Earl said, “Well, if we get some more, we would be pleased to share it with you. You know that new revenooer is at our house with Lucy doctorin him up after a bear attack. He’s aimin to put me in prison, but is too sick right now. I got a new business goin, but can’t take it back to my house. How would you feel about me keepin some in yore root cellar once in a while? I think you are the last person in the world anyone would suspect of havin any hootch.”
Donna agreed and they said good-bye till next time. Earl got the next batch put on to soak up at the still, covered it up real good and they took off fur town. They got oil and gas put in the car, went to three different stores and bought some sugar at each store, along with mainly baking goods, so the sugar wouldn’t scream out, “I’m makin moonshine!” and then went back to the cabin.
Earl and the boys went huntin the next day and managed to get three rabbits, and a porcupine and got them dressed out. If they got enough rabbits this trip, Lucy could make a rabbit coat for one of the girls. When they had a little time, they continued chinkin the cabin. The followin day, Earl put the rest of the corn, sugar, yeast and water in another barrel so that it would be ready the day after they had run the other batch that was on soaking. That way they could run two batches on this trip. John and Timmy were makin a lean to attached to the cabin so they had a place to put the deer and bear hides to protect them from the elements. They would also put chopped wood and kindling under the lean to.
Meanwhile, back at home, Carl and Karen headed off to the sorghum press. When they got to the field with the press, the Mitchells who owned the press got the mule hitched up to it. Well, actually the mule was hitched to a long stick that was attached to the press. He walked around in a circle and that turned the wheels and cogs of the press. Carl fed a cane into the top section of the press and then one into the bottom section. These were crushed and the juice ran into a five gallon bucket. When this was filled, another was put into it’s place. They ended up with four five gallon buckets. This was taken to a ten foot long metal tray which was about waist height and there was a roaring fire underneath it. The juice was poured into the tray, which had maze like metal partitions in it. The juice boiled for a long time and Carl and Dan Mitchell had long scoopers that they used to scoop off the chlorophyll. This went on for hours. The juice turned from green to brown and was finally ready. It was bottled in mason jars and loaded carefully into the wagon and they made their way home.
Meanwhile, on the home front, Lucy was beside herself. After getting Steve five cups of broth, Lucy decided he was ready for something more substantial. She scrambled him some eggs and served him some blackberries with cream and he ate every bite. “That sure hits the spot! There’s nothin like good ol home cookin! My ma used to make roast beef every Sunday! Do you make roast beef, Lucy?”
Lucy had put some stitches in his leg and he started itching it. “Steve, don’t scratch your leg, you will tear the stitches.”
“But it itches,” he whined. “I need to go to the outhouse. How am I goin to get there?”
“I’ll give you a hand,” Lucy said. She helped him sit up and his eyes got wide and he passed out. Lucy caught him so he didn’t fall on the floor and she laid him back down. She went to the kitchen and started cooking supper. After about ten minutes, while she was peeling the potatoes, she heard, “Mrs. Higgins, Mrs. Higgins could you come here?”
Lucy went to see what Steve needed. “I told you I need to go to the outhouse. Could you please help me? And where is yore man? I gotta get him to justice!”
Lucy explained, “I don’t know if you are ready to walk out there. You passed out when you tried to get up. How about you use this chamber pot?”
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“No! I want to go to the outhouse like any civilized person does!” Steve objected.
“Do you think you are strong enough?” Lucy asked.
“Yes, please let’s go!” Steve insisted. “I know you and yore family saved me from a bear attack and you are nursin me back to health, but I gotta job to do and have to take Earl to prison. You understand, don’t you?”
Lucy helped him up and they slowly headed outside. Steve started to say more, but Lucy said, “Save yore breath. We can talk about it later.” He had to stop every few feet to rest, but Steve made it to the outhouse. It was taking so long that Lucy was worried her potatoes would run out of water and burn. He did his business and Lucy helped him back inside. He was feeling weak, so laid back down and went directly to sleep.
Lucy was glad to see Carl and Karen come home. Steve slept through the night but was up bright and early and was an ornery cuss!
- Don’t Bite the Hand that Feeds You
“Lucy, Lucy! Can you help me?” Steve called out. “I need to go to the outhouse again!”
Carl was home so he rushed in to help Steve, since his ma was out collectin eggs. She liked to go on an early mornin walk to clear her head before fixin breakfast. Lucy talked with the chickens as she opened the hen house doors. She had brought scraps from last night’s supper to go with their grain. “Here you go, LIttle Biddy. Oh you are so hungry! I see you like the cooked corn as much as you do the dried out corn! Pretty Princess, I don’t know where in the world Hattie came up with yore name, especially with all yore neck feathers gone, but they do say ‘beauty is in the eye of the beholder!’ She wondered what they were goin to do, since the revenooer knew their business, had seen the still with his own eyes and was determined to put Earl away. “We are in a fine mess, now,'' she thought.
Steve was gettin stronger. He asked Carl, while they walked out to the outhouse, to tell him what happened that day at the bear attack. “You need to save yore breath, Steve, fur walkin. I’ll be glad to fill you in after you use the outhouse.”
After Steve came out, they walked to the front porch swing and sat down together. Carl said, “We wus goin about business, processin the two deer we got the day before, wishin we hadn’t lost the third one, when we heard a God-awful scream, loud enough to wake the dead! It was closeby to Timmy and Pa and they rushed over with their guns at the ready and saw you in the mouth of that ol black bear. Timmy shot him betwixt the eyes and the minute he let go of your leg, Pa shot him again in the chest. You had passed out from the pain and they carried you back to the cabin.”
“ That bear had found the deer we lost the day before and was feastin on it gettin fattened up fur hibernation, when you come upon him. Now you know, as well as I do that any bear with cubs or any bear that’s eatin on something is the wrong one to approach. So, you was attacked!” Carl explained.
Steve whimpered, “I want to hear more, but I gotta lay down. Will you help me, Carl?”
Carl helped Steve back to bed and helped him drink a few swallers of moonshine and he was asleep before you could say, ‘Jack Robinson.’
During supper, Carl heard, “Carl, Carl could you come here?”
Carl got up, his mom gave him a knowing look, and he went to the other room to find Steve laying on the floor. Carl managed to get him back in bed and Steve opened his eyes. “ I didn’t want to bother you, but I couldn’t make it to the table,” he said.
Carl put his arm around Steve’s waist and walked him to the dinner table. Things were quiet for a few minutes, as everybody enjoyed the good cooking. Then the silence was broken when Steve said, “Where is yore husband, Lucy? I’m goin to be needin to take him into town.”
Lucy pretended like she didn’t know what he was referring to and asked him if the food was ok.
“You could use some tips from my ma, Lucy. The potatoes were dry and needed some onions and the green beans needed some butter, but the venison was pretty good,” Steve complained.
Lucy got up and went to the kitchen before she said something she would regret. Takin care of this ungrateful revenooer was gettin to her. He was not only complainin about the food and the pain, but was plannin on putting her husband in prison.
Hattie stared at Steve for a minute and said, “You shouldn’t never have said that to my ma. She is a good cook and she has been takin care of you. My pa said something about the food to her one day and she came out of the kitchen with a fryin pan and chased him. Besides, it made her feel bad,” Hattie fussed at Steve.
Steve paled when Lucy came out of the kitchen and he asked Carl to help him back to bed.