Part 14 (1/2)
In September Drake Eye Springs School started again, this time with a new teacher named Mister Shepherd.
Mierd and Wiley both got new book sacks. I begged the grownups to get me a book sack and let me go. I could say my ABC's and count all the way to a hundred! But Mama said I wasn't old enough to start to school, Papa said my legs weren't long enough, and Grandpa Thad said I still had to eat a lot more baked sweet 'taters.
Shoogie couldn't come any day to play with me because she had to go to Sweet Beulah School. Her legs were already real long. So I played by myself. Sometimes Mama and I kept the store while Papa went to town. That was fun to me, but Mama didn't like it.
”I wasn't cut out to be a storekeeper, Bandershanks, and I'll sure be glad when Papa gets his shelves stocked.”
”How come Papa goes and goes to town, Mama?”
”He's got to buy his winter goods before bad weather sets in.
Once the rains start, the roads get so muddy wagons bog down. But Papa will soon be through. He's got one more haul to make-next Monday.”
When Monday came, Papa and Mama got up while it was still night. They didn't wake Mierd or Wiley or me. But when I smelled the ham Mama was frying for Papa's breakfast, I woke anyway.
I slid out of bed and tiptoed into the kitchen.
”Bandershanks! What're you doing up? It's not even three o'clock yet.”
”I'm hungry, Papa.”
”Here, get one of these biscuits and go back to bed.”
”Mama, can I take Trixie a biscuit?”
”Child, dogs don't want biscuits this time of night.”
”Trixie's done woke up. I heard her out on the front porch, moaning just like Mierd does when she's dreaming bad dreams.”
”Well, take her this'n. Then you crawl back in bed and dream yourself some sweet dreams, little gal!”
Just as I squatted down by Trixie to give her the biscuit, I heard somebody shooting firecrackers-or guns-way off up the road.
Trixie jumped up. She growled and lay back down. She sniffed the biscuit but wouldn't eat it. I heard some more loud bangs. Trixie heard them too and started barking. Then I noticed the sky was glowing-like the sun was coming up. It couldn't be the sun; I knew that.
I ran back to the kitchen.
”Papa, come see! It's a big, big light!”
Papa set down his coffee cup.
”Where's any light?”
”Up in the sky. And somebody's shooting firecrackers! There they go again! Hear them?”
”Yeah!”
Papa and Mama ran with me out to the far end of the porch.
”Lord, Nannie, that's a big fire! Up about the store!”
”Looks like it's far enough away to be Doctor Elton's house, don't you think?”