Buck galloped as fast as he could while Sheriff Sam tried to hang onto his reins.

"Dagnabbit, Buck, slow down!"


Back at Patch of Heaven, Maggie plucked out a can from Jeb's collection.

"OK, who's up for a game of tin-can tag?" she called out.

"Hey! That can is a family heirloom." shouted Jeb.

But Maggie ignored him as she went over the game rules. "Whoever wins is gettin' a free tetanus shot! OK?"

Just then, Buck jumped past Maggie, hitting the can off her tail.

"Horse on a mission comin' through!" he called out.

"Who's the horsey?" asked Woodstock.

"Oh, it's Buck." replied Molly, the mother pig.

Mrs. Caloway let out a scoff, for she has a strong grudge against Buck, due to his self-centered behavior towards her fellow animals. "City slicker."

Buck leapt over a fence and skidded to a halt in Pearl's garden.

"Dagnabbit, Buck! What do you think this is, some kinda rodeo?" asked Sheriff Sam.

"Why, good morning, Sam." chuckled Pearl. "Is that ornery horse gettin' away from you again?"

"Oh, uh, hello, Pearl." replied Sheriff Sam. "I came out to bring you another bank notice. This one'll be the last."

"You know, Sam, every time I get a weak harvest, they send me one of these here notices." said Pearl. "They'll get their money soon enough."

The Peanuts gang and farm animals gathered around as Sheriff Sam said. "It's a whole new shootin' match now, Pearl. The bank's callin' in everybody's debt. They're losin' money somethin' fierce with all the cattle men goin' under. I'm tellin' you, if they don't get their money in three days, they're gonna auction off Patch of Heaven."

Pearl was shocked when she heard the news. "What?"

Sally was more than shocked. "I was wrong. I haven't been hijacked. I've been..."

"Sally, you're not helping." said Charlie Brown as he clapped his hand over his sister's mouth.

"But...they can't take my place." said Pearl as she looked at the bank notice. "Why, I've been here through twisters, blizzards...Sam, uh... Sam, this is my home."

"I'm sorry, Pearl." said Sheriff Sam. "I'm truly sorry."

"Yeah, well...'sorry' just ain't gonna save my farm." replied a depressed Pearl.

As Sheriff Sam rode his horse past the group of animals and kids, Mrs. Caloway glared at Buck. "Well, Buck, I hope you're proud of yourself."

"As a matter of fact, I am. Thanks for checking...losers." Buck said arrogantly.

"He's not that nice, ain't he?" asked Woodstock.

"Never." replied Mrs. Caloway. "All he thinks and cares about is himself."

As he got close to the gate, Sheriff Sam pulled on Buck's reins and turned back to Pearl.

"You know, Pearl, it don't have to be this way. You've got the best livestock in the county. " he said. "All you gotta do is just...sell off a few of these critters..."

"Stop right there, Sam." interrupted Pearl. "They're family. You don't sell family."

"Ho-ho-hold your horses, Pearl." began Sheriff Sam, but Pearl kept on, ranting, "You get before I start using words no good woman should ever use."

"Don't bust your gusset, woman!" said Sheriff Sam as Pearl swung her hoe at him.

Linus even used his security blanket as a whip to drive him and Buck out of Patch of Heaven. "Back! Back! Back!"

"Go on, Sam!" shouted Pearl. "It is still my property! Now get! I said, get!"

"I was just tryin' to help!" Sheriff Sam called out as he and Buck rode off into the distance.


Leter that afternoon, Pearl and the Peanuts gang quietly sat inside her house, not knowing what to do.

"Oh, that sure took the starch right out of me." groaned Pearl.

"If only there was something we can do." said Marcie.

"Yeah, but what?" asked Peppermint Patty.

As Charlie Brown munched on a cookie, he felt an idea developing inside his head until finally...

"That's it! I know how to raise the money for the farm!" he announced. "Let's have a bake sale!"

"A bake sale, big brother?" asked Sally.

"Yeah, think about it." said Charlie Brown. "Pearl makes a great batch of cookies and many other sweets. Maybe we can make enough money to save Patch of Heaven."

"You blockhead, this has got to be the most idiotic idea I've ever heard!" snapped Lucy.

"And?" said Charlie Brown.

"I say it's worth a shot." replied Lucy.

Charlie Brown smiled.

"What do you say, Pearl?" he asked.

Pearl thought for a moment.

"Hmm, well, I haven't done anything like that in years." she said. "Let's get to it."


As everyone started cooking, Snoopy and Woodstock hurried to the other animals.

"It's OK, everybody." said Snoopy. "There's still some hope in this little ol' farm."

"What are you going about, Snoopy?" asked Maggie.

"The gang's putting together a bake sale to earn some money for the farm." explained Woodstock.

"Humph, we've never had a bake sale for years." said Mrs. Caloway. "But if it'll help save Patch of Heaven..."

Jeb just shook his head. "Well, I think we all know what happens if it don't..."

"Uh, Jeb, don't start." said Mrs. Caloway.

But Jeb went on yammering anyway. "We'll all get eaten!"

"Jeb!"

"Hey, come on. You don't think people in town eat animals?"

"But who would eat a chicken?" asked Audrey, the mother hen.

"No, the goat's right, you guys." said Maggie. "There's gotta be something else we can do."

"What? What could we do?" asked Audrey.

"Oh...this just ain't fair." whined Ollie, the father pig.

"Fair!" gasped Maggie. "Good call, Curly!"

"Ollie."

"Whatever."

"Uh, what is?"

"Listen. What would you say if I told you that you could win big money and see beautiful downtown Chugwater if you go to the county fair?"

The farm animals marveled at that idea, except for Mrs. Caloway.

"Thank you for your input, but..."

"Come on! Let the new cow talk!" interrupted Larry the duck.

"New cow! New cow! New cow!" chanted the other animals.

"Come on, Mrs. C. You've got a real good-lookin' bunch here. I see some real potential." said Maggie.

"Aww, shucks." said a flattered Larry.

"Now, the fair is two weeks away." Maggie went on. "I say we go to town, butter up the sheriff and his horse and get one of them to give us more time."

"Looks like we're gonna have us a rip-snortin' time!" exclaimed Woodstock as he picked up the bank notice.

"That's the can-do attitude." said Maggie. "What do you say, Caloway?"

"Bah! Absolutely not." rebuffed Mrs. Caloway. "I will not abandon Pearl in her hour of need for such a ridiculous plan. She would be devastated if she found us missing. As far as I'm concerned, that's not an option."

"All right, fine. Suit yourself." said Maggie. "Come on, you guys. We've got a farm to save."

Grace hurried up to Maggie, with Snoopy on top of her.

"Oh, you'll have to excuse her. She's just a little tense." she said.

"Tense. What's her specialty, sour cream?" asked Maggie.

As she watched them head out to the gate, Mrs. Caloway let out a scoff. "Going to town. Of all the ill-conceived..."

Before she could continue ranting, Mrs. Caloway heard some chirping, which came for four baby chicks...and Woodstock.

"Now, don't look at me so crossly." said Mrs. Caloway. "I know what you're going to say that Maggie, Snoopy and Grace will need someone with my eye for detail to keep them on the straight and narrow."

Woodstock and the chicks didn't say a word.

Finally, Mrs. Caloway let out a sigh. "Say no more, I'll go."

With her head stood up high, Mrs. Caloway graciously walked past the gate and caught up with Maggie, Grace and Snoopy.

"Well, what made you change your mind?" asked Maggie.

Mrs. Caloway started to whimper. "I'd rather not talk about it."

"It's a chick thing." explained Grace.


Back inside the farm, Woodstock high-fived the chicks for getting Mrs. Caloway to join them.

"Later, dudes!" he said, flying off to catch up with the cows and Snoopy.