In Rural Time and Place

Earl and Dave Myers were walking around Hunt Mountain to a store owned by preacher Johnny Caldwell and his wife Nelly. Earl had just come from World War II and was wearing his helmet, and he and Dave were drinking a little. They went around to the store and Earl sat down on the back end of a sled that Ralph Kincaid had hitched up. About that time Blair Colley came up drunk and shot off a gun. The noise scared the horse and it took off running. The start of the horse caused Ralph and Earl to fall backwards into the sled with their feet sticking out the top. Around the hill went the horse, sled, Earl and Ralph; Herman Dixon was at the store calling it like a race. "They're still in after the first curve; went around the slag and they're still in; after that third curve that's all of it cause of that big hole below the road," Herman laid out to Dave. As the horse flew around the hill, Earl and Ralph lay pinned against the bottom. Ralph pleaded to Earl, "Earl, don't leave me." Earl said, "Ralph, how can I leave you, I can't even get out of here myself." After they rounded the third curve the sled hit a tree and stopped. Earl and Ralph came walking back toward the Mountain Stream Wanderer, wherever you go, whenever you drink again from these melting snow fields, the fog will slowly rise off this lake of clouds, you will walk softly and not disturb the wood-drake's dance, the partridge's drumming, for the white-tail's hoof prints in cool black earth beside the flat stone upon which you kneel to drink have impressed this upon you. -Philip Paradis store, leading the horse and sled. Preacher Johnny asked Earl, "Where'd you think you's going when you went around that road?" Earl said, "Into that big hole!" Johnny said, "Earl, I wouldn't thinking about your body; I's a'thinking about your soul." Dave said he relayed the story to Vola when they got back home. He said Earl never said a word, just sniffed a little every now and then. One time Leek Mullins and some of his children were going to Detroit to visit relatives. But the car broke down in Ohio and they pulled off the road and got out. Big Leek looked up at the road sign and said with a sigh, "Well, at least we made it as far as Tool-ee-doo." Once Sid Taulbee went up to Cincinnati to visit his brother Ramsey. He got to the bus station and started walking in the direction he thought was correct. Before long the streets all looked the same and he decided he had better call Ramsey for help. Ramsey offered to come get Sid, "What street are you on?" Sid looked out of the phone booth and said, "I'm at the corner of Walk and Don't Walk." In Rural Time and Place Feedsack shirts and commodity cheese dried butterbeans and biscuits Mama rolled out the dough again and again, hammering away at poverty, never giving up she washed the planks of the floor and the fraying sheets every day she loved the Lord and me, in the purple twilight descending in that time and place we never knew we were poor thankful for iron-on stars refreshing morning dew. -Errol Miller 1 ...