Pig in a Poke Chapter 2 Out behind the Barn

Ma was upset with us boys
courtesy free clip art

 

Pig in a Poke  Chapter 2  Out behind the Barn Education

We knew Miss Mary had just had another little one and if she was going to have more babies she would have to get started on it pretty soon.

The only thing we had found out so far was it took nine months to have a baby just like the cows do.  And we knew how the cows did it so each evening we would go down to Mary’s house and look in the windows.

Sure enough our spying paid off and we discovered people and cows do the same thing to have young’uns.

Having solved that mystery we wondered what else we should look into.

Charlie said, I wonder how the seeds turn into turnips.  I thought about that for quite awhile.  Finally said I don’t know but maybe we can find out.

My Ma had planted some turnip seeds and they were coming up.  We went down to the garden and pulled the plants up so as we could see what those seeds were doing.

Just about the time we were figuring out how the seeds worked Ma was hitting both of us with her broom again and again.

I still wonder just what is with these women and their brooms. That hard head binding on them could knock your lights out.

Ma wouldn’t allow me at the table for the next three days saying I destroyed my food just for the fun of it and could just go hungry as far as she was concerned.  If it hadn’t been for Charlie bringing me some food I would have starved.

After three days I asked Ma if I could come back to the table because I had replanted the turnip seeds and they should be coming up in a few days.  She still looked mad but said yes and hoped I had learned my lesson.

Three days was about as long as Ma could stay mad at me especially if she had got a few licks in with her broom.  I was pretty good for the next week. It might have been because Charlie had gone to visit his grandma.

As soon as he got back he had some ideas that kinda skirted what was right.

While Charlie was down at his grandma’s one of his older cousins told him some tales that perked Charlie’s interest to the point he talked me into joining in with him.

He said for me to get my life savings for I would need it.  I counted out my money and it came to exactly five dollars and ten cents.  When I saw Charlie he said for me to give it to him and he had a dollar so we had six dollars.

He said that he thought it would be enough... That night we went down to this house where this giant who was black stood at the door.  Charlie started to go in and the giant said do you have any money?  Charlie said sure, we have six dollars.  The big black man took the money and said go on in.

Once inside I saw these large women with strange looking clothes on.  And again, well some of them didn’t have much on at all that is.  All me and Charlie could do was to look at them for we had never seen anything like it, not even at the circus.

The women was looking at us and laughing which made me uncomfortable. Then one of them grabbed Charlie and took him into a room and about three minutes later Charlie came out looking dazed.  He turned his eyes toward me and said, “Let’s go.”

I followed him and once we came to the giant I asked him if I could get my money back for I didn’t go into the room.  He grabbed me by the neck and gave me a swift kick with the biggest shoe I had ever seen.

I landed out beyond the steps standing up and just kept on walking.  He looked at Charlie and asked, “Do you want your money back?”

Charlie said, “No sir, I’m good,” and he caught up with me.

After the pain subsided enough for me to talk, I asked him what happened and he said, “I’m not sure.  All I know is one minute I wanted to be there and the next was I ready to leave.”  

 

I said, “All this happened in less than three minutes?”  

He said he would think about it and tell me later, which he never did.