Buddies Page 6

  “Yes, he was murdered,” the man repeated. “Somebody knocked the poor fella in the head and sent him on his way in his runaway surrey. He was thrown out of the surrey, and when some fella found him, he was about dead in a coma. He stayed in that coma for days, never did come out of it. He never was able to speak a word.”

  “Have they caught the person that done sech, Mister?” Ernie wanted to know.

  “No, they ain’t yit, but they’ve found the killer’s lunch pail that he hit the banker in the head with and a ole brogan that he lost.”

  Ernie had to cough to keep from swallowing his chewing tobacco. Joey Frank turned as white as the corpse back at the church, and his mouth flew open as he looked at the man with disbelief at what he had just said. Ernie thanked the man then took Joey Frank by the coat sleeve and gave him a little jerk to get him moving.

  As they went walking down the street, Joey Frank felt as though his legs would fall out from under him. He managed tosay, “Ernie, I thank I need to go over an’ set down for a spell under that big oak ‘cause I don’t feel so good.”

  “You don’t look so good neither, Joey Frank. Yore face is whiter than a scrapped hog’s hide. You better let me hold on to you ‘til we git over there.”

  Ernie led Joey Frank across the street toward the spacious tree; afraid he might be at a fainting stage. When they arrived, he let go of his arm and said, “Joey Frank, go over there an’ duck yore head down in that horse trough a time or two an’ you’ll feel a heap better. That cold water will git the blood to runnin’ back smooth through your veins agin.”

  “I ain’t gonna do no sech thang, Ernie Brown.”

  “Yeah, you are, too.” “No, I ain’t.”

  “Yeah, you are, if I hafta do it for you. Now git on over there; I don’t want you a-passin’ out on me.”

  Joey Frank didn’t feel like arguing with Ernie anymore. As much as he hated to, he went over to the horse trough and fell down on his knees. He took off his hat, closed his mouth and eyes tightly; and then submerged his head in the water. He stood up, wiped his face against his coat sleeve and went back over to the big tree.

  Ernie asked, “Don’t you feel better now?”

  Joey Frank didn’t answer as he plopped himself down on the ground and leaned back against the large tree trunk.

  Ernie was about to sit down beside him, but a poster that was tacked to the tree garnered his immediate attention. He read the big black letters to himself, then he said, “Joe Frank, I don’t know if you wanna be a-sittin’ down there under this here tree or not.”

  “Why do you say sech?”

  “’Cause this poster tacked up here over yore head says that there’s a five thousan’ doller re-ward for the killer of Banker Tolbert, that’s why. It says on down here in little bitty letters, that when the killer is caught, then the shurff’s gonna see to it that they’re hung. Joey Frank, I thank that killer is s’pose to be me an’ you, from what that fella said back yonder about the lunch pail an’ brogan, don’t you?”

  Joey Frank quickly got up. He read the poster for himself, turned to Ernie and said, “Ernie, we’re gonners. When they find out me an’ you wuz with Banker Tolbert that day, they gonna thank we went an’ killed him. They gonna hang us for shore. Oh Lordy, what’s my poor Mama an’ sister Gloria gonna do when I’m gone? I promised Pa with all my heart that I’d look after them, now just look what’s a-fixin’ to happen.”

  “Calm yoreself down, Joey Frank Cooper; yore commencin’ to turn white agin. Yore gonna be a-layin’ out on the ground here before you know it. We ain’t gonna be strung up ‘cause we ain’t done nothin’ to be strung up for. Just ‘cause it looks like we oughta be the ones that killed Banker Tolbert don’t mean that we went an’ done it. Heck, they didn’t nobody see us with him that day. Now go back over there, an’ duck yore head down in that horse trough agin, an’ let’s git outta here an’ go fishin’.”

  “I ain’t gonna stick my head back down in that stinkin’ ole horse water agin, Ernie Brown, an’ you cain’t make me do sech neither.”

  There was a big difference in the tone of Joey Frank’s voice now, than moments before. Ernie could tell that there was strength behind the words he spouted out, so he didn’t pressure him to go back over to the horse trough.

  The boys begin their trek to the river, dodging what they could of Ruby Creek. Joey Frank felt much safer that way. Although Ernie talked and talked, trying to convince him that noone would ever suspect them of doing the banker harm, he still felt uneasy.

  The river was clear and quiet, at a lazy flow. A light breeze moved gently among the creek willows that grew near the banks, causing their tiny blossoms to turn loose and drop to the water’s surface. Although it looked like a good day for fishing, Ernie grumbled because there were so many water bugs spinning around in the large stream. He said. “Them fish has probably got their bellies full of these little critters, an’ won’t thank of strickin’ at a worm.” He sat down and baited his hook anyway and threw it out from the bank. He relaxed, gripped the pole and waited to feel the first little quiver of a fish bite.

  Joey Frank had taken his seat on the bank of the river just a few feet from Ernie, and was having a terrible time getting his hook baited. He put the blame on the worms, saying they were too small for the hook; then he blamed the hook, saying it was so rusty that the bait wouldn’t slip on. The truth of the matter was Joey Frank was still very uneasy about the reward posters in Ruby Creek. He was so shaky he couldn’t get the bait on the hook. Ernie knew this and let him know when he grew impatient. Watching him fumble with the bait, he suddenly blatted out, “Joey Frank Cooper, snap yoreself outta the way yore a-doin’, an’ stab that dang worm, an’ throw him in the water right now, before I commence to take a notion to throw you out there. Now go on, bait that hook an’ do like I’m a-tellin’ you do.”

  Ernie Brown was content with himself every day of his life, and it was hard for him to understand why Joey Frank couldn’t be exactly like him. Sometime he would get excited about things, but he soon shrugged them off and never thought of them again. Ernie never knew the meaning of the word worry, and if he ever had, then he concealed it very well. Although his hair was a sandy blonde and his eyes a pale blue, the Indian blood from his mother were very prevalent in his actions. Ernie had guts that many grown men would give their right arm to have. He could sneak up on a rattlesnake, catch it by the tail and with a brisk jerk, pop its head off, before one could say scat.

  On the other hand, Joey Frank, adventurous boy though he was, envied Ernie’s courage. He loved Ernie like a brother and would go with him to the jumping off place, but it was Ernie who always did the jumping.

  “Looka yonder comin’ down the river, Joey Frank.” Ernie said, laying his fishing pole to the side and springing to his feet. “I do believe that’s the biggest mud turtle I’ve ever seen in my life.” Ernie began coming out of his clothes saying, “I’m gonna dive in there an’ git that big varmint. He’s gonna be stew on my table for a heap of days to come.”

  “Ernie, you’d better not do sech ‘cause that water is too cold to git in. You’ll freeze to death for shore.”

  “There you go startin’ up agin, Joey Frank Cooper, worryin’ yoreself over somethin’ that ain’t nothin’. Now hush up sech, I know what I’m a-doin’.”

  Ernie dove into the river. He swam over to the big turtle, threw his arms around his leathery shell and began trying to wrestle him to the bank. The job was tougher than he realized it would be, but he meant to win the battle. When the turtle would slip from his arms and go under the water, Ernie would go under after him and bring him back up again. The battle went on for some time before Ernie managed to get a firm hold on the turtle’s tail. He yelled out to Joey Frank saying, “Take them ‘spenders off my breeches, and throw’m over here to me quick.”

  “You got’m, Ernie?”

&
nbsp; “Yeah, I got’m but I won’t for long if you don’t hurry up with my ‘spenders.”

  Joey Frank seized Ernie’s breeches and unfastened the suspenders. He drew back and sailed them through the air over to him. Staying clear of the mud turtle’s head, Ernie tied the suspenders around his back like a fellow would tie a yard dog around the neck.

  While Joey Frank looked on, Ernie pulled the turtle along with him and swam to the bank. He dragged the big reptile from the river onto the bank, shivering from the cold water. He said, “I need your ‘spenders now, Joey Frank.”

  “What’cha need my ‘spenders for?”

  “To tie this here turtle to that tree over yonder; that’s what for.”

  “But I need my ‘spenders. My breeches’ll fall down.”

  “Heck, it don’t matter if they do fall down ‘cause ain’t nobody gonna see you no way. I’m gonna give’m back to you before we start to leave. Now hurry up, let me have’m before this rascal turns his head around here an’ whacks the devil outta me.”

  “You’d better shore hope that he don’t turn around an’ whack you, Ernie Brown,” Joey Frank said, unfastening his suspenders. “I’ve heard tell that if one does, then he won’t turn you loose ‘til it thunders.”

  “Shucks, I’ve heard that sayin’ too, an’ a bunch more. I’ve heard tell that if you hang a dead snake on a tree limb, then it’ll make it rain an’ I’ve heard it said that if you run over a toad frog then yore milk cow’ll go dry. Heck, I don’t believe in none of that stuff. There ain’t no truth in them sayin’s.”

  CHAPTER SIX

  “Where are your new shoes, Joey Frank?” Mama wanted to know when he got home.

  “I didn’t git’m Mama, ‘cause I wuz careless and went off and left my basket of eggs on the ground. While I wuz gone, a dang ole mutt got in’m and sucked ever’ last one.”

  “Watch that language of yours, Joey Frank,” Mama scolded. “You should be ashamed of yourself for talking that way. Your sister could have been here and heard that. Now I don’t want to hear you speaking that way again.”

  “I’m sorry, Mama, I wudn’t thankin’. Where is Gloria anyhow?”

  “She’s over at the Widow Simson’s. She’ll be spending the night there. They’re baking cookies for the church to help raise more reward money for the killer of Banker Tolbert. You did hear about the banker’s death in Ruby Creek, didn’t you?”

  Joey Frank was not prepared for Banker Tolbert’s name to be brought up, and he tried to keep his voice steady when he answered Mama’s unexpected question saying, “Yeah, Me an’ Ernie heard about it, Mama.”

  “Heaven only knows what this world is coming to.” Mama said as she took a pot from the hot cook stove, setting it aside to cool. She pulled up the skirt of her apron and wiped her brow. “I just hope and pray that they catch whoever did that terrible thing, before them bad folks decide to do the same thingto someone else. Banker Tolbert was such a fine man, and his good deeds are certainly going to be missed.”

  Joey Frank didn’t comment as Mama talked on about Banker Tolbert and his lovely wife Miss Rene. He was glad when she let the subject rest and started talking about one of their hens that had showed up that day with nine baby chicks.

  When Saturday came, Ernie was later than usual, getting to Joey Frank’s home. He explained that he had taken a cold and his Mama wanted the weather to warm up some before he started his walk.

  Joey Frank said, “I’m glad that you come, Ernie, but you oughta got a cold ‘cause you had no bizness jumpin’ in that dang river a-knowin’ good an’ well that the water wuz like ice. Heck, when you come outta there, you looked like you wuz froze half to death. You re-minded me of a pair of my ole breeches a-hangin’ on the clothes line tryin’ to thaw in the midst of winter.”

  “Joey Frank, you’ve stopped thinking again,” Mama said. “I’ve told you to watch that language of yours, and don’t be so hard on Ernie. Both of you are old enough to use better judgment about some things. It’s true that Ernie shouldn’t have jumped into the cold water, and you shouldn’t have put your basket of eggs down and gone off and left them.”

  Together once more, the boys were off to spend the day. Ernie said that he wanted to go by Ruby Creek before they went to the river because he was almost out of tobacco. Joey Frank didn’t much like the idea, but he knew how ornery Ernie got when he didn’t have a chew, so he agreed to go.

  In Ruby Creek the name Banker Tolbert could be heard almost everywhere. While the boys were in the General Store, they overheard Mr. McGraw telling the town’s gossip, Miss Mattie Hogan, that it was being discussed about having the town’s name changed from Ruby Creek to Tolbert Creek. This of course was to honor the eminent banker. Miss Mattie, who was one of the town’s oldest citizens, told Mr. McGraw that was the best news she had heard in a long time, and the name should have been changed long before now. The Tolbert family deserved having the town named after them, because they were the ones responsible for restoring the old building and erecting new ones she said. Before Banker Tolbert and his wife came to Ruby Creek, the place was no more than a ghost town. Now the town had everything it needed because of the kind and loving Banker Tolbert and Miss Rene, who had furnished most of the money for the town’s growth.

  Ernie’s curiosity became aroused as he was listening to Miss Mattie and Mr. McGraw’s conversations. He and Joey Frank went over to the checkout counter to purchase the chewing tobacco and exchanged greetings with Miss Mattie, who stood just passing the time of day, and to Mr. McGraw, standing behind the counter being his usual friendly self.

  Miss Mattie stepped aside for the boys to be waited on, making it appear that she was going to stay around for awhile longer to continue her favorite pastime of gossiping, which she so thoroughly enjoyed spreading and hearing.

  Ernie said, “I heard what y’all wuz talkin’ about; an’ I commence to wonder who Ruby Creek wuz named after? I’ve lived around these parts all my life; go to school too, but I ain’t never heard it said who it wuz named after. Do y’all happen to know sech?”

  “I’d say that it wuz named after a gal, bein’ its gotta gal’s name.” Joey Frank spoke up.

  “Well, I know that, Joey Frank, an’ ever’body else knows sech, but who wuz the gal? That’s what I wanna know.”

  Miss Mattie’s face flushed red, and she looked at Ernie as if she wanted to knock his head off. She looked at Joey Frank the same way, and what she had to say wasn’t the lease bitfriendly. “You young folks think you’ve got to know everything these days, blabbing your mouths where they’re not wanted and having no respect whatsoever for your elders.”

  Miss Mattie’s spectacles had slipped to her nose from shaking her head back and forth with shame. She pushed them back up, as she walked closer to the stunned boys and pointed her finger at them. She shook it a time or two and concluded her little speech by saying, “Foolish minds are not my kind, their thoughts are worthless and deprive my time.”

  Miss Mattie reached over and snatched up the bag of things she had purchased from the counter. She said “Good-day” to Mr. McGraw, then whirled around and left the store.

  Joey Frank and Ernie were baffled by Miss Mattie’s actions. They couldn’t imagine what on earth they had said to offend her so much. They saw her about every time they came to Ruby Creek, and she had always been friendly enough. On one occasion when they were walking by her home on Main Street, she waved and called out to them from her front porch to come in so they could sample her fresh blueberry pie. Today Miss Mattie was totally different. The sudden change in her perplexed the boys.

  Joey Frank remembered hearing his Pa laugh and say little humorous things about Miss Mattie. He, Mama, and Gloria would always get a big thrill out of hearing them. There was no one who could put things into words and make them as exciting as Pa could. He said that Miss Mattie was the ugliest and nosiest old lad
y that he had ever seen in his life. She worked part-time at the post office. The men folks nicknamed her “Teakettle” because she kept a teakettle at the post office for the purpose of steaming open people’s mail. Pa said in the wintertime the little teakettle stayed heated and ready at all times on the potbellied stove. In the summer she heated the little metal pot of water on a contraption that she had rigged up with a candle under it. She told the public that her arthritis hurt so badly, sometimes, she couldn’t make it through the day without having her hot tea to sip on. He said her arthritis tale might have some of the folks fooled, but it sure didn’t fool him, because he knew the smell of tea brewing and Miss Mattie’s little kettle was full of nothing but pure well water for steaming open people’s mail. She felt compelled to keep up with what was going on in Ruby Creek.

  When Pa finished telling his tales about Miss Mattie and the family had their laughs, he would always add a kind word about her. He said although Miss Mattie might be a bit nosey and ugly, with oversized ears for a female, nevertheless she was a gracious old soul and there wasn’t a harmful bone in her body.

  Ernie wanted to know what he and Joey Frank had said to upset Miss Mattie, causing her to behave the way she had. He wanted to ask Mr. McGraw if he knew, but Mr. McGraw couldn’t stop laughing long enough for him to ask. The boys looked at each other with puzzled faces and then, at Mr. McGraw with confusion. They had made Miss Mattie so angry that she left the store, now Mr. McGraw was laughing so hard that he couldn’t get a hold of himself. His face had become so red from all the laughing that it looked as though every drop of blood in his body had settled there.

  Finally Mr. McGraw stopped laughing so hard, he managed to speak to the boys between little chuckles, saying, “Fellows, I’m sorry, but that’s one laugh that I just couldn’t hold back. Mercy, I’m sure glad Miss Mattie got outta here when she did because I was just about to burst out laughing in the lady’s face. Lord, I ain’t laughed this much since I don’t know when.”