Without pausing to think, the Deacon lit out in whatevcrclirc'ction would removehim from the scenc.Amazingly, hc u';r.s harcllynoticccl. There *,ere lots of pcoplcrunning in scvcralclircrctions at that timc. Hou,cvcrr,he wa.sthc only onc bcing trailcd by a gcxrcl-sizcdRussian boar with one tusk knockcclslightly askcu'by his encountcrwilh thc barl. What thc Dcaconcoulcl not know w,asthat the boar *,a.snot charging him; he wir^smcrrcly sccking the quickcstroutc to thc Big Laurcl, his tidal urgcsnow at an cbb.Hail thc Dcaconknown, hc couldhavc just stcppccla.si(le and allorl,erlthc boarto proccedon his rvay;but hc tiid not kno\\,this.So, he ran,slayingjusl ahcarlof thc frcighttrain that had flattencclhirn oncc alrcarly. Ncithcr diclthc Dcacontakc notice of thc fact thatLhc boar's course lxrrc slightly rnorc towar(lthc ca.stthan his own. That clidn'tlnattcr; lhc Dcacon was inspircclto run, and run hc did until thc rcccntsccnc flclccl bchind hirn. No onc noticc(i,except Prucilla, who took off aftcr thc pair ancllritilcd thrm both unlil thcir pathsbcgan to clivcrge. Rcd saw Prucilla trailing towa(l thc wcxrcls,ancl thought hc caught a glimp.scol a f igureciisappcaring in thc dircctionof the ridgc. Hc srarrc(lafrcr thcm antl caughtup to Prucillaa-s shc wit-scircling trying to dccidc which ol' the t\\.o troiis to follow. Shining his flashlight around,Rccl spottcd a frcsh bootprint in thc soft car1h.Hc thought he rcr:ognizcrlthc no slip trcarl as matchingti;c Dcacon's. "Conri:on, Pru.Lct's takethis onc," hc said.Pnrcilla obc'ycd. ***** SugarValley Saga 223 Eli Watts ran on, in a panic. [n a sweat. He didn't realize he was on a trail. He merely ran where there wa.sthe leastresistance. It was the trail u'orn by generationsof coon hunters,bootleggers, and before them, Indians. It lect to Molly's Nose, the finest lookout point west of Caqsar'sHead. Molly's Nose topped an escarpmentu,ith a shecr drop of three hundred fect to the fint shelf, then another hunciredand fifty feet to where thc cliff grew lesssteep as it sloped off into the Valley. The path followed a gentle upgrade most of the way, so that thc hiker n'ould gain altitude gradually. The last few hundredfeet, however, aresteeper and rougher. By the time the Dcacon macleit to the top, he was exhausted, and had gatheral his wits enough to know he was no longer being pursued. No snorting freight train, nowhirling rotors,no shouts,noshots, no confusion. Pausing to rest and take stock, he sat on a rock that had an excellent vietv of his barn burning. "I guessthe old busybocliesare charcoal by now," he chuckleclto himsclf . 'em "Serves right, shouldn't have interfered." After a few minutes of deep breathing, he took out a bandanna,wipecl his brow, and stood to view the sceneonce more. He wa^sunaware at firct of the presencebehind him, but becameso when the gentle wind shifted slighrly. Turning to look over his shoulder,he behelcla strangeapparition. Thctc, not twenly fc\etaway, and seemingto float on air, rvasa slen CLEANGOVERNMENT SWEEPS IN In an electionpolitical pundis couldonly ckssify m "rcmark- able,"Julius Caesar (Sonny) Dorf, Jr. swunginto office.Aided andabetted by ardentbackers known as the "Grapevine Gang." ALDERMANDORF OUSTED IN SOUEAKER Expertscalled it "The third safestbet in the World," rating only death and taxes higher. They referred,of course,to the Fifth 's Precinct,known heretofore as "Dorf Domain."However, prov- ing bothpundits and polls can be mistaken, long-time Aldcrman Julius CaesarDorf, the incumbent,was soundly defeatedon hometurf by CGP candidate. , . It was a close race in all other precincls,with Alderman Dor{ runningslightly ahead in most.The phenomena that has analysts stumpedis the vote in his own precinct,which u'ent 8070- 20o/o for the CGP candidate,and providedthe miracle margin of 's victoryfor Dorf opponent,an unknown former sociology lcac- hernamed... "We gottacheck our figures,"said Gaylord Gumshoe, prcsident of GumshoePolling Services, nationally known pollsters . . . AldermanDorf madeno comment,other than, "I got a boatto catch,"since his 4 p.m.concession spe'ech, two houmbefore the polls closed.According to records,this is the earliestany can- didatehas everconceded-particularlv in a racehe wa^swinnins. SugarValley Saga CONGRESSMANREUBEN FINCHERT TORETIRE CongressmanReuben C. Finchert announcedtoday that he will retire at the end of his currentterm. CongressmanFinchert denied an ongoing investigation by the House Ethics Committee into hankypanky in the Congressman'sofficehad anything todo with hisdecision... "She could type, if she u'anted to," he said, pointing to the typewriter the allegedsecretary allegedly could have used.Con- gressman Finchert. *'ho has re'cently bccn under pressure from colleagues and constituenLsalike to resign, made the announ- ccment follou,ing disclosure. . . HISTORICHOUSE BURNS Builtin the1830s by MajorBriley Farnsworrh Musgrove, nored lndieurfightcr anciinventor of Mu.sgrovc'sHairball Solvcnt for ConstipatcdCats, u,hich earncclthc gratituclcof thousandsof caLs and cat fancicrrs,and rvas thc basisof thc Mu.sgrovcforlune . . . The house,knoxn a.sthe "Whitc Pcacock,"u,as complctelv dcstroyeclby thc fir-c.Causc. of rhc blazcis bclici'ctllrr harle bctn a sparkfrom a torchcarricd in rhc CGP torchlightplradc, which pa..;scclin lront of the housc: although aruonhin nor been com plt'tely rulcd out . . . RAIDON HEAVENLY REST REAPS RICH REWARD GANGCAUGHT, PAIR RESCUED, HOSTAGE RELEASED PROMINENTDOCTOR ARRESTED CHIEFCITED FOR OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT "I hacl suspicionsabout Dr. Moncy and thc Hcavcnly Rcst opcrationall along.That is *.hy I dctaileda spccialu,atch ro kccp a surrrcillanceon thc placc," Chicf Dillard saiclin an inrcrvicrr. in his office. aAnd a^sit turncdout, that $,:Lsn'tthe la.str,f it" Wc traccclthc opcration all the way to a mount.ainvallcy in Keou,cr: County, South Carolina. In coopcrationrl.ith Shcriff Sam Hund- lcy, of Kenu'ccCounty, wc nabbedthc rcstof thc . . ." Dr. Morlimcr Maxu'ell Nlloncy, t.akcn to Kcowcc Nllcntorial Hospilal for treatrrcnt prior to being lodged in rhc Kcowcc County Jail in Luthcrsvillc,had no comrncnt.He is bcing hcld u'ithoutbail pcnding furlhcr invcsrigation. . . 226 CarrollGamorell REALESTATE House and lot. Formerly the Heavenly Rest Funcral Parlor, purchasedby Mrs. Gideon Vanderwort, from Vulcan City Gvt. . . . GRANDOPENING AnNouNcrlcrsn GnaruoOprurNc oF Vrrrvoenwonrlrio As- socrATEs:Housn or IxrrruonDr:srcn anu Dncon. Locatcrd in the completely refurbished and retlecoratcdformer Hcavcnly Rest Funeral Parlor. Mn. Vander*'ort and her staff of highly trainctl profcs.sional laclieswill be happy to serve you . . . houru by apgrintmcnt. Referencesmay be requircd. The following itcms appearectin the Keov,ceCricr, a wcckly scrving Upper SouthCarolina: SHERIFFHUNDLEY BAGS DOPE SMUGGI-ERSINSUGAR VALLEY Acting on information received from Mrs. June Batcs anclothcr concerneclresiclcnts of Sugar Vallcy, Shcriff Hundley *,a.sablc to break up and capturethc entirc dope ring that was using Sugar Valley a-sa source . . . assurcsus that no Vallcy rc.sidcnts$.clc involved. "Quite the contrary," the Shcriff said. "Whcn Vallcy residenlscaught on that they wcrc being uscd by thc gang, thcy were active participantsin the captureof the gang . . ." FALLFATAL TO VALLEY MAN Eli Watts, prominent rc:siclentof Sugar Vallcy, was killccl u.hen he apparently slipped and plungetl to his cleathwhilc climbing Molly's Nose. Mr. Watls was an activemcmber of the Vallcy Church, having scrvcd on thc Board of Deacons for thirty-f ivc years... LONEYADAMS TO RETIRE When Miss l,oney Adams hangs up hcr stctho.scopcfor thc lasl time, it will bring to an end a carccrof scrviceto LhcMounrain Communitiesthat bcganin l9l3, intcmrptcdonly hy t\\,ovcilr'\ SugarValley Saga 227 servicc in Franceu'ith the Army Nuncs Colps during World War I. I\liss Adams will stay on the job until a replacementis found" Sonny fokletl the paper so that it framed the story of the Heavenly Rest laid. "Darling, arc thesethe crooks that *,erc chasingyou when you hicl in the van?" herasked, showing his fianceethe picturesof Augie andAngel. "lt sure looks like lhcm," shesaid. "I'm glad they got caught.They wcre mean." "Whal were you doing in thc Hcavenly Restin the first place?" he asked. "That's whcrc that rat of a Duke left me," shesaid. "You came herc u'ith a dukc?" hc a-skcd,visualizing thc monacled English variety. "Whcrcron carth did you mcet a dukc?" "At Chico's," shc saicl. "Chico's?" he said u'ondcringly."ls Chico a Spanishduke or somc- thing?" "I clon'tthink so," shc said."Hc just runsthe traclingpost and tavernin thc Vallcy'." "Oh, I scc,"he said.although he dittn't. "Was thiscluke from Englancl?" "No. Hc saiclhe was ftom Odcssa.He u'asin oil," shc explaincd. "Oh, a Russiandukc," Sonny brightcncd."Wcrc the Communistsaftcrr hirn?" "Nr.r,but thc copsu crc--but I didn't knorvthat whcn wc lcit," shc said. " l fourrclout latcr, q'hcn *'c rvcrc sulllxrsctlto bc going to Oclcssa." "Hc u,astaking vou to Russia?"Sonny cxclaimct. "No. Tcxa.s.Is that farrhcrthan Russia?"Charlene askecl. "lt is from sornerPlaces," Sonny ansu'ercd,still not surc *'hcrc thc convcrsationu'a.s heaclcd. Hc tlccidcdto changetack a little. "What u'creyou doing at thc HcavcnlyRest?" hc askccl. "Duke saiclhe haclto go thcrc anclbuy somemorc money," shc said. "Buy nroncy'?" "Ycah, hc said it x'aschcapcr thcre," Charlcnc saicl. "l clicln'tknorv you coultl buy money." "You can iI it's countcrfcit,"Sonny said. "lt was a countcrfcitring as q.cll a.sa clopc ring, and thcy think thcre was at lca.stonc killing. Herc's thc guy thcy think thc gangkillcd." Hc showeclher thc photoof thc lucklessSlick Rick. 228 CanollGambrell "Wow!" she exclaimed. "I'm not suqprisecl.you could tell the1,,u.ere 'kneu,' rotten people. I kiiou'that guy, too; or I guessI should say him." "You knew him from the Heavenly Rest?" Sonny askeclher. "Sure. That's the little u,easelu'ho used to bring me clinner,ancl srancl aroundgawking while I a1e,"she saicl. "I u'onderedu,hy he sroppcclcoming." .,But "You've got to tell rhatto rhepolice. Ir couldbe imporlant,"he saicl. u'hy cliclthe clukeleavc you at the Heavenly Rest?" "I clon't know for sure," she tolcl him. "There was somc big row abour him being a blabber mouth, ard maybc the police woulcl follow hirn rhcrc; anclsomething about me being a hostageirr casc my folks wanrcclto r.aisca stink about what u'asgoing on in the Valley, br-rtI dicln't cvcn knorv u,hatwas going on in the Valley--except that Bobby Suewas pregnnnt,and thcy u,anrccl to make troublc for her, and-" "Hold it! Hold itl " Sonnyattemprcd to intcrruptthc florv,holcling up his hand. "-ancl hc saiclhc u'oulclgladly lcave mc with thernand skip lhc counrn, if they would let him havefive thousanddollarc more, anrl-" "Whoa, Babc," he said."That's cnoughfor now. Maybe wc haclbctrcr go tell this whole s1oryto thc grlice. They havemore timc to figurc it our rhan I cio," .,1 "Well, that Duke is still a rat for clumpingme," she said. hopc thev catchhim, too. I want to givc him a picce of mv mincl." "I think a pic.ccof it is abor"rtalr hc r.r,ouklgct," muttcrc(ra lcss rhan fuily "Lct'.s cnlightencdSonny. go out to clinncr.whcrc u oulti vou likc to rr.'1" "Luigi's," .shcrcsponclcd. "I u'antspaghclti." "Mrnrnrn," thc SccrctScn,icc Agent in Washington,D.C. u.u.spontlcr-ing thc rlrrvof pins on a largernap. Thc pins markcrla trail of countcrfcitrnoncr the FBI srtid camc fnlm thc silrncsct of platc.s.J'he rt'rr ,rf Pins t'r,llt,r't,tl roughly thc courscof thc Missis.sippiRi'cr. "l'rl sav hc ua.sh"lrtit'rl for Canacla,"hc saicl. Pickirg.up thc ph.nc, hc cullcclhis c.untcrparrof thc RoyalC.'urli.n Mountc(l f'olice in Winnipcl,l. Thrcc llrousanclrnilc.s a\\,ay, thc Chicf Inspcctor,RCI\,lp in Vicror.i., Britishcolurnbia, *'as studfing niap a u,itha sirnilarro*.of Pins^rnni'g horizontuliv tou,arclthe cilst, rclughlyfolJor.r'ing thc roulc of tic cunltlian SugarValley Saga 229 Pacific Railroad. Those pins also marked the trail of a notot'iou.sCanadian counterfeiterand con artist. "He's going to get very near the border at lnternational Falls, if hc stays on this route," said the Chief Inspector."He may try to bail out there.Wc hacl better alert the U. S. Border Patrol"" ***** "Congratulations,Chicf." Pcnnysaicl. "Ancl I ncvcr 8ot to thankyou for gcrttingus out of the tcacup." "Thank you, Miss Parkcr,"thc chicf said,motioning hcr to a scat."You anclyour fricnclsu'crc a grcat hclp." "Inciclcntally,"he adtlcd,"l don't think wc tcscucdvou anclMiss Daggctt as much a.suc sa'r,ctlthctsc t*o hoods.A lilllc rnorc,antl I think you might havc killcclthcrn. Without douirt,1'ou all clcscrvcthc thanksof Lhecom- rnunity." Pcnn'l srnilcd uithout colnrltcnt,thcn askc "'Undercover,' one might say, mightn't one?" Penny asked,u.atching a 's beadof su'eatroll down the chief neck. To his relief, however. she scemed to change the subject.The senseof relief q.asshort-lived. "I almost forgot," she said, proclucinga brown envelope anclhanding it tohim. "You may wantto chargemeu'ithwithholdingevidence." He acccpted the envelope from her with a puzzled expression.u'hich changed to onc of concern as he thumbed through the contentsuncler Penny's watchful cyc. "The boys and Darlenewere *'ondering when they werc going ro be paici 'Speciat for their work as Agenls,"' Penny said. "Paid?" the chief blanched. "Yes, paid," Penny said. "Didn't you appoint them as Spocial Agents?" "I. er . . uh, there must bc some misunderstanding . . ." thc chief stammered."You see,I. uh . . . that is . . . " "You meanthey weren't actuallyon thc payroll?" Pennyasked. "That's right," Dillarclsaicl. "You see,I, uh . . . I regrerrhcr misundetstancl ing. They n'ill, of counie,receive official thanks,and-" Pennycut him off, "Oh, that's all righr.l'm surcrhey *'ill apprcciatcthc thanks." "You meanthcrc's no problcm?"thc chicf sighcd."Thank goorlncss." "No, that'svcry gocxl,actually," Pcnny said. "lf thcy wcrcn't on ),our' payroll,that mcansthcv arocligiblc to rcccivcthc rtu,arclsfor thc capturcol' thcsccrooks." " Rcu,artls?" "Ycs. As horrcstcitizcns rloing thcir duty,the), arc cntitlcd to thc.selnstcrl rcwarcls,"shc saicl."Hcrrc's thc list." His jarv droppcda.s hc rcadthc list."Young woman! Do you rcalizcthis arnoun$ to .sixf i5l,ut-cs?" "Oh, goocl.You can acldas u'cll a.sI did." "But, bu1. . . " hc sputtcrc{l. "Just lct us know u,hcnyou havc the mcincyrcacly," shc.said. gctting ul) to : 'avc."\'ou can gct in touch rvith us throughShcriff Hundlcy.Wc u,ill all bc in thc Vallcy." "You can'tcxpcct mc to. . . to. . . " "Oh, yes," shc saiclfrom thc dt'nr, "l mcant to tcll you that I still havc thc ncgatirr-'sof thoscprints you just sau,.I'll bct thencu..spapcru rrould lovc a copy- " "Nol No, lhis;. . . this is unrcasonablc!"Dillarcl said. "No, Chicf,"she smiled swccrlv. "it's blackmail." SugarValley Saga ZJI *'i*** SergeantGunther Wiggins, VCPD, Ret. wa-sfishing off his front porch when the g)?sy caravanwent plodding by. Wiggins didn't really expect to catch anything. All he had wa^sa pole, a line and a cork. He didn't even have a hook----orbait, That didn't matter.He didn't have any water, eithcr. The linc anclcor* \rrerercsting on the gra.ssof his front la*n. He rvas fishing becausethe cioctorsaid when he was releasedit u'ould bc therapeutic.But, having Srown more fond of crickes than fish, he tumed the crickets loose. As it was, he u'as getting his therapy without having to bother with cleaning fish. Not a bad dcal; and they thought he was crazy. The small boy sitting on the wagon scat betwcen a man ancla \\roman waved to him, and he u'aved back. The boy put a shiny objcct to his lips arrrd blew, and the ex-sergeantstiffencd. Thcrc was something familiar about that whistle. He couldn't rc.callwhat it was right then. Liam O'Doul? Maylx' He would think about it later, when the fish slartedbiting. "Roclin, was this a goocltown?" Mischa askc<|. "A very good town," Rodin assurecihim. "Then why do we leave it?" Mischa wiurted to know. "To sec if we can find a better one," his mothcr imst'crctl. "Lc't'shutry," hc saiil,blowing his whistlc again. But the mare kept thc samc Pace. Thc young man sitting ncxt to him at thc I-Falls Tavcm Bltr lrntl Fish Boil secmr:clto havc lots of rnoncy;at lctr.sthc $ a.snrnning up a prctt\ hcftY tab. Things likc that always caught thc Dukc's c1,c.f)rrke hutl lt nosc lor oppltunity, anClhc scnscdonC hcr-c-a )ounf rllall u,ilh plt'lln'ol-tttottc-t', obvicluslyt,crJ innoccnt. Hc u,asa Canatlian.Dtrkc cstablislti'ti lli;t't;lrlv on in thcirconvcrsation.Hc alsowas ScttinLl r.cn tltrlnk.Dukc tir.scerrtt',illtltt lts thc cvcningprogrcssctl and thc man's tatrgrtru' Iongcr. "Will thcy takcCanaclian rnoncy hcrc, you think?" thc youngman lt.skctl 'sp'ct "l thcy tlo, bcin' so ncar thc bordcrand all," Duke .said."l'll ask thc bccrrnaid." "'Bcemraid'! Ha, I likc that,"thc youngInan said. "l bct you'tc lrom Alabarna.Thcy say funny thingsdoun thcrc." "Nopc. Tcxas," Dukc corrcclcd."Thcy say funny thingsthcrc, too." 232 CarrollGambretl "Well, here she comes, ask her," the young man saicl."Hcy," he said to 'beermaid."' the girl, "he said you were a "I guessthat's close enough," shc rcsponded. "He's from Texas. He's a real riot." "Excuse me, I must have missedsomething," she said. "Sugaqplum," Duke said. 'Sugarplum' "Name's DruAnne," shesaici, "bur will <1o,as you'rc such a Texas riot." "What my friend . . ." he began. "Charle.s,"the young man said,offering his hancl."Charle,s Dcpuy." ". . . Charles DePoocy \\.antsto kno*.," Duke continucd, "is if you takc Canadianmoney?" "Sure, we take it," she said. "But we charge a ten pcrccnt cxchangc fcc. It's trading even right nou', but u'e have ro go trade it." "Souncisfair cnough,"the young man said."l'vc got it, an' thcnsomc." He withdrew a large wad of bills from his 1rcckct. "Hey! Don't do thatin a placelikc this," Dukc warncci,.shoving his hand under the counter. "You think Jcsse.lamessaw mc?" thc yclungmiin said.lcnking around in mock alarm. "Thanks,sugar-DruAnne," Duke said. "Don't mention it, Tex," .shesaicl. "Go back to your riot." "Hey, that guy over thcre looks likc Hurnphrcy Bogar1,"DePuy saicl. "Just kercpit down, will you?" Duke said. "l'vc gor a deal for-1,ou, if you'll just listen." 'l'rn "Okay, I'm listening,"DePuy said. "As BugsBunnl'savs, all car-.s."' 'What's "Bugs says, up doc?', anclI'm trying to tcll you," Dukc saicl. "Now, how much money do you have?" "Sevendollars," DcPuy said. "Ackshully, seven thousancl counting thosc travelers' chcques." "t ook, DePooey,I'm going to Canada,and you arc going to thc Unitccl States.I'lt swapyou evcn,American for Canaclian,and it $,ill silvcyou scvcn hundrcddollars." "You woulclclo that for me?" DcPuy askccl."A pcrfccr.strirngcr'1" "Call it a good ncighborgcsturc," Dukc srnilccl. "I'll do it, and to hell with thc Quccn,ancl long livc Ilarr_r,J'nrrnun!" "For that, l'll throw in cnoughcxtra to crovermy tab anrl),ours." "You arc all hcarr,my fricnd." Bunon thoughtDcPui, u a.sgoing to kiss him. lnstcaclhe just embraccclhim and \\'cpton his shoulrlcr. SugarValley Saga 233 An hour later,when DePuypaid the tab, Burtonmerely shrugged his .shouldersat DePuy'simploring look when the man describedas Humphrey Bogarl,and another man who lookedlike JamesCagney, each placed a hand on DePuy'sshoulders and quietly escorted him away.Burlon left the I-Falls Tavern,Bar andFish Boil, andwalked across the borderto a Canadianmotel, where he turned in and slept the sleepof one who hasjust closed a mosl satisfactorydeal. The next day,Burton met a CanadianMountie in a redcoat when he tried to pay his motel bill with a travelers'checlue fuawn on "The Left Bank of the Yukon River." 21 PeaceIn The Valley D I-TOBBY SUE, Billy ain't never comin' back," Rcrl saicl. "I know, but it just ain't right, Red," she said,tears wclling up. "What ain't right?" Red a-sked."You said you didn't lovc him, clidn't you? And you do love me." "I know, but it jrst ain't right for oneman to havcto raiscanothcr man's baby," she said. "He ain't anotherman,he's my cousin," Rcd said, "and hc ain'I ncver. goin' to come back. If he was, he'cl donc been herre." "I know, but I just can't . . ." "And anotherthing; thc baby, it'll bc a Wilkins, rvon'r ir? "Half," shesobbcd. "That's gooclenough for mc," hc a.ssurcdhcr, drying hcr tcars. "You sureyou don't mind?" sheaskccl. "Mind? It ain'tmy loss-it's Billy's," hc said. "Recl,"shc saicl. "What?" "Woulcl you kiss mc?" "I clon'tknow, Miss Acliims.I'm not surcI coulcle vcr cloit," Pcnnysaid. "Loney, child. Loney. And I think you can cloit, probablybcttcr rhat I ever thoughtof cloingit," Loncy said. SugarValley Saga 235 "All rigJrt . . , L.onery.It's jusr that you have been here so 1ong,and I'm an outsider-from the city, at that," Penny said. "I don't knclrvif Valley folks *'ill evcr trust me." "Do you think I u'as born in this Valley?" Lonev asked. "Shoot, no! I wasn't even bom in this County. I'm a flatlander from N{onck's Corner. You can't get any flatter than that. As far a-sthese people we re conccmed, I'd just a.srvellbeen from Man. We dicln't evcn speakthe samelanguage They spoke Mountain, and I spoke Gcc'chee." "Gccchcc?" Penny rcpeatcdunccrlainly. "It's a ticlcwateracccnt," Loney said. "Nobo "You want him?" Loney turned ro Penny, and indicarcd Elu,oocl,who sat dou'n. "Of course," Penny said. "Then that'sthat," Loney said,satisf ietl. "We'll settleour orherbusiness tomorrow, ard you can begin u'ork Monday. That u'ill give you a *,hole r,','eekendto get married iind have a honeymoon. ln the meantime, I,m goin' to retire. You all can make your own plans." She departed and lcft Penny and Elu'ooci staring in open-mourhccl dishelief until, eachsecing the look on the other's face,they broke into u,hoop.s of joyous laughter amdfell into each other's arm.s. "l thought you would never ask," Penny gaspecl. There u'asn't much left to say, so he kisseclher. ***** 'grapevinc "Now l'm going to shou'you the fiimous trick' you'r'e Llccn waiting for," Charlcncsaid. "Darling, I couldn't think of anythingmorc appropriatcfor our.hor.rc,v- moon, but cloyou think you shouldhave invitcrl othcr pcoplc 1oobscn.c?" Sonnyasked, looking around at Floyd andDarlcnc walking up thc pathbchincl thcm. "Oh, clon't rvorry aboutthem," she said. "They'vc rlonc it hunrlrctl.sol' timcs.Thcy u'ill probablyjoin in." "l dicln'tkno*,it \\,a.sa group thing," Sonnl,slitl *ith s.'tc.ris;g:irinrts. "Oh, surc," Charlcncassurcrl hirn. "All thc kirl.su.scrl ro qilthcrut) hr.rc antl cktit aftcr churchon Sunrlayaflcrncron.s." "All thc kid.s']"hc askcd. "Surc.Thcrc u'a.sn'tlnuch clscto (lo on Sr-rnrlar.',cxccpl cut.h cnrutllrrls. lrntlsc usuirl]_r'tlitllrorir." "Catch criru,dads?"hc askerl. "Ycah. Flavcyou c\/crsccn a craq(latl fight'?" shc a.skcrl. "Can't say ils I have,"hr ans',i,crctl. "somc of thc boy.shacl rathcr '. atchcrii* tlutlsf ight thancl. thc g'iPc'i.c thing,"Charlcnc saicl. Thcy harl rcachcrlthc spot '''hcre thc tlail rurncdancl clirnbctl rhc blrrl'f alongsiclcSPanglcr'.s Branch. Shc toclkhis hantl anclhclPcrl him up l.slc(.lr placcovcr sorneslick roots.His city shoc.s\\,ercn't rnutle l,,r hikirt;1. Sonny coultln't imaginc a stagingrclf thc First Battlc of Mana.ssasriilh livc arnmoa.s bcingl morc cxcitingthan thc cvcnt hc haclbeen anticillrlin.rq for SugarValley Saga 237 so long. Hou'ever, he tcfrained from making any comment. He still hacl misgivingsabout all thc nilnesses,but rvhenin Rome . . . . ,f**** Floyd ald Darlcnc pauscd *hcrc thc path took its upward turn. Floyd chccked a large rock for thc prc.scnccof coppcrheads.Fincling nonc, hc bru.shctlof f a spotan YT' la/ V V here have you all been?" Elwoocl askcdhis bride. "Over at the Wilkins' deliveringmy first babies,"Pcnnv saicl prouclly. "Babics?" Elu'ood askctl. "Ycp," Loney said,"ancl shc did grelaton thc first six. The last onc rvas a little tougher." "Sevcn babios!" Elq.ood exclaimed. "That's right," Pernnysaid. "Six of Pnrcilla'sancl onc big boy for Bobb1, Suc and Recl." "A boy!" Elwrxrdsaid. " PercivalOswal d Wi lkin.s,.1r.," Pcnny saicl. "Wcll, I'm lcaving."Loncy said."You canhandlc it finc,Pcnny, ancl ar la.stI'm goin' to takethat vacationI ncvcr hacl." "When rvill you bc back?"Elu'ood askcd. "ln plcntv of time," Loncv saida.s shc q,cntoul thc clotir. "Wonilcr u,hatshe rncanl by that'1"EIri,otxl said cr.rrior-rslr,. Pcnnyglou'ed as shc lrxrkcclat hirn anclsairl, "Sorrt,o,'rr, is goirrgLo huve to rlclivcrour baby,Darlin6:." ***** -I-hcrc A full rnoortr.ia.s rising ovcr l\,lcllly'sNosc. u,a.sa tlccirlcclrrip in thc air. Srnokccurlccl up frorn thc:cabi.s in thc 'allcy bcloiv. olcl Sh,rtofi thrc*.Lrrck his hcaclanrl ansq,crtclthc agc old c:ullof his anccstors.Thc sercnatlcuils cchocdup ancldow.n lhc Vallc,v. Thc coon huntcn tlc6lanto galhcr-. Sgii{,eFr 1!lrtits. Carroll Go'mbrell Spellltitrding Stonltrllcr I'h,it,,l,r ( i\'ttt l),,t!t,tjt AuthOrCarr,rll GiI|r'rb,'e lrves lr:rrl llrles ioday rn lire South ClaroJrnarroirr;1lr rts its :'!l ij ri lrs ii young nrlrl Sugar Valley Saga rs 'r s sccolrl r'Lt','eDased on h s expenerrces tfrcro arci ircfoss Arr er cit. Servce lv ttrthe 82nd A.riborlcald lwo :rci)sol:tsrJti.).ic Jrtf trll ir.;t^l tit ti-e U.S. Forest Se rv cc d cil I r va llr€llirr-r of c..rlrpe--trnq it s f irstnovel, The Kudzu Chronicles. il'e arriirordeclares. This new r.rovcbi-rgs tire nnoccfrcearrcj vronder of the countryto tire B g Cty, wtir crtrartcng irrlr.cr arrd :r gentletouch. Rea clraractersard a srrprrsinglf-rol rf aKe Sugar ValleySaga a storyas sv/acl:ts rt sortlds. l"tl I SLI\'(l()I'lrt.ss ry I)( Irtt\ltt l5 rsflN0 9.13,18/42 0 N( )ii]'llP()f.l'l'.AI-r\FtA\1.\