Lucy had Earl sit down and she examined his leg. Karen Lynn brought her some clean water and some bandages. Lucy took a needle and some thread out of her medical kit. After she washed the area really well and staunched the bleeding, Lucy put a few stitches in Earl’s leg while John Joseph distracted him with some silly antics. He was juggling some tomatoes, when he missed and a very ripe tomato smashed right on his daddy’s head! With tomato seeds and juice running down into his eyes, the whole family broke up in fits of laughter and Earl’s was the loudest laugh of the bunch. This enabled Lucy to finish up doctoring Earl, while he had something else to think about!

  “Earl, I insist you stay off of that leg for a week so it can heal and you don’t open up that wound again. We can see how it is doing at the end of the week,” Lucy said.

  “Now honey, you know I can’t stay off of my leg that long. We are just tryin to get our new enterprise goin. I gotta set up the still and go to town to get the supplies. Laws a mercy Lucy, I got too much to do to set around. I ain’t one of yore kids. I got responsibilities,” Earl protested.

  “Now we will figure this thing out,” Lucy said. “John Joseph is going into town tomorrow and I reckon he can get the supplies you need. That old chestnut tree is ready; I saw some ripe chestnuts on the ground today. If’n we all go out there, I reckon we can gather up a wagon full of chestnuts to take to market and have John Joseph barter for most of the things we need. That’ll stretch yore cash money from the mine a mite further.”

  “That’s a rite fine idee, Lucy. Let’s get on it everybody!” her husband said enthusiastically.

  “Now, Earl you know I meant everybody, except you! You rest up. I know you don’t know how, but we need you to get all healed up so you will be ready to work that still when the corn is ready!”

  “Well, Lucy, as much as I hate to admit it, you are right. I will draw up the design fur the still while you all fill up the wagon with the chestnuts. John Joseph is plenty old enough to take care of the shopping and bartering; you are right.” Earl said. “Ok, everybody go grab yore sunhats and you boys bring a gun. There are about two hours left before sundown. Let’s see how much you can get into the wagon before sunset!”

  One of the boys went out and harnessed up the horses to the wagon. There was a mad scramble in the house, with kids going here, there and everywhere and before ten minutes had passed, the wagon was full of kids and they were off to the chestnut tree! Lucy had stayed home to tidy up after dinner and make sure Earl stayed off of his leg.

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  Carl Ray drove the kids out to the old chestnut tree. The ground was covered in huge cockleburrs. These weren’t just any old cockleburr, though. Most of the ones on the ground, because there were still plenty in the tree, were opened up and there were two to four chestnuts in each one! What a treasure! There were deer feasting on the fallen chestnuts who scampered off into the woods when the rowdy wagon of kids pulled up! Carl Ray set the brake so the wagon didn’t roll away and everybody jumped out and started filling their shirts up with one hand while holding the shirt with the other. Timmy John grabbed the three pails that had been emptied out from the berries earlier and passed them out. It was a mite faster for the ones with pails than the ones putting the chestnuts in their shirttails.

  “Ouch!” little Hattie Mae called out. “These cockeburrs are no joke, Karen Lynn! Ain’t we got nothin else I can put them in besides my shirt?”

  “Here’s a little soup bowl, Hattie Mae. That should work. It will make small amounts to put into the wagon, but every little bit counts! Little things are important. That reminds me of a story I heard.”

  “Oh, tell it, tell it!” clamored Hattie Mae.

  “I can and will as long as it don’t keep you or anyone else from loading up those chestnuts. We have a really short time out here and it’s needed to help stretch Daddy’s money,” Karen said.

  That comment spurred them all to work just a mite faster because they all loved a good story!

  “There once was a wonderful, kind king who ruled his kingdom with much love. He had some enemies though. He got word that his enemies were going to try to overthrow his kingdom and were on their way to assassinate him. He got on his fine, black stallion who could run like the wind and took off to the next town where his loyal army were. If he could make it there, they would protect him. As he was galloping his horse, he noticed the horse had lost a horseshoe. This was quite a predicament, as the horse could become lame running without his shoe, but the enemies couldn’t be far behind. What should he do? He came upon a little village with a blacksmith shop where they made horseshoes and decided to stop and take care of his faithful horse. As the blacksmith worked on the horseshoe, he told the king that his horse had lost the nail that held his shoe on. They heard the thundering of many horses approaching and the king took off just as they were coming up the dusty road, with a renewed, rested, energetic horse who carried him to the next town safely. On that last little bit of road, the king thought, “Why, I never realized how important little things are. That little nail caused me to lose the horseshoe and the loss of the horseshoe could have caused me to lose the horse. If I had lost the horse, I would have surely been lost and then my kingdom would have been lost too!” The king thought about this very important lesson he had learned and ever since that event, was more kind to the little people who cooked his food, took care of his animals, cleaned his castle, etc.

  By the end of the story, the wagon was about as full as they could get it and the children started walking back toward home. Nobody wanted to sit on top of a bunch of cockleburrs!!