PROOF OF INNOCENCE

 

 

            Surrounded again. Just like in Volusia. With Mill-wheel to his left, Buck to his right, and Lem directly in front of him. Penny leaned back hard against the wall into which Lem had just knocked him. Breathing hard with fright, sweating with nervous tension, and yet shivering with panic, Penny leaned due to badly-needed support. This cruel déjà-vu was all because of a quarrel over a deer. Buck's and Mill-wheel's expressions were unreadable. Naturally they were torn. Penny was their friend, whom they'd taken a lot of trouble to save from snakebite a few months earlier. But Lem was their brother, and their family was fiercely loyal. What would they do? For that matter, what would Lem do? Had he punished Penny enough for what he saw as a transgression, or was he just warming up to punish him more thoroughly?

            Penny closed his eyes, and murmured, "God, not agin!" He opened them, to see Buck's and Mill-wheel's vague, rueful amusement at his reference to the Volusia fight, and Lem's rough sadism at Penny's evident fear. "I'll not fight back," he mumbled.

            In reference to a recent expedition attended by Buck, Mill-wheel, Penny, and Jody, Buck quipped, "We told you you shoulda tried the wildcat liver along with us, that time, to make you fearless. Like you said, 'twoulda made you romp on us Forresters and git hell beat outta you agin."

            Mill-wheel grinned with him. "Hit woulda made you better able to face this today."

            Penny stood there slowly shaking his head, clearly doubting whether even that would've done it. His fright was making him dizzy. "Please, fellers, gittin' that deer was pure happen-so."

            "You're lyin'," Lem growled.

            Penny was still shaking his head. "I ain't. But, how kin I prove...." His voice trailed off as a frown stole over his brow; he was clearly thinking hard. Then his forehead smoothed and his eyes widened. "Mebbe I kin prove it," he whispered.

            "How?" Buck was clearly interested.

            "With Jody's he'p!" Penny was now clearly inspired

            Hearing his name, the boy took a hesitant step closer to the men.

            His father instructed, "Mill-wheel, please take Jody some'eres you cain't hear us, and we cain't hear you. When you two git there, Jody tell him the tale o' gittin' that there deer. Hit's a right int'restin' tale!" he assured the Forresters, his enthusiasm plainly rising. "Whilst you're at that, I'll be tellin' the same tale to Buck and Lem. When you two're done, come back. You Forresters kin compare stories. Iffen the stories match, I'm tellin' the truth. Iffen they don't...." He shrugged helplessly. Then, he plaintively requested, "And, kin we have peace whilst we're about this? Nobody hurts nobody, 'til you-all make your decision together?"

            Lem grunted gruffly. "I figger that's why you divided us up like you done. You wanta keep Buck here to protect you from me, whilst you tell it. But you want one of us you trust to be alone with your boy, so you pick Mill-wheel. You sure ain't gonna want Jody alone with me. And you don't wanta be alone with me, neither."

            "That's the truth of it," Penny confessed.

            Lem harrumphed in disgust, but nodded briefly in consent.

            Penny turned to the two whom he trusted. "That setup okay with you two fellers, also?"

            Buck and Mill-wheel both nodded easily in concurrence.

            "But," Lem added severely. "Iffen we prove Penny's lyin', I want all three of us to agree to come down on him." His eyes coldly demanded agreement from Buck and Mill-wheel.

            Reluctantly, solemnly, they gave it.

            The three turned to Penny. He swallowed hard and lowered his gaze in submission.          

            Mill-wheel clapped Jody gently on the shoulder and led him away from the rest.

            Penny carefully watched them go, and then quietly began to tell it. "After we left you-all yesterday, we got that gator I told you I wanted, without trouble. Then, we headed toward home. Jody and me both was turrible tired, wore out, so we was ridin' on Caesar. In fact, at one point, Jody said, 'Pa, I feel peculiar.' I got down offen Caesar, and lifted my boy off. He was right limp. I propped him agin a tree, and fed him, and told him, 'Why, boy, you jest had too much excitement. I git the same way. I git all churned up with the hunt like we had with the Forresters, and then when it's over, I git all played out, all of a sudden. You jest rest a bit, and you'll be fine.' And he was. So we climbed back on Caesar and kept goin', for home. After a ways, Rip picked up a scent. I said, 'Oh lord!' Neither Jody nor me was feelin' up to dealin' with whatever 'twas, so I ain't even got down to see what Rip was trailin'. But I told the boy, 'Well, I s'pose don't matter whether the dratted dog goes home with nose up or nose down, long's he keeps headin' for home.'" Penny took a deep breath, and continued, "Happened so sudden. A buck and a doe jumped up from the bushes, where they been layin' together. I told Jody, 'Now I purely hate to disturb the creeturs whilst they's matin'.' The doe runned off. The buck turned to fight. Rip runned at the buck. The buck lowered his head, caught the dog on his antlers, and throwed him into the bushes. Stupid dog goed back for more. Got pitched into the bushes agin. I said to Jody, 'Well, hit's shoot this poor ol' feller, or have me a dead dog.' So, I shot him. Then, we had that carcass to deal with on top of ever'thin' else. We was mighty glad to git home, I kin tell you." Penny observed his audience. Despite the tension of the situation, Buck was clearly intrigued; he had enjoyed the tale. Lem was rueful, trying to appear disinterested, cold, and dangerous, but he couldn't quite hide a glimpse of intrigue himself.

            Soon, they saw Mill-wheel and Jody approaching.

            "Well?" asked Buck. He clearly wanted to hear that his friend had been telling the truth.

            Mill-wheel nodded. "Hit's int'restin', a'right."

            "Tell it," Lem demanded.

            Mill-wheel answered, "A buck and a doe was matin'. They jumped up in front o' the Baxters. The doe runned off, and the buck turned to fight. The buck and Rip really got into it. Penny shot the buck to save his dog." He shrugged. "So, do it match?"

            Buck was pleased and relieved. "Close 'nough," he concluded. Then, he observed the boy quizzically. "Jody, you skipped the part 'bout you feelin' porely, and Penny liftin' you down to rest."

            The child colored with embarrassment. "Pa! You told that?!"

            Penny was taken aback. "Why sure, son. 'Twas part of what happened after we left the Forresters yestiddy. And he'ps show why we wa'n't in no mood to do no more huntin'. Leastways, not o' purpose."

            "But 'twan't necessary. And hit embarrasses me!"

            "Well, I'm sorry, young un. But 'tweren't nothin' to be embarrassed 'bout. Happens to me, too, as I explained to them and to you."

            Buck urged, "Don't be embarrassed, boy; remember the main reason we done this, was to see iffen all the details matched. Th'important parts done so, but you also left out ever'thin' Penny said to you 'bout Rip and the two deer, and how he felt 'bout killin' the buck."

            Lem agreed, "So, why was you two gone that long, jest to tell it so short?"

            Mill-wheel grinned ruefully. "The boy spent most o' the time cryin' on me, and beggin' me not to leave Penny git hurted agin."

            "Aw, Jody!" Penny was touched.

            Buck put an arm around Jody's shoulders, and said genially, "You told 'nough to git your pa outta trouble. But Jody, you got to learn to tell tales real good and detailed, like your pa do. Git him to learn you how, or you'll not be no good at men's tale-tellin' time, when you're all growed up."