Cub Mania

I squared off with my fists raised and dared Billy Joe to repeat what he’d just said. He did.

“Why’s she treating you so nice? ‘Jake Barton’” he mimicked in a high pitched voice, “’Would you please collect the homework and bring it up to my desk?’ Teacher’s pet!”

“I’m not teacher’s pet, and if you just shut your yap for a minute, I’ll tell you what happened this weekend.”

I knew that if I couldn’t calm down my friends Billy Joe and Johnnie, we’d end up brawling all over the school yard, and end up in the usual amount of trouble, but I couldn’t let him get away with calling me a teacher’s pet..

“Miss Taylor got attacked by a bear, and my Paw and I helped save her from a horrible death. You should have seen the size of its claws. It could have ripped her to shreds faster than your Paw can take a swig from his jug. And it roared so loud you’d have thought it was thunder. Anyway, I shot it dead and we saved its cubs and they’re in Deputy Deakin’s impound barn waiting to go to a zoo.”

Billy Joe’s mouth fell open, and his eyes grew wide. “Honest Injun?”

“Every word,” chimed in Jeb. He rolled up his sleeve. “See these scratches? They’re from the cubs.”

“You’re just making it all up,” scoffed Johnnie. “The deputy wouldn’t have no bears in his barn. We weren’t born yesterday, and if you don’t say you’re lying, I’ll hit you right on your nose.”

“I thought you were my friend!” I yelped.

“Friends don’t tell each other such hogwash,” he retorted.

By this time the yelling had attracted a bit of a crowd, kids keen to see what all the fuss was about.

“I’m going to fetch the claws in to school tomorrow to prove it.”

“They’ve prob’ly been in the family since before the town was built.”

“I’m not lying,” I yelled, all caution thrown to the wind as I defended my honour.

“I never said you were. I just think you’re telling stories.”

Just then, I heard a most welcome voice. Miss Taylor was asking, “Boys, boys! What’s going on here?”

Everybody tried to talk at once, so Miss Taylor pointed at Johnnie and asked him what was going on.

“Aw Miss, it’s Jake telling stories again. He’s trying to make us believe he put a couple of bear cubs in the deputy’s barn. He even got Jeb to stick up for him.”

“And did he also tell you that he and his father saved me from their mother? Let’s all go sit quietly in the shade, and I’ll tell you what happened yesterday. Then you can apologise to Jake for accusing him of lying.”

The bell rang before Miss Taylor had finished her tale, but none of us made our way back into the classroom until Miss Taylor came to the end of her narrative, and stood up, brushing the dust off her black skirt.

“Oh!” squealed Ellie Sue Hatfield. “I’ve never seen a bear cub before. Can I go with you after school to have a look at them? I promise I’ll be good, and I won’t call you a liar.”

Her plea was quickly taken up by the other kids. Suddenly the most important thing in life in Pollen Bend school was getting to see a couple of bears. I didn’t know how Deputy Deakin would react to a horde of school kids rampaging around his barn, so I looked across at Miss Taylor for help.

“I’ll write the deputy a note asking if you can go visit the cubs, and one of you can take it around during lunch break. Who would like to volunteer?” I guess Johnnie was feeling a tad guilty at making me out to be a liar, as his hand was the first in the air.

“Very well Johnnie. Now, back into the classroom. We’ve all wasted enough time this morning. You can open your history books at page 42, and read to the end of the chapter while I write the note. Then we’ll all answer some questions on the beginning of the British Industrial Revolution.” To an assortment of groans we filed back into the classroom and took our seats.

I don’t recall that any of us answered many questions correctly that morning, but excitement at seeing the bear cubs was at fever pitch, and Miss Taylor’s caustic comments were mostly disregarded by all.

We eagerly awaited Johnnie’s return from seeing the deputy, and let out a cheer when he finally appeared, just before class resumed. “Well, what did he say?” I demanded.

“I don’t know,” he mumbled, shamefacedly. “Deputy Deakin wrote down his answer on this piece of paper.”

“Well, didn’t you read it?” I demanded.

“Couldn’t,” he responded. “I can’t seem to work out joined up writing.” The only reason I didn’t beat his head in and take the paper from him was that I couldn’t read joined up writing either.

Miss Taylor raised her head from the note and addressed the class. “Deputy Deakin has approved of you going to see the bear cubs…” She was interrupted by a chorus of cheers. “But he has insisted that no more than two children at a time enter the barn, accompanied by Jake and Jeb, who will be responsible for everyone’s conduct. And at the first sign of any ruckus, you will all be sent home immediately. Is that clear?”

“Yes, Miss Taylor.”

After a very long afternoon, and school was over for the day, we erupted from the classroom and grouped in the schoolyard, ready for the march through our sleepy town to the impound barn. Before we could get started, we were suddenly joined by what seemed to be the whole school. Word had spread of our treat, and everybody’s dearest ambition in life was to go see the bears. From a dozen of us, suddenly we were a mob fifty strong.

Mr Bodean, our Principal, appeared on the school steps and signalled for quiet. “I see there’s quite an expedition setting out,” he started. “Because there are so many of you going, I think I should detail a teacher to go with you and help keep the peace. Please wait quietly for a few minutes while I organise that.”

It came as no surprise that Miss Taylor was the teacher chosen to accompany us. Privately I thought she’d asked for the job so that she could see the cubs again, and make sure they were being housed properly.

Upon arriving at the impound barn after marching through the town in double file, Miss Taylor kept the school in check while Jeb and I went to get the key from Deputy Don.

“I have news for you two boys, “ he said as he handed it over to me. “Doc Harkin came to see me and told me he got a telegraph from Memphis Zoo. They are keen to get their hands on the cubs, and will send a couple of crates by rail, so we can crate them up and put them on the Memphis train. They should be here by late tomorrow, and we can send the bears day after.”

Jeb clouded over, and I feared he was about to disgrace me by crying, so I gabbled “That’s great, Deputy Deakin,” before grabbing Jeb’s arm and hauling him away quickly. “Jeb, don’t be silly. You know they have to go to the zoo.”

“I know,” he moaned, “I just didn’t think it would be this quick.”

For the next hour we watched as the kids came into the barn two by two and admired the cubs. There was no lack of volunteers to refill the buckets of water, and we had to stop some kids giving the cubs left over lunch items. We didn’t think that Old Maw Jefferson’s rock hard cornbread would be good for them. Jethro Jefferson wasn’t thriving on it. Miss Taylor was pleased that the cubs had found a new home at Memphis Zoo, where they would get plenty of the attention they appeared to be thriving on. We managed to get the two cubs into one stall for a while so they could play, and their antics delighted everybody as they played to the crowd.

Eventually we said goodnight and chased the last pair of kids out of the barn. We’d asked them all to bring in a piece of fruit for the cubs the following day so we wouldn’t have to haul their feed all the way from the farm. Poor as we kids were, there was usually plenty of windfall fruit around.

Miss Taylor was so impressed by the good behaviour of the school that she excused us all from homework that night, and said she’d make it right with the teachers of the other classes. As we all began the walk back to the school, except for the few kids who lived out in this direction, Jeb and I were suddenly the flavour of the month with our schoolmates.

It was such a heady feeling being the centre of attention that I began wondering if I could find a couple of elephant cubs as an encore. But no, Deputy Don would never agree to keeping them in his impound barn!