The Baron’s Legacy

        Baron Bunny, for years the pharmacist in Cornersville knew more than most doctors.  Miss

Mousie, his loyal assistant during those years,  and now his housekeeper watches over his every

 need. As the senior resident in Cornersville, the old gentleman remembers when the railroad moved through at Petticoat Junction and how the townsfolk set their watches and clocks by the train whistle.  Last summer, Deary Deer, the principal at Gorman, asked Baron if he would give a talk to the high school students on the Cornersville history.

        “Why, Mrs. Deer, it’d be my pleasure,” Baron responded.

       A heavy downpour fell the morning of the high school assembly, but students were in their  seats sitting quietly when the town’s revered gentleman made his way to the podium assisted by his shiny black cane. Miss Mousie watched proudly from behind a curtain to the left of the stage.

     “Good morning students,” Baron Bunny warmly addressed the eager bunch before him. “I’ll have question and answer time after I finish so be thinking of questions you might have.”

      He began telling them about his grandparents who had moved to this area in the middle of a  drought before the turn of the century. “They lived through the Great Depression here, two World Wars, and rationing.” he said. He told of the railroad coming, the picture show, the building of the dam, and paved roadways.

        The bulk of his time The Baron spent recalling for the student body one tragic event in the life of the small community: “You will want to remember it’s been over 20 years since the tornado hit downtown in Cornersville.” The auditorium crowd, so quiet you could hear a pencil drop, seemed anxious to gather every word the oldest resident offered.

       “The Corner Drug Store, where I  worked 45 years, flew upwards in the torrent and its remains  strewn for about 10 blocks. That’s where Mister Murphy’s Grocery Store stands today. The Lollipop Candy Store once sat on the corner of Main and 3^rd Street;  it was destroyed by the horrific winds of the tornado and the quilt shop built there the next year (The Raveling).” He cleared his throat. 

       “Two places I think may be your favorites remained untouched: the Paramount Theatre with its great neon sign still in place, and Waltrip’s Bakery, now The Rose.  For weeks following the tornado clean-up, the tire store employees gathered their outside display of tires from blocks away, some from roof-tops.

     You may have heard the story of the Cornersville Church dome. My father stood inside the bakery and saw the winds lift that heavy done upwards for an instant, then set it back in its original place! Unbelievable, don’t you think?” he asked.

   “Just look at our downtown today.” he concluded, “A really fine square with all the pecan trees lining the park.”   He glanced over at Mrs. Deer, who sat smiling.

      A hand went up near the front of the auditorium,  “Someone told us the courthouse has ghosts living in it since the tornado.” And the Baron quickly acknowledged,

     “ I don’t know about any ghosts taking residence in that historic place, but I do know it houses the records of our town and our wonderful county. I think you’d be amazed by how much information that building holds.” He paused to take a sip of water from the glass on the podium, then continued, “From long ago land records and outlaws roaming the countryside, to every birth, these facts are listed in those files in the basement. If you need information of any kind about this area, you can find what all has gone on in this community since the courthouse was built in 1889,” and Baron’s large frame shook as he chuckled a bit thinking about all the history the old building held.

      Right then the bell rang in the hall and he waved, “Thank you, students. You were a good audience.”

       On the way back to the classroom one student told another, “The Baron really knows our history, doesn’t he?”

     “Yes, I’m excited.” she said,  “I’m going to ask my grandparents for their stories.”

   “I will, too” her classmate echoed.”

      “Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things which you have not known.” Jeremiah 33:3 (RSV)

Cozy' Regret

Cozy’s Regret

        Cozy Coyote,  by far the hero of the town and a really fine-looking fellow with thick golden hair, held the trophy from the Mars Mountain Triathlon two years in a row.  But this hot August afternoon  he was anything but somebody’s hero.  You see, last night had been a long one and the big celebration after his latest win lasted until dawn. Food ran out long before the crowd did, and now he was really hungry.  Almost back to his house,  he passed the familiar farm where Mrs. Puddleduck had her nest in the bow of the old weathered, gray rowboat whose frame rested upside down. The two saw-horses which supported each end had been made by Cozy’s uncle over a decade ago. 

      If he just hadn’t been so hungry, this next part would never have happened. Because Mrs. Puddleduck was back laying her eggs again, he could see three big ones laying  inside the old boat just inside her fence.  And before he could think straight, he burrowed under the thick cassia bushes and grabbed the closest egg and  swallowed its contents.   “Oh my, what have I done? Maybe she won’t miss just one.”

      But that one had tasted so good, he reached for a second one. Two cracked shells now lay on the ground at his feet. He thought he’d bury those back under the bush, but when he turned to see the one egg left in the nest, he couldn’t stop himself and he ate that one, too. ”Maybe she won’t remember where she laid her eggs,” he said out loud, as he buried the last evidence alongside the other two. He looked to the right and to the left before he left Mrs. Puddleduck’s yard. No one anywhere.  No one would suspect him even if the case came to light.

    After arriving home, he felt really bad. “What did I just do? I’m a thief,” he said to himself. “Those eggs were someone else’s property—they were Mrs. Puddleduck’s.” He felt ill.

        Since nothing like this ever happened in Cornersville,  Mrs. Puddleduck knew she must report the missing eggs and straight she went to the Sheriff’s office the next morning.  Sheriff Dandy Dan listened a minute, and the next minute he was on the scene.

    He might have missed the evidence if he hadn’t felt an indention right under his foot. Holding his magnifying mirror close to the ground, he found what must belong to one of the Coyote families.  Cozy Coyote would never have been considered a suspect except for the strange configuration Sheriff Dan saw in the dirt—the footprint. Only one of that family had a missing pad on his left back foot— Cozy!

      As soon as he saw Sheriff Dandy Dan coming up the road, Cozy knew he knew. He confessed before Dandy said a word. “Cozy, what were you thinking? This sort of thing never happens in our town!” Cozy hung his head.

    Had it not been for all the considerations of his past, and the pleas and promises Cozy made to Mrs. Puddleduck, and the pressure Sheriff Dan received from the rest of the town to “let Cozy make restitution and give him another chance,” he would have been hauled away to jail that morning.

     After admitting the theft, Cozy went right over to Mrs. Puddleduck and apologized. He promised his “sorry” was the most sincere he had ever been. And Cozy lived up to his word. He rebuilt a part of the boat stern that had rotted and filled in the hole where he dug under the bushes. He did Mrs. Puddleduck’s grocery shopping and any other errands whenever she or any of her family needed something from town. He was good as his word and lived to be the most trusted citizen in Cornersville the rest of his life.

  “My son, do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your heart, for they will prolong your life many years and bring you prosperity.” Proverbs 1,2.

Almost Losing Ziggy

          Even if the moon had not been shining through the thick trees that night in Misty Forest,

Paw Possum would have spotted Ziggy thrashing about on the pine-needled forest floor. “Ziggy, what’s wrong?” he hollered. When he ran to his side, he saw the bulge in his throat, “You’re choking!” He grabbed Ziggy’s throat with both hands, forcing the object out. Something white fell into the leaves beside them. Then Ziggy went limp. Next thing you know, Paw had Ziggy wrapped around him and he ran toward the road behind Miz Maddie’s house.

      Miz Maddie was taking in the bedspread she had hung on the clothesline last night to air. The radio was reporting scattered showers and she could already smell rain when Paw yelled, “Miz Maddie, call Doc and tell him we’re on our way! Ziggy’s choked and gone limp!”

She was on the phone quicker than rabbits can hop, and thankfully, Do Deer answered.          “They’re on their way. They just left my back fence,” she shouted breathlessly.

“Who’s on their way, Miz Maddie?”

“Paw Possum’s got Ziggy wrapped all around his shoulders.  He said Ziggy choked and is limp!”

   Before Paw ever knocked,  Doc Deer’s office door flew open. “Bring him over here, Paw.” The doctor checked for a pulse, “He’s unconscious but he’s still alive. What did you say happened?”

   I found him writhing in the forest; I saw the big bulge in his throat. I used both hands to force it out. That’s when he went limp.”

          Two rainy days later Ziggy still remained in a coma. Doc Deer had asked everyone to pray and they did.  Most of the townspeople gathered on the doctor’s front porch in an all-night vigil.

      The next day: Ziggy woke up! But he couldn’t utter a word.

                             ………………………………………………..

         Meanwhile, Paw went back to the far side of Misty Forest where he had found Ziggy three days earlier and began a systematic search among the leaves, logs, bushes, and pine needles to find what Ziggy had swallowed. “There it is!”   A small white ball—-a hard ball. A golf ball, for sure. He hurried back to Doc’s office with his evidence.

          

                        Fairy Fox and the Missing Marmot Child      

      It was dark outside and not quite morning when Miz Maddie heard voices on the road outside her gate.  She slipped out of bed and stepped to the front porch to listen. Only the hoot of a far-away owl friend. She reached the fence, grabbing hold of the pickets to steady herself, and squinted up and down the road. Only shadows from the trees full of wisteria vines moved in the wind.  She opened the gate and bent down to look.  There, a fresh track!  Her fingers followed the outline, feeling the dampness.  Fairy Fox?

     He had been traveling back and forth from the reservoir most every day. Three months ago he was the one who brought back the tragic news; the Platoro Reservoir dam had collapsed, carrying many, many people away in the rushing water.

    One of the survivors of that disaster, Mamie Marmot, came to live in Cornersville bringing her two children. Their granddaddy Martin Marmot, a quiet gentleman who lives alone up the River Road insisted they come. Before the tragedy, Mamie, her husband, and the three little ones lived happily among the rocks below the massive reservoir. But now they were only three. Mamie’s husband and one of the children had disappeared that night in the flood.

      When they arrived the entire Cornersville community welcomed them and brought groceries and home-cooked meals to help them settle in.  Fairy Fox, who was one of the first to welcome Mamie and her children to town,  pledged he would return to search for her husband and child. And Fairy had been faithful to that promise traveling the 12 mile journey day after day.  Only last week, Fairy brought back from the river station a dark brown, knit nightcap with a while ball on one end. When he showed it to the family they recognized it: their dad and husband wouldn’t be coming back.

     Long after the emergency crews stopped their operations at the site, Fairy Fox continued his search, talking to everyone along the roads, asking questions. He posted signs and even dared hope someone had taken the orphan to live with them. He was determined to take back the truth, even if only proof of the body.

                              …………………………………………………….

     By the time the sun moved slightly above the trees the next morning, the news had spread across the entire community:  “Fairy found the other little marmot and brought him safely home to his family last night!”

     So now you know, little reader, the happy ending to the mysterious footprint in the road last night. It was Fairy Fox carrying the youngest marmot up from the river.  

                                                            Ritzy Racoon

        Couldn’t have been a prettier morning. The sun blinked its way through the cottonwoods as Minnie made her way down the river road to town.  She had her Mama Maddie’s basket on her arm and she had been sent to pick up the baby-blue yard for her mother’s latest project—a quilt for Penny Possum’s little boy.

     Coming from the quilt shop, a horn caught her attention and she looked across the street, a voice called to her, “Hey, baby! How ‘bout a little spin in the Raceymobile?” and the convertible owner wheeled around and pulled up to the curb where she was standing. She tried to look embarrassed.

     “The way home won’t as long if you ride with me,” invited Ritzy Racoon, “I’ll have you there in a jiffy,” and he swung open the door patting the seat where he wanted her to sit.

     She couldn’t resist.  Besides the sun was up a bit higher now and the road home might be hot. Along the way, Ritzy told her about a great place called the Avalon up on the highway. “Let’s go on Saturday night and I can show you all my friends and you’ll see where everybody in town goes dancin’.” She didn’t know what to think about it.

      At home, she couldn’t wait to tell her mother about Ritzy asking her for a date. “No, absolutely not. Ritzy is not the kind of boy you need to go out with,” her mother scolded.

     Two weeks later Minnie told her mother she and some girls were going to the Disney movie at the Paramount. Instead, she met Ritzy at a preplanned place.  They drove to the Avalon and three of  Ritzy’s friends did indeed meet her at the door with tongues hanging out.

     When they reached for her, she flew to the rafters and kept going up to the highest rafter and crouched in a dark corner. When her eyes adjusted, she saw the open transom window and scrambled to it, flying down the roof and half running, half flying across the grass straight for home.

     She didn’t know it but O’Marney Owl flew in and out of the trees behind her in case any of the Avalon gang picked up on her trail.

    “Oh Mother, it was awful. I’ll never disobey you again, sobbed Minnie as her mother tucked her in bed. “Please don’t tell anyone what happened.” And you need not worry, little reader, about O’Marney Owl; he would keep the whole thing under his wing.  After all, he was the preacher.

          

          

                             Fairy Fox and the Missing Marmot Child  

   

      It was dark outside and not quite morning when Miz Maddie heard voices on the road outside her gate.  She slipped out of bed and stepped to the front porch to listen. Only the hoot of a far-away owl friend. She reached the fence, grabbing hold of the pickets to steady herself, and squinted up and down the road. Only shadows from the trees full of wisteria vines moved in the wind.  She opened the gate and bent down to look.  There, a fresh track!  Her fingers followed the outline, feeling the dampness.  Fairy Fox?

     He had been traveling back and forth from the reservoir most every day. Three months ago he was the one who brought back the tragic news; the Platoro Reservoir dam had collapsed, carrying many, many people away in the rushing water.

    One of the survivors of that disaster, Mamie Marmot came to live in Cornersville bringing her two children. Their granddaddy Martin Marmot, a quiet gentleman who lives alone up the River Road insisted they come. Before the tragedy, Mamie, her husband, and the three little ones lived happily among the rocks below the massive reservoir. But now they were only three. Mamie’s husband and one of the children had disappeared that night in the flood.

      When they arrived the entire Cornersville community welcomed them and brought groceries and home-cooked meals to help them settle in.  Fairy Fox, who was one of the first to welcome Mamie and her children to town,  pledged he would return to search for her husband and child. And Fairy had been faithful to that promise traveling the 12 mile journey day after day.  Only last week, Fairy brought back from the river station a dark brown, knit nightcap with a while ball on one end. When he showed it to the family they recognized it: their dad and husband wouldn’t be coming back.

     Long after the emergency crews stopped their operations at the site, Fairy Fox continued his search, talking to everyone along the roads, asking questions. He posted signs and even dared hope someone had taken the orphan to live with them. He was determined to take back the truth, even if only proof of the body.

                              …………………………………………………….

     By the time the sun moved slightly above the trees the next morning, the news had spread across the entire community:  “Fairy found the other little marmot and brought him safely home to his family last night!”

     So now you know, little reader, the happy ending to the mysterious footprint in the road last night. It was Fairy Fox carrying the youngest marmot up from the river.  

                                                                Fine Day for a Swimming Lesson

       “Top o’ the morning to you all,” Charley announced. His cheery ‘get up and cockle-doodle-do’ had everyone up on their toes very early this morning.

      About that time, Jenny called over her shoulder, “I know something you don’t know,” as she ran out the door. “Here comes Mrs. Puddleduck  with her four little ducklings.”

     Right up to the white picket fence came Mrs. Puddleduck and she looked past all the friends gathering to greet her and her little ones at the gate

    “Oh let’s look at you!” Miz Maddie clucked excitedly. “You look wonderful and just look at your new little group. Please come in.”

     Mrs. Puddleduck and her four little yellow followers rounded the gate and stood happily in a line inside the yard.

     “We’re so glad you came by!” Jenny said, closing the gate behind them. “Are you headed to the Rhinestone River?”

     “Yes,” Mrs. Puddleduck replied, looking ever-so-proudly at her four offspring.  “It’s a perfect day to see if they can learn to swim. The sun is warm and the river is low.”

     “Let me introduce them,” and she touched each one with her wing, “this is Olive, Oscar, Otis, and Ozzie”

     “I think you know all my children,” Miz Maddie said beaming, but let me introduce my young’uns to your new arrivals.” And she proceeded to introduce her girls Lucy, Minnie, Jennie, Annie, and her boys, Brownie and Charley.”

        Right that second, Miz Maddie’s eye caught Brownie pecking at Otis’s foot.

     “Ouch, that hurts,” squealed the duckling, looking over at his mother to see if she was going to do something about that chicken.

 “Oh, my! What in the world were you doing, Brownie?” Miz Maddie lit into her offspring. “That’s no way to treat a new friend.”

  “But, Mama, look! He’s joined between his toes.”

    “That’s right,” Mrs. Puddleduck quickly intervened, and ever-so-sweetly explained to Brownie, “that’s how they swim.”

    While Brownie and all his siblings stared at the newcomer’s feet, Mrs. Puddleduck had a marvelous suggestion, “Why don’t you all come down to the river with us and we’ll see if the ducklings feet can serve as paddles.”

     And so they did.  The chicken crew watched wide-eyed as Otis, Olive, Ozzie, and Oscar displayed amazing skills on their first try at paddling behind their mother.  Mrs. Puddleduck was so very proud.

    Back at the house, Brownie was distraught by the whole affair. “If chickens can’t swim, what are they good for anyway?”

     You could feel the weight of the world hanging on his shoulders before his mother kindly addressed the issue. “I know one thing you can be very happy about,” she offered. “You are the only bunch in town Mister Murphy counts on to save his lawn every summer.” She waited to see if that sunk in, then continued, ”Yes, every other week he invites all of you over to “bug-free” his lawn.  You always have the best time because he serves you marshmallows after you finish!”

       Brownie thought about that a long time, about all those juicy bugs and grasshoppers they always found in Mister Murphy’s lawn.  Then he turned triumphantly to Minnie, Lucy, Annie, Jenny, and Charley, “I’m glad to be a chicken, aren’t you?” And that ended the matter.

     “Yes, indeed,” they all agreed.

 

Cornersville, the Best Place to Live

        Picture the white picket fence lining the sandy road, with huge old sycamore trees

and hackberry bushes on either side. From the road, inside the picket fence, you can see Miz Maddie’s house where she is raising her four girls, Minnie, Lucy, Jenny, and Annie, and her two boys, Brownie and Charley. While she isn’t the oldest resident, Miz Maddie is the matriarch of Cornersville and all of Misty Forest beyond.

      People there are all good neighbors, watching out for one another, and no such thing as crime.  Maybe because folks are always giving you anything you need.  Don’t want to steal eggs ‘cause Miz Maddie is so happy to share hers. No one needs to worry about twigs for a nest because the Si  Squirrel family is happy to gather enough sticks and grass for everyone.  Barney Beaver and his family supply wood for any standing structures. Mrs. Puddleduck offers feathers in case you want a soft mattress, and Ritzy Racoon and Boss Bear always bring enough of their fish catches to share.

       Lest this picture of all the good things in Cornersville paints a false image, I must share that sometimes dark shadows almost obscure the canvas. Shadows can foretell accidents, others hover over bad choices. But this morning, like so many mornings, the sun is shining brightly and the sunflowers are turning their heads. All is well in Cornersville.

       Everybody is so friendly. An hour ago, when Miz Maddie was out watering her roses  enjoying their fragrance, Zigzag Chicken-Snake came scooting up the road beside her picket fence, tipping his straw hat with the black band and smiling at her, like he did to everyone he met on the road.  “Good morning, Ziggy,” Miz Maddie called out, “You headed to town?”

“Yes, ‘mam.”

   “Be safe!”  “Ziggy”, which everyone affectionately calls him, is headed for the upper road that leads into Cornersville.  The junction is about a half block up from Miz Maddie’s place where three weathered wooden signs stand tall on poles anchored in the dirt. One sign points to Upper Road to Cornersville, and a second signs points toward  River Road  (which also goes to Cornersville a the more picturesque way, but longer), while the third sign points down to Rhinestone River. Late at night, Fairy Fox or Cozy Coyote travel that latter road that winds down behind her house, according to Miz Maddie, who never misses anyone going or coming down the road outside her yard.  

      Any day would be an unusual day if folks didn’t stop at Miz Maddie’s gate to visit awhile.  Yes, Cornersville is one wonderful place to call home!

    

  The Adventures in Cornersville

Because Writers Workshop has been busier this year with their speakers and their new Venue, I haven’t sent any helpful hints or writer’s entries.  But now—you’ve heard of wannabees, well, this is gonna bees time and we are buzzing!

Next week will begin the 26 chapters, one by one, from a children’s book series entitled Cornersville, the Place to Be.  I’m tucking away the beautiful illustration pages in my apron pocket to be shared later.