PLEASANT VALLEY DAYS
by William B. Grove
Pleasant Valley
First Grade Class of 1934
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| Billy is second from left in the first row (photo can be enlarged by clicking on it) |
"Yowee!," she yelled again and increased her speed. Her red curls bobbed like springs. Her body knifed between two juniper bushes as she reached the level stretch of ground that extended for about two hundred yards in front of the big tent. Margie kept her eyes on Eddie who was about fifty yards ahead of her. His legs speedily carried him toward the tent. Suddenly he veered in the direction of Grandma Hearn's chicken coop.
"No! No!", Margie screamed. "Go through the tent flap." Eddie obeyed and disappeared into the darkened tent.
Margie could hear Poco Loco's snorting, heavy breathing and the clomp of his hoofs as the old bull maintained his pace narrowing the gap between them, his head lowered for attack as Margie flew through the tent flap with Poco Loco right behind her. There was a ferocious bellowing from the old bull as the center support pole shuddered and collapsed dragging the canvas down with it. In an instant the brown canvas was jerking and stretching in all directions as the two terrified children and the enraged bull charged from one side of the collapsed tent to the other.
The former serenity of a country morn was destroyed with the screams of Margie and Eddie and the snorting and bellowing of Poco Loco.
Grandpa Lindley and Uncle Button came running from the front porch of Grandpa's house where they had been installing a new chain on Grandma's porch swing. They had witnessed the race to the tent but were helpless to head off the angry bull.
Uncle Button sprinted ahead of Grandpa and reached the tent first and quickly found the flap and bolted through the opening. Grandpa, right behind Uncle Button, lifted the flap just as Uncle Button heaved Margie and Eddie, both bawling loudly, through the flap opening telling them, "You kids get to the house,."
Aunt Nettie and Grandma, on the run, passed Eddie and Margie going in the opposite direction and yelled, "You kids get in the house and stay there till we help catch that bull."
Aunt Nettie and Grandma could see where the bull was by the heaving and pitching of the tent canvas so they ran and jumped on the canvas on either side of Poco Loco, stretching the canvas taut.
About that time, Cousin Mina and Rosalie Turner, Mina's best friend, jumped on the canvas at his head and tail which resulted in a four way stretch of the canvas that held old Polo Loco in place. Since Grandma, Aunt Nettie, Mina and Rosalie were all rather on the fat side, Poco Loco had just about met his match.
While the four ladies were heaving around on the canvas due to Polo Loco's bucking and kicking, Grandpa Lindley ran to the old Ford truck. Luckily the wooden side boards were still in place from the wood cutting trip day before yesterday. He jumped in the cab and turned the key in the ignition and for once the old jitney started right up. He spun the truck around, put her in reverse and backed up to the tent flap. As he looked over his shoulder, out through the rear cab window, he couldn't help but chuckle at the sight of the four fat women flopping around on the canvas like four old roasting hens who had just had their necks wrung.
Grandpa got out of the truck and he and Uncle Button ran over to the cellar and lifted the door up and carried it to the truck. Grandpa laughed as he let the tail gate down on the truck and said, "By gum, I knew there was a reason why I never got around to replacing the hinges on that old door after they rusted off".
He and Uncle Button laid one end of the door up against the end of the bed of the truck and let the other end rest on the ground creating a ramp up which they hoped to coax Poco Loco.
Grandpa yelled at the women, "Can you gals tell which end is his head?"
Aunt Nettie replied, "Yeah, it's at the end where Rosalie is".
"Okay. Button". Grandpa said. "You crawl in there under the canvas and see if you can get past where Rosalie's sitting and grab the ring in the old devil's nose."
Uncle Button ducked through the flap and pretty soon a soothing voice was heard to say, "Okay, pretty boy. Come on to daddy now and let's go home. You've had just about enough excitement for one day. Come on feller."
"Now Rosalie you get out from in front of him." Grandpa said.
As Rosalie crawled aside, the big mound under the canvas moved toward the flap and all at once Uncle Button emerged through the opening leading the bull by the nose ring. Grandpa, kneeling on top of the truck cab, tossed one end of a heavy chain to Uncle Button who fastened it to the nose ring. Grandpa then pulled on the chain and before you could bat an eye old Polo Loco was in the truck bed
imprisoned by the side boards as Uncle Button pulled the cellar door ramp away and Mina and Rosalie pulled up the tailgate and fastened it. Uncle Button got in the cab of the truck and started it. With Grandpa still sitting on the top of the cab holding the chain, Uncle Button headed the truck toward the corral.
"My stars," Aunt Nettie sighed. "What a mess. How will I ever get this all cleaned up for the square dance tonight? Half the valley's coming, you know."Uncle Button sprinted ahead of Grandpa and reached the tent first and quickly found the flap and bolted through the opening. Grandpa, right behind Uncle Button, lifted the flap just as Uncle Button heaved Margie and Eddie, both bawling loudly, through the flap opening telling them, "You kids get to the house,."
Aunt Nettie and Grandma, on the run, passed Eddie and Margie going in the opposite direction and yelled, "You kids get in the house and stay there till we help catch that bull."
Aunt Nettie and Grandma could see where the bull was by the heaving and pitching of the tent canvas so they ran and jumped on the canvas on either side of Poco Loco, stretching the canvas taut.
About that time, Cousin Mina and Rosalie Turner, Mina's best friend, jumped on the canvas at his head and tail which resulted in a four way stretch of the canvas that held old Polo Loco in place. Since Grandma, Aunt Nettie, Mina and Rosalie were all rather on the fat side, Poco Loco had just about met his match.
While the four ladies were heaving around on the canvas due to Polo Loco's bucking and kicking, Grandpa Lindley ran to the old Ford truck. Luckily the wooden side boards were still in place from the wood cutting trip day before yesterday. He jumped in the cab and turned the key in the ignition and for once the old jitney started right up. He spun the truck around, put her in reverse and backed up to the tent flap. As he looked over his shoulder, out through the rear cab window, he couldn't help but chuckle at the sight of the four fat women flopping around on the canvas like four old roasting hens who had just had their necks wrung.
Grandpa got out of the truck and he and Uncle Button ran over to the cellar and lifted the door up and carried it to the truck. Grandpa laughed as he let the tail gate down on the truck and said, "By gum, I knew there was a reason why I never got around to replacing the hinges on that old door after they rusted off".
He and Uncle Button laid one end of the door up against the end of the bed of the truck and let the other end rest on the ground creating a ramp up which they hoped to coax Poco Loco.
Grandpa yelled at the women, "Can you gals tell which end is his head?"
Aunt Nettie replied, "Yeah, it's at the end where Rosalie is".
"Okay. Button". Grandpa said. "You crawl in there under the canvas and see if you can get past where Rosalie's sitting and grab the ring in the old devil's nose."
Uncle Button ducked through the flap and pretty soon a soothing voice was heard to say, "Okay, pretty boy. Come on to daddy now and let's go home. You've had just about enough excitement for one day. Come on feller."
"Now Rosalie you get out from in front of him." Grandpa said.
As Rosalie crawled aside, the big mound under the canvas moved toward the flap and all at once Uncle Button emerged through the opening leading the bull by the nose ring. Grandpa, kneeling on top of the truck cab, tossed one end of a heavy chain to Uncle Button who fastened it to the nose ring. Grandpa then pulled on the chain and before you could bat an eye old Polo Loco was in the truck bed
imprisoned by the side boards as Uncle Button pulled the cellar door ramp away and Mina and Rosalie pulled up the tailgate and fastened it. Uncle Button got in the cab of the truck and started it. With Grandpa still sitting on the top of the cab holding the chain, Uncle Button headed the truck toward the corral.
"Never you mind, Nettie", Grandma said. "Can't think on that now, We got to get over to the house and check on them youngins' and make sure all this ruckus didn't addle their brains."
With that they started toward the house. As they stepped up on the front porch they spied Margie and Eddie cowering on the old three quarter bed on the porch looking like two dying calves in a hailstorm.
"Are you kids hurt?", Nettie asked.
"We don't know", they whispered in unison.
"Well, come here and let me check you over", Nettie replied.
Margie and Eddie got off the bed and came over for inspection.
Nettie took Margie in hand while Grandma grabbed Eddie. After a million questions it was decided no serious damage had been done.
"Well, I do declare you youngins' are lucky. A bruised ear and a skinned elbow is not much considering the mess you all caused. What in tarnation were you kids doing to that old bull anyway?" Nettie asked.
"Nothin", Eddie said pouting, ducking his head to avert Aunt Nettie's stare.
"It was all his idea anyway", Margie whined. "I told him we shouldn't do it."
"Do what", Grandma questioned, raising her voice.
"Well, we were just playing a game like Miss Olabeth told us about." Eddie said.
"Now what kind of game did Miss Olabeth tell you about that would end up knocking Nettie's and Button's tent down?" , Grandma asked, impatience in her voice.
"We're studying Mexico in geography and she told us about when she went there one time." Eddie offered.
"Yeah, Margie added, "She told us about going to a bull fight and how this guy waves this red cape at the bull and all that kind of stuff."
"So what did you kids do?", Nettie asked,
"Oh, well, we didn't do nothin' but wave those old red flannel drawers of Grandpa's for just a little bit at Polo Loco and he got mad", Eddie excitedly related.
"Yeah, but how'd he get out of the corral?", Rosalie asked, anxious to get in her two cents worth.
"Well, it sure wasn't going to be any fun just running around in that little old corral, so I asked Margie to open the gate after I got him good and mad with Grandpa's drawers", Eddie continued.
"I'll swear you kids are going to be the death of us yet", Grandma said angrily. "I'll be so glad when your ma has that new baby and we can send you back home to Phoenix. I'm just too old for these shenanigans anymore".
"Do we have to go to bed ?", Eddie asked.
"No, you're not going to bed. You both get over there to the tent. You're going to help all of us ready things up. You know your Aunt Nettie's having half the valley to the square dance tonight as a thank you for so many folks helping her and Button get their new house ready over on Cherry Creek", Grandma said as she began to cry, adding, "We've tried to tell you kids that these are depression times. No one's got any money and everybody tries to help each other. That's why the folks in the valley been helping Button and Nettie so they won't have to live in a tent no more but can have a honest-to-goodness wood house from scrap lumber Button's been collecting for nigh onto three years. No telling how much ruination you kids caused over there in the tent. Now get out of here and get over there and help clean up that mess.
Well, the women spent a good portion of the afternoon readying up the tent while Grandpa Lindley and Uncle Button started nailing up a good sized wooden platform for the square dance. Margie and Eddie just kinda' stood around on first one foot and then the other with nobody payin' any mind to them. After a few hours the tent was slick as a whistle and the wooden platform had been waxed up for the dancin' and soon the Hindoo's, as the valley folks called themselves for no reason anybody could think of, started to show up. Soon the fiddlers showed up and started to "rozzin" up their bows and get all ready for the wingding.
Aunt Nettie was sweatin' over the wood cook stove and the big cauldron with the makins' boiling in it for the taffy pull later on. Margie's big ole' black cat, Midnight, jumped up on the table next to the stove and Aunt Nettie never missed a beat as she hit the cat in the head with the big spoon, stuck it back in the cauldron of boiling taffy and sang:
"Fly in the buttermilk,
Shoo Shoo Shoo
Fly in the buttermilk
Shoo Shoo Shoo
Fly in the buttermilk
Shoo Shoo Shoo
Skip to my Lou my darlin.
If you can't get a red bird
A blue bird will do
If you can't get a red bird
A blue bird will do
If you can't get a red bird
A blue bird will do
Skip to my lou my darlin'
Skip to my lou my darlin'
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