Chapter 24

Outside the jail, Pauline was waiting for Jeb beside her car. "Jeb, Darlin' I'm beginning to think that your staying isn't such a good idea."

Jeb started to protest but was cut off by Jesse. "Pauline this has been arranged for sometime now. Don't make me call John on this or air the Duke past right here on Main Street. I am sure that you remember John when he was Luke's age. Nothing that anyone could tell him would have stopped him from trying to prove that he knew more than us older ones who had already been there." he motioned to Jeb and Bo, "Just like these two. I can ride heard on them now, but once they reach that magic age of eighteen they too will think they don't have to listen anymore. It is a stage Luke is going through and these two, not matter what they see him go through, or are kept from knowing, will think they can do it just a might different and not get into trouble. So Jeb is going to stay here and help out on the farm and be a teenager."

Pauline had heard Jesse loud and clear about calling her husband, John David. She knew that he would agree with Jesse, yet it was hard to leave Jeb for the entire summer. "Alright, but I expect you to call me and I'll be checking in on you more than I usually do."

Jeb promptly said, "Yes, Ma'am."

After the goodbyes were said, Pauline got in the big car and headed toward Placid County. Jeb waited until she had rounded the turn in town square before he let out the breath that he had been holding since he'd found out Luke was in jail. He had been sure that his mother would not be lettin' him stay with his Uncle Jesse. Now if he and Bo could just figure out why she let him stay. Being younger than Luke there were several stories they had either not been privileged to hear or had been too busy to listen when they had been told.

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Luke watched the family meet outside the courthouse. He was relieved when he saw his aunt Pauline drive off without Jeb. He'd hated to think that she didn't let Jeb spend the summer with them because of his actions. He was sure that Jesse had something to do to influence her letting Jeb stay. Luke was now thinking about how fast his situation would be spread to Dukes far and wide. He silently swore at the thoughts of dealing with the concerned family members whom he knew would be calling to find out the 'rest of the story'. Luke's thoughts, then went to the more immediate situation. He knew from talking to Peggy that he was in deep with the Judge. Trouble was just how deep was he in with the toughest Judge in the Tri-Counties and likely the next few states. Ralph still had not been moved back down stairs as Luke looked around at the small cell securely surrounded by the thick bars. Trouble was he considered himself one of the strongest in his bunch but knew that his strengthwas no match for cold hard steel that stood between him and his freedom, besides there is no way Jesse would allow anything different, knowing that Luke had messed up. Luke could only hope that Peggy heard enough of Ralph's egging to at least show that he'd not jumped without being provoked. Yet, Luke didn't think the Judge would understand his actions no matter how much provocation he'd had from Ralph. The summer afternoon was hot as he turned back to the window to see that his family had already went on about their normal routine without him, just like all his friends had. Luke knew visitation was limited and all but mail wasn't. Luke thought of the number of 'friends' he'd had just a few short days ago, yet he hadn't heard a word from most of them. Other than his family and Cooter, Luke was pretty sure that all his 'friends' were going right along with their own lives and never though twice about him. Thinking of Cooter he remembered the magazine he'd been slipped. With nothing else to do he may as well enjoy the view the additions had to offer. Taking the magazine out, Luke positioned himself to where it appeared he was looking at a 4x4 magazine.

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Now back at the Duke farm it surely didn't take long for the boys to start asking questions about the Duke past.

"Uncle Jesse, what were you talkin' about?" asked Bo. He knew some stories about their past, but certainly not all of it, and this sounded more than interesting to the young Duke.

Jeb looked at his Uncle. "My daddy spent time in jail?" he asked, eyes round as saucers.

Jesse sighed, "Boys, ... I don't want to glorify things or anything like that, but we Dukes have always had a stubborn bone in our bodies. Seems that between the ages of 16 and twenty-one we all go a bit off the 'deep end'." Jesse paused, "And Jeb, ... your mother knows more about this than she seems to wants to admit..."

Jeb was excited to hear some of the family secrets. Pauline had always kept a "gag order" on John David about the past. "I always asked Daddy about growin' up in Hazzard, and he never would tell me much."

Jesse began, "First of all, Jeb, your father was the youngest of all our family. I, as you know, was the oldest. No matter how much that I tried to convince him or the others that they did not know everything that there was to know, the more they thought they knew much more than me. As your mother told ya'll, he had a car that could out run about anything in the tri-counties. ... As Luke asked, it was one that we got from the Mason Lodge's auction. It still had Johnson County Sheriff painted on the side..."

Bo grinned. "Uncle John raced an old Sheriff's car? Bet THAT sure made the county mad!"

Jesse turned to look at the young man, shaking his head, imagining that THIS one would be a handful, too. "Do you want to hear this story?" Jesse asked.

Bo's mouth shut quickly and he looked at his uncle, suddenly very quiet.

Jesse began a limited account of a few events as he knew he'd be repeating them for all the others in detail once Luke was home. "We heard about an auction down at the Mason's Lodge. All the proceeds were going to charity so we decided to check this out. Pauline is right, she didn't know where the car came from. It was before they got together and as appalled as she seemed at the memories, I think it was actually the fast car that made her give your Daddy a second look," Jesse told Jeb.

At that piece of information, Jeb looked totally surprised and got even more interested.

Bo laughed at Jeb's reaction and the thought of his uppity aunt.

Jesse continued, "We had made an extra dollar or two on some good runs and was looking for another runner, but we never expected to find a car like that, let alone at such a good price. Well, now after we got that car home the first thing we had to do was shoot a coat of primer then John and I tore it down and rebuilt that engine from the ground up. It wasn't hurt, but we added a few touches."

Bo being a bit older than Jeb, remembered the car, but hadn't heard where it had came from, "I'll say they did! I can still remember the rattling sound of the windows when Uncle John would reeve it up!"

Jeb still wondered, "So what about jail? Did Dad ever go to jail?"

Jesse knew there was no way to dodge that direct of question, but he held his hand up to make sure that he was heard all the way out, "Yes, he did. As your mother said the fact that he could out run about anything on the road on a daily basis and the fact that we had gotten our hands on a 'police car' had surely not set right from everyone from the local law right on up to the revenuers and ATF."

"Revenuers and ATF? You surely don't mean that Daddy ran shine with ya'll?" Jeb asked in total disbelief.

Jesse frowned in frustration. "Moonshining has always been a family business for over two hundred years. It's not just something you do on occasion it has been something we've done out of tradition as well as need. The farm can only pull in so much income and if you have a bad year, ... we've had to have something to fall back on. Son, all those times your mother thought he was over here racin', he was with us running shine. That is how he made the extra money to keep her in the finer things that she insisted on having."

"So did Mom know this?" Jeb asked.

"There are somethingsyour mother never wanted to know. Besides, after she convinced your Dad to move to Placid County away from the rest of us, mostly, she figured that she had him right where she wanted him. Under her thumb. But, your Daddy is a lot more Duke than she cares to admit." Jesse said simply and thought of the powerful car that Pauline herself had driven here. It may have been a 'luxury car' but there was no doubt that John hadn't made sure it had the maximum horses under the hood just in case they were needed. Jesse continued, "So, every time they could box John in they did so, just to search the car sure that he had a load of shine. When they turned up empty, he was booked for everything from speeding, up, trying to get their hands on that car." Jesse sighed, in for a ounce, in for a pound, "And there was a time that he was known to show himself up town. All this really amounted to is he'd be picked up and call me to come get him. Hazzard has most always been more interested in a stiff fine than locking someone up, but John has had 'a smack on the wrist', ... about like Luke is getting now, a time, ... or three." Jesse seen the look pass between his nephews and added, "And no, he and Luke are not the only Dukes ever to have been on the other side of the bars for one reason or another.

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As Vector426, pointed out I have used some lines and ideas from Steve Earl's Copperhead Road. Also, some information from another TV movie that inspired the DOH. Just a bit of Trivia I'll mention to see if anyone spots it.