Gertrude's Warning

By Rod Wright

It is said that love is blind, but sometimes it can be fatal. In 1934,Beautiful sixteen year old Irene drops out of Comanche Springs High School and leaves her home on the Four Jacks Ranch because of the Great Depression. She finds a job as a waitress at Travis Brown's restaurant,the Dixie Cafe. Travis is immediately attracted to the beautiful young waitress. Gertrude, the other waitress at the Dixie Cafe tries to warn Irene, "Travis can be a nice guy, but he can be real mean, when things don't go his way. If you hang around long enough, he will hurt you real bad." Irene is so in love with Travis, that she won't listen to Gertrude's warning. Even before Travis proposes to her, she leaves her high school sweet heart Bill Joe. Not long after she and Travis are married, Travis becomes abusive.. Two years later, Travis tries to murder Irene. This murder attempt is witnessed by Billy Joe and her best friend Jolene Haley, Fearing that he would go to prison,Travis now wants to murder Jolene and Billy Joe too. Can Jolene's father, John Haley, who is a deputy sheriff save them from Travis?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Rod Wright
• Release date: Dec 27, 2017
• ISBN: 9781370447381

Rod Wright

I received from Baylor University a BS degree with a major in biology and a minor in geology. In the United States Air Force, I was as a military public health specialist.After the Air Force, I worked as a city health inspector in of Beaumont, Texas. Later, I was employed by the Texas Department of Health. First working in the Product Safety Division, and then transferring to Radiation Control, I retired as the Radiation Control Program Manager for the Dallas/Fort Worth region.I have been married to the same wonderful lady for forty 48 years. We have two children and four grandchildren.I have had articles published in the Grand Forks Air Force Base news paper, The North Texas Health Physicist news letter, the Texas Gun Collector's magazine and the Dallas Arms Collector's News.My current interests are my family, reading, writing, and collecting antique firearms.The wife and I live live in Texas.

Book preview

CHAPTER 1: A MAD DOG ON THE ROAD

On a hot Texas September Sunday afternoon in 1934, small white puffy clouds dotted the pale blue sky. Two teenaged ranch girls were riding their horses along the gravel country road that would one day become FM 7. As they rode along, Jolene Haley teased her friend Irene Juroska. Billy Joe Woods is telling everyone that he is sweet on you. Is he going to be your beau? Irene, who had a crush on Billy Joe, but would not admit it, said, No, he is not going be my beau! If you remember, he put that old hoppy toad in my desk. Jolene replied, It sure sounds like true love to me.

Before the teasing could go any farther, the sheriff, Tom Jones in his Model A Ford pulled up alongside of them and stopped. The sheriff leaned out the window, pushed back the brim of his white Stetson hat and looked over the top his sun glasses. Afternoon, young ladies. Did ya'll see a big red dog with floppy ears and a curly tail? No sheriff, we haven't seen any dogs at all. Ya'll better ride straight home now. I got a report from Travis Brown, that he saw a mad dog, when he was driving back into town. I got to find that dog and kill it before it gives someone rabies."

Jolene said, I am afraid to ride home by myself. I just might run into that mad dog. The dog, that the sheriff described sounds a lot like Emmitt Carpenter's dog, Traveler. It got into fight with a coyote the other day. Poor thing got chewed up real bad. I bet that old coyote gave Traveler rabies. Irene replied, Let's go to my folk's place. We can cut across the pasture. That way we don't have to stay on the road. My papa can take you home in his truck. When it's safe, I'll ride over to your place and bring your horse home. Jolene looked doubtful, That is sure is a lot of trouble for your dad. Irene replied, He won't mind. One of our calves wondered over on to your place. When he is at your folk's place, it can be loaded up and papa can bring it home."

The young women rode over to the nearest gap in the pasture fence. Jolene started to dismount to open the primitive gate that consisted of a fence post that was not planted in the ground. Like the rest of the fence, it had three strands of barb wire attached to it. When the gap was closed, the fence was made complete by attaching the loose post to the next fence post by two loops of wire. Irene said, Jolene don't get off your horse, that dog just might be around here somewhere. I can open it, while I am still in the saddle. I've seen the cow hands do it a lot of times. It wasn't easy as it looked. She struggled to get the top of the post loose from its loop of wire. When she finally got it loose, she dropped the post, causing the barbed wire to cut a nasty gash on her knee. The cut made by the barbs would leave a scar, that Irene would have for the rest of her life.

Forgetting the mad dog, Jolene dismounted, finished opening the gap. She led her chestnut colored mare through the gap with Irene following close behind. When Jolene had securely closed the gap, she went over to Irene, took off her bandana and gently wrapped it around Irene's bleeding knee.

The wind blew the scent of the women and their horses to the old longhorn bull that was on the far side of the pasture. He did not like it in the least, that his territory was being invaded. He got up from under the old live oak tree where he had been resting to escape the afternoon sun. With his head held high, his nine foot horns swinging from side to side and with fire in his eyes, he trotted in the direction of the young women and their horses. Irene saw him first. Jolene, that mean old bull, Lucifer is coming after us. Let's call his bluff, Jolene replied, as she turned her horse to face the bull. Both of them galloped towards the bull waving their hats and shouting, Bad Lucifer! Go on! Get out of here! The horses and riders intimidated the old bull, so he trotted to the far side of the pasture, where some of his cows were standing.

After the bull joined his cows, Irene glanced down and saw that blood had soaked Jolene's bandana and had gotten on the hem of her dress. She looked at Jolene's jeans. I wish my father would let me wear pants in public, but he says that girls wearing pants in public is not what young ladies do. Jolene shook her head, My father is so old fashioned too. I hid my jeans, until I am away from the house. Then, when I am out of sight of the house, I change into them. Irene wide eyed asked, Did y'all ever get caught? Not by my folks, but one day, I was changing behind a cedar tree, when Luke came riding up. Irene asked, That handsome young cowboy, that your Dad hired a while back? Yup. One and the same. What did he say? Jolene laughed, Not a word. He just turned real red in the face, and rode off as fast as he could.

The girl's laughter was interrupted by a gunshot coming from the direction of the road. Irene with a tears in her eyes commented, I guess Sheriff Jones just sent poor old Traveler to doggie heaven.

The girls rode over to the main gate, where, they left the pasture. On the far side of the gate was an ancient old pecan tree. From under the tree. they could see Irene's house. Jolene commented, I better change out of my jeans before we go to your house. Jolene dismounted and took a blue denim skirt from her saddle bag. Irene looked toward the house and saw a group of teenage boys playing ball in the front yard. Irene laughed. You better step behind, that old pecan tree to change. The boys can see you from here. You don't want to give them a peek. Do you? Jolene blushed and stepped behind the tree to change into her skirt.

When the girls arrived at the Juroska's house, Amyl Jr., who was called A.J. by his friends, his brother, Ruddy and Charlie Haley, Jolene's older brother were playing a ball game that they had made up.

One boy would be up to bat, Another boy would be the pitcher. The third player would be the catcher. The fourth player would be the fielder. If the batter hit the ball and it was not caught on the fly or on the first bounce, he scored. He got to bat until he struck out or until the pitcher or fielder caught his hit. When the batter was out, he rotated to the field. The fielder became the pitcher. The pitcher became the catcher and the catcher became the batter.

Jolene called to A.J. and Charlie, Come here ya'll. Irene cut her knee on the fence. She needs some help to get off her horse. A.J. caught the horse's bridle to make sure the horse stood still. Charlie helped Irene dismount. He would have helped her into the house, but she said, Thanks' Charlie. I can make it into house. She was wrong. When she got to the front porch, she became faint and almost fell climbing the steps, so Charlie helped her get up the stairs and on to the porch. There on the porch, she was met by her mother, Vlasta, who told her set down on the porch swing. What happened? Irene's mother asked. I got cut by the fence, when I tried to open the gap to the pasture. Why did y'all try to go through the pasture? Why didn't y'all stay on the road? Y'all know that old bull, that's in that pasture is cantankerous. Irene just looked at the floor of the porch, but Jolene spoke up, Mrs. Juroska, we were on the road, when the sheriff drove up and told us that a mad dog had been seen on that very road. Vlasta turned pale, then she shouted to A.J., Go tell your papa to go get his shotgun. There is a mad dog out on the road. Jolene quickly said, Mrs. Juroska, the sheriff has already killed the dog. Thank goodness for that! Jolene, you and Charlie stay for supper now. We are going to have caraway seed soup, veal schnitzel, sausage, povezky (fried bread), sour kraut, Bohemian cabbage, and for dessert poppy seed klatches, Valsta Announced. Thank you, we'll sure will stay for supper, The two always hungry teenagers answered in one voice.

The next day at school everyone was asking Irene, why she was limping. I cut my knee on a fence gap, Irene told the kids, that were standing by the front door of the high school waiting for the morning bell. Freddy Carpenter, son of Emit Carpenter was, an obnoxious kid, who lusted after Irene, said, Let see that cut, and reached down to pull up the hem of her dress. Before he could grab the hem of her dress, Billy Joe shouted, Don't you touch her! You hear! Then, he shoved him hard against the school door. Freddy saw the angry look in Billy Joe's eyes, and said, Don't get so mad. I was just messing around. Then he slunk off to the other side of the school. The bell rang and everyone went into the school except for Irene and Billy Joe. Billy Joe, thank you for defending me. Billy Joe, as he drew a line in the dirt with the toe of his boot answered, It was nothing. You don't want to walk home with a bum knee. Let me give you a ride to your folk's place. Irene smiled, Billy Joe, just how are you going to do that? You don't have a car." He pointed toward the street and said,