Earl figured he had a short time to run the shine, get it to Donna’s, find a new place to make moonshine and get all of the equipment taken apart and transported to a new place. He was talking about it with the boys and John said, “I don’t know pa if we can get all of this done before Steve gets back up here.” Where can we move all of that equipment to? Have you got a place in mind?”
“John, do you remember that fine water at the apple orchard? I walked the property and found the source and follered it a ways back in the woods. I’m thinkin of storin our equipment there for the winter. As long as it ain’t discovered this winter, we will have it ready next summer and be ahead of the game, not havin to look fur a spot or the stuff to use fur cookin. You ain’t heard nothin of anyone movin into that ol place, have you?”
“No, I ain’t. It sounds like it might work, pa,” John said.
Earl said, “We will work all night tonight, doin the first run and then the second run right after. Timmy, is that food about ready? I think my stomach is stickin to my backbone and it needs somethin to pry it apart,”
“Yeah, pa, the foods ready. Come and get it!” Timmy said.
Back at home, the day was startin off on the wrong foot. It was laundry day so Carl had gotten up early and put the two huge pots on to heat water outside. Then he went to feed the animals before breakfast. Cora was cookin and Hattie settin the table when they heard a bump, bump and a really loud, “Oh no!” they both ran into the other room and found Karen lying out on the floor. Lucy ran in, too and said, “Don’t move her!” Karen had fallen down the stairs! Lucy was explaining to them that Karen may have broken something and she needed to check her out before they could move her, when they heard Carl yelling, “Whoa, stop, come back here you good fur nothin mule!”
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
Cora rushed out to see their mule runnin toward the boiling pots with Carl runnin after him! The mule hit the pots doin about a hunnert miles an hour and just kept on agoin! The pots went two different ways and Carl put on the brakes to keep from gettin hot water spilled all over him! Once Cora saw Carl was ok, she started laughin and cryin at the same time. Carl stood up, and now Lucy’s kids weren’t cussin kids, but he let out a stream of dirty words you ain’t never heard before! Steve was woken up by all the commotion and was yellin fur Carl to come walk him to the outhouse, sayin he couldn't hold it. Lucy was just lookin from Karen to Hattie to Steve and out the front door and just shakin her head! She asked Hattie, “You think we could start the day over, Hattie?”
After checkin out Karen and findin only a few bruises, and after Carl caught the mule and got him back in his pasture and then put the water back on to heat up, and after Steve got escorted out to the outhouse and back, the family settled down and had their breakfast.
“Well, let’s get our day back on track and see if things can’t go a little bit better, ok?” Lucy asked. Everyone agreed and set about to doin their chores.
Lucy said, “I need to check yore wounds, Steve. Are you about finished up eatin?”
Steve sopped up the last of the gravy with his biscuit and said with his mouth full, “They is itchin mighty bad, Lucy and one has a little pus comin out again. I would appreciate it if you could take a look at them.”
“Steve, you have been scratchin these wounds and they are gettin infected. What were you thinkin? Don’t you want to get better? Don’t you want to be able to go home? You can’t scratch them!” Lucy fussed at him.
“Well, hellfire Lucy, they itch like I done stepped on a red ant hill! You would itch them too, if it was you!.” Steve said. “Oops, sorry fur cussin, Lucy.”
They got through that day and Lucy was mighty glad to lay down and look at the insides of her eyelids that evening!
