Later, after dinner was fixed and afternoon chores were done and the kids had eaten, Lucy was washin dishes when she felt warm arms around her waist. Earl planted a kiss on her cheek and turned her around and gave her a great big smack right on the mouth!

  “What did I do to deserve this?” Lucy asked laughing. “Whatever it is, I’ll do it every day if this is the result!”

  “I just love you so much, honey and am so happy to have our wonderful family!” Earl said.

  “Earl, I ain’t never seen you cry before. Something terrible must have happened. Did you have trouble with your run of moonshine or did you get robbed?” Lucy asked.

  “No, it was nuthin like that. We got the money fur Carl and he will be really happy when we tell him. Clement told me about Bert and Steve surprisin ol man Moseby just as he fired up his still, but they got more than they bargained fur. The bust went great but there was a terrible discovery. They found Brenda, his wife in a mound of dirt. Her husband confessed. He had hit her over the head with a club and then stabbed her in the heart with an icepick! Lucy if we had known, we could have helped that girl.” His voice caught and for a moment, Lucy thought he would start cryin again.

  Lucy changed the subject, sayin, “When should we tell Carl the good news?”

  “Tell me what?” Carl said as he walked into the kitchen at that very moment.

  “Speak of the devil!” Earl said.

  “Pa!” Carl said and grinned.

  Earl said,”Do you want to tell him or should I?”

  Lucy said, “You go ahead. You worked hard for it!”

  So Earl explained to Carl that the run of shine they had just done was for him and Molly to put into buyin their land!

  Carl sat down on the floor and put his head into his hands. “I can’t accept this, pa and ma. You guys need a new car. This one is burnin oil real bad.”

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  Lucy said, “Yes, you can and you will. It pleasures us to be able to help you young- uns. Look at your pa’s face; do you want to wipe that smile off of it? Accept it and keep him happy!”

  Carl looked at his pa and walked over and gave him a big hug! “Thanks pa, thanks ma. This is so incredible! I am going to go tomorrow and talk to her pa before I lose my nerve. This has given me the courage I needed.”

  Next mornin, Carl got dressed in his Sunday best and drove over to talk with Molly’s pa, Mr. Walters. He rehearsed the lines he had written down all the way over to their house. He swallowed big and walked up to their front door. Molly’s pa answered it. “Whoo doggies, you sure is dressed to kill! What’s goin on, Carl?”

  “Could we take a walk, please? Just the two of us?” Carl squeaked out.

  “Why shore nuff. Let me grab my coat,” Molly’s pa said.

  He came outside and the two of them headed down by the lake. It sure was pretty and yellow, with the daffodils and forsythia bloomin all over. The sky was a bright blue with powder puff clouds passin by.

  “Now, what did you want to talk about?” Mr. Walters asked.

  “Sir, I came to ask fur Molly’s hand in marriage. I think I will make a good husband fur her. I’m a hard worker and I love Molly,” Carl started off.

  “Where are you goin to live?”

  “I have my eye on a property that comes with the buildings, Ol man Henry’s place. My pa just did a run of moonshine and gave us the money to put down on that property.”

  “You don’t have any job. What do you intend to do to make a livin?” Molly’s pa asked.

  “Well, it comes with 40 acres and has a big ol barn on it, so I was thinkin to raise tobacco. I done had practice raisin tobacco at my pa’s place and think it will go right fine.”

  “Well, it looks like you have everything just about figured out. You seem to be a man with a good head on his shoulders. As long as you will take good care of my Molly, which it seems like you will, I say yes.”

  “Thank-you sir! I will take real good care of Molly. Do you mind if I run and tell her the news?” and, not waiting for a reply, Carl took off fur the house!

  He got there out of breath and knocked as hard as he could. As soon as he caught his breath, he started yellin fur Molly, over and over, “Molly, Molly!”

  She quick came to the door and asked, “What’s wrong, is pa ok?”

  Carl grabbed her in a big ol bear hug and said, “Nothings wrong! Everything is right! Yore pa agreed to us gettin married!”

  Molly said, “Well, ain’t you goin to ask me?”

  Carl said, as he fell on one knee and almost knocked her over in the bargain, “Molly, my sweet love, will you do me the honor of marryin me?”

  Molly grabbed him around the neck and said, “I shore will! What took you so long?”