"I'm sorry, Nancy, but we'll be in Chattanooga all weekend," MT said.

"So you won't even be at the dance? I'm sorry to hear that," Nancy replied. "You're going to miss all the fun."

MT nodded. "Yeah, I will, but this is a family thing, I really have no choice. But thanks for asking me."

Nancy smiled. "Maybe we could go to the Christmas party ... keep me in mind."

"I will," MT said, and he ducked into his science class.

Girls asking boys out was nothing new. Nancy Pierce was a sweet girl, but she was also the third one to ask MT if he would go to the Halloween dance. He hated to put her off like that with a lie, but what else could he do? Perry would think it funny, but then he hadn't known these kids for most of his life.

Dating was going to be an issue this year, and that was already apparent. It wasn't just the kids at school; his parents would start to wonder. Now that he had a vehicle to drive he would be expected to date. Part of the charm of that old truck, it was hardly a chick magnet.

MT needed to have the seats recovered, and the outside finish needed a new coat of paint. Mechanically it was in great shape thanks to Walt. Now all he had to do was wait for some of that reward money to roll in and he could fix it up. Surely his parents would allow him to spend a few thousand on something like this.

It didn't matter just yet. He would have the provisional license for another six months which wouldn't allow him to take on passengers under the age of eighteen, and that meant Perry. Winter would be a bad time to drive anyway, all that slushy ice on the roadways. But here it was October, and in this part of Georgia they were only down in the fifties at night.

It was less than a week to the Halloween dance and their preparations for the raid on the marijuana crop was proceeding according to plan. The FedEx man had brought Perry a box which Bernice had received with surprise.

"Lord, boy ... what you got in here?" She asked.

"Computer parts," Perry replied, but that was a lie. He carried the box up to his room and unpacked the six machetes he had ordered. They all had plastic handles which looked cheap, but he could see the blades were sharp as hell. MT and Leon would be pleased.

Leon and three of his most trusted club members would participate in the raid. With MT and Perry that made six, the bare minimum number of bodies it would take to get the job done. Still, it seemed like they would have hours of labor to perform on Saturday night instead of enjoying themselves at the school dance.

The timing of the Halloween celebration was fortunate. That Saturday night, the older students from Trogdon would attend the Marsh High School dance while the younger kids would prowl the streets seeking candy door to door. The town went all out for events like this and many of the yards and doorways were festooned with pumpkins, black cats and skeletons.

The most useful thing was that neither Perry nor MT would have to explain their absence in the hours before dark. MT's mother had allowed him to put up a few decorations while she bought several bags of candy to pass out at the door. When asked what he was going to do for the evening MT said he was planning to attend the dance with Leon and the Lively Boys.

Friday evening they gathered in the church basement to review the plan and discuss everyone's assignment. Perry and MT would bring the machetes, while Leon had acquired a large pair of bolt cutters from his dad's tool shed to attack the fence. Darius was going to bring a gallon can of gasoline and they would all meet at seven o'clock down on Prison Farm Road.

"Did you notice that Brian and Jasper weren't in school today?" Leon asked.

"What's that mean?" Perry said.

"I don't know. Jasper told Leona he was going to the dance."

"I wonder if Brian will be there," MT said. "He looked pretty casual in the cafeteria yesterday."

"I heard that Jason is leaving the hospital next week," Darius said.

"He won't be a problem. Dave said Judge Miller is going to put him straight into lockup over in Fairview," MT said.

Leon smiled. "So what does your deputy friend think will happen when we cut this shit down and burn it?"

"I told him we were going to cut it down," MT said. "I didn't mention going through the fence and the burning. I don't think he wants to know those details."

"Yeah, man. The cops are gonna flip out when that stuff goes up in flames," Darius said.

Eli and Thomas didn't say anything. They were the most reluctant members of this little raiding party, but Leon had assured them nothing could go wrong. Eli figured that if there was a Trogdon involved then nothing bad could happen to them.

Saturday morning dawned with gray overcast skies which the weatherman said would dissipate by noon and leave them with clear skies for the trick-or-treat evening. MT hadn't considered that it might rain. It was going to be hard enough to get the crop burning while it was green, but damn near impossible if it was wet.

By late morning the clouds drifted away and MT rode his bike out to the Trogdon estate. The Rossville cutoff was closer from here and so they checked out their bikes and Perry tried not to be nervous about what they had planned. They had a late lunch and then appeared back in the house wearing their costumes.

It had been decided that the best way to blend in with the other activities around town was to wear a costume, or at least the appearance of one. Bernice looked over their attempt at dressing like soldiers and shook her head.

"I like the camouflage, but you didn't have to mess up your faces with all that paint now, did you?

"Jungle warfare requires paint," Perry insisted.

"And you'll be wiping that mess all over your clothes before the night is done," She said. "I thought you were going to the dance?"

"That's later, we'll wash up before then," MT said.

"See that you do," Bernice laughed. "Those girls won't appreciate you spreading that goo all over them."

"Yeah, right," Perry laughed as they bounced down the porch steps to their bikes. "I think we look pretty cool."

"I wonder what Leon and his boys are gonna wear?" MT said.

"I just hope Darius forgets that pimp image for just one night," Perry said, and they both laughed.

The Rossville Highway cut east off 193 so they didn't have to go through town. It was just after six o'clock by the time they began the run and peddled their way past the trees and empty pastureland towards the prison farm. They would be early, and Leon had a further distance to travel which was just fine. This would give them time to do a little scouting around since Perry had never been out here before.

Perry had the six machetes in his backpack while MT carried a large ball of heavy twine in his. They would have to cut and bind the plants into manageable bundles to carry across the stream towards the fence. MT figured to wait until almost all the crop was cut down before opening the chain link section.

The landscape looked barren as they turned onto the gravel road leading up to the prison farm gates. Not a car in sight which MT judged to be a good omen. Dressed as they were someone would remember seeing them once the Sheriff arrived and started asking questions.

Oh yes, this little caper was bound to attract all kinds of attention once the fire was spotted. And when the fire department arrived and the source of the blaze was discovered to be marijuana plants then all hell would break loose. MT was just sorry that they couldn't stick around to watch the fun.

Deputy Dave would probably be among those law enforcement personnel called in to investigate the incident, at least he was going to make himself ready to answer the call. He would be the one to figure out where the perpetrators had breached the fence and lead the others down through the woods to the stream.

It would be night by then, dark enough for the Lively Boys to escape out the Rossville Highway all the way to the intersection with Fairview Road. From there it was a five minute ride to the school and their alibi for the evening. MT and Perry would make the run back to the estate since they weren't even supposed to be in town this weekend.

They would all be drinking sodas and munching on chips as Dave led the sheriff's men towards the source of the pot plants. MT smiled when he realized Jason' grandmother was in for a big surprise tonight, although he was sure she would not be blamed for growing the weed.

The hardest part of the whole thing would be keeping all of this a secret. Jason would get the blame for the pot and MT figured Brian and his buddies couldn't run away far enough to avoid the Sheriff. Dave would once again get to be the hero while the boys kept their part in the affair silent.

MT pulled off the road the minute he saw the fence in the distance. This time they pushed their bikes into the trees but left them within fifty feet of the roadway. Perry dropped his bike next to a big old oak and then laughed.

"Look, it seems Leon beat us here."

Sure enough, not ten feet away were four more bikes lying in the brush. MT looked through the trees towards the fence but couldn't spot Leon anywhere. It was still about two hundred yards along the fence to where they could turn towards the stream, and there sitting on the ground were Leon and his buddies.

"Nice camo," Leon said when he saw them. He and the others were dressed in black from head to toe. "Too bad we won't need any of this. It's gone."

"Gone ... what's gone?" Perry asked.

"The crop's gone. Every last plant has been cut down. Come on, I'll show you."

A few minutes later they stood in the fringe of trees and looked out across the stream. Where there had once been a lush forest of pot plants there was nothing but stubble, the plants were gone.

"Shit, they beat us to it," MT said. "How did they know?"

"Beats me," Leon said. "We've been talking about that and none of us told Jasper anything."

"No wonder they looked so smug on Thursday," Darius said.

"That's why they cut school yesterday," MT said.

He looked across the field towards the trees where they had seen the deer stand the week before. "Do you think Jasper saw us spying on them?" He asked.

"No, we were pretty careful," Leon said.

"Then they got lucky ... the bastards."

"So they cut the plants and put them where ... in the barn?" Perry asked.

"Probably, but I've never seen the barn," Leon said.

"I have," MT said. "It sits a ways back from the other buildings, and hundreds of feet from the house."

"But the old lady doesn't go out there, does she?" Perry asked. "So Brian and his friends could have cut the plants and hung them up to dry without her even knowing about it."

"Yeah ... I'm sure they did. Look, it would take us too long to pull the plants down and drag them all back to the fence," MT said. "We lost."

"I want to see the barn," Perry said.

"What's with you?" MT asked. "We always get in some kind of trouble when we go sticking our noses in places like that."

"We don't have a plan B, and we won't unless we get a look inside that barn."

"Why don't we just call the sheriff's office?" Darius asked.

"You want to give them your name?" MT asked. "Jason might be a Wicket but his granny's last name is Bates. This farm belonged to her son, Nathan Bates ... do I have to say any more?"

"Oh shit, I don't want nothing to do with that bunch," Eli said.

"So go on over to the school and join the party," Leon said. "I'm going to stay and get a look in that barn. In fact, look around and see if Brian and Jasper are at the dance and call me. Darius, go with them, no sense in us all staying here if there's nothing to do."

"Thanks for coming out, guys," MT said.

The three boys slid back through the trees and headed for their bikes.

"So what do we do now?" Perry asked.

"We wait," MT said. "I'll feel a whole lot better going into that barn if Brian and Jasper are at the school."

Leon nodded and they moved deeper into the trees. They sat on the ground and looked through the fence at the prison farm. Off to the west the shadows were already beginning to creep across the valley as the sun began to set. The temperature would drop into the fifties tonight, but they would all be home by then.

"Damn, this would have worked so well," Leon said. "I mean it would have been a lot of work, you know, but I really wanted that weed gone up in smoke."

"I know," MT said. "Maybe we'll get them next year. Truth is we should have come down here a few months ago and spread salt on the plants to kill them. They wouldn't have time to start a second crop and the soil would be unusable for years."

"Why didn't you suggest that?" Leon asked.

MT smiled. "Perry and I were otherwise engaged."

Leon laughed and was about to say something smart when his phone rang.

"Whatz up?" Leon said. He listened for a moment and then nodded. "Smart move, that's all we need ... You gonna bounce?" Leon nodded again and smiled. "Yup ... later."

"What did they say?" Perry asked.

"Brian, Jasper and that whole crew are at the dance. Darius says they are all lit up and some of the teachers are following them around. Maybe they'll get busted for drugs?"

"That would be too easy. Okay, let's go look at the barn," MT said.

They had known they would get wet and so they just walked through the shallow stream to the far bank. The stubble from the pot plants was everywhere and MT shook his head as they headed for the trees. The deer stand had been taken down since Brian didn't need to keep watch over the field anymore. But there was a solid trail through the woods towards the farm buildings.

The barnyard looked deserted, although the weeds and bushes had been cut back to allow access. They followed the path until they could see the house across the yard.

"If this woman bothered to look out her windows she would know what was going on in her barn," MT said.

"Then she's not innocent, just tolerant," Perry said.

"I doubt if she has any real idea of the business Jason has been running. He certainly wouldn't tell her."

"I don't feel comfortable walking around and in the front doors. You think there's a back way in?" Leon asked.

"Usually is," MT said. "Can you smell it?"

"Yeah, I noticed that," Leon said. "The plants are definitely in there."

Perry put a hand on the barn siding. "The wood is warm ... and I smell kerosene."

They moved around to the back of the barn and found a single door in the cluster of grass growing up against the siding. Leon and MT pulled on the handle until the door became wedged open in the weeds. The interior of the barn was dark except for this eerie flickering glow towards the front. Perry handed MT a flashlight and they all stepped inside.

The glow came from two large forced air kerosene heaters that were blazing away and filling the interior of the barn with stunning warmth. MT panned his flashlight across the heaters and they saw the tank of kerosene which fed them. Then he turned the light upwards and Perry gasped.

Row after row of marijuana plants were hanging upside down on ropes from the rafters above. Hundreds of the leafy plants created a green ceiling in the barn and their smell filled the air.

"Oh ... wow," Perry said.

"Brian is in a real hurry to dry these plants out, isn't he?" Leon said, pointing at the heaters.

"Maybe Jason wants to start selling before Thanksgiving. I don't think they can run these heaters for more than a few days, but it's hot enough in here to get the process started," MT said.

He ran the beam of the flashlight around the walls and across the floor. There was a lot of bare wood in here and not a stick of hay or straw. This barn hadn't been used for animals in decades. When Jason's Uncle Nathan had been alive he probably stored his moonshine in here as well, at least until the local still got busted.

"I guess there's nothing we can do about this," Leon said.

"I say we turn the heaters off," Perry said.

"Big old kerosene heaters sitting on a wooden floor ... that's pretty risky," MT said.

He walked over and tapped on the side of the large square fuel tank. They all heard a solid thunk indicating the tank was pretty full. MT leaned over and pointed the flashlight beam at the bottom of the tank.

"Perry, let me have one of those machetes."

"Oh no, you aren't," Leon said. "We'll all get blown up."

"No we won't. Kerosene fumes aren't that volatile ... it will take a large concentration to be dangerous," MT said.

Perry grinned in the gloom and handed MT a machete. Leon stood back as MT swung the blade which hit the tank on one of the lower edges with a solid clang. There was an immediate drip of kerosene and MT hit the tank again, this time creating a small flow.

"Now we can leave," MT said, and they headed back to the door.

"How long do you think?" Leon asked as they ran down the trail and reached the stream.

"Not long once the kerosene starts to pool around the heaters," MT said.

They crossed the water and pushed through the woods to the fence, following it back towards their bikes. Leon grinned and they all shook hands.

"I feel better ... at least we did something," He said.

"Go on to the dance," MT said. "And let's keep this our little secret, okay?"

There was a big flash of light and a muted explosion through the trees in the distance. A ball of flame leaped a hundred feet in the air and then settled back down into the remains of the barn.

"Ain't no secret anymore," Leon said with a laugh. "See ya."

They took off down the road and split up when they reached the Rossville Highway. By the time they reached 193 they could hear the siren going off down at the fire house in town, and that's when MT's phone rang.

"MT ... what's going on?" Dave asked. "Is everything all right?"

"Sure is," MT said. "Everyone is fine. I suppose you're calling about that fire."

"I am, heard it on the radio about three minutes ago."

"Brian cut the crop down yesterday and put it in the barn. But like a damn fool he had kerosene heaters running full blast in there to dry out the plants. Lots of kerosene in a wooden barn. I'd say that's a recipe for disaster. So, it looks like the barn caught fire."

Dave was silent for a moment and then started laughing. "I don't suppose you know anything about that, do you?"

"Me? No way, Perry and I are in Chattanooga this weekend."

"Uh huh. Well I suppose I ought to drive on over there in case the sheriff needs me. Who knows, accidents do happen."

"Brian and his buddies are at the dance over at the high school ... with emphasis on the high. Might be the last time they go smoking anything for a while," MT said.

"What a shame," Dave said. "Okay, glad everything worked out for you. I'll see you in church tomorrow."

"Yes sir, you certainly will," MT said, and he hung up.

The little family groups standing on the lawn in front of the church were abuzz with this latest episode of excitement. Barn fires were not that unusual across the valley, but the circumstances of this one had caught everyone's attention. Ben Trogdon arrived for the church service with MT and Perry in tow, but no one seemed to pay them any mind.

Trogdon stopped to chat with several people while MT looked for his parents. Dave was there with his wife and young daughter, but they were standing with the sheriff's family. Dave gave Perry a smile and nod, but they would say nothing with all these people around.

Carl Teague was talking to Mort Drucker who ran the gas station, but he noticed his son in the crowd and motioned him over. MT didn't see any sign of his mother as he walked over to see what his dad wanted.

"You hear about the fire?" Carl asked.

"I just did ... poor Mrs. Bates," MT said.

"I suppose. They're saying that barn was full of marijuana. The sheriff is looking for some way to connect it to that dumbass Jason. Mort says that Finley boy has to be involved. He saw the boy and one of his friends with those heaters in the back of their truck last week when they stopped in for gas. Says they bought a bunch of kerosene too."

"You tell the Sheriff?" MT asked.

"I sure will," Mort said. "But maybe later, he looks all worn out this morning."

MT looked over at the Sheriff and decided that was true. He'd probably been up all night investigating the fire. On the other hand, Dave looked well rested and gave MT a wave. Everything seems to have worked out for the best, especially if the Sheriff was going after Jason and Brian.

"So, did you boys have a good Halloween?" Carl asked.

"Yes, Dad ... everything was fine."

The Reverend Jones appeared at the doors to the church and everyone took the hint. There would be time enough to gossip later on since a juicy story like this would not go away. In fact, as the details became public knowledge this event would snowball all the way through Christmas.

Thanksgiving saw the town of Trogdon settle into winter mode awaiting the occasional freeze at night while daytime temperatures remained in the low sixties. Elvira's mood on the morning school bus was directly related to the temperature. She hated to open that door and yelled when someone didn't climb on in a timely fashion.

MT, Perry and Leon kept their heads down at school while waiting for someone to suggest they might have something to do with the barn burning. But nothing was said, probably because Brian was nowhere to be found. By Thanksgiving, the Sheriff had completed his investigation and they were definitely looking for the Finley boy.

The holiday was celebrated at the Trogdon estate with the Teague family in attendance. MT's mother was overwhelmed by the house and all the antiques. Barbara had driven up for the week she gave them all a tour before they sat down to eat the largest turkey MT had even seen.

Ben Trogdon was in his element when surrounded by family and friends, so after dinner he sat all the youngsters down in his library and regaled them with stories about the Trogdon family during colonial times.

"There was no town of Trogdon back in those days," he began, "this was all Indian land and they didn't tolerate the white man very well. In fact, the Cherokee and the Creek Indians lived all over this valley before the settlers arrived. Chattanooga is the Creek word for Lookout Mountain.

"The settlers moved west from the coast and this valley looked rich and inviting so they fought with the Indians. There were some bloody battles up on that mountain, but a lot of those were because the British enlisted the local Cherokee to fight on their side until the Revolution was over.

"Of course the colonialists won and there came a time of peace with the natives. That was when the Trogdon family came here in the late 1700's. They were led by Joshua Trogdon, my great, great ... um, I forget how many greats I need to use, but he was our ancestor. Do you know why he was so important?"

The youngest of them had no idea, but Perry did. "He was Lindsey Trogdon's father."

"Yes, the most famous Trogdon of them all," Ben said, and then he went on with the story.

"Some of the settlers came seeking gold after it was discovered in the Blue Ridge, but there was none of it here. Instead they discovered iron in the mountains which was almost as valuable. By the time Joshua arrived the Indians had left much of the valley and the Trogdons were able to buy vast acres of farmland.

"The iron mines brought thousands of people here to work and someone had to feed them, so Joshua planted crops. Chattanooga was a boom town, which means there was a lot of money to be made in those days and the Trogdons became wealthy land owners. Then in 1807 Lindsey was born in a farmhouse not too far from where we sit today."

"He wasn't born in a hospital?" Perry's sister Darlene asked.

Ben smiled. "No, my dear. The only hospital around was up in Chattanooga, and there was only a dirt track for people to travel on horseback. It might take a man most of the day to travel that distance on a horse, but for a pregnant woman it was just impossible. Most people gave birth right in their homes, and that is where Lindsey and all his brothers and sisters were born.

"They all went to school in a little one room schoolhouse which was located just about on the eastern edge of where Trogdon sits today," Ben said.

MT knew exactly where that school house had been located; the foundation for it was still sitting behind the church in Lively Corners. Of course, black children didn't attend school in those days and Lively Corners was nothing more than a cluster of slave cabins back then. MT was pretty sure that Mr. Trogdon wasn't going to mention that little fact to these young kids.

"Trogdon was just a patch of woods on the road to Chattanooga in those days. There was no town, just a few houses, and it remained that way well into the 1800's. Joshua was getting to be an old man by then and couldn't work the farm anymore so he chose this site and began to build this large house for his retirement. By then Lindsey was a young man with a wife and family of his own, and he saw the future of the valley would be prosperous.

"So Lindsey encouraged his father to donate land to build a church, and the First Baptist Church of Trogdon was created. Now in those days many people didn't want to be far from their church and so they looked for land on which to build their houses.

"This is when people discovered that Joshua owned just about everything in the valley and that did not make them happy. So once again Lindsey went to his father and asked to be given a hundred acres along the Chattanooga road where he could build a town. And with that, he became the first real estate agent in the valley.

"There was great prosperity in the family for many years after the town began to take shape. This house was finished just before Joshua died, and he left it all to Lindsey because he was the smartest son. And then like a bunch of damn fools, those idiot politicians in South Carolina succeeded from the Union and started the Civil War."

MT looked over at Perry and nodded. This very time in history was something that they were studying in Mr. Albright's history class. The discussions had become very intense considering the mix of black and white students in the room. But having an actual Trogdon in their midst had brought out the passions of the other students because at the time of the Civil War the Trogdons owned slaves.

"So my little story about the family is over for the evening," Ben said. "I don't know about any of you but I'm going out to the kitchen and see if I can find some more of that pumpkin pie."

And so Ben Trogdon dodged the bullet of discussing the family history of slavery and how much of their prosperity had been derived from the labor of the black families they owned.

"He doesn't like talking about it," Perry said, as if reading the thoughts in MT's head. Trogdon had led the whole troop of kids out to the kitchen while they remained behind.

"Slavery was just a sad fact here in Georgia," MT said. "But as I recall Lindsey freed all his slaves long before the war ended."

"He did it to save the town and this house," Perry said.

"Oh, I didn't know why, just that he freed them. Where did you learn about that?"

"The journal his son kept ... it's now part of the public record," Perry said.

"Yeah, Albright said he saw it at the Historical Society ... but you said your Pops has the original. Is it here in the library?" MT asked.

"No, he keeps it in a safe place. It's too valuable to leave lying around."

"Yeah, I imagine. I'd like to read it," MT said.

"You should, and I'm sure Pops will let you. But I think he'll never let Albright see it, even if they were old buddies. Pops will never let that book out of this house."

"Well if we're going to talk about that old stuff in class I'd sure like to know what's in it. You've read it, is there anything shocking in there?"

"No, but it is pretty graphic in places," Perry said. "Aloysius just told it as he saw it, especially when it came to his father's actions. Lindsey was a Colonel in the Confederate army, you know that much. But he was a controversial figure at best, at least from the Southern point of view."

"What are you saying, Perry?"

"If he hadn't been wounded at Murfreesboro, Tennessee, in the summer of 1862 and brought home to recover then we wouldn't be sitting in this house. Lindsey was with the Second Georgia, a cavalry unit, and he served with another Colonel named Wharton. But that part of the army was led by General Nathan Forrest who was judged to be one mean son-of-a-bitch.

"At one point they had a huge portion of the Union army surrounded and Forrest sent a message to the Union commander to surrender. And in the words Aloysius recorded, the General told the Union Colonel that he would put every common soldier to the sword if they didn't surrender.

"Lindsey objected to that and said he would refuse to allow his men to participate in such un-Christian behavior. Forrest ranted and raved, and then issued an order for Lindsey to be arrested. But before that could happen the two colonels were wounded in a skirmish and Lindsey's second in command pulled him off the field.

"They all knew what was going to happen and so Lindsey was hidden in a supply wagon and rushed south. Aloysius said that Forrest thought Lindsey was killed on the battlefield and they just couldn't find his body. By the time that battle was over Lindsey was back here and upstairs in bed."

"Okay. So he was wounded," MT said. "But he recovered, didn't he?"

"Yes, but it took almost eight months before he could walk again," Perry said, and then he smiled. "You should read the parts Aloysius wrote about his father during that time. Lindsey was an angry man and lost faith in the Confederate cause because of Nathan Forrest. It seems the doctor spent a lot of time here as did the preacher from the church.

"Lindsey felt that his faith was being challenged and so he prayed for answers throughout the fall and winter of that year and into the next. His wounds finally began to heal thanks to the attention of the doctor and one very important person ... Florence Ball."

"Ball? Was she one of Leon's ancestors?"

"The very same. She would have been Leon's great-great-great grandmother, and because of her family we have Lively Corners."

"I'll be damned, what a great story," MT said.

"Oh, that's not the half of it," Perry said.

"You don't mean ... Lindsey didn't sleep with her, did he?"

"We'll never know, Aloysius doesn't say anything about that. But he was a very young man when he started his journal. Perhaps his father's sexual tastes were not something he cared to document. But Florence was important for other reasons."

It was at this point that MT's father came looking for them. He slid into one of the comfortable leather covered chairs and looked around the room.

"I think your mother is about ready to go home," Carl said. "Were you planning to stay over?"

"If I can," MT said, and then he paused. "Dad, were there Teagues around here during the Civil War?"

"There were, but not in Trogdon. There were Teagues that fought on both sides of the conflict as I recall. What prompted that question?"

"We're studying the Civil War at school and I just wondered," MT said.

"The Teagues were mostly from Kentucky back then, and that state went both ways. I know Perry's family had some important figures in that part of our history." Carl smiled and wondered how much he should say in front of Perry.

"I remember that Robert was pretty defensive about the Trogdon involvement in the war. I'll bet we had the same discussions in our history classes as you do now."

"My father was in your class?" Perry asked.

"He was, and when it came time to discuss slavery he got pretty upset. The black kids in school at the time saw the Trogdons as big plantation owners and everyone knew they had slaves back then. It didn't help that Robert was such an angry young man, it only made him a larger target for some people to pick on him."

"But you didn't," Perry said. "Mom says you were his friend."

"As much as he would allow us to be friends. We still weren't very close. I'm sorry we didn't get to know one another better, but he was too busy fighting for the Trogdon name. The way he was treated was all pretty senseless." Carl sighed at the memories and then nodded at Perry. "You seem to be doing just fine."

"Trogdon isn't a dirty word anymore, Mr. Teague. I have black friends at school and knowing MT sure helps."

"Well you keep after it. Oh, Ben and I are going to take you boys out hunting tomorrow before the weather changes. This should give MT a chance to break in that rifle you gave him."

"Cool," MT said. "Maybe I can try that shotgun, too."

"Ben will be running this show," Carl said. "You'll have to ask him. So I guess I'll take your mother on home and be back in the morning. Is the rifle still in your closet?"

"Yes sir," MT said. "I think the box of shells is still in the case."

"Fine, I'll bring that with me," Carl said. "But you don't have any clothes to wear."

MT thought about the camo outfit stuffed in the bag under Perry's bed. He hadn't had the chance to take it home.

"I have an outfit here," MT said. "We're good to go."

"Okay, see you in the morning," Carl said.

MT and Perry followed Carl out to the front hallway and MT kissed his mother goodnight. A little hunting would be nice, as would being able to spend the night with Perry. He was here about every weekend anyways and this would just be a bonus.

They tried very hard at being nothing more than friends when others were around. MT knew no one had figured them out yet, especially his Aunt Barbara. She would be the one most insecure about Perry being gay, but MT had no idea what Ben Trogdon would think. Didn't matter, no one was going to find out anytime soon.

Tomorrow they would go hunting and MT would get to fire his rifle for the first time. Perry might be really good at shooting clay targets with a shotgun, but now he would get to show his father what Alvin had taught him about shooting. He wondered if Perry still had any of those golf balls.

But that was tomorrow, and now they had tonight. It was a good thing that Perry had a corner room while Ben and Barbara were in adjoining rooms at the other end of the house. Darlene was across the hall, which meant they would have to be quiet. By now they were practiced lovers and thank goodness the bed didn't squeak.

They all chose an early bedtime, and so MT and Perry climbed the stairs around ten o'clock. Darlene was already in her room reading when Perry led the way to his room and shut the door.

"So, hunting in the morning," Perry said. "This turned out to be a nice day."

"We'll have fun tomorrow, if there's anything out there to shoot," MT said.

"Rabbits for you, quail for me I suppose. The north fields are full of things like that."

"You mean there's more to this estate than the fenced pastures?" MT asked.

"Oh hell yeah, Pops has about five hundred acres of undeveloped land between here and the Rossville Highway. Just remember, anything you shoot we have to carry back."

"I know that, at least it won't be a deer. It's hunting season; doesn't he worry about people hunting on his land?"

Perry shrugged. "I don't think he cares, someone has to thin the deer herd."

Perry sat down to remove his clothes, while MT draped his over the chair in the corner. They had slept together in this big old bed for months now and no one said a thing. MT went into the bathroom to brush his teeth and smiled at the toothbrush that was his to use. Perry walked in and joined him. It was a warm feeling to know he belonged here just as much as he did in his parent's house.

"You're going to tell me more about Florence, aren't you?" MT asked.

"I could, but I think it's time you started reading the story for yourself. I'll ask Pops for the journal tomorrow when we get back."

They climbed in bed and Perry turned off the light. The room took on different dimensions in the darkness. It was as if the walls moved outwards and left them sleeping in a vast chamber.

"This was the bedroom Aloysius occupied Pops told me," Perry said. "It was here where he began to write that journal."

"Did he finish it? I mean, did he write in it for years and years?"

"No, he stopped writing when Lindsey died. The last few pages are a little confusing, but then I figure he was under a lot of pressure at that time in life. And then there's the riddle in the last few pages."

"A riddle? That's cool ... what's it about?" MT asked.

Perry laughed and rolled over into MT's arms. "It's a riddle so no one knows what it means. You can read it and tell me what you think. Perhaps you'll be the one to solve it. You're good at puzzles."

"Hmm," MT giggled. "I'm not puzzled by what's poking me in the stomach."

Perry grinned in the darkness and then moved closer with a sigh. Love was grand and there was no puzzle about that.


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