I DO NOT OWN HATFIELDS AND MCCOYS, NOR DO I OWN THE DIALOGUE.
Summer, 1878. Pike County, Kentucky.
Over the next few weeks, Jed Graham worked hard on the McCoy farm. All of the McCoy men and even a couple of the women worked from dawn till dusk to bring in the harvest. As Jed worked his ass off, he gained the respect of the McCoy boys, even Tolbert was giving him a better time. While Jed was busting his ass on the farm, he was also getting closer to Alifair McCoy. Their talks got longer and they began sneaking away to spend more time alone. The more time Jed and Alifair spent together, the more they began to fall for each other. It all came to a head one night after the McCoy's had gone to bed. Jed and Alifair snuck out to the porch and looked up at the starry night. As they laid on their backs and held hands, He could see the blush on her cheeks.
"The stars sure are pretty tonight." She commented.
"Not as pretty as you." Jed replied as Alifair's turned deep red. Without warning, he leaned in and gave her a chaste kiss upon the lips. As Jed pulled back, Alifair shut her eyes and let a squeal of pure glee. He chuckled as he kissed her again. This time she returned it. However, Alifair soon regained her senses and stopped Jed.
"Jed, we can't do dis." She protested.
"Why not?" He asked. "Don't ya want ta?"
"I do...but it ain't proper. We ain't even courting yet."
"Well then, I'll ask Mr. McCoy to allow it, make it proper." Alifair kissed Jed as they held hands.
"I always reckoned that Roseanna be the first one ta get hitched." She admitted as Jed cupped her cheek.
"I will marry you Alifair McCoy, if ya will have me." He swore.
"Get my poppy's permission Jedidiah Graham, and I will be your wife." She swore in return as they snuggled up together.
Things changed for Jed Graham and the rest of the McCoy family on the day that Floyd Hatfield passed by with his crate of hogs. Everyone was hard at work clearing the fields for the harvest when old Floyd passed by.
"Howdy, neighbors." He said as he stopped by the field. "Randall, Miss Sally."
"Howdy do, Floyd." Sally replied.
"Blessed day, ain't it?" Floyd asked.
"Sure is." Randall replied.
"How's your harvest this season?"
"Fair to middling, better than the last one, but not as good as the next."
"Seems good ta me." Selkirk told Jed as they kept working.
"Your hogs fattened up nice." Mr. McCoy commented.
"Ornery critters." Floyd pointed out. "Had the kids and dogs try to round them up but these two kept squealing off." Randall looked at the pigs and recognized one of them. Those were his markings on one of them, he was damn sure about that.
"Tell me, Floyd, how long you had that spotted shoat there?"
"He was bred last year."
"I know when it was bred, that's my marking on its ears."
"No, Randall, you're mistook."
"I notch my swines particular so I do not get mistook."
"Well, you know young pigs is, wanderers." Floyd offered. "I expect you got one or two of mine hanging in your smokehouse."
"I do not." Randall insisted. "How many more of my pigs you took? How much pork you taking from my family to stuff your belly?"
"Hang on, Randall, that's a serious accusal." Floyd pointed out. "You is being quarrelsome."
"I am, am I? Well, how's this for quarrelsome?" McCoy said as he grabbed his sickle. "Damn you for a pig thief, Floyd Hatfield." Floyd made a face, but pulled his horse along and said nothing.
"Come on, come on get." Floyd told his horse.
"I guess all you Hatfields are the same!" Randall cried out after him. Jed spat on the ground. What kind of people were these Hatfields? Thieving swine from their neighbors.
A few days later, Randall's cousin: a man by the name of Perry Cline came to the McCoy home for Sunday supper. As expected, the topic of the stolen pig did come up.
"Did you get enough to eat, Perry?"
"Thank you, an elegant sufficiency Aunt Sally." Perry nodded.
"Roseanna, help me clear the table." Sally commanded. "Alifair, help the little ones."
"This matter of Floyd Hatfield and the theft of your livestock." Perry said.
"He lied and denied it to my face."
"We sue." Perry decided. "It's useful to think of the law as a muscle; like a muscle, it can be strengthened with proper use, use too little, it becomes feeble and too weak to protect you."
"Well, that's fine talk, Perry." Randall sighed. "You got the gift, Floyd Hatfield lives on the other side of the river."
"Where a Hatfield sits as judge." Sally pointed out.
"I can arrange a jury trial." Mr. Cline countered. "We'll sit six McCoys and six Hatfields. Now, it won't get you justice for your poor murdered brother, we win this case, it's a kind of justice nonetheless."
"It strikes me as foolish." Sally argued.
"How's that, ma'am?" Perry asked.
"Going to court over a pig, makes us look like some village idiot."
"Sally." Mr. McCoy chided. "I suppose in the end God punishes all transgression.
"But as you well know oftentimes the good Lord expects us to be the instrument of his will." Perry explained.
"What say you, Jim?" Randall asked.
"I say we sue." Jim replied.
"You can't let them Hatfield's git away with dis." Jed agreed. Randall nodded.
"We gonna sue those Hatfield bastards." He decided.
NEXT TIME, THE HATFIELDS AND MCCOYS GO TO TRIAL...AND JED ASKS RANDALL MCCOY A QUESTION. REVIEWS NEEDED AND APPRECIATED.
FACE CLAIMS
FLOYD HATFIELD- LLOYD HUTCHINSON
PERRY CLINE- RONAN VIBERT
JIM MCCOY- TOM MCKAY