Around ten o'clock the next morning, the chores were done once again thanks to Thomas's early start. With a promise to return in time for supper, the boys offered some excuse related to the Hatchapee race to explain their day long absence. With a wave to Jesse they left the farm and drove toward town, intent on seeking the truth about Thomas's past for themselves.
Considering that Thomas's adoptive parents had passed and all of the old hospital records had been destroyed, Bo wasn't quite sure where they should begin. But when he looked over in the driver's seat and noticed the thoughtful expression on Luke's face, he knew that his older cousin had already been hard at work with a plan.
"So where we goin', Luke?" Bo asked.
"The library." Luke replied. That's where they keep all of the old newspapers from the Hazzard Gazette."
"Well what do you think we're gonna find there?"
"I don't know, maybe nothing, maybe a lot." Luke replied. "If we at least come across a birth announcement with a decent picture of Thomas that would be more than we got now."
"But what good do you think a picture would do? Jesse's baby was born into an emergency situation. It's not like he had time to sit around and gaze at him."
"A lot of things can be forgot in this life, Bo, but ask any parent if they can recall how their young'in looked when they first laid eyes on him and chances are they're gonna say yes."
"Yeah, but if what Thomas says is true and that picture is a month old? Babies can change a lot in a month, can't they?"
Luke groaned in frustration. "You got any better ideas, Bo?"
"Well…..no."
"Then let's stop arguing and just go on over there. We sure ain't gonna end up any worse off than we are right now."
"Alright." Bo replied, holding his hands up in defeat.
The rest of the trip remained silent as they drove toward the library, a small, freestanding block building just off of Hazzard Square. Unfortunately for the citizens of Hazzard, the state sent funds for the operating costs directly to Boss Hogg's office. And Boss, seeing little need to waste taxpayers' money with the full time operation of a seldom-used non- profit establishment, limited operating hours to Thursdays when the buses from the orphanage and from the Frothy camp arrived for their weekly visit. At all other times visitors arrived to find a note pinned to the door saying that if, and only if, she should be available, they were to go to the post office and request that Miz Tizdale open up for them.
Because the placement of that note was common knowledge, the first stop in town for the boys was the post office.
"Mornin' Miz Tizdale." The boys sang out in chorus upon entering the post office. Without waiting for instruction, Luke immediately went over and pulled the number 1 card from the stack.
"Number 1." Miz Tizdale announced, having noticed the card being taken.
"Right here." Luke grinned in amusement, placing the card on the counter. "Glad to see you come through that motorcycle accident just fine."
"Of course I did." She announced in a way that said no one should expect anything less.
"But listen boys, I ain't got time to chit chat, what can I do for you today?"
"That's alright Miz Tizdale." Bo replied. "We just wanted to get the key for the library from you."
"The library?" Miz Tizdale asked. "I can't do that. The library is a public building, and I can't just give you the key. There has to be an attendant."
"Well isn't that who you are?" Luke asked.
"I am. But I can't go over there right now. As you can see, I'm just plumb covered up in here today."
Bo and Luke looked around at the empty office that held no other customers before looking at each other in confusion. "Uh, when do you think things might let up?" Luke asked, turning back to the postmistress.
"Probably won't be today boys. The main office in Atlanta sent out notices yesterday sayin' they wanted a complete inventory list from everybody mailed back first thing tomorrow mornin'. So I'm gonna be busy busy busy."
"We understand that Miz Tizdale. But if you would let us have the key and go over there, just for a little while, we promise we'll be careful."
"I'm sorry boys, but like I said, I can't just hand out the key. Regulation."
The boys could tell by the determined look on her face and the cementing word 'regulation' that her mind was made up. Suddenly, Luke brightened with an idea. "Uh, that's okay Miz Tizdale." He said, turning to his cousin. "C'mon Bo, we'll just hafta tell Uncle Jesse he's lookin' at Thursday before he'll get them poetry books."
"Wait a minute." Miz Tizdale stopped the boys as they made their way out, as Luke knew she would at hearing Jesse's name. "What's this about Jesse and poetry books?"
"Oh." Luke replied. "Well, I don't know if Jesse would want me to say nothin'. He probably wouldn't, would he Bo?"
"Oh uh, gosh, probably not." Bo replied, his grin as he looked at Luke barely masking his confusion.
"Oh you can tell me. I swear it won't get past this room." Miz Tizdale pleaded with an excited grin.
"Well….." Luke grinned as if he were reluctant to share a secret. "Don't spread it around or nothing, but Uncle Jesse………..he's takin' to writing love poems."
"Love poems?" Miz Tizdale asked with a dreamy sigh.
"Yeah. Seems he's got his eye on some lady." Luke continued. "He won't say who it is, but he did tell us she works here in town. Seems she's always invitin' him to her place for dinner, filling his ear with sweet nothin's…….."
"And wears the prettiest flowered dresses." Bo added, catching on quickly as he noticed Miz Tizdale's dress.
"Oh but never mind, you're busy and me and Bo, well, we gotta get home and tell him he'll have to wait on his books and…………."
"Now hang on just a minute." Miz Tizdale interrupted, hurriedly opening a drawer and taking the library key out. "I suppose inventory can wait just a few more minutes. Now you boys hurry along with me and we'll get over there and get that sweet Uncle Jesse of yours those books."
Bo and Luke simply looked at each other and grinned as Miz Tizdale hurried around them and out the front door.
"Okay what kind of poetry books do you think he would want?" She asked, after they had arrived at the library and the door had been unlocked.
"Oh, I don't think we'd be good at picking any out. Why don't you do it for us?" Bo asked.
"Oh I'd be glad to." Miz Tizdale giggled as she headed off into the poetry section.
"Hey if you don't mind me and Bo's gonna get a little nostalgic and look at some old newspapers while you're doin' that." Luke said.
"Sure Luke, they're in the room behind the desk." Miz Tizdale replied.
After they had entered the room, it didn't take long to spot the rows of big binders that lined the back wall. Locating the 1947 archive, they pulled it from the shelf and opened it up on the front counter.
Finding nothing for the month of July other that an obituary for 'Infant Duke', they quickly turned to August and located something of interest.
"Hey Bo, look at this." Luke said, pointing to a headline. 'Doctor G. Shepard Arranges Two More Adoptions'
Following a photo of the doctor surrounded by two couples, the mothers gazing lovingly at their new children who were wrapped in blankets, was an article announcing the 50th and 51st adoptions arranged by the locally famed doctor. The writer made brief mention of the names of the new parents but mostly concentrated on the doctor and his contributions to the hospital and society in general.
"Well at least we know Thomas's parents were named Eugene and Dotty." Bo offered.
"Yeah. Only problem is they've passed on, so we're right back to square one." Luke sighed. "We don't even get a good picture of Thomas. He's so wound up in that blanket you can't even see his face."
"Here you go boys. I think these books will do your Uncle Jesse just fine." Miz Tizdale announced, walking up and dropping a stack of books next to the newspapers.
"Miz Tizdale, any chance you know who these people are?" Luke asked, pointing to the picture at the other couple next to the doctor, hoping they might offer some insight.
"Why I sure do. That's Frances and Margaret Peterson. I believe your Uncle Jesse knows Margaret. Seems like they might've graduated together."
"Hmm. I don't think Jesse's ever mentioned a Margaret Peterson before." Bo mused.
"Well he might'ave referred to her as Margaret Appleby. That was her name back before she married."
"Appleby?" Luke asked. "Any relation to Doc Appleby?"
"Why sure that's his sister." Miz Tizdale replied.
Now Bo and Luke knew who to talk to next. "Thanks a lot Miz Tizdale!" They called out, walking quickly to the door.
"Wait a minute. Don't you want these poetry books?" She asked.
"Oh…yeah." Luke replied, rushing back in and pulling out his seldom used library card.
Once Miz Tizdale had finished stamping them, she handed them back to Luke. "Now you tell Jesse to get these back by the due date, hear? I take overdue books very seriously. I come to collect them personally." She giggled, winking at Luke.
"I'll keep that in mind." Luke replied, offering one more amused grin as he exited the library.
XXXXXXXXXXXXX
When the boys got in touch with Doc Appleby, he quickly informed them that his knowledge of Dr. Shepard's adoptions was limited and that everything certainly seemed legitimate as far as his own nephew's adoption had gone. However he was quite familiar with Shirley, the nurse Thomas had spoke to. He had known her for many years and considered her one of the most knowledgeable employees of the hospital staff. Suggesting that a talk with her would be the best route they could take in their seach for answers, he had agreed to join the boys when they went to meet with her.
"You say late '48, Shirley?" Doc Appleby asked.
"Same as I told the young man who was in here a couple of days ago, doctor." Shirley replied as she, Doc Appleby, Bo and Luke sat around the same break room table she had sat at with Thomas earlier in the week. "It was well over a year after I had started working here that I saw an infant die. He was premature. Poor little thing didn't weigh more than two pounds."
"Well that sure wasn't the problem with Jesse's baby." Luke mused.
"Thank you Shirley, we know you're busy and we'll be on our way now." Doc Appleby announced before he and the boys excused themselves.
"Well there you have it." Doc Appleby said after they had exited the nursery. "I know you boys would have liked to have heard something more, but Shirley has always been a very sharp-minded individual. If she says there were no infant deaths her first year here, then I believe her."
"But she didn't remember Jesse's baby being sick either." Bo added, a point he remembered from an earlier part of their conversation.
"Bo, the death of a baby is easy to remember. Remembering all the sick babies……. impossible. We are in a place that specializes in the care of the sick, you realize."
As Bo smirked, the doctor patted him on the shoulder. "I've gotta get going boys. I hope talking to Shirley at least helped."
"It did Doc. Thanks for arranging it." Luke replied as the doctor made his way down the hall.
After Doc Appleby disappeared Luke simply stood with his hands in his pocket, deep in thought for a while.
"Well Luke, what can we do now?" Bo asked after he could no longer stand the silence.
Luke shrugged his shoulders. "When you take everything into account, there's only one thing left to do."
"What's that?"
Heaving a sigh, Luke replied. "Go home and say hello to our new cousin."
Guess that's gonna mess things up for Daisy's love life, ain't it?