How Jumper Came to Be
Chapter 9
At about the same time, Buck and Joel were on their way to the Boar’s Nest to see their partner-in-crime. They walked in as Boss Hogg was eating his raw liver breakfast.
“Well, how do you do Mr. Hogg.”
“Howdy boys. You’re here for your pay?”
“Yes Mr. Hogg. But you see, we decided what you was paying us wasn’t quite enough,” Buck said.
“Huh?”
“Open the safe fat man.” Boss’s eyes widened. They were robbing him.
“Now just a minute. You can’t do this. All that money is for the children’s funds and for the orphans.”
Joel pulled out a gun and repeated, “Open the safe fat man.” Boss did as he was told. Buck shoved him out of the way when it was open. His buddy started to fill a sack with the money while he himself kept his own firearm trained on the chubby white marshmallow, shoving him toward the corner. Within minutes they had all the money from the safe and were on their way out to Joel’s car and the covered truck that Buck was driving. The latter was loaded with sheep. The second they were out of the office, Boss went for the CB.
“Rosco you numbskull, I was just robbed!”
“Oooo jit jit, Boss, who did it?”
“It was those other numbskulls; the ones I hired to do you know what!”
“You mean steal Mr. Cranston’s sheep?”
“Rosco, hush!”
“Listen little fat buddy, I’ll catch Joel and Buck, just you wait and see, are they still in the silver sedan and the beige truck?”
“Yes you cow chip!”
“Jit jit, I’ll get my deputies right on it Boss.”
“You better!”
“Boss, which way did they go?”
“South!” Boss slammed down the CB mike and ran out the door to his white Cadillac convertible. He pulled out just as the General Lee and Jumper flew by. They had been only moments away when they heard the transmission on the radio. That was the only thing that kept them from going in separate directions at the turn off. It didn’t take too long for the small convoy to grow, picking up Rosco, Enos, and Cletus along the way. The lawmen were shocked to see the Shelby in front of them.
“Breaker, breaker, this is Lost Sheep calling Shepherd and Bo Peep, you got your ears on, come on?”
“This is Shepherd, what’s going on boys?”
“Uncle Shepherd, we need a road block up at the Clementine Junction in five minutes.”
“10-4 boys.”
“Sure thing fellas!”
Luke put the mike down and saw that Hilery was not too far behind them. Jumper kept up with the General Lee very well. Within minutes the truck and sedan were in view. Bo blew the Dixie horn of the orange Charger while Hilery hit the Shelby’s.
“Oh shoot Buck, we better speed up, we got the General Lee, a teal car, and the law on our tails!”
“I hear you Joel!” Buck floored the accelerator as he saw his best friend lean out the window of his silver car to shoot at the pursuing vehicles. Jumper and the General fell back some to avoid being shot. Only Cletus advanced. He moved up past the lead cars only to have his front left tire blown out. The white Plymouth Fury veered to the left and stopped in a ditch by the side of the road. When Joel finally fired the last shot on his six-shooter the Charger and Shelby sped up once more.
The two vehicles driven by the baddies suddenly screeched to a halt at the sight of a yellow automobile and white pickup truck parked across the narrow road, blocking the intersection. Everyone slid to a stop behind them. Hilery and Cooter flung open the doors of the teal car while Bo and Luke climbed out of their own vehicle. The criminals also exited their vehicles.
Bo and Luke looked Buck up and down. He was huge. Both boys remembered the beatings he’d inflicted on them in school. He was as strong as Milo Beaudry, and about as stupid sometimes too. Daisy and Jesse got out of their vehicles and watched.
Hilery was mad. She tore her helmet off and sneered at Joel. The lawmen’s mouths hit the ground; she was the last person they expected to have been driving that car.
“Hello Joel.”
“Aww, the poor baby back for another round,” he laughed as he advanced on her.
“Apparently you don’t remember what I did to you a few days ago, do ya punk?”
“Oh poleaze.” Joel ran forward at her as Cooter took his helmet off and ran toward Buck with Bo and Luke. Buck just swatted them away like flies.
Hilery on the other hand dodged Joel’s charge and slammed him into the truck. He pulled his elbow back and hit her in the gut, knocking the wind out of her before slapping her across the face. She retaliated with a blow to his jaw. His eyes flared. He went to grab her hair like he had done the other day, and left himself wide open to another blow. She threw her fist toward his stomach, knocking him against the truck again. Then she hit him square in the head while he was doubled over. He was out cold.
“Ouch...” she said, shaking her hand and looking at her bruised knuckles. “He’s got a hard head.”
Rosco and Enos waited until that moment to spring into action as they slapped the cuffs on an unconscious Joel and hauled him off to the back of one of the law enforcement vehicles. Meanwhile, Bo, Luke and Cooter were still had their hands full with Buck.
Bo painfully got back up off the ground for what felt like the hundredth time and charged at Buck once again. Buck hit the blond Duke boy so hard that he flew across the road. Luke’s eyes sparked. No one, and I mean no one, hurts his younger cousin like that. He ran up, and putting his fists together, hit Buck in the back of the head. Buck quickly joined his friend in the world of blackness and sleep. Cooter ran over to make sure Bo was OK. The brunet soon made his way over to join the others. They all leaned against the General Lee as the two police officers cuffed Buck and put him in the back of the other cop cruiser like they had done with his buddy.
Hilery walked over to them nursing a bloody lip. “I bet there’s sheep in the back of that truck,” she said.
“What ya mean Hil?”
“Bo, I mean I think I heard a sheep bleat when Joel ran into it.”
“Come on, let’s go look.” Luke led them over to the truck. The Duke Boys opened the tailgate and the cover while Hilery looked inside. Sure enough there were some sheep, Mr. Cranston’s sheep.
Hilery shrieked excitedly when she saw them. There was only a few in there but it was enough to clear them. Daisy and Jesse walked up to join them while they checked out the vehicle. The law didn’t say anything to Hilery because they were still too shocked. It did figure though. They hadn’t been able to even spot her after that teal car showed up.
While everyone else was celebrating the recovery of the sheep, ol’ Boss was hugging his money and shouting, “My money! My money!” His joy was short-lived. Bo and Luke told him that if he didn’t donate some of the money to the orphanage they would make sure he and Rosco went down with their business partners.
Well, with the Dukes and Davenports cleared, and the sheep recovered, the next week and a half passed without incident, and soon it was Hilery’s birthday. Everyone was at the Davenport farmstead to celebrate.
The Hoggs got her a new sewing machine ‘cause her old one broke. Daisy had bought her some fabric, thread, and patterns. Jesse purchased her a new pair of boots. Bo and Luke had given her a set of tools and a toolbox, but only after getting Cooter’s approval. By contrast, the Hazzard County Sheriff’s Department had decided to play it safe and get her a bunch of nail polish.
Now it was Mr. Cranston’s turn to give her a present. “Hilery, I am able to care for my sheep again now, so, how should I put this... I ain’t your employer anymore.” She gasped. “But I did bring you your last paycheck and a new hairbrush and hair ties.” He pulled the young woman into a hug, then backed away as Cooter came up to her.
“Hilery, I know I gave you Jumper for a birthday present, but well, I have two more presents for you,” he said timidly to his second cousin. “First off, I know how you like to have some time to yourself and a retreat when we argue, so you may have the apartment above the garage whenever you need it. Secondly I would be honored if you would come to work for me. Your skills are too good to pass up.” Hilery almost fainted. This is what she’d wanted for a long time. All she could do was hug him. She was so happy she was crying.
Well there you have it folks; the story of how the Davenport cousins stopped feuding, how Hilery got her own place and her dream job, and most importantly, How Jumper Came To Be.
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