Author's Note: This story is about two young moonshiners as they start their career in the shine business, tricking revenuers and generally doing what they have to do in order to keep up a proud and long family tradition.
Warning : The warning is placed here for vinsmouse, who wanted a spew warning here, claiming it might be a bad idea to drink while reading the funnier parts. So please keep in mind that drinking any kind of beverage while reading this, might be hazzard'ous to the health of your screen.
Disclaimer: The Duke Boys are not mine, I don't own the Duke boys, nor the General Lee. I promise that once I'm through with them, there will be nothing broken that a trip to Cooter's garage can't fix….
Young Shine
"Now boys," Jesse started as he looked at his two nephews. "I want ya both to behave an' don't cause no trouble here ya hear?"
"We won't," Luke promised.
"We'll be good," Bo beamed and Jesse smiled at them. Bo was just about three, and Luke wasn't all that old either. He wasn't sure if they were really old enough to be out at the still site with him, but what else was he to do? Martha wasn't feeling her best, and while Daisy was playing with her friend at her house, there had been nothing else to be with the boys. Luke was a smart boy who had long ago figured out that they were making shine, and that it was something not to talk about, but Bo was different. He was a friendly little lad who was happy to talk to anyone at all while his cousin was more cautious.
"We's gonna go play a bit," Luke told him.
"Sure, sure, but don't ya go too far," Jesse said.
"Won't," Bo promised, then he took Luke's hand as they walked off into the forest.
The two of them played for near half an hour when Luke heard someone coming through the woods.
"Come on, lets have a look," Luke urged as he pulled Bo along.
"Maybe they can play with us," Bo decided hopefully. He was clutching a bunch of feathers in one hand, had a stick tucked into the lining of his jeans and a couple of pebbles in his other hand.
"Nah, they's all grown up," Luke shook his head. "Hush, I wanna hear what they say."
While he listened to the quit conversation Bo spotted a bug that he started following. He had his eyes glued on it and walked hunched over as he followed it's winding path, right up to when he bumped into the back of Luke's legs and fell over with a frown.
"They's revneurs," Luke mumbled.
"They's what?" Bo asked with a confused look on his face as he climbed back to his feet.
"They's revneurs, they's some people that we can't let find Uncle Jesse," Luke explained.
"Why's not?" Bo asked.
"Just cause," Luke had no time to explain, he was too busy trying to figure out something he could do about it. He knew what revenuers were, and what they would do if they caught a moonshiner. He wasn't about to let that happen, not if there was anything he could do about it. The problem was, there wasn't a whole lot little kids could do. Then a thought struck him, that was just what grown ups said, because they didn't think little kids could do anything, but they sure could.
"Quick Bo, cry," he commanded his cousin.
"Why?" Bo frowned.
"Just do it," Luke urged.
"Can't," Bo shook his head.
"Why not?" Luke was starting to feel desperate as the two men were getting close.
"It don't hurt or nuthin'," Bo informed him.
Biting his lip Luke punched his cousin square in the face so that he cried out with pain and fell backwards to sit on the ground. Tears started streaming from his eyes right away. The two men turned their way as soon as they heard Bo scream.
"What's going on here?" one of them asked, but Bo was crying too hard to answer.
"He's crying," Luke stated.
"Want Aunt Martha," Bo sobbed. Normally he would have clung to Luke, but he couldn't understand why he had punched him. The only likely reason was that he was mad because he couldn't cry, and he knew enough to watch it when Luke was mad.
"He wanna go home to our Aunt Martha," Luke explained. "He ain't got no mommy or daddy cause they's dead."
"Well, were is yer aunt?" the man asked.
"She's at home, we's out playing cause she's not feeling good," Luke explained. "We's out playing to be outta the way." Since he wanted them headed the other way, he didn't say anything about their uncle.
"Well, where do ya live?" he asked.
"Kinda hard to say," Luke chewed his lip while Bo kept crying. "It could be over there, or over there like," he pointed in two different directions. It wasn't really, but it could have been. He couldn't lie, but saying where the house could be wasn't lying.
"How sure are you?" the man asked as seemed to try to figure out what to do with the two boys.
"Well, not a lot yet, but if we get close, I'll know," Luke told him.
"Guess we're gonna have to try an' find their home," the other man sighed. He had been quiet up to then. "Even if we don't get that fellow, we can't leave two little kids lost out in the forest."
"Will ya please?" Luke asked, turning his blue eyes to them. "We didn't mean to be no trouble, it just sorta happened." He hoped they would think that he meant getting lost, when he really meant it just happened he had to make trouble. He was rather pushing the truth and he knew it, but it was better he did that, then that they got their uncle.
"Alright, come on kids," he sighed. "Can he manage?" he asked pointing at Bo who was still crying.
"Well, I reckon so," Luke decided, taking Bo's hand, hard. He didn't like hurting him, but if Bo stopped crying, he would start talking. His uncle always said it wasn't a bad thing, but it would be if he told them people that their uncle was near.
A couple of times Bo tied to pull away from him, but every time he did it he just started crying again so Luke didn't object. He wouldn't let the two men help them either so they wouldn't find out anything from him. When they came closer Luke told them he started recognizing things and led them towards the Davenport's farm. Since Martha wasn't feeling well she couldn't warn Jesse, but Mr. Davenport could, he was sure off it.
"Are ya sure ya recognize yerself here now kid?" the man asked.
"Uhu," Luke nodded. "There's the tree looks like a rock, an' the rock that looks like a tree." It was a short stump of a tree, and a tall narrow rock. It was also a kind of silly thing to say, but a grown up would think he was just a kid. "My buddy lives there, it ain't our farm, but he lives here."
The two men seemed to ponder what that mean, but then they could see the farm, and more importantly, Rita Davenport could see them.
"Bo, Luke!" she called out as she hurried over.
"Mrs. Davenport!" Luke cried out, jumping up and down with eagerness as he couldn't leave Bo behind. Then Bo pulled lose and ran forward to throw himself into her arms.
"Do you know these two children?" the man asked.
"I sure do," she nodded. "Bo and Luke Duke, I know them just about as well as I know my own son."
"Good, they were lost in the forest, but then you can take care of them, good day ma'am," they nodded to her before they left.
"Luke, what's going on here?" Rita asked as she tried to dry Bo's tears.
"They's revneurs," Luke whispered. "They's after Uncle Jesse. We's with him at still site four, but then they's came. I couldn't let them find him, so I made pretend me an' Bo was lost. Please, tell Mr. Davenport to go tell Uncle Jesse, I don't want them to get him."
"Hold on Luke, take that again slowly," she urged.
"If I do, they can' find Uncle Jesse," Luke started practically bouncing up and down. "Please."
"Okay," she nodded. "I'll call him and tell him." Unlike some adults, she had learnt that children to should be taken seriously. Carrying Bo in on one arm she called up her husband and gave him the message, then called the Duke farm so Martha would know where the kids were. After that, she sat the two boys down at the kitchen table for some milk and cookies while Luke explained everything. It was a bit too much for Bo to fully comprehend, he was satisfied when it became clear to him that Luke wasn't mad at him. Especially when Luke said he was sorry.
Jesse came to pick them up, trying to figure out what to say to his oldest. He wasn't sure if he should be angry, worried or proud, but he was mostly proud. It was a sharp plan for a little boy, thought he had been pretty worried when he realized the boys had been gone a bit too long. Then there was the fact that he had punched Bo, and that he didn't quite like. He was actually pretty amazed that the little boy had pulled it off, but he didn't want him to hurt Bo just to serve his means. Then again, the dark haired boy didn't take long to make it up to the blonde in a way that had Bo acting as if it had never happened.
In the end he settled for having a talk with his oldest about it, and smiled when Luke made sure to point out that he hadn't lied. He had never said they were lost, and he had never said for sure what direction the house was in. It could be anywhere, even if it wasn't.
Chuckling to himself Jesse had to admit that he was right.
"See, wasn't I smart?" Luke asked with a broad grin.
"Ya was, I reckon," Jesse nodded. "But don't get cocky boy, there is always gonna be someone smarter."
"I know," Luke nodded. "Yer always gonna be smarter than me, that's fer sure."
The beard he wore hid the blush, but there wasn't anything he could say to that.
The End
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