COUNTRYSIDE YARNS
TALL TALE OR TRUTH? YOU DECIDE!
Wild Man in the Woods, Part 3
by Janis Stein

Join in the conclusion as George makes a hair-raising escape through the woods in an attempt to protect his identity.

After traveling through the woods a safe distance from our property, George stuffed rags inside the toe ends before stepping into grandfather’s boots. With the recent rain leaving the wooded floor a bit spongy, grandfather’s boots left a telltale sign – the wild man had big feet indeed.

News again filtered back through Daddy, and during the evening milking George told me and Hank he thought it time some town folks actually spotted the wild man. Hank and I thought twice about that, but again, there was no dissuading George.

As it turned out, Carsonville’s General Store was selling record amounts of dried goods, thanks largely to the wild man, for every Saturday people came from all directions, gathering at the store and comparing stories of the week’s events and the wild man’s shenanigans. With the warm spring weather, folks spilled out onto the street and continued to share the news, the sun climbing ever higher in the sky.

One man’s shouts raised above the din of noise as he saw a dark blur run just inside the edge of the nearby woods. The wild man was among them. With so many men in town, a posse quickly formed with intentions of capturing this rebel and hauling him into the sheriff.

Meanwhile, George, a bit out of breath from the great distance he had already walked, struggled to run through the woods wearing grandfather’s gargantuan work boots and Daddy’s old worn-out overcoat. With his up-turned collar offering some cover, George dared a quick peek over his shoulder.

The posse was gaining.

George hadn’t anticipated this turn of events and his mind and heart raced right along with his feet. Oh how disappointed Mother would be.

Always a quick thinker, George shed his coat while he made his great escape. The posse, thrilled to have something tangible in hand, held up the coat like a trophy and gathered 'round for a closer inspection while George slipped deeper into the woods.

Back at the mercantile, the storeowner made room in his front window to display the wild man’s coat for all to see.

George’s close call proved just enough for George to call it quits. We three boys had had a good deal of innocent fun, but we all agreed it was time to get back to eight hours of sleep and let talk of the wild man fade away. Enough was enough.

Mother assumed Daddy must have caught up on buying supplies, because as the weeks passed, his trips to town grew more infrequent. Folks said the wild man must have moved into the next county for all chickens were accounted for - and in the proper henhouse - and Mr. Mitchell’s cow had resumed normal production, though the Widow Hollister missed her morning milk.

The wild man’s coat continued to hang in Carsonville’s mercantile window – the attention the garment brought had been very good for business. One Saturday while Daddy was in town, one of the old-timers wondered aloud if anyone had checked the pockets. Promptly the overcoat was searched and, within the depths of one pocket, the store clerk found an aged, crumpled envelope addressed to the owner of the coat - a respectable farmer everyone knew. As word spread, jaws dropped.

When Daddy returned home from town, Mother promptly gathered her sons around the table for she had supper waiting. As Daddy relayed the news from town, talk turned to the wild man’s coat and the addressed envelope. When Mother asked to whom the coat belonged, Daddy said the name on the envelope was addressed to the father of three forlorn-looking boys gathered around his table.

No one even heard the sound of Mother’s very best bowl filled with mashed potatoes crash to the floor as Daddy quietly asked for an explanation.

Have a yarn you’d like to share? We’d be happy to spin it. You may write to Janis in care of The Lakeshore Guardian, P.O. Box 6, Harbor Beach, MI 48441, or give us a call at 866-479-3448 to share your story.

© 2009 Stein Expressions, LLC