Buddies by Nancy L. Hart Read Free Book Online

their way at any minute. He yelled over to Joey Frank, “Stay down an’ crawl over to my side of the road. There’s a steep bank over here.” When Joey Frank reached Ernie, they rolled themselves down through the thick straw until they hit level ground. “Lay still Joey Frank an’ be quiet for a minute” Ernie said. As they lay there catching their breath, they could hear Banker Tolbert’s voice trailing away, hollering at Dolly Belle to stop. After getting to his feet Ernie said, “I reckin we can git up now, ‘cause he’s still a-goin’ yonder way. Are you alright?”
    “Yeah, I’m alright, except I went an’ lost one of my shoes back yonder when I jumped.”
    “I dropped my lunch pail too, but we ain’t gonna go back an’ look for’m. ‘Cause that crazy old fool may done stopped that surrey an’ a-headin’ back this a-way to kill us.”
    Ernie opened the shoebox that he had managed to hold onto. He said, “Which one of yore shoes did you lose, Joey Frank, the right or the left.”
    “The left.”
    “Here, I thank this is the left one. It’s hard to tell on a new pair a-shoes. Put it on an’ hurry.”
    Joey Frank sat down on the ground and put the shoe on. He was going to lace it, but Ernie said, “You can lace the dang thang later. Git up an’ come on, let’s git outta here.”
    “Where we gonna go?”
    “Through them woods down yonder an’ on home just as fast as we can git there, that’s where.”
    The boys went running down through the straw field. They glanced over their shoulders from time to time, apprehensively for fear that Banker Tolbert might be following them. When they reached the woods, Ernie Said, “Joey Frank, let’s walk awhile, I’m outta breath.”
    “Yeah, me too, Ernie.”
    They walked on and on through the woods. When Ernie noticed Joey Frank was limping, he asked, “What’s wrong with yore leg, Joey Frank?”
    “Ain’t nothin’ wrong with it. Why?”
    “’Cause you shore are a-walkin’ funny, that’s why.”
    Joey Frank stopped and pointed at his feet saying, “Well, no wonder I’m a-walkin’ funny. Take a look at how much higher this heel is on yore shoe than the one on mine.”
    “Yeah, I see what you mean, Joey Frank. That’s bound to make you walk funny for shore.”
    Joey Frank felt like crying at the thought of losing his shoe. He said, “I shore do hate I went an’ lost my ole shoe. I ain’t got another pair to my name except my Pa’s, an’ I wantedto save’m to remember him by. I don’t guess I’ll git to do sech now though.”
    “Heck yeah, you can save’m Joey Frank, ‘cause you can wear my ole pair ‘til you can git you some. Now, hush up sech, an’ come on.”
    They continued to walk on, making their way toward home. When Ernie felt they were out of danger, he said, “Joey Frank, let’s sit down over here an’ rest-up a spell. Let’s eat that grub in yore lunch pail. I don’t much thank that Banker Tolbert’ll come this far down to try an’ find us. He’s probably done back in Ruby Creek by now anyway.”
    “I shore hope he is, Ernie, but you cain’t never tell. You better face one way an’ I’ll face the other ‘cause we don’t want that crazy fool to sneak up on us for shore.”
    The tired, bedraggled boys sat down on the ground with their backs to each other. Joey Frank opened his lunch pail and divided the food with Ernie. As they ate, they talked about the frightening ordeal they had just encountered. Ernie Said, “It wudn’t never do for my Ma and Pa to find out that Banker Tolbert tried to kill us. If they do, there will never be no more gittin’ together on Saturdays to go a-fishin’ or to go see Mr. Pearson at the blacksmith shop so I can learn them skills of blacksmithin’.”
    Joey Frank replied, “If my Mama found out she wud do the same thang, so I ain’t gonna tell noboby.”
    Gray shadows began to creep in and nestle low around the boys. Ernie jumped to his feet saying, “It won’t be long