The little family enjoyed playing instruments together after dinner that night. Music was a big part of their entertainment in the hills. Earl and John took turns playing the jug. Earl would play till he started feeling lightheaded from hyperventilating and then pass the jug to John. Carl played the fiddle and he was pretty amazing at it! It was those Scots- Irish roots showing up. The Scots- Irish brought not only their instruments, but stories in song to the Appalachians. Timmy played the guitar and Cora and Karen sang like angels! Ma was teaching Hattie to play the washboard and when there was a square dance, nobody called it better than ma!

  They started out with “She’ll be coming round the mountain when she comes!” Then they went right into “Chickens are Crowin on Sourwood Mountain”. Hattie said, when they finished that tune, “Please can we play “The Devil Went Down to Georgia?” And so they did. Lucy eventually said, “Ok it’s time to hit the sack. We have church in the morning.”

  Earl asked Carl, after church the next day to go for a drive with him. He wanted to bring the dryed out skins back for Lucy to sew and figured he would check on the still at the same time to see if anything was salvageable. Earl and Carl talked on the way up the creek-bed about what they would do next with their business. “We got some customers clamorin fur some shine, so on the way home we need to stop at Donna’s house and pick up a bunch of jars,” Earl said.

  “Should we take them all, pa?” Carl asked.

  “I think we should only take the ones we have sold, fer now,” Earl said.

  They loaded up the rabbit skins and then walked up to the still site. About the only thing salvageable was the copper coil and the two mash barrels. It was disappointing. Carl asked, “Should we carry the good parts with us, pa?”

  “No, there could be someone watching, out in the woods. We can come back fur it later when everything has had a chance to die down. We can’t get in no trouble fur just lookin, but if we pick it up and carry it off, they kin sure git us fur that,” Earl replied.

  The guys walked back down to the cabin and tidied it up and left fur Donna’s house. When they pulled up to the house, the children were playing outside, as usual. Donna walked out with the baby when she heard them drive up. “Hey, Earl and Carl! How are you guys?”

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  A man walked out of the barn toward them, wobbling as he walked. Earl said, “Donna, do you know that man who just came out of yore barn?”

  “Shoot yeah! That’s my cousin, Pete. He come down to help me and the kids. My family sent him over from Bassett Creek.” Donna answered.

  Pete came up to them, holding an almost empty mason jar. “Are you guys botherin my cuz, here? Don’t be given her a hard time or I just might have to do somethin about it!” He leaned over and then fell down on the ground. “Ok, whose the wise guy who knocked me down?”

  Earl and Donna helped Pete back into the house over to the couch. Earl asked Carl to go outside with him. “I want to check the root cellar; it looks like Pete has been into our moonshine.” They went down into the root cellar and over to where the moonshine had been hidden behind the jars of food and with one look could tell three of their jars were missing!

  “I think we had best load up the rest of our shine before Pete drinks up all of our profits, Carl. Could you take care of that while I visit with Donna and Pete, please?” Earl asked.

  “Sure, pa,” Carl said and got right on it.

  Earl walked back to the house, wonderin if this cousin was actually goin to help Donna or just be a lazy good-fer-nothin! “Honey, is this cousin of yores helpin around here? Does it feel safe fer you and yore young-uns?”

  “Earl, we are fine. Pete has only been here a few days and he has made hisself useful, choppin wood and feedin the animals.” Donna said.

  “Well, ok, if you say so. We will be back in a week or less to check on you, Donna.” Earl told her.

  Pete woke up and followed Earl outside. Carl had finished loading up the car and walked over to them. Pete said, “Earl, I need a way to make some money, do you know of a good place I can make some moonshine?”

  “No, Pete, buddy, I can’t ritely think of a good place. You know them revenooers is just itchin to git some moonshiners put in jail, so I’d be mighty keerful right about now. Maybe wait a while fur things to blow over would be my suggestion.” Earl told him.

  Earl and Carl said their good-byes to the children and Donna and gave them hugs. Pete burst into the house like an angry bear, rantin and ravin about people takin advantage of a neighbor’s hospitality and glarin at Earl. “Did you take our shine out of the root cellar? You all is actin all friendly like and you stole our shine right out from under us! Well, you can just give it back! I oughtta get out my shotgun!”