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Follow The Sun Novel Now Reinstalled...Volume 1 follow-the-sun-by-e-v-pete-hester This novel, click on the title and when reading, it moves right to left by using your little wheel on top of your mouse. A little different but you soon get used to...

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A Repost On The Abortion Debate Doesn't Belong On Billboards Kathleen Parker wrote: Abortion Debate Doesn’t Belong on Billboards Posted by Pete | Posted in News | Posted on 24-05-2019 2 Pete Hester wrote Kathleen the following e-mail today: I...

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Coalfire Stories....from an earlier posting There is no Wikipedia information on Coalfire, Pickens County,  Alabama….It is not included…So, you are gonna have to just trust me or the twenty-five or thirty or fifty other people who can talk...

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St. Jude Children Research Hospital. Please Give. ... Luke 18 verses 15 - 17...."Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belong to such as these"....I try to give something every month to St Jude. What an institution...

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J. I. Hall, Jr…..A Western Novel by E. V. Pete Hester

Posted by Pete | Posted in Downloads, News | Posted on 09-03-2016

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This is my latest novel and it is not in a good format for reading, however, it is readable. I enjoyed writing this book and I had problems finding a publisher….so, what the heck, I wrote it just for you guys anyway.. I hope you enjoy it. To read or download, click on the title below:

 

J I Hall, Jr

Jack Dennis Vaughn, Killed in Korean War…Contributed by Otis Vaughn

Posted by Pete | Posted in Downloads | Posted on 05-03-2016

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In memoriam to

Jack Dennis Vaughn

Family Hero, Patriot, U.S. Marine, Christian.

Jack Dennis Vaughn was born on August 9, 1931 in Wahalak, MS.  Dennis’ parents were Jack Penn Vaughn, and Lillie Mae Vaughn.  Jack’s parents were Warren Philip Vaughn and Alice Carnelia Hallford Vaughn, and Lillie Mae’s parents were John Rufus Vaughn and Minnie Lee Eaves Vaughn.  Dennis was survived by his sister Earlene Alice Vaughn Clark, and four brothers:  Virgil V., Otis K., Lee Penn, and Warren Curtis.

While he was still a baby, Dennis’ parents cut a lock of hair from his head and preserved and kept it in a special place.  When he was seventeen months old, Lillie Mae wrote a note and put it with the lock of hair:  “17 months old and so smart and sweet.  He is talking and saying everything so plain.  He understands so well when spoken to and is so precious to us.”  Jack wrote a much simpler note:  “Small twig.  A piece of Jack Dennis’ hair when he was at the age of twenty-four days.”

When Dennis was 3 years old, Jack and Lillie Mae moved the family from Wahalak to Mobile, AL.

Dennis learned to read at an early age, and he became an avid reader.  By the time he reached his teen years, he had read dozens if not hundreds of books.  Books such as:  Johnny Tremain (of the Revolutionary War), John Paul Jones (some say he was the father of the U.S. Navy), a number of the Zane Grey books, and classics like Les Misérables.  He developed a special fondness for the Mark Twain books “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer” and “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn”.

From the Mark Twain books, he adopted the concept that life is a continuing adventure.  He liked a good joke, laughed a lot, and played practical jokes on his older sister Earlene.  Dennis was a class comedian in high school at Semmes, AL.  And he led his younger brothers into adventures that sometimes got everyone in trouble with Jack and Lillie Mae.  Tom Sawyer had an adventure in a cave, but there was no cave where Dennis lived and he wanted to have a cave adventure.  He came up with a “practical” solution – he and his brothers would dig their own cave.

There was a 20’ clay cliff in a nearby sink hole.  Dennis thought this was an ideal site and the clay walls of the cliff made it perfect for a cave.  Jack said he didn’t think digging this cave was a good idea because it was too dangerous – snakes might even take up residence in a cave.  Contrary to this advice, Dennis and his brothers started work on digging the cave.  The work digging the cave went on for several weeks, a very nice cave about 4’ high and 3’ wide and 8’ or so deep was progressing very nicely.  That is before the cave was discovered by Jack.  Jack instructed that the cave digging cease.

After pondering this discouraging development, the brothers decided that by working on a room that would be angled at 90 degrees from the back of the cave they could still have a sizable cave.  One looking at the entrance of the cave would never know that the cave continued on to the side at a 90 degree angle.  So work continued on digging the cave until it was eventually again discovered by Jack.  Jack demanded that the cave digging cease.  The cave digging adventure ended.  However, the story ends on a good note because Lillie Mae kept her large potted plants in the cave during the winter months safe from cold weather.  Besides there were other adventures to be experienced like exploring the large swamp that was nearby, and additional adventures.

Several of Dennis’ uncles (Prentice, Herman, Curtis, and Mertis) told enthusiastic stories of how he could make money trapping and selling the pelts of various animals.  He accumulated a collection of pelts, but there was no market for them in the Mobile area.

When he was fifteen years old, his efforts to make extra income were rewarded when he was hired by a local electrician.  He learned the electrical skills required to wire a house, and when Jack built a new house, Dennis installed the electrical wiring for the entire house.

He had a love for sports and his special love was football.  He was a quarterback on the Semmes High School, Semmes AL, football team.  Semmes High School had a number of very good football teams and were the champions of Mobile County.  But he faced an uphill battle for playing time as a number of the other players had just returned from World War II service in the U.S. Merchant Marines and were several years older than Dennis.

Dennis graduated from Semmes High School, when he was sixteen.  Many months before graduation, he had decided that upon graduation he would join the U.S. Marines.  However, there was one slight problem with his plan.  The U.S. Marines required that he be seventeen before he could enlist, and even at the age of seventeen, both of his parents had to sign the enlistment papers.  Jack readily agreed to sign the papers saying being a Marine would be good for him, but Lillie Mae balked saying that would put him in danger and her position was that she would never sign.  Every day in the evening the debate went on for weeks with Dennis and Lillie Mae discussing the issue but she would not agree to sign.  The debate went on past his 17th birthday on August 9 until she finally relented and signed the enlistment papers on August 24, 1948.

Off he went to Parris Island, South Carolina for boot camp in the Marines.  Probably because of his training in electronics, his next assignment was to the U.S. Marines Communications School at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California.  Still only seventeen years old he finished in the top of the class of 25 graduates from Communications School.  Much of the remainder of his training consisted of battlefield training maneuvers including amphibious assault landings from the sea.

He was assigned to the Carrier Platoon, Signal Company, First Marine Division.  In those days all telephone communication was wired as wireless communication had not yet been invented.  The Signal Company was responsible for establishing communication between the front line, command posts, and headquarters by laying communication wires.  This made them very vulnerable to enemy fire because their job required them to be in open areas and thus exposed to the enemy.

In the autumn of 1949, Dennis came home on leave.  During his time in the Marines, his family had moved from Mobile to Bellamy, Alabama.  The Sucarnoochee River flows close to Bellamy and this gave Jack and Lillie Mae a feeling that being in Bellamy was a touch of being home in Kemper County, Mississippi.  One day Dennis mentioned that he would like to go hunting on the old Vaughan home place near the Stonewall Community in Kemper County.  The old home place was where Jim and Mary Vaughan built the original log cabin in 1834.

Early the next day, Jack and Dennis drove from Bellamy to the Stonewall Community and to Jim & Mary’s old home place.  Dennis spent the entire day walking over the land and reflecting on what life must have been like in the 1830s, 40s and fifties.  He likely thought about his two great grandfathers, John Albert and Warren Joseph, who were born and raised on this place.  He may have wondered how Lisianna fared after she moved to Brazil after the Civil War.  He thought about the miracle of the four brothers (Bill, John Albert, Dick, and Cap) fighting for the South and returning home alive after the Civil War ended.

On June 25, 1950 North Korea, supported by the Soviet Union and China, invaded South Korea.  South Korea supported by the United States fought to defend South Korea.  North Korean forces drove rapidly south and in only two months South Korean forces were left holding only the Pusan Perimeter.  The situation for the South Korean and U.S. forces was very precarious.

The United States under the command of General Douglas McArthur made secret plans to invade the northern part of South Korea in an amphibious landing at Inchon. Inchon is located slightly southwest of Seoul.

Dennis was on leave at this time and was ordered to report back immediately.  He very likely spent his 19th birthday on August 9, 1950 onboard a troop ship bound for Japan.  Some Japanese cities were used as staging areas to house U. S. troops waiting for the invasion.  Seventy-five to eighty thousand U.S. troops mostly Marines were assembled for the invasion.  These brave Marines were well aware that their lives were about to be put at risk to defend democracy in South Korea and American values and interest.

As the invasion day approached, the Marines boarded large troop transport ships again and headed for Inchon.  Several sailors onboard Dennis’ ship were former classmates at Semmes High School and they visited and talked about times in high school and the sailors wished him well.  It was good to see old friends just before the invasion.  Dennis had been a regular attending church member at First Baptist Church in Semmes, and he carried a small pocket Bible.  It is likely that he found comfort reading his Bible while he waited for the order to board the landing craft.

The plan for the invasion called for three areas on the beaches at Inchon to be invaded.  These three areas were designated Green Beach, Red Beach, and Blue Beach.  The 1st wave of the invasion targeted Green Beach, and the 2nd wave targeted Red Beach and Blue Beach.  At 06:30 on September 15, 1950, the lead elements of the invasion hit “Green Beach” on the northern side of Wolmido.

Dennis’ landing craft was very likely assigned to make the landing at “Blue Beach”, and his division the 1st Marines had the mission to take the beachhead, and the road to Yongdung-po and Seoul.  In preparation for the landing, each Marine had to have well over 100 lbs. of equipment including his rifle and ammunition, several days of rations of food and water fastened to his back, and some carried extra ammunition for machine gunners so their load was heavier.  Since Dennis was in a Signal Company, he very likely had to carry an additional 50 lbs. of communication wire and/or equipment.  He boarded the landing craft by climbing down a cargo net hung from the side of his troop transport ship – with his full load on his back.  Then those on the landing craft waited for the command to head for and take the beach.  A fuller description of the battle can be found at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Inchon.  The North Korean army was completely defeated at the Inchon Invasion and subsequent military action until China entered the war.

At http://www.marines.com/history-heritage/timeline/-/timeline/decade/4#1950  the USMC summarize the Inchon action:

 “In a surprise attack, Marines landed behind enemy lines on the heavily defended shores of Inchon. Moving from landing craft, they climbed the seawall with close air support from warplanes above.

Within hours, the Marines cleared the beach and began moving toward Seoul. In two weeks, they reclaimed the capital and put the North Korean army on the run.

More than a battle victory, the landing at Inchon is considered one of the most spectacular amphibious assaults in history. The planning and landing became the model for the Marine Corps’ Operational Maneuver from the Sea doctrine.”

Jack and Lillie Mae and the family except for Earlene moved to Pickens County, Alabama in early September of 1950.  Later in October, the family received a letter from Dennis that said, “We landed at Inchon today and have pushed almost to Seoul”.  It was late in September that Earlene received the telegram at the last family residence that stated that PFC Jack Dennis Vaughn had been killed in action on September 20, 1950.  It was a sad message Earlene had to personally deliver to the family in Pickens County.  Lillie Mae was never able to forgive herself for signing the enlistment papers.

The commanding officer, Major R. A. Glasser, wrote a letter to Lillie Mae that was dated September 25, 1950.  “It is with heavy heart that I write concerning the death of your son …  On the afternoon of September 20, 1950, in the Yongdung-po area of Korea, Jack (Dennis) with four other Marines were establishing communications with front line units.  While laying wire, Jack and the others were ambushed by a North Korean Patrol.  Although he and his companions put up a valiant fight, the overwhelming number of the enemy took its toll.  Jack and two other Marines were killed in this action.  The bodies were recovered and then buried with full Christian Ritual and Military Honors in the First Marine Division Cemetery at Inchon, Korea. …”

Lillie Mae wrote a letter back to Major Glasser and she asked questions she had concerning Dennis’ death.  On November 12, Major Glasser wrote:  “… when we found your son’s body he had clenched in his hand a small pocket edition of the Bible.  He had been shot in the legs and in the head.  It is possible that when he was first hit (in the legs) he took the Bible from his pocket.  The death dealing bullet must have come moments later.  Surely he did not suffer long.  … I’m sure you will find some comfort in the thought, that your son was safe in the hands of his God at the last. …”

In June 1951, his body was shipped to Pickens County, Alabama for the final burial in the Graham Memorial Cemetery in Reform, AL.  The body was accompanied by a Marine honor guard who remained until the funeral service was complete.  The relatives Dennis loved so much came to the full military and Christian funeral:  his family, Grandparents John Rufus and Minnie Lee Vaughn, Uncles and Aunts: Prentis Vaughn and Minnie Pearl; Curtis and Doris Vaughn; Herman and Mary Ella Vaughn; Mertis and Nita Vaughn; Tim Vaughn; Willie Bea and Frank Lee as well as many other relatives, and hundreds of friends.  The Marine who was present as honor guard, with the help of a member of the local militia, folded the American flag into a triangle with three stars showing on a blue background (as was the correct folding of the flag with 48 states) and presented the flag to Lillie Mae.

Thus we honor the memory of Jack Dennis Vaughn born August 9, 1931 at Wahalak, Mississippi; died September 20, 1950 near Yongdung-po, Korea.

Loved by his family, Hero, Patriot, U.S. Marine, Christian.

Awards (reference): http://www.abmc.gov/search-korean-war-veterans-memorial-honor-roll/detail/Korea_32828#.VSXgcvnF_1g

Purple Heart

National Defense Service Medal

Korean Service Medal

Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation

United Nations Service Medal

Republic of Korea War Service Medal

Combat Action Ribbon (Navy)

Mr. Trump…Has He Woke Up America?

Posted by Pete | Posted in Downloads, News | Posted on 05-03-2016

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Mr. Trump has certainly stirred up America, if nothing else…You know what,, that is good. The folks in Washington are thinking “what the heck is going on”. He may even become The Candidate winning the Republican nomination. It’s very possible. He is not my choice, but it seems Americans are “fed up” with the Congress, both parties, and they are voting….Voting in record numbers. Makes me think of, “We the people”….We the people want God back in America. Others can say what they will, but we are a Christian nation. But the hedgerows God put around America in Washington’s time forward are being torn down little by little as we have crowded God out. But now, Christian voters are pushing back as “the people who are called by My Name” are repenting and taking our country back. I am not for Trump, but I thank God that he has started a process to get us back on track. Am I giving Trump to much credit?…..I don’t think so….We are thinking again…. God bless America

Kasich…Should Be The Republican Party Nominee

Posted by Pete | Posted in News | Posted on 04-03-2016

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Governor Kasich has been in the shadows for the entire Republican debate process. He has been quite, civil, intelligent with answers, knowledgeable in foreign affairs, knowledge in the economy, seems to know the working of Congress and I am just now beginning to see all that. I am now hoping that the rest of American will decide he is a pretty good candidate as well. The fighting between Trump, Cruz and Rubio has grown old and seems juvenile for the national political stage. So, I’m backing Kasich….Sorry I am so late getting on his bandwagon…

Election Year Blues….Or Not?

Posted by Pete | Posted in News | Posted on 02-03-2016

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We Americans are hard to please, aren’t we?  Looks like we are going for the front runners of both parties and the front runners are not my choices…They are certainly somebodies though. But to me, I’m kind of scared of the leading candidates….Trump is his own man, that’s for sure, but there are several issues that could start a blood bath, in my opinion anyway, that is unless Congress can control him. If he gets into a shouting match with Russia or North Korea or Iran or any of the others that have quick to act type leader…look out world. And Trump could get about half of our citizens infighting on issues most all American feel strongly about that requires some delicate handling. Trump has never been one to handle anything delicate.  And on the other side, if Hillary is elected, do we become putty in the hands of the other world leaders or be a credible world power under her leadership or lack thereof? Who knows. And handing our government money in an already stretched economy such as ours  today is also scary. I would like Rubio or Cruz or Carson to be the candidate then I could vote without a lot of worry. But Bernie Sanders is so far left that I could never vote for him and I don’t even want to write about the man. I think that what’s his is his and what’s mine is his, ok, I know, I really don’t want to go there. I hope that one of the other Republican candidates will pull through to become the Republican candidate forcing Trump to run on a third party ticket….Well, I’m not a political person and I know it shows, but I am an a American and I know that shows as well…America will be ok as long as God is on our side. I feel like His patience is getting pretty thin with us and He is about to take down the hedge rows of protection surrounding our nation.  And you, what do you think?

Owner/Slave=Friends …Submitted to Hesterbooks.com by Dan Hall

Posted by Pete | Posted in Downloads, News | Posted on 24-02-2016

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Owner/Slave=Friend….submitted by Dan Hall

Pretty much everyone has seen this photo of Andrew and Silas Chandler, but you may not know the back story of them.

“One of the most famous accounts of a close master/body servant relationship was of Andrew Martin Chandler and his servant Silas. Chandler, 15 years old at the time, joined the confederate service and was put in Company F of the 44th Mississippi Infantry. His 17 year old formal servant accompanied him as he always had done.
Silas Chandler just received his free papers just before the war began but chose to stay with his friend and followed him off to war. After the Battle of Shiloh, Chandler was thrown in a Union prison in Ohio. Silas ran various errands back and forth from the Chandler homestead back in Palo Alto, Mississippi to the prison, seeing to Chandler’s essentials. The boy was soon released and the two were very excited to rejoin their outfit.
During the fighting at Chickamauga, Andrew Chandler suffered a great wound to the leg which the surgeons were ready to amputate off. But Silas pulled out a gold coin that the boys were saving to buy some whiskey. Bribing the doctors to let Chandler go, he then carried the injured boy on his back to the nearest train. They rode all the way to Atlanta in a box car. Once there, the hospital doctors saved the boy’s leg and life.
Soon after, they returned to home to Palo Alto, where they continued their friendship until their deaths. Chandler gave Silas land to build a church for the black community and saw that his friend got his confederate veteran pension in 1878.
His grave was adorned with a Confederate Cross of Honor that was placed there in 1994. Shortly after that, the great-grandsons of Silas and Andrew met. Traveling from Washington DC, Bobbie Chandler introduced himself to Andrew Chandler Battaile who still lives in Mississippi. They both maintain a long distance friendship that was rooted over a hundred years ago.
Here’s a quote by Andrew about Silas:

“Silas was considered a servant by the other men and blacks in the unit, he was very much an equal, displaying just as much hatred for the Yankees as anyone in the whole unit!

Andrew Martin Chandler, 1912  information courtesy of Desert Rose Films

'Andrew and Silas Chandler. Co F 44th MS Inf'

Building a Wall…Our Southern Border

Posted by Pete | Posted in News | Posted on 23-02-2016

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Someone posted on Facebook today that we should go ahead and build the wall across our southern border. I really don’t think it will ever happen if it comes to a vote…Consider some numbers, and I know these are rough numbers, but you get the idea. California has a population of roughly 39 million and 39 % of those are of Hispanic origin, roughly 72 % of those 39 million are democratic voters. Texas has about 27 million and 37% of those are of Hispanic origin and probably at least a 50% of those are democratic (I could not find a number or percentage but it is probably at least that.) 29% of Arizona’s 6.7 million people are Hispanic and half the voters or more are democratic. New Mexico is 48% Hispanic, more than half are democratic with a population of a little over 2 million people. If the wall issue comes down to a vote, “forget about it”. If we should get a bunch of conservatives elected, I reckon it could happen…. We really need to think along other lines of defense. I think investing heavily in industry in Mexico and getting Mexico out of the two class system and developing a middle class would solve most all of our problems and a lot of our illegals would want to go home. Do you suppose one of our politicians could come up with something like that or even better than that…..I’ll bet they could…Ah, heck, that may require a little work though….Well, it was just a thought.

Follow the Sun by E. V. Pete Hester

Posted by Pete | Posted in News | Posted on 21-02-2016

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Really, I have not forgotten this novel and have not forgotten that I promised to finish it. Sometimes life gets in the way of what we want to do and makes us deal with things we have to do. I am thinking now, that because of the lull in writing that I may finish off this present story line and jump to a later time period for these same characters, a volume two if you will. Barring further interruptions of life that is my plan. So, give me some time here to get back in the grove, if that is possible, and I’ll start cranking out some words. One of the things my cpanel does is lets me see what is being read on the web site, so I can see Follow the Sun is one of the story being read consistently. Thanks for that. I’ll go to plugging away, whatever that means, and see what happens…….

Hunting In Texas…

Posted by Pete | Posted in News | Posted on 13-02-2016

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A company I worked for had a hunting lease down in southwest Texas. It was either 8200 acres or 8700 acres, I don’t recall now which it was, but it was big and some of my fondest memories was made there on that ranch. All of our employees who were involved with our customers on that ranch were very close knit, hard working and really cared about our customers. We were up early feeding our customers before taking them out to the blinds early in the morning, usually getting up about 4am to prepare a good breakfast and hunting the morning, picking them up and feeding lunch and after a rest period taking them back out for the pm hunt. Then we prepare them a big evening meal with lots of great food. Clean up of the kitchen was required to get ready for the next morning. Then we either played pool, watched movies or played poker….I was usually at the poker table as was a couple of my best buddies. We would play over into the night even knowing that a 4am wake up call would be soon forthcoming. The three of us, along with the  main cook, slept in one of the rooms upstairs. Being so tired, snoring was very common. It was necessary to be one of the first to get to sleep before all the snoring started up. That was the topic at one of the poker games one night and one said he was getting to bed early so he did not have to listen to all the snoring while trying to get to sleep. The rest of us beat him to bed by a few minutes. I was awake, so were the other guys, and listening as he came up the stairs and was approaching the door. I started a false snore as he walked in. He hesitated in the doorway and uttered, “shit”….All of us cracked up…Two of those guys have passed on but I have such fond memories of both of them and our adventures at the hunting lease….I miss them a lot.

Coalfire, Al story…Getting in Bad Trouble..

Posted by Pete | Posted in Downloads, News | Posted on 11-02-2016

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Pete Hester
 Coalfire, Al story  …Getting In Bad Trouble

Remember when Coalfire had two stores….Yep, that’s right…two stores, and both sold gasoline. Otis Burgess and Woodrow Bonner (Uncle Dee) both operated stores for a while. A lot of you know about that and remember where the house that the Bunny Bishop family lived as being the other store. And I don’t remember now just who all called that store home for a while. Uncle Dee lived there and I think Uncle Buck. Sister Virginia lived in the front when Danny boy was born as I remember trying to rock the little fussing rascal to sleep, but that may have been my singing, I don’t know. Then I think the Bishops may have moved in. I do not know about today and who lives there. Some of you can fill me in. But what I wanted to tell you this morning was about me getting in trouble up there, again. A bunch of us would wait on the bus to school there and U. S. Highway 82 ran right out in front of the store and it was a busy highway with a lot of truck traffic. I got the bright idea one morning to wait until an approaching truck was close, then I would throw a rock up in the air and let the truck run under it. Well, I misjudged one of them and the rock got a windshield. The old truck driver geared down and pulled into the Coalfire Church parking lot or driveway as I don’t remember now because my little butt went and hid under Uncle Dee’s house. The driver came back and asked Cecil who threw the rock and Cecil was honest and told him it was Pete. He asked where Pete was. Cecil said, “the last time I saw him he was running through that pasture” pointing to the pasture behind the house. I was listening and peeping out from under the house and was not about to show myself. The truck driver told Cecil all the problems and expense caused by Pete’s careless actions and Cecil told him he would sure tell me all about it. Luckily the driver left before the school bus ran and I did get to go to school. It scared me and I never played that game again. I was sure glad my buddy Cecil covered for me so well. Confession is good for the soul and so now I have confessed…Reckon that truck driver will read this…Ok, if he does…….I’m sorry sir. It will not happen again…..OK?

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