Chapter Twenty-Seven
A roar went up from the crowd as Jess took one last bite of his pie finishing, and swallowing, about two seconds before the second place winner.
"The winner is Jess Harper of Laramie!" Hank Russell made the formal announcement.
"Yippee!" Cam and Mike yelled.
"You wear your pie very well, Mr. Harper," Cam laughed when he turned around and she got a good look at his face.
From about his nose down, Jess' face was covered with blackberry juice and bits of berry and crust.
The two youngsters giggled at the sight. Jess was not laughing. He may not have been able to see his face but the front of his light blue shirt had splotches of blueberry juice as well as bits of berry on it.
You two think this is funny don't you?" Jess handed the towel he had been give to wipe his face with back to the woman who had given it to him. "Thanks," he said remembering his manners.
"Now as for you two..." He didn't get to finish his apparent threat.
The two youngsters took one look at his face and started running with the Texan in hot pursuit
"Excuse us," Cam said as she and Mike dodged around a man and his wife.
"Sorry," Mike said as he bumped into another fairgoer.
The two of them joined hands so that Mike could keep up. Behind them they could hear the disgruntled cowboy yelling. Jess didn't run for very long though, as his injured ankle started to bother him. He was forced to slow down which allowed the two pranksters to get far away from him in a short space of time.
"The winner, of the greased pig contest- Slim Sherman of Laramie!"
"Congratulations, Mattie," Gordon clapped his friend on the back causing Slim to lose his grip. The pig slipped from his arms and started running. Startled spectators scattered with shouts and screams. Boys, ten and older, attempted to catch it. Adult men tried and failed.
It was this maelstrom of confusion that Cam and Mike encountered in their flight from the site of the pie eating contest to escape Jess' apparent threats of retribution. They joined the fray briefly before someone remembered that a farmer friend had said that pigs were fond of corn and apples. Somebody got some corn and an apple and laid a trail from the arena to its cage and soon thereafter the pig was contained and order restored. The pig was ready for transport to the orphanage any time.
Only after the pig was caught and penned did Cam notice that her uncle, cousin and Slim were among the crowd. Her uncle was facing her with a big smile and a wink. Gordon and Slim had their backs to her yet.
Cam and Mike made their way through the crowd to David's side. When she finally got a look at the two younger men of the family for Slim was as much a McAllister as he was a Sherman as far and Doctor and Mrs. McAllister were concerned - she saw that their clothes were covered with dust, dirt and grease.
The girl looked them up and down. Anyone who knew her would have said they could see the wheels turning as she put two and two together and came up with the answer as to why their clothes were in that condition.
"Greased pig. Dirty clothes. Greasy clothes." She put her left arm around Mike's shoulders. "You know what I think Mike?"
"No," the boy answered as he stared at the two men with big eyes.
"I think these two were in the greased pig contest."
"Huh?" Mike, and his parents, had been on the move for so long that they had never settled in a community long enough to attend any fairs. The nine-year-old had never heard of a greased pig contest, let alone seen one.
"It's like this Mike." Cam quickly explained the rules to the boy.
Mike's eyes lit up as he looked Slim and Gordy up and down.
"You mean..."
"Yup. My darling cousin and your brother have been rolling around in the dirt wrestling a greased pig," she laughed. "So who won?" the girl asked the men.
"I did," Slim told her sheepishly.
"Do I see the hand of David McAllister in this turn of events?" she asked her uncle all the while figuring she knew the answer to her question.
"You certainly do," Gordon said indignantly. "He blackmailed us."
"More like shame us into it," Slim said, "by telling us how Mrs. McAllister, and Daisy, would be disappointed if we didn't enter it."
"Don't feel bad, Slim. Wait'll you see Jess." the youngsters told him.
"I'd rather he never found out about this."
"Oh, you don't have to worry about him laughing at you and you just having to take it." Cam's eyes sparkled. "I think, and I'm sure Mike will agree with me, that you'll be laughing at him too. Right Mike?"
"Yeah. You'll be laughing at him too," the boy agreed.
"She's got that look in her eyes, Slim," Gordon said to his friend.
"The angelic, totally innocent look?
"That's the one."
Turning to the youngsters, Slim asked, "What did you two do to Jess?"
"We entered him in a contest - which he won," Cam answered evasively.
"I repeat. What did you do to Jess?
"Why don't you ask him? If I'm not mistaken here he comes now," Cam answered with a laugh.
Shirt, vest and even pants to a certain extent, stained with blackberry juice, Jess made his way toward them.
Slim's eyebrows went up to his hairline at the sight of his partner. Jess' attention, however, was focused on his two young friends who had set him up to enter the pie eating contest. Said friends quickly ducked behind Dr. McAllister who was grinning widely.
"What was the big idea?" the Texan demanded to know.
"Whatever do you mean, Jess?" Cam asked innocently but fooling no one.
"You two set me up. You knew I'd never enter that contest if you didn't. Just look at my clothes! Daisy'll never get the blackberry stains out of my shirt and pants!"
Slim couldn't hold it in any longer. He started laughing at the sight of Jess' clothes and the woebegone look on his face. His laughter drew Jess' attention. Jess' extremely mobile eyebrows arched as he took in his partner's appearance.
"What'd you do - fall in that barrel of axle grease you always tell me I have a foot in?"
"What did you do - fall in a bakery shelf full of pies?" Slim countered.
"No - I got tricked into entering a pie eating contest by two little schemers!"
"We - Gordy and I - got pressured into entering the greased pig contest."
"Looks like there's more grease on you than the pig," Jess grinned momentarily forgetting his own sorry state.
"And you look like most of your pie wound up on your clothes!"
The two men stood staring at each other for a long minute before they both started laughing. The others joined in. When they had calmed down Dr. McAllister got the story out of Cam and Mike about how they had entered Jess in the pie eating contest.
"You know Father, sometimes I think Cam is your blood relative instead of Mother's. She's definitely got your sense of humor."
Cam grinned. She adored her uncle and was happy to be compared to him.
While they were talking Hank Russell came up to them with a blue rosette, a trophy and an envelope of money.
"Mr. Harper, you left in such a hurry we didn't have a chance to give you your ribbon or trophy."
"Yeah, well I was trying to catch up to the two little schemers who set me up for that contest," the Texan replied.
"Here you go." Russell pinned the ribbon to Jess' shirt and gave him the trophy.
"This ain't made of silver," Jess said as he took it.
"No, it's not. Rusell confirmed. "It's marzipan."
"Marzipan."
Slim roared. "That's just what Jess needs - an edible trophy."
Russell went on to explain that marzipan was a confection made primarily of sugar or honey and ground almonds. The local bakery had not only donated the pies used in the contest, the owner had thought that a marzipan trophy would draw even more attention to his budding business. Consequently the bakery's top cake decorator had been put to work on a candy trophy.
The trophy was six inches tall and had First Prize carved into the front surface. It was shaped like any other trophy and was a real work of art.
Hank Russell turned to David McAllister.
"Doc, your wife is the treasurer of the fair committee. Please give her this envelope and have her deposit it Monday morning."
David took the envelope and peeked inside.
"That's a considerable amount of money, Hank," he said. "Where did you get it?"
Russell frowned. "Took it off Jim Riley before we escorted him off the grounds. He was taking bets on the outcome of the pie eating contest."
"What?" David was astounded.
"Nothing the Riley brothers do surprises me any more," Gordon said.
'Yes, well, the ones who were foolish enough to make wagers are too embarrassed to say so. We confiscated the money. There's one hundred dollars there, and it's to go into the fund we started for the orphanage."
David took the envelope promising to hand it over to Hannah when he got home.
Shaking hands with Jess, Hank said, "Congratulations Mr. Harper, for winning the pie eating contest. It was quite a sight." With that he walked away chuckling.
""No wonder you're a wreck," Slim said. "You wear it well."
'I think Mike and I will head home and see if we can help aunt Hannah and Mrs. Cooper with dinner," the teenager said inching away from the group. "We'll get hot water on for your baths too. I'm sure you three," she nodded at her cousin and friends, "will want to clean up before dressing for the dance."
Quickly the two youngsters made their escape.
David took one look at his son and their friends and roared with laughter.
"She's right. All three of you look like we should dunk you in the creek before we even allow you at the dinner table. Especially Slim - the winner of the greased pig contest."
"Very funny," Gordon groused.
"Come on boys. I think we've had enough fair for one day. Let's go home." He put his arm around Jess' shoulders. "While we walk we'll educate Jess on the warning signs of Cam's plotting something."
"Like getting me into a pie eating contest?"
"Well, yes. You walked right into that one, dear boy, with your eyes wide open. Free pies indeed." David's dark eyes twinkled while his mustache twitched as he tried not to laugh.
"Don't feel bad - remember I slickered Gordon and Slim into entering the greased pig contest."
"I sure hope we're not having pie for dessert," the Texan moaned. "I don't think I want to see another pie for at least a week.