Free Rocky Mountain Justice (The Legend of Camel's Hump) by Jeff Noonan

face, but he shook it off good-naturedly.
    Ida and her friends went inside to prepare for the meeting. Wayne, George, and the men friends stayed on the porch, smoking and talking as they waited for the meeting to start.
    Then there was a stir and a murmur as the men on the porch turned to face the unexpected. Ike Schumann had driven up and was parking in front of the school. The men on the steps were astounded. They had’nt expected Ike to show his face, but here he was. He confidently climbed out of his pickup truck and walked down the path toward the schoolhouse door, obviously planning to attend the meeting.
    He got almost to the front steps before Wayne started down to meet him. But big George Parker intervened. “No Wayne, we don’t want to give them an excuse.” George stepped between Ike and Wayne and stood facing Ike. “Mr. Schumann, you aren’t invited to this meeting. Please leave - - now!” His voice was still low, but there was no mistaking the force behind it. Ike stopped and stared at him, appearing to be surprised. “George, you don’t have the authority to make that call. I’m the law here and I plan to be at this meeting.” George turned his head slightly and asked the assembled men on the steps, “Do you fellows agree with Ike?” The response was a unified movement as the entire group moved down to stand beside George. Wayne spat on the ground and, following George’s lead, calmly told Ike, “You can walk away or we’ll carry you back to your pickup. But you aren’t welcome here. Which way do you want to leave?”
    Faced with a dozen men, Ike capitulated. He turned on his heel and left without saying another word. The men stood there silently, watching him leave until the pickup was lost in road dust. Then the school bell tolled, calling them into the meeting.
    When everyone was inside, the group fell silent, quietly waiting. In Dublin, community meetings always began with the pastor offering a prayer. But the pastor was noticeably absent. Finally, Mrs. Parker stood and asked for quiet. Everyone fell silent and she said a short prayer, asking the Lord to bless the efforts that they were gathered to discuss. Then, as was the custom in Dublin, everyone stood, placed their hands over their hearts, and pledged allegiance to the flag of the united States of America. Only then, with the pre-meeting rituals complete, could she take the podium in front of the small audience and explain the reasons for the gathering. When she finished, she asked for a vote to determine if the assembly was in favor of trying to replace the Moore’s home. No further discussion was required; the vote was unanimous.
    Then Mrs. Parker asked Dawn and Jerry to pass out the lists they had prepared. With them in hand, the discussion turned to planning the project. The entire assembly worked as one mind. They had known each other for years and they all knew the strengths and weaknesses of their friends, so they knew when to talk and when to listen. They had all talked to one another during the day and there was total agreement on the big picture. Dublin was going to build the house. They were just there to work out the details.
    Hilda and Ray Moore arrived a bit late, and when they did arrive, she tried to object to the building plan. She said that she appreciated their thoughts, but she knew that no one could afford this, and she wasn’t going to let them go broke on her account. But no one listened. After that, she sat in the rear of the room, quietly crying, listening to her friends as they planned her future home. Ray sat beside her, holding her. It had been a rough few days for the two of them.
    Before long, a plan was in place. George Parker was bringing one of his big bulldozers to town next Monday and one of his operators would work a few days cleaning the area where the old house had stood. They would dig a hole in the field and just plow the debris into it and cover it. Then they would dig another hole for the