For the next couple of weeks pa had sworn the entire family including Doc Wilson to secrecy concerning the return of Christopher and Meggin. You might think that was something cruel to do to Meggin’s ma but really it was Mrs Griffith that asked everyone not to tell Meggin’s pa just yet. I recon that it was a good idea ‘cause if’n Meggin’s pa found out they were back he’d be over here shoot’n off his mouth again and causing all kinds of trouble. What’s worse is if’n he would have caused ma any more grief; seein’ how she’s got more then she can hardly stand right now, pa probably would have shot him or something.

During that first week after they had returned, while Vincent-Lee, Benjamin and I were in bed sick, Christopher and Pa managed to finish repairing the old farm house and building some furniture too. I ain’t been all the way out to see it but I was told that they plowed a driveway all the way from the old house out to Doglick Road which runs along the east end of our property. I think ma was glad to have something to do as well as the company of Meggin too. Along with Connie the three of them sowed curtains and blankets and knitted an afghan for their bed for this winter.

That first Saturday pa invited Doc Wilson and his wife as well as Nugget and his parents over for a pig roast. Of course I insisted that Basset come too ’cause he’s more like a friend then just their driver.

Sure enough pa let Doc Wilson kill the pig that had knocked him down the previous week. Well, no one really knows which one done it but that don’t matter much. I expect that cutting one of the pigs’ throats made the Doc’s head feel better ’cause he seemed to ejoy it… maybe even a little too much. They killed the pig early Saturday before the sun was all the way up. Then with Christopher ’s help they dropped it in the ground behind the house, covered it with a piece of corigated of metal and about a foot of dirt on top of that. It was left in the ground to cook all day.

It turned out to be the last kinda warm day we would have this year. Ma, who had been suffering from a bad case of cabin fever, was allowed out of bed to come out and join us but only after sweet-talking Doc Wilson. Actually, he seemed to think it was a good idea as long as she kept covered and didn’t exert herself any. Pa even fired up the barbeque to cook up a mess of corn on the cob and taters.

Now you might recall that I said Benjamin, Vincent-Lee and me didn’t get any licks from pa for the whole late night peaches incident but we didn’t get totally away with it. Seeing how we had been so sick the best that we could hold down was water and a bit of plain toast dipped in chicken broth. So while everyone else was eating roasted pig and grilled corn on the cob me and my two younger diapered brothers were forced to sit at ma’s feet sipping chicken broth through straws and chewing on plain dry crackers. It was torture watching everyone else eating pork, corn, taters and apple pie. And I think Connie might have done it on purpose ’cause she baked a peach pie too.

Ma was sitting under the big oak tree talking with Meggin and Mrs Goldberg while watching Pa, Christopher , Doc Wilson and Mr Goldberg playin’ Horseshoes with Kristen sitting atop Bassets shoulders keeping a close eye on pa so he didn’t cheat like he tries to do when he’s playing against us.
I suppose that Benjamin, Vincent-Lee and me were feeling a little better; I guess it was the fresh air that done it. Anyway, we felt good enough to stir up a little trouble. Actually, it was Nugget’s idea to do what we done and boy it was a good idea too!

While no one was lookin’ Nugget snatched Basset’s pipe from out of his jacket pocket. He had left his jacket hangin’ on a broken tree branch so it weren’t hard to sneak off with it. It was my job to act as lookout and warn them if someone was looking or coming over. While Nugget was knocking all the tobacco out of Basset’s pipe Benjamin and Vincent-Lee picked up a few fallen leaves from the ground around us and passed them to Nugget who then carefully repacked the bowl using the leaves. He pressed them down with his finger just the way we’d seen the Basset do it earlier. When that was done, Nugget took the pipe and placed a thin layer of real tobacco over the top. It was all any of us could do to keep from laughing while we watched him work. Vincent-Lee insisted on being the one to replace the pipe in Basset’s jacket pocket, and as he was doing it Ma and Mrs Goldberg seen him. They must’a guessed what we were up to and I thought for sure we were about to get yelled at but instead ma bit her lip to keep from smiling. She then looked at Mrs Goldberg who nodded toward Vincent-Lee and they both looked away as if they were giving us their blessing to pull the prank on Basset. I was so glad ma didn’t get all upset; I would have felt really bad if something happened to her or the baby ’cause we got her upset.

The four of us sat there trying not to look guilty while waiting for the end of the game. The whole lot of us were in this together now, including Ma and Mrs Goldberg. By allowing ourselves to be, we had got them mixed up in our little prank.