Wayne does a quick swearing-in of his deputies, and Villa votes them all in as the Judge slams the gavel. Everyone yells. "Ye, haw." Wayne pats them on the back. Ma, aunts, and their sister give each boy, Robert and Richard, a kiss on the cheek and a hug as they blush. "Ma, Mrs. Downing's. Not here, everyone's watching," they replied.
"Oh, don't sweat the small stuff," she said, giggling at them for being so foolish. Mr. Stringham leads the six men into their office, closes the door behind them, hands them each a package, and smiles. "Alright, boys, the town's all yours. The orders are on your desk. If you need anything, ask." he closes the door behind him and leaves, doing a quick little jig. "Oh, one more thing. School starts tomorrow, Robert. Thanks, have a nice day."
Robert looks at Pa. His Pa puts his arm around him. "Don't sweat the small stuff," and laughs. "You are now the Sheriff's son, and deputy," he said, opening the package.
Each of them finds a straw farmer hat with a gold and green trim and three shirts with a patch that says Downing Villa Deputy on the sleeve to wear with their overalls. There was a small desk for each of them, with a sash for their horse that said, "Downing Villa Deputy" or "Sheriffs" and a map of the town with a list of work that needed to be done, plus a mountain of paperwork for the Sheriffs and the boys to review and sign for the duty rosters to check.
The boys looked at all the work and wanted to cry. "Boys, we are in trouble, aren't we?" The Sheriff asked, looking at all the lists. Robert and the other boys burst out laughing.
"Now he thinks we are in trouble," hitting him with their hats.
The boys work all afternoon, almost late in the evening, until Wayne tells them. "Boys, it's time to call it a night. We still have chores to do on the farm, and they can't wait," he said.
"Yes, sir," they replied.
"So I'll see you boys back here in the morning. Robert, Richard, let's head for home. I'm sure everyone is waiting for us there with supper on," he said, turning out the lights.
"Yes, Pa, yes, sir." They locked up the office, got on the horses, and headed back to the farm. Everything was quiet, not a soul around.
"Pa, that's strange?" Robert said, walking into the house. "There's no food on the stove, no food on the table. Where is everyone?"
Richard returns from the barn. "Sir, all the chores are done, too. Sir, all the animals fed, cows milked," he replied.
Pa and the boys sit on the porch for a while. Then Brad, Chris, and Bill come. "Sheriff Downing?" They yelled.
"Boys, I thought I told you to go home for the night?" The Sheriff replied.
"We did, sir; we were told to come to get you, and we're not supposed to leave your side. They moved our tent over there by the barn," the boys said, pointing next to his barn. "It's the rules, sir. Dinner is almost ready, and they told us not to come without you unless we didn't want to be fed," Bill said.
"Well then," Wayne laughed. "I guess we better not disappoint them. Boys, let's go on back," shaking his head.
The new Sheriff and his boys all head back to Downing Villa Square. The music and dancing were beginning as they pulled up to the stable. Stablemen take the horses. "We'll take real good care of them boys for ya," the stableman said, giving them to the stable boy. "Boys, give them fresh feed and water, a good brushing, and a nice set of shoes for all the horses," the man said.
"Yes, sir, right away, sir," the stable boy said to the stableman.
Wayne and the boys walked into the dining hall, everyone whispering as they came in for them to clear the way for the Sheriff and his Deputies. "Well, it's about time you boys got here; we thought you boys were going to work all night," Judge Parker replies.
"Sorry, we got lost along the way," Wayne said.
"Oh, I see," Judge Parker said, slapping Wayne on the back.
"You forgot to tell me about a few things, I think," Wayne replies.
"Age, you know, must have slipped my mind. Happens to all of us when we get old,"
The Judge laughed, then walked away. Wayne finds Martha and his family sitting at the table waiting and sits down beside her. Bill, Chris, and Brad grab a seat on the other side, join them, and smile. Martha nods to them to be friendly and whispers in her ear. "They're not allowed to leave my side, dear," he said. He stands up to introduce the three boys and welcomes them to make them feel more at home. Julie and Anna giggle and smile, whispering back and forth. One of them she has a crush on already as Julie bats her eyes at him. Robert, EJ, and Will rolled their eyes, thinking, good grief, watching their sisters stare at these boys. The problem was the boys were staring back. Pa was glad the tent was clear out by the barn. "Yes, he was definitely going to have to keep a close eye on these boys and his daughters."
Aunty M. was having a good time watching the young lovers, remembering what it was like back in her day while looking for that young lass for Richard and trying to figure a way to get him snared in her trap. "Betty would love that, with a nice shotgun wedding, just the two of them. She could see it now. That would be icing on the cake with a cherry on the top," as she pulled out a tissue. Dots her eyes, thinking of hers and Mike's wedding day. "Where did the time go?"
Judge Parker gets up on the podium and bangs the gavel a couple of times. "Folks, before we get started with tonight's festivities," pulling out a list from his pocket, "I have some business we need to take care of first. The schoolhouse is now ready, and I have a list here of the students that should be attending. We will add more teachers if needed, but for now, these students will be attending there. We have made arrangements with the school board due to the needs and so forth," he said.
Judge Parker called out the names of all the children: "EJ, Robert, Will, Anna, Sam, Danny, Bobby, Frank, Mark, Luke, David, Lisa, Sue, Lori, Peter―. Not called will be attending later or at regular school; they would only compromise so much; give a little, if you know what I mean, government official and such," he said as he snapped his suspenders. Everyone likes Judge Parker.
They yell. "At least you tried." Thank them all and tell them not to give up hope.
"At least we have our little picnic," he said; everyone laughed, including Pa.
"The biggest one yet on record is still growing," someone shouts.
"Ye haw," as everyone tosses their hats in the air.
He makes a few more announcements and yells. "Let's get these festivities started."
Someone rings the dinner bell and yells. "COME AND GIT IT!" Everyone piles to the tables, where the food is piled high. Tonight, we're having roast beef, as tender as you like, with mashers, colored greens, corn on the cob, brown gravy, turnips, and carrots. Mumm, mm. Homemade apple pies with fresh cream from the cows. WOW! Our eyes hit the walls, looking at all the food.
Yes, sir, dinner was a feast down here, that's for sure. It had to be when we were feeding five hundred people or more. In the distance, you could hear shotgun firing off one, two, three, and four. Someone was a Pa; he was dragging the preacher by the arm. Oh, no, there goes Richards, the young lass that Aunty M. was looking for. He wasn't quick enough; today is her wedding day.
After dinner, tables lined up against the wall, and four wagons with teams of horses in the background lay waiting, stacked with new quilts, a tent, pots, and pans on the side of each wagon. A new shotgun for hunting game and enough packed supplies to get them started. Judge and the preacher in the middle, four grooms on one side, four brides on the other.
Mothers are behind their daughters, giving them last-minute advice as the mother places flowers in each of their hands and gives each a gentle kiss on the cheek and a swift kick to give them luck. Men and boys are on the other side with their Pas and brothers holding shotguns. Giving them each a last word or two, a quick smile, and a pat on the back. "Good luck, son, you are on your own," with a swift kick towards their brides.
The brides and grooms take their gal's hand, looking into their eyes, then looking back at their bride's brothers and Pas holding the shotguns. Placing the butts on the floor, leaning on them, and giving them a quick nod as the grooms swallow hard with a quick reminder. The brides looked at their mothers, giving them a wink and smile as they wiped a tear from their eyes with a tissue. Remembering how it was on their wedding day, they sighed, looking over at their husband across the room.
The preacher says the vows. "This is your husband. This here is your wife."
Everyone patted them on the back to congratulate them, then picked them up, placed them all in the wagons, and yelled. "Good luck to ya all. See ya when we get back. Ye haw."
Pas, Mas, and the boys and old grandmas are grabbing a jug off of the table. "Stomp your feet, clap your hands. Grab your partner and head for the middle. Raise your hands high in the air and listen to the beat. Slap your knees, swing those feet; gals and lads were about to have a ho down."
They dance and dance all the rest of the night. Aunty M. staggered across the floor with a jug of moonshine. She could kick up a storm with the best of them. Martha and Wayne, watching her, couldn't believe their eyes. Yes, sir. She could work you to death and then party till she drops.
Doc Hatfield told them that the last jug just had water and a hint of vinegar. She wouldn't know the difference. Watching him stagger himself, he said as he returned to his cot for a nice pot of joe. He'll be right as rain by morning; Doc gave Wayne some advice. "I can do that?" Wayne said.
"Why not? You are the Sheriff. Just get some more help," hic-up. "You don't need to be in that office all day, son. It's called delegation," hic-up, "boy delegate. Look around, son. You have people," hic-up, "use them," he yawns and goes to bed. Hic-up, he staggered to the door. Martha and Wayne gathered their children.
Wayne laughed. "Dear, how are we going to get home? All we have are the horses and one buggy," he said.
"Wayne, dear, don't sweat the small stuff, right, girls?" His daughter laughs. Ma goes over to Mary, and Lizzy points over to Aunty M. They laugh and nod. "Wayne, we girls will see you boys at home. Do you want to race?" She said as Julie and Anna picked up Sam and Danny and headed for the stable.
Pa and the boys grab EJ and run towards the stable. Ma hands the girls Danny and Sam into their laps. Ma takes the reins of the buggy and yells as loud as she can. "SNAKE!" People scream this way and that way out of her way as Ma with a flick of the wrist. The horses came to life with a hard start and jumped ahead, down the rows of tents, down the road towards the farm. Pa and the boys are stunned watching them leave.
"Pa, I didn't know Ma could drive a wagon?" Robert replies.
"I, I, there are a lot of things you don't know or haven't tried, son," Pa said. Richard hurried, handed EJ to Pa, and climbed onto his horse as Will and Richard climbed theirs. The boys dashed out of the stable in a mad dash after them, nearly running people over, yelled back, "Watch where you're going." "Sorry. Oh, just you, Sheriff, yell 'snake,'" a man said, ducking out of the way.
"SNAKE! SNAKE!" Pa yelled as everyone moved out of his way faster than grease on a pig, women picking their dresses up and heading to their tents as the Sheriff headed for a home down the road.
It was only a short time after his three deputies, Chris, Brad, and Bill, noticed he had given them the slip again. They asked around the room where he had gone. Laughing and teasing, they couldn't believe he had slipped right under their noses again. "SNAKE!" at the top of their lungs.
Those poor women will never sleep tonight looking under their cots for that dreadful snake. It must be academic tonight, or the field is infested with them. Ma beat the boys home by a nose, or should we say a wheel, as they put the horses away in the barn and two very tired little boys into the house as they all walked back to the house. Here come the three deputies dashing into the farm, Robert laughing as he waves to them.
Wayne whispered to Martha. "They moved them by the barn," pointing over to the tent as they walked into the house.
"They what?" She said.
"I told you, dear, rules," Wayne replies. Martha sighs and walks down the hall, helping put Danny and Sam to bed.
Down in the Villa, the party was still going strong. Some were heading off to their tents that had children, putting them to bed like good parents should. Mary and Lizzy had a special mission in mind for a certain Aunty M., who got left behind and who was too drunk to the gills to drive or ride a horse that night. Now, there was a nice creek nearby where the children had been swimming in and had built a small raft to play on. Finding a couple of nice, strong lads and bribing them was relatively easy for two pretty ladies if done right.
They gave her a nice soft cot to sleep on. Put on this nice raft, then tie it on good and tight. To make sure she wouldn't hurt herself or scare the fish. It wouldn't be too nice either if she fell off and hurt herself or drowned. They didn't have to bribe someone to camp there tonight, and they didn't want to miss the fireworks when she woke the next morning. As long you are part deft, it was alright and would be a night to remember for a long time as he laughed. Even the Fish were laughing on the other side of the pond, just waiting, and popping worm popcorn for the festivities when she woke.
Ma puts the little ones to bed for the night, tucks them softly in, and wishes them goodnight. Ma and Pa walked down to the kitchen, grabbing a glass of fresh milk. "Aunty M. was right," wiping her sleeves, "There's nothing like having it fresh from the cow."
Ma and Pa, having another glass, walked back down the hall. They stopped in the boys' room, wishing each boy goodnight. Pa whispered to Richard. "Sorry about the lass," he said.
He sighs. "I met another sir just before we left, and she is twice as pretty."
Robert rolls his eyes and throws his hat at him, and Will and EJ laugh. "Oh, please." They roll over on their sides, snickering at Richard's next girlfriend and mumbling. "How long is this one going to last?"
Ma and Pa smile, close the door, and walk down the hall. "Wayne, do you think Aunty M's alright?" Ma asked.
"Oh, knowing Mary and Lizzy, she's probably sleeping it off in a nice cot and will wake up really refreshed in the morning, back to her usual self," he said.
"You think so?" She asked.
"I know so, dear," Pa replies. Ma and Pa turn the corner to the girls' room; they can hear them giggling inside. Talking about the boys they met today as they open the door, Ma says. "Alright, girls, it's time for bed."
"Yes, Ma," Pa warns them to leave those boys outside alone.
"Yes, Pa," they each said.
"I mean it," he said, then gave them each a kiss on the cheek and wished them goodnight. He closed the door behind them and walked down the hall to their room, this time not closing the door all the way, just to make sure that they and everyone, girls, and boys, stayed where they belonged.
Ma and Pa thanked each other for the meal since she helped prepare it. Her house is still full, just slightly scattered here and far, and her heart is full. "Martha, dear, I forgot you knew how to drive a wagon. Glad to see you have a good time, dear," he folds his arms around her.
"Goodnight, my Sheriff and my man and the moon, goodnight."