Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-02-15

chhSed auay in a cloud of dust by Win Stock
iaalesss rate Pa. but he said he'd be back. Pa
QG& VIII spend all night tying dogs and
| CHICKENS to bushes for lDarning network and
taditHing the yard t0ith rolled tDire and
BOBBY traps NotD Pa has his bent shotgun
10dded and he and Win atOait the new inua-
@l1E=
But the waiting warnt nothing to all
that happened after they got there. What
"A Pned was. we were both standing there
N&M these three cars come driving up-we
hadLtheerd them whanging over the bridge
down the way-but they didn't see us at first
becafise they were leaning their heads out
tbs 1Rindow looking at the rolls of wire we
had rolled up in the front. They were setting
tftsfe with the motors still running, point
iSn at it and talking about it.
eo a And it was about that time that seen
Pas gun coming up. It's the longest gun
you've ever seen in your life, and it come up
and up and finally hung out there in the
ain with him sighting down it and looking
like it was pointed about forty feet in front
of the first car so that almost expected
them to start laughing at it the way I've seen
some folks do when he aims at something
with it, because by looking at the barrel you
cant tell which way the shot is going. But
Pa knowed all right, and did, and I'll bet if
he had of pulled that trigger then, he would
have hit the man driving the first car within
about half an inch of where he had decided
he would hit him.
Anyhow. what happened was that it just
caused another big ruckus. One Of them
looked up and seen Pa and give holler to
the others, and they come piling out Of the
cars all of sudden, doors flying open and
heads ducking down, Scurrylng all over the
place. And they kept yelling at each other
and all like that. peeping over the sides OF
the cars and things; and this one fellow,
,,~Ia% H.. nt <l0HrrvN hat
happened to him was, he was right fat and
when he tried to get out he got stuck in the
door on the side toward the house. and hung
there jerking and snatching around and
hollering his head of. And guess he never
would have stopped. only he looked up finally
to see Pa sighting at him: then he stared
second and quit yelling and just hung there,
like he was dead sure enough and there
warnt thing he could do about it.
Eleven, All but One
Anyhow, there were eleven of them in
all that I had counted. not counting the
fat fellow because he didn't amount to so
much, and the next thing I knowed, there
was trying to figger out which one to shoot
first. mean didn't want to shoot nobody.
and I didn't mind the draft neither. but
was ali primed up for it all of sudden
because of all the noise and everything, so
! went ahead and throwed a shell In the
chamber of the rifle and started getting
lined UP for it. And when seen this arm
come up from behind one of the cars and
seen the handkerchief waving, I drawed
down on it right quick waving the gun back
and forth, not even knowing what was going
on for a minute.
But then Pa called out. IAN right, Roy,
come on up!' and yelled 1t so loud that it
made me jump and almost pull down on the
trigger was so primed for it and everything.
But stopped myself right quick and looked
at Pa and then recognized it was Roy Burton
he was yelling at, and lowered the gun and
stood there watching him as he come walking
up to the wire, standing there looking at it.
remember everything seemed like it was all
mixed up all of a sudden I was Do pitched
up for it that it made me feel kind of shaky
and let down and sickly somehow.
But then it come to me right quick that
that was all 1t was, it was over just as
quick as it had started. could go on in and
get my stuff and go in to the draft, and that
was all there was to 1t. It made me feel
mighty good all Of a sudden and l turned
to Pa. but just about that time, he called
out, What do you want Roy?" and 1t hit
me then that they was going to start talking
some more, and l mean it made me feel
ornery too / mean just didn't care to fool
with it no more.
But then Roy called out. Il want to talk
to you. Tom Can l come up there?"
Shore, Roy, come on up"
"How'm I gonna get there, Tom? You
speck me to crawl under this here wire?"
Il reckon it's the only way, Roy" Pa
called back. If you want to come up here"
So they talked some more that way for
while, and finally just set down on the steps
and put my rifle across my lap and tried
to keep my mouth shut until they got it
Strengthened out, one way or the other, it
didn't matter to me much any more.
Through or Stay Out
Anyhow, they talked back and forth, and
Pa said Roy would have to come through the
wire or not come at all, and then Roy tried
to wiggle through. but he got all tangled up:
and then they had to call back and forth for
while to get somebody to come out and
help him out, only that didn't work too good
because didn't nobody want to come out So
Roy called up and wanted Pa to VOW not to
shoot one OF them If they did come out, but
Pa said. Il couldn't vow that. Roy: one of
them might take 1t in his head to cause some
trouble and then I'd have to break my word"
But he finally decided he would let one man
come up if he left his gun behind. and they
kept pushing this fellow out but he kept going
back behind the car again. SO finally they
got this other one to come out only that
didn't do no good neither because he got
hung up in the wire just like Roy did So A.
nally the only thing left to do was to 60
back and get the clippers. Course Pa could
have walked out to the wire, but he wouldn't
do nothing like that-no, II they wanted to
talk to him, they would have to come up to
where he was. So finally / went out and
clipped Roy out and talked with the fat
fellow for a Bit he said it was right hot and
I allowed it were and such things as that
with him still hanging there in the door and
then we talked about crops for while, but
finally got Roy out and followed him up to
the porch to talk with Pa
Roy used to live out at the Corners and
him and Pa knowed each other and it seemed
like to me they could have got it Strengthened
out right quick. but then they had to argue
about it while Just the same. Mckinney