Splinter (standard:mystery, 2161 words)
Author: stanley mcqueen kentucky backwoods writer	Added: Apr 26 2007	Views/Reads: 4139/2392	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
short backwood story

Splinter backwood writer Stanley Mcqueen 

Pa and I went into Muddy driving pappy old pickup truck we was going to
pickup one of pappy life long friend.. Irvin Webb, Irvin had been in 
the brownville prison for eight long years, sometime bad luck and being 
at  the wrong place at the right time can sure get a person in a lot of 
trouble. well that was Irvin fate, him being a farmer like pappy and a 
good man whom pa had new many years in these parts , it just so happen 
that he was in the small general store and went there to buy him a new 
pocket knife eight years back, well at that time the store keeper had a 
display of new Barlow knifes , there were two of them that had speckled 
handles , different that the others but still the same brand, well 
Irvin bought one of the speckled knifes and it just so happen that the 
Muddy Fork township sheriff was in the store and saw Irvin buy the 
unique looking speckled handled knife.. the sheriff took a look at it 
and told Irvin is was sure a strange looking knife.. So Irvin paid for 
it and leaft the store, and it was about a week or so later that a man 
is found dead in the drive way of a tobacco barn with a speckled handed 
knief sticking in his back.. so the sheriff was called to the barn to 
look at the man and to investigate the murder he reconized the knife . 
and he went went to to Irvin farm and told Irvin if he could not 
produce the knief that he had seen him buy with his own , eyes that he 
would be arrested for the murder of a strange man that had been found 
about a mile or so from Irivn farm.. so Irvin reached in his pocket to 
retrive the knief that he thought he had, and it was missing , Irvin 
told the sheriff that he had lost the knife and he swore to almighty 
God he was telling the truth, but the sheriff arrested him on the spot 
and landed him in the Muddy Fork township jail house, and they had his 
trial and the sheriff swore against him, and he was convicted and 
senstance to eight years in the prison work house..The poor Man lost 
his farm and everthing , his wife left  and took off with another man 
and took Irvin two son, she sold the farm , with the counties 
permission because of Irvin being a convicted murderer..pappy had never 
believe and new well that he was not the one that killed the murdered 
stranger that was later idenified as a man by the name of nath 
woodbury, woodbury had come into Muddy Fork to help a tobacco farmer 
put in his crops, and thats” how the strange man was in Muddy fork that 
was discovered later...so today we go to pickup Irvin his time is over 
and he is a free man again,  when we arrive  in  the township Irvin is 
already waiting on us at the train station, the lean man with grey hair 
now and wrinkles on his face greet my pa with faint smile on his face 
howdy luther his voice says to pa it been a good while he says to pa 
and then pa hugs his frined and said welcome home buddy.. I noticed a 
tear falling from one of his eyes as he got inside our pickup .. boy 
things have change here he tell pa , yes we have two new boarding house 
in town now and the town has gotten some bigger pa replys”it sure is 
good to be back he said to pa and luther i never thought i live threw 
that prison time to ever see this place again he said” Mary has you a 
good dinner fixed pa tell him , she is anxious to see you pa added” 
well luther i ,m lucky to have  a  friend here and i so oblidged that 
you believe that i never kill that fellow, I will never figure out what 
become of that knief that i bought loseing it cost me everthing i had 
worked so hard for my farm my wife my two sons and everything i had is 
gone now he addmited “ well friend you can stay at our place and things 
will be better pa assures him,....your so good and kind a true friend 
Irvin tells pa” well Irvin we been friend since we grew up and went to 
school together at that one rooms school house in the valley and i know 
you better than i know any man here and about and i know your no killer 
and that the fact of this all , you got a bad wrap and that, that pa 
explains”the two of them talked on and renewed old events of there 
childhood days growing up here in Muddy Fork township together, when we 
arrive home ma, greeted him with a hug and set our dinner on the table 
, Irvin said he never tasted so good of food in eight years , the said 
that prison food was terriable and half cooked at times, we relized how 
he must of suffered in there and how awful it was having to spend time 
for something he was not guilty of.. after dinner we all went our on 
our porch and set down and Irvin shared his feelings about what happen 
to him, my life is ruined he said” ever one here will look at me and 
say he is a murder and i guess i have to leave these parts to where 
people don,t know me he expained. i might as well stayed in prison he 
said sadly , i havent nothing leaft here nothing he added, well irvin 
we have crops to tend and i will help you get back on your feet , we,ll 
take on some more tobacco crops and we all can pitch in and help you 
..and things will be looking up for you again, pa assure him ..well at 
this point i don,t know what direction i,ll be taken he said” pa lite 


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