Prev | Current Page 107 | Next

Smith, Jewell Ellen, 1915-1998

"Great Jehoshaphat and Gully Dirt"

"Teacher
said we ought'a celebrate stopping the war! November 'leven's
gonna be a big day to remember! Always!"
"Yeah, Mama!" Mierd hollered. "Mister Shepherd said they'll
put it in the history book! But he assigned us so much arithmetic
it ain't gonna be no holiday a-tall! Me and Wiley'll be up till
midnight!"
"Maybe not."
"Mama, I gotta run tell Grandpa the war's over! He won't have
to save no more peach seeds!"
"Son, he knows it. Your papa phoned us the news just a few
minutes ago."
"Peach seeds? What's Grandpa and peach seeds got to do with
the Armistice?"
"Good grannies, Mierd, you heard Grandpa talking 'bout saving
'em not long ago. The Government wanted folks to all start saving
up peach seeds and nut hulls for the soldiers."
"Are you crazy, Wiley?"
"No, silly. They was gonna use seeds to get carbon for them
gas masks-that's what soldiers wear on the front line."
Mierd didn't seem very much bothered about things soldiers
put over their heads. She dumped her school books and dinner
bucket on the edge of the porch and went off to play in the yard.


Pages:
95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119