Buddies Page 11

  Ernie hardly ate at all now, and what little he did eat, his Mama would have to force him. The only thing that he seemed to enjoy was his chewing tobacco he constantly kept in his mouth.

  Joey Frank was beginning to wonder if Ernie Brown, the happy-go-lucky and strong-willed buddy whom he had always known, was giving up? Was he giving up because he might never be able to wrestle a turtle from the river again, or because he might never again be able to sneak up on a rattlesnake, grab it by the tail and pop its head off? He thought that maybe Ernie was giving up on everything. After all, it must be the most terrible thing that could ever happen to a person. He could not imagine one’s sight being taken away and not being able to see or do the things he had always done.

  Joey Frank felt miserable when he looked at his buddy. He wanted Ernie to get up off his behind and go fishing with him. He wanted to scream that if he didn’t, his veins were full of “chicken blood”, because he was giving up on everything. He was just about ready for Ernie to hear from him, but he choked up and almost cried managing only to say, “I better be a-goin’ now, Ernie. It ain’t long ‘til chore time. I’ll see you come a-Saturday.”

  The following week Joey Frank’s thoughts were constantly on Ernie. He hoped and prayed he would snap out of his depression and try to get back to his normal self again.

  The next Saturday when he went to visit Ernie, he was disappointed to find there was no change in him. Joey Frank believed that Ernie maybe had grown worse. It was past nine o’clock when he arrived at his home, and found he was still in bed. He lay staring at the ceiling with his hands cupped around his ‘spit can’. The tough soles on the bottom of his bony feet had almost completely peeled away, and his toenails that he always kept trimmed close with his pocketknife were too long.

  Ernie wouldn’t talk of going fishing with Joey Frank. He said it wouldn’t be worth the walk because the fish probably wouldn’t be biting anyway. When Joey Frank asked him to get out of bed to try their luck for just a short while, Ernie fibbed, saying that he had heard it thunder a time or two and didn’t want to get out and get caught in a rainstorm in his condition.

  Joey Frank knew very well Ernie had not heard thunder because there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. He knew he was making excuses because he had given up and never planned to go back to the river again.

  This is one visit with Ernie, Joey Frank wished he had never made. He had to get away because he couldn’t stand the sight of his buddy just lying there and not caring if he ever got up again.

  Tears rushed into his eyes. He stood up quickly from the foot of Ernie’s bed and said, “I’m gonna be a-goin’ now, Ernie. I’ll be back come a-Saturday.”

  He rushed from Ernie’s bedroom with tears streaming down his face. Only once had he experienced the hurt he was feeling this day, for that was when his Pa died. He felt sure Ernie had detected something wrong, because he left so quickly, but right now he didn’t care.

  As he walked down the little narrow road that led from Ernie’s home, he slung his fishing pole as far as he could throw it down through a field that was heavily grown up. He never wanted to see it again, and he didn’t care if he ever wet another fishhook.

  Joey Frank never wanted to go near the river again, unless Ernie could go along with him to crack jokes and take the lead in all they did together. He even missed the quarrelling the two of them had done every now and then.

  He sat down by the roadside, and through misty eyes he looked around. He had never before thought about how wonderful it was to be able to see all the things that he had never really observed before. He hadn’t paid attention to the soft green grasses that lay in the open fields where pestering grasshoppers leaped around, with their big ugly eyes, trying to find folks’ vegetable gardens, to eat holes in tomatoes and chew up the leaves. He hadn’t seen the old trees with all their leaves waving to and fro in the pleasant breeze. The only time he ever noticed a “sissy” flower was when he would gather an armful of plum blossoms to put on Pa’s grave. All these things had never really been observed by Joey Frank before today, but were so beautiful now. It seemed so unfair for Ernie to be deprived of all these wonderful things that were out there to be seen. He recalled what his teacher had said about Helen Keller, who wrote, “The seeing does not see.”

  “It just ain’t fair,” Joey Frank cried out loud. “I’ve gotta help Ernie; I’ve just gotta help’m an’ I’m gonna hafta do it quick. I’ve gotta git that money some way for his operation. It cain’t wait no longer. Ernie’s done give up an’ he could…he could die. No! No! He cain’t die. He just cain’t do sech. I gotta do somethin’. I just gotta.”

  As he sat by the roadside, he cried until he couldn’t cry anymore. He wiped his swollen eyes against the sleeve of his shirt and began to rack his brain for some way to get the money for Ernie. He thought of an old wagon that he had received for Christmas a long time ago that was stored away in the barn loft at home. He thought that he might be able to sell it and get a little money, maybe fifty or sixty cents. There was an old plow stock too that was under the shed at the far end of the house. The handle was broken off, but he was sure that Mr. Pearson at the blacksmith’s shop would probably be glad to fix it for no fee and sell it to some farmer. The old plow stock repaired should bring four or five dollars.

  Joey Frank thought of Gloria’s rag dolls that she was so graciously willing to sell in order to help Ernie’s cause. He didn’t know very much about stuff like dolls, but he figured that all of them together might bring a dollar.

  He thought hard trying to remember anything else that he had to sell. The only thing he could think of right now was the old rooster, Nelson whom had been around so long.

  Joey Frank named the rooster after one of Mama’s brothers because he thought they favored somewhat. The old chicken was called Nelson everyday of his life except when Uncle Nelson came for a visit. Everyone was forbidden to call him by that name because Mama said Uncle Nelson could beoffended knowing his family had named an ugly old rooster after him.

  Mama didn’t care very much for Nelson the rooster, and Gloria literally detested him. She fussed at him constantly for doing his business right in the front door. She tried to kill him by throwing pans of boiling water on him. If Gloria could have snuck up close enough on the old chicken to splash him with the hot liquid, it probably would have scalded him to death. Nelson always managed to see her in time to escape with only a few hot sprinkles that never seemed to bother him.

  Joey Frank felt sorry for Nelson. He was getting on up in years, and couldn’t defend himself against the younger generation of roosters. They wanted the run of the yard with all the hens. Nelson’s own kin would jump all over him, and before he could get away, they flogged him half to death. The poor fellow went around most of the time with a sore head with all the feathers pecked off because his children and their children had turned against him.

  Mama threatened time after time to wring Nelson’s neck and put him into a pot for stew, but Joey Frank always managed to talk her out of it. The nearest Mama ever came to carrying out her threat was on a Sunday evening when the Widow Simson came by for a visit after church services and stepped into a mess where Nelson had done his business on the front porch. Mama was so embarrassed and hurt knowing the widow would never be able to rid her good shoes of that awful scent. She was well aware of this because, she had experienced the same thing.

  After the Widow Simson’s visit, Mama told Joey Frank to go build a fire under the wash pot outside and find Nelson, because his time had come. Joey Frank had to do some powerful begging that day to keep Mama from stewing Nelson. He begged her saying, “That pitiful ole rooster don’t know no better than to do what he’s a-doin, an’ if you’ll spare his life this time,

  I’ll keep’m away from the front porch so sech thangs won’t happen agin.”

  Joey Frank loved Nelson and it would hurt to give him up. Since Ma
ma, Gloria, and all his offspring weren’t too fond of him, then he would be better off in a place where he could live his remaining days in peace.

  He didn’t think he would be able to get very much money for Nelson since he was so old. He thought that if anybody wanted to buy him, then they probably wouldn’t give any more than fifteen or twenty cents for him.

  Joey Frank couldn’t think of another single thing he could sell. He reached over and picked up a stick, and for each of the items he thought he could sell, he wrote the price they might bring down in the white sand by the roadside.

  He put sixty cents down for his old wagon that was stored away in the barn and five dollars for the plow stock. He marked down one dollar for Gloria’s rag dolls and a meager fifteen cents for Nelson the rooster. Joey Frank drew a line and added up the figures…six dollars and seventy-five cents. When he added two dollars and twenty-five cents for a week’s gathering of eggs to that total, he had exactly nine dollars.

  Joey Frank flew into madness and angrily brushed the figures away with his hand, making the dust fly around him. Out of disgust he said out loud, “Heck, there’s gotta be a way to come up with more money than that. There’s just gotta be; time’s a-runnin’ out for Ernie. What am I gonna do?”

  Joey Frank got up from the roadside and began to walk toward home. He was so worried for his buddy, and all kinds of thoughts begin running through his mind on how he might get some money for Ernie. The thought crossed his mind to go to every house in the country and beg for money. He could say that his family and he were on starvation, that their cow had died, and all the chickens had left home because there was no food forthem. He thought that the idea might work, but when Mama found out he had done such a thing, then it would be too bad for him. Joey Frank thought of Jesse James again, and the words that were said of him, “Rob from the rich and give to the poor.” If the rich weren’t willing to help the poor, then he didn’t see any harm in Jesse taking the money by force. He didn’t believe that rich folks should be robbed of all their money, of course, but just enough to help out a person in desperate need such as Ernie.

  Suddenly he wished he were taller and older too. He felt sure there had been bank robbers that hadn’t been very tall, but didn’t know if there had ever been one as young as thirteen who had ever robbed a bank.

  “I guess a fella my aged an’ not so tall could prob’bly rob a bank just as good as Jesse James did,” he thought.

  Joey Frank looked down at Ernie’s old shoes he was wearing and said to himself, “I could go home an’ change into Pa’s shoes ‘cause they in better shape for runin’ than these ole thangs of Ernie’s, with one of the heels a-missin’. I could go to Ruby Creek, rob the bank an’ be home before chore time. I’ll just rob for anuff money to pay for Ernie’s operation; that’s all, an’ I won’t rob for keeps either. I’ll pay Miss Rene back when I’m ole anuff to git a job.”

  Joey Frank remembered that Mr. Brown told him he had seventy-four dollars in the jar. He stooped down in the road and subtracted with his finger in the dirt that amount from five hundred dollars to learn that four hundred and twenty-six dollars was needed.

  He jumped to his feet, and rushed home. Mama and Gloria were gone as he thought they would be. They were either visiting with Widow Simson or out in the meadows picking wildflowers to be placed on the eating table Sunday. Those were the things they normally did on Saturday evenings, during summer.

  Joey Frank ran through the house to his bedroom and over to the closet where Pa’s gun and his other belongings were kept. He opened the door and reached down to the floor to get the fertilizer sack with Pa’s shoes tied up inside. He quickly untied the sack, took out the shoes and sat down on the bed. He removed Ernie’s shoes from his feet, and replaced them with Pa’s shoes.

  He went back over to the closet and reached upon the top shelf and took Pa’s hat down. He folded it up in a small wad and put it into his front pocket. Listening intently while hoping Mama and Gloria wouldn’t return for awhile, he reached back into the closet for the gun belt that hung from a nail. He took the cold steel pistol from its holster, and then hung the belt back onto the nail. Joey Frank carefully took out the round of cartridges from the pistol and dropped them down into the pocket of Pa’s overcoat that was hanging on the inside of the closet door. He put the gun in the other front pocket of his pants; then he quickly undid his suspenders and removed them. He unbuttoned his shirt, took it off, and he snapped the suspenders back onto his breeches. He put his shirt back on so the tail would hang over the pistol’s handle. He reached back to Pa’s overcoat hanging on the closet door and took a bandanna from the pocket and stuck it down beside the unloaded gun. He rushed from the bedroom and out of the house, hoping he wouldn’t run into Mama and Gloria, because he would never be able to explain his protruding front pockets and the shirttail hanging out over them.

  When he was clear of the house, he didn’t worry too much that he would see Mama and Gloria, because he made sure to go in the opposite direction from Widow Simson’s or the meadows.

  Joey Frank’s nerves were quite calm as he hurried on his way through the hills and hollows toward Ruby Creek. Although Pa’s shoes were a little too big for him, they felt good on his feet. He had no qualms about the deed that he was about to do. Hewas overwhelmed with feelings of joy and happiness just to imagine that Ernie would be able to see again. He felt confident that he would get the money for his surgery.

  Joey Frank smiled when he thought of Ernie’s never having to ask him, if the river was muddy or clear, if the worm he was using for bait was red or gray. Ernie had always preferred the red worm to the gray one, because he said they lived longer under the water to draw the fishes’ attention.

  When Joey Frank arrived in Ruby Creek he saw that lots of people were there. Saturday, had always been the busiest day for the merchants of the little town, and the gossipmongers to get together to keep the loiter benches occupied for the entire day.

  As he went down Main Street, he looked down toward Mr. Pearson’s blacksmith shop. The yard was filled with horses and wagons, indicating that he was very busy. Oh how he wished that Ernie could be there to give Mr. Pearson a helping hand so he could learn more about the work that he so thoroughly enjoyed.

  Joey Frank was soon at the old deserted saloon building that wasn’t far from the bank. He had to put his wishful thinking to rest now and concentrate on the caper in which he would soon engage. All of this would determine if his buddy would ever be able to see again. He walked closer to the heavily grown up saloon and went behind the decaying old building. He looked into a broken-out window and saw what appeared to an old liquor bottle on a shelf covered with layers of dust and cobwebs. This was evidence of a drinking good time that was had when the bawd named Ruby was there singing, dancing, and capturing all of the men’s hearts.

  There was no one in sight behind the old saloon to observe Joey Frank. He took Pa’s wadded hat from his pocket to straighten it out and put on his head, while pulling the brim down close to his eyes. He took the bandanna and tied it loosely around his neck, the way Pa said Jesse James did. This was done in advance so he could quickly pull it over his face, before robbing the bank.

  He checked to make sure his shirttail was covering the handle of the gun in his pocket. He then squatted down and tightened the laces on Pa’s shoes because he wanted to make sure that they didn’t work loose during the time he would be making his getaway.

  Joey Frank was all set to carry out his risky plan. He was still very much at ease as he walked away from the old saloon building and on to Main Street toward the bank.

  As he was passing the home of Miss Mattie Hogan, he saw her sitting on the front porch. Miss Mattie looked directly at him, and apparently didn’t recognize who he was, or she would have surely waved a hello to him. He was glad to know that he passed for a stranger to the most flagrant gossip in Ruby Creek.

&nbs
p; When Joey Frank arrived at the bank, he couldn’t help noticing the brand-new surrey parked out front. It was about the nicest thing he had ever looked at, and he didn’t have to wonder a minute about who the owner of the fancy carriage was. Banker Tolbert’s beautiful horse Dolly Belle, who had survived the accident, was hitched to it.

  He was certain now that he would soon be facing Rene Tolbert. There was no doubt in his mind that she was in the bank raking in gobs of money, so she could keep-up the great lifestyle of which she was accustomed.

  Joey Frank walked to the door of the bank, opened it and stepped inside. He stood there for a moment and looked around. The two men tellers were busy with customers, and had more waiting in line.

  He gazed over at the office where he and Ernie had gone to visit Banker Tolbert, prior to his death. Miss Rene, who was now President of the bank, occupied the office. She could be seen through the open door sitting behind the desk with her darkhair combed neatly and piled onto the top of her head. Joey Frank could see that she was all alone as she worked on some papers that lay before her.

  He thought the timing was perfect now. He wouldn’t have to stand around among the people to wait to see Miss Rene, and take a chance on being recognized. He walked quickly past the customers and over to the office door. With his back turned away from everyone, he pulled the bandanna up over his nose and stepped inside the room. Miss Rene was still concentrating on the paperwork before her; she didn’t realize that she wasn’t alone until he pushed the door to and it clicked shut. She started to get up from her chair, then opened her mouth to say something. At the same time Joey Frank pulled the pistol from his pocket and pointed it at her, so she decided to keep her seat and say nothing.

  Joey Frank had become somewhat nervous now, and he almost called Miss Rene by name. He said in a deep disguised voice, trying to sound as grown-up as he possibly could, “Miss Re–, I mean ma’am, you better not holler, or I’ll shoot you for shore, an’ I mean it.”