BOOK RENTED FROM AND COURTESY OF THE LOCAL LIBRARY
STORY #14 OF 40 FROM THE BOOK WRITTEN BY LONNIE E. BROWN.
"WHO'S CHASING WHOM?"
A GOOD CHASE OR A RUN FOR YOUR LIFE WAS ALWAYS MATERIAL FOR A GOOD LAUGH IN THE COUNTRY. SOMETIMES SOMEONE BOLTED FOR HIS LIFE WITHOUT EVEN BEING SET UP FOR A SCARE.
MY FRIEND JERRY AND I RARELY RAN FROM ANYTHING. WE'D TAKEN PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT'S WORDS TO HEART AND BELIEVED THAT THE ONLY THING WE HAD TO FEAR WAS FEAR ITSELF! WE SHOULD HAVE REMINDED A NEIGHBORHOOD BUDDY, HERSHEL, OF THIS THEORY ONE NIGHT WHEN WE GOT A HANKERING FOR WATERMELON AND DECIDED TO RAID MR. BLANKENSHIP'S WATERMELON PATCH.
IT HAD BEEN A HOT SUMMER DAY AND, AS NIGHT FELL, OUR DESIRE ROSE FOR A COOL, RIPE, JUICY WATERMELON. EVERYBODY KNEW THAT MR. BLANKENSHIP GREW THE BEST ONES AROUND. USUALLY, THE OLD MAN DIDN'T MIND IF WE NEIGHBOR BOYS SNEAKED IN AND TOOK A WATERMELON OR TWO TO ENJOY FOR OUR OWN PURPOSES. HIS ATTITUDE HAD CHANGED RECENTLY, THOUGH.
MILT SIMPSON'S NEPHEW, LENZO, HAD COME DOWN FROM CINCINNATI TO VISIT FOR A COUPLE OF WEEKS, AND HE DIDN'T KNOWS MUCH ABOUT THE VALUE OF GROWING THINGS. AS WHAT HE THOUGHT WAS A PRANK, LENZO HAD TAKEN A TOBACCO STICK ONE NIGHT AND STABBED ABOUT A HALF A ROW OF WATERMELONS BEFORE HIS UNCLE MILT CAUGHT HIM. THAT WAS ONE EXCEPTION TO PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT'S THEORY. WHEN MILT CAUGHT HIM, LENZO ACTUALLY DID HAVE MORE TO FEAR THAN FEAR ITSELF.
EVEN THOUGH MILT MADE LENZO CONFESS AND PAY MR. BLANKENSHIP FOR THE WATERMELONS HE DESTROYED, MR. BLANKENSHIP WAS LEFT FEELING RILED UP AND UNGENEROUS WHEN IT CAME TO TOLERATING ANY MORE MIDNIGHT RAIDS. HE'D EVEN GONE SO FAR AS TO SPREAD THE WORD THAT ANYONE WHO TRIED TO GAIN ENTRY TO HIS PRIZED PATCH COULD COUNT ON LEAVING WITH A LOAD OF BUCKSHOT INSTEAD OF WATERMELONS. JERRY AND I COULDN'T RESIST THE TEMPTATION TO TRY TO OUTWIT HIM.
ON THIS PARTICULAR HOT SUMMER NIGHT, MR. BLANKENSHIP'S CHALLENGE FED OUR DESIRE TO SNEAK IN AND STEAL ONE OF THOSE THIRST-QUENCHING MELONS. OUR FRIEND HERSHEL BEGGED TO JOIN US.
"YOU GET SCARED EASY," SAID JERRY. "DO YOU THINK YOU CAN BE QUIET?"
"I'M SURE I CAN," SAID HERSHEL, BUT HE DIDN'T SOUND TOO CONVINCING, "JUST GIVE ME A CHANCE."
JERRY AND I LOOKED AT EACH OTHER AND FINALLY NODDED IN AGREEMENT.
"OKAY," SAID JERRY. "YOU KNOW HE'S NOT GOING TO SHOOT ANYBODY!"
"THAT'S RIGHT," I JOINED IN. "HE JUST SAID THAT TO SCARE PEOPLE OFF, HE WOULDN'T REALLY DO IT."
WE STARTED OFF ACROSS THE FIELD AND HERSHEL RELUCTANTLY FOLLOWED, WITH MY DOG, BROWNIE, BRINGING UP THE REAR. WE WALKED WITHOUT SPEAKING.
IT WAS A CLOUDY NIGHT, WITH THE MOON PEEKING OUT ONLY NOW AND THEN AS WE ENTERED THE EDGE OF THE FIELD FARTHEST AWAY FROM MR. BLANKENSHIP'S HOUSE. THERE WERE NO LIGHTS SHOWING AND NO SIGN OF MOVEMENT, SO WE FELT CERTAIN HE WAS SOUND ASLEEP.
"I DON'T LIKE THIS," WHISPERED HERSHEL. "WHAT IF HE'S HIDING WITH A GUN?"
WE IGNORED HIM AND MOVED SILENTLY BETWEEN THE ROWS. HERSHEL TRAILED AT OUR HEELS, LOOKING OVER HIS SHOULDER. JERRY AND I EACH PULLED A CHOICE WATERMELON FROM THE VINE, AND HERSHEL STARTED TO WHEN A TERRIBLE COMMOTION BROKE OUT BEHIND US. AT THAT EXACT INSTANT, THE CLOUDS BROKE AND THE MOON BROKE THROUGH FOR JUST A SECOND. IT WAS LONG ENOUGH FOR JERRY AND ME TO SEE BROWNIE TAKE OFF AFTER A RABBIT. JUST AS A PRECAUTION, JERRY AND I DUCKED DOWN OUT OF SIGHT IN CASE THE NOISE SHOULD AROUSE MR. BLANKENSHIP.
HERSHEL WHIRLED AROUND, BUT BY NOW, THE MOON WAS GONE AND IT WAS SO DARK HE COULDN'T SEE US. HE HEARD BROWNIE AND THE RABBIT RUNNING AND THOUGHT IT WAS JERRY AND ME. HE WAS IN FULL PANIC NOW. HE THOUGHT MR. BLANKENSHIP MUST BE COMING AFTER US TO MAKE US RUN LIKE THAT.
HERSHEL TOOK OFF AFTER BROWNIE AND THE RABBIT, SCREAMING, "WAIT FOR ME, BOYS! WAIT FOR ME!"
JERRY AND I, STILL CLUTCHING OUR PRECIOUS LOOT, TOOK OFF AFTER HERSHEL.
"STOP!" WE SHOUTED. "STOP!"
THIS ONLY SEEMED TO MAKE HIM RUN FASTER. WE FINALLY REALIZED THAT HE THOUGHT IT WAS MR. BLANKENSHIP HOLLERING AT HIM. WE JUST STOPPED AND WATCHED HIM STREAK OUT OF SIGHT TOWARD HIS HOUSE. OF COURSE, WE COULD HAVE CAUGHT HIM, BUT IT WAS HARD CARRYING THOSE TWO BIG WATERMELONS. WE JUST SAT DOWN LAUGHING IN THE MIDDLE OF THE FIELD, TOOK OUT OUR POCKETKNIVES, AND OPENED UP THE SWEETEST, JUICIEST MELONS WE EVER ATE IN OUR LIVES. IT IS TRUE THAT FORBIDDEN FRUIT REALLY IS THE BEST.
BROWNIE SOON RETURNED EMPTY-HANDED FROM HIS FRUITLESS CHASE AND LAY DOWN, COMPLETELY UNAWARE OF THE HAVOC HE'D CREATED JUST MOMENTS BEFORE. I COULD HAVE SWORN I HEARD A LOW CHUCKLE OFF IN THE DISTANCE, BUT I COULDN'T BE SURE. IF MR. BLANKENSHIP SAW WHAT HAPPENED, HE NEVER MENTIONED IT. I'M SURE THAT IF HE DID SEE THE SHOW WE PUT ON THAT NIGHT, HE WOULD HAVE THOUGHT IT WAS WELL WORTH THE PRICE OF TWO WATERMELONS.
WRITTEN BY: LONNIE E. BROWN
"WHO'S CHASING WHOM"
FROM THE BOOK "STORIES YOU WON'T BELIEVE"
COURTESY OF THE LOCAL LIBRARY WHERE I RENT BOOKS FROM.
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