Free Buddies by Nancy L. Hart

and heard that. Now I don’t want to hear you speaking that way again.”
    “I’m sorry, Mama, I wudn’t thankin’. Where is Gloria anyhow?”
    “She’s over at the Widow Simson’s. She’ll be spending the night there. They’re baking cookies for the church to help raise more reward money for the killer of Banker Tolbert. You did hear about the banker’s death in Ruby Creek, didn’t you?”
    Joey Frank was not prepared for Banker Tolbert’s name to be brought up, and he tried to keep his voice steady when he answered Mama’s unexpected question saying, “Yeah, Me an’ Ernie heard about it, Mama.”
    “Heaven only knows what this world is coming to.” Mama said as she took a pot from the hot cook stove, setting it aside to cool. She pulled up the skirt of her apron and wiped her brow. “I just hope and pray that they catch whoever did that terrible thing, before them bad folks decide to do the same thingto someone else. Banker Tolbert was such a fine man, and his good deeds are certainly going to be missed.”
    Joey Frank didn’t comment as Mama talked on about Banker Tolbert and his lovely wife Miss Rene. He was glad when she let the subject rest and started talking about one of their hens that had showed up that day with nine baby chicks.
    When Saturday came, Ernie was later than usual, getting to Joey Frank’s home. He explained that he had taken a cold and his Mama wanted the weather to warm up some before he started his walk.
    Joey Frank said, “I’m glad that you come, Ernie, but you oughta got a cold ‘cause you had no bizness jumpin’ in that dang river a-knowin’ good an’ well that the water wuz like ice. Heck, when you come outta there, you looked like you wuz froze half to death. You re-minded me of a pair of my ole breeches a-hangin’ on the clothes line tryin’ to thaw in the midst of winter.”
    “Joey Frank, you’ve stopped thinking again,” Mama said. “I’ve told you to watch that language of yours, and don’t be so hard on Ernie. Both of you are old enough to use better judgment about some things. It’s true that Ernie shouldn’t have jumped into the cold water, and you shouldn’t have put your basket of eggs down and gone off and left them.”
    Together once more, the boys were off to spend the day. Ernie said that he wanted to go by Ruby Creek before they went to the river because he was almost out of tobacco. Joey Frank didn’t much like the idea, but he knew how ornery Ernie got when he didn’t have a chew, so he agreed to go.
    In Ruby Creek the name Banker Tolbert could be heard almost everywhere. While the boys were in the General Store, they overheard Mr. McGraw telling the town’s gossip, Miss Mattie Hogan, that it was being discussed about having the town’s name changed from Ruby Creek to Tolbert Creek. This of course was to honor the eminent banker. Miss Mattie, who was one of the town’s oldest citizens, told Mr. McGraw that was the best news she had heard in a long time, and the name should have been changed long before now. The Tolbert family deserved having the town named after them, because they were the ones responsible for restoring the old building and erecting new ones she said. Before Banker Tolbert and his wife came to Ruby Creek, the place was no more than a ghost town. Now the town had everything it needed because of the kind and loving Banker Tolbert and Miss Rene, who had furnished most of the money for the town’s growth.
    Ernie’s curiosity became aroused as he was listening to Miss Mattie and Mr. McGraw’s conversations. He and Joey Frank went over to the checkout counter to purchase the chewing tobacco and exchanged greetings with Miss Mattie, who stood just passing the time of day, and to Mr. McGraw, standing behind the counter being his usual friendly self.
    Miss Mattie stepped aside for the boys to be waited on, making it appear that she was going to stay around for awhile longer to continue her favorite pastime of gossiping, which