In every town or village, there used to be "hidden people." Those who, for whatever reason or another, are shut away from life, or who, for some strange reason, shut themselves away from the world. My quest for a car, in the Spring of 1935, to drive back and forth from college, was eventually to lead me to two of these hidden people.
May 22, 1935
John-Boy walked back from looking at a car. He hadn't ever really taken the time to look at cars. His younger brother Jim Bob, who would be turning 9 the following month, was still very young, but was a natural with machinery. He already understood much of the interworkings of machines and vehicles. He was sure that Jim Bob could help someone fix a car, if not get the job done by himself.
But for John-Boy, cars had just always been. His father had one for family transportation and for driving back and forth with work. Oh sure, John-Boy had driven it plenty of times and had gotten in on changing a flat tire or two as well as filling up the tank occasionally, but he had never thought of himself as a 'car brain.' But things were different now. John-Boy was getting married in three weeks and then would be traveling to and from the small Boatwright university campus come that Fall. He was entering a new stage of his life and it was now becoming necessary to obtain a car and gain a little knowledge about vehicles.
"Well Daddy, she isn't exactly in mint condition, but between you and me, we could probably fix her up pretty good. She needs a new paint job, a little work on the upholstery…"
"How much is Buck asking?"
"Gee, I didn't talk money with him. I wanted to speak to you first."
John nodded his head. "All right." He picked up one end of a tree branch. "Pick this up, we'll chop it for firewood later. I'll fix up this fence, then we'll go see about it."
Elizabeth ran up to her brother. "John-Boy, can a chicken talk?"
"I never heard one talk, Elizabeth." He chuckled.
"I heard that old Rhode Island Red hen talk before when she was laying an egg." Jim Bob said.
"What did she say?" Elizabeth asked.
"Ouch!" Jim Bob 'quoted' the chicken.
John-Boy laughed. He set the branch down and went over to the mill where his grandfather was.
"Good thing I knew the storm was coming so I could cover up the buzz saw."
"How'd you know it was coming? Did you feel it in your bones?"
"I heard it on the radio first, then felt it in my bones."
John-Boy laughed.
"I thought you were going over to Buck's to get yourself a Tin Lizzy."
"Daddy wants to clean up this storm damage first."
"I can clean it up and cut it up into firewood with the help of the young'uns. You run along."
"You reckon?"
Zeb nodded.
John-Boy yelled across the yard. "Hey Daddy, Grandpa says he can do the work."
John nodded.
"Jim Bob, Ben, Erin, come give your granddad a hand." Grandpa said.
John and John-Boy got into the truck and drove over to Buck's.
John saw his son's nervousness. "Calm down, Son." He said with a smile.
"I just wish we'd left earlier." John-Boy said. "Might even be gone by now."
"It's only 8:30 in the morning." His father replied. "It was there last night wasn't it?"
"Well sure it was. But anything could have happened since I saw it last."
"I doubt if Buck Higgins is gonna have to fight off any buyers. There just isn't that much money around."
John-Boy looked out the window nervously. "Couldn't we just go a little faster?"
"We could. I just don't wanna burn out the motor this morning." John said with a smirk.
John-Boy chuckled. "I'm sorry, Daddy."
"No problem, Son. I was in your place not so long ago. I remember what it's like to get your first car."
John-Boy smiled.
When they got to Mr. Higgins, John and John-Boy got out of the truck.
"Mr. Higgins," John-Boy called.
A man about John's age came from behind the house. "Morning," he said with a smile.
"Howdy" John-Boy said.
"How are you doing, Buck?" John asked.
"Oh, can't complain John. I get three squares a day. How many of us can make that claim?"
"Storm damage do much over here?"
Mr. Higgins shuddered. "Oh, for a while there, I thought it was gonna pick up the house and land it in Bascomb's Hollow."
"Mr. Higgins, you still got her?"
The man smiled and nodded. "Sittin' right where you left her. Key's in the ignition."
John-Boy grinned like a kid on Christmas morning. "Great. Thank you!"
He ran off to the car.
Buck turned to John. "How's your daddy, John?"
"He's holding on. How's everybody out here?"
"Oh, little one's been down with the whooping cough. Well then, if it ain't one thing, it's another." He paused. "What can I do for you John?"
"My boy's got his heart set on that ol' Ford of yours."
"You already got a truck. What do you need a car for too?"
"Bus schedule to Westam's been changed. Plus with John-Boy getting married in three weeks, he probably doesn't want to have to borrow his parents' car to take his bride to Charlottesville."
"It sounds like your boy's got some exciting things to look forward to. Getting married in a couple weeks, beginning a new life with her, and then starting college in the Fall. They'll be close by, you and Olivia will enjoy that. So will Eula."
"It will be good to have them around, it'll be good for Eula too. John-Boy and Jenny are the only family she has around here."
"$35 and she's all yours." Buck smiled.
"$35, that's a reasonable price." John said. "That much money will get you a whole year of cut lumber."
"Lumber, how did we get on the subject of lumber, John? We won't be needing any firewood. We're almost to June. Before we can snap our fingers, the Summer heat will be just short of killing us all. We won't be needing any firewood for a few months yet."
"If you let my boy have that car, I'll supply you with all the lumber you need come Fall."
Mr. Higgins sighed. "Afraid I can't do that John."
"Sounds like a fair deal to me."
"Me too. Some other time, I'd probably jump on the offer. The only reason I'm trying to sell the car at all is that I'm hard up for the cash."
John heard the car coming up toward the Higgins house.
"All I need now is a raccoon tail!" John-Boy grinned, driving up beside the men.
"John-Boy, I'm really sorry." Mr. Higgins said.
John-Boy's smile faded. "We get here too late?"
"It's not that Son, it's just we got here too late and Buck needs the money. We just don't have it."
"If times weren't so hard," Mr. Higgins added.
John-Boy nodded sadly. "I understand." He went to turn the key to drive the car back to its original location.
"You can leave her there." Mr. Higgins said. "I'm really sorry, Son."
"Thanks anyway." John-Boy said.
John-Boy was quiet on the drive home. John saw his son's disappointment.
"Don't worry, Son. You'll get there if I have to drive you coming and going myself."
John-Boy looked at his father and the slightest smile crossed his face ever so little.
"I need some gas." John said, pulling by the pump at Ike's store.
John's cousin came out of the store. "Hey John, Hey John-Boy." The storekeeper greeted the men with a smile.
"Fill 'er up, Ike." John said.
"Boy, your ears must be burning, I was just thinking about you this minute. You still looking for a car, John-Boy?"
"It's hopeless." John-Boy muttered.
"Well why don't you let Ike Godsey take care of all your problems for you? You know, I think I found just the Fliver for you."
"Problem isn't finding a car, Ike. It's someone willing to barter for it. Everybody seems to need cash."
"You know Hyder Rudge?" Ike asked.
"I know where he lives, but that's about all."
"He never gets off his place, so I just figured he doesn't have a car." John-Boy said.
"I don't know why he has one either honestly, but he and his wife have one. They drove in here when they first came here. But what he doesn't have is a roof. He lost it in the storm last night. You know, I thought I was gonna lose mine too. Corabeth and I were up half the night with the rafters shaking…"
John-Boy cut the storekeeper off. "Ike, what about the car?"
"Oh yeah, the car. When I drove by the Rudge place this morning, I noticed about half of his roof was laying out there in the yard. Well, I thought I'd go and check him and the Mrs. and uh, he wouldn't let me in. But he told me through the door that he couldn't fix it himself. And he asked me if I knew anybody who could."
"You know how much he'd be willing to pay for it?"
"No, I don't know. Not much if I had to guess. But I figured he hasn't drive the car since he and his wife have been here. He just might be willing to trade it for manual labor. Wouldn't hurt to ask John-Boy."
"Ike I begin to see angel wings spreading across your back and the hint of a halo coming up on your head."
"Would you mind telling Corabeth that?" Ike said with a laugh.
John-Boy laughed and turned to his father. "Daddy, I've kept you away from the mill long enough."
"You wanna manage this yourself Son?"
"Yeah, I'll ride up to the house with you, then I'll take Blue over to the Rudge place, okay?"
John nodded. "Sounds good to me, Son."
"Good luck John-Boy." Ike said. "Let me know how it goes."
"I will Ike." John-Boy said, getting into the truck with his father. "See you later."