JUDY ROSS
I FIRST INTRODUCED JUDY ROSS TO YOU IN MY
STORY “WAGON TRAIN.” AT THAT TIME SHE WAS
FIVE YEARS OLD. SHE AND THE REST OF US
LIVED IN THE CITIES SERVICE OIL COMPANY
CAMP IN THE EAST TEXAS OIL FIELD.
JUDY WAS A REAL TOM BOY. SHE WAS SHORT ON
WORDS AND LONG ON ACTION. AN EXAMPLE OF
THIS WAS WHAT SHE DID WHEN OUR WAGON TRAIN
CRASHED. SHE HAD FALLEN OUT OF HER WAGON
AND BEEN RUN OVER BY ANOTHER WAGON.
INSTEAD OF CRYING OR SAYING ANYTHING, SHE
CHASED ME DOWN AND KICKED MY BUTT. SHE
HAD DECIDED IT WAS MY FAULT THAT SHE HAD
FALLEN OUT OF HER WAGON.
NOW SHE IS SEVEN YEARS OLD AND SHE COULD
OUT RUN, OUT THROW AND OUT SPIT ALL THE
REST OF US IN OUR LITTLE GROUP. BUT SHE
IS STILL SHORT ON WORDS AND LONG ON
ACTION. SOMETIMES HER ACTIONS MAKE HER
SEEM LIKE SHE IS SHORT ON JUDGMENT.
THERE WERE A LOT OF KIDS THAT LIVED IN THE
CAMP AND THEY WERE DIVIDED INTO TWO
GROUPS. THOSE FROM THIRTEEN YEARS OLD AND
UP IN ONE GROUP AND THOSE TWELVE YEARS OLD
AND DOWN IN THE OTHER GROUP. I WAS ELEVEN
YEARS OLD AT THE TIME, BUT WE HAD ONE BOY
IN OUR GROUP THAT WAS TWELVE. BILLY WAS
BIG FOR HIS AGE AND HE PRETTY WELL RAN OUR
GANG. NOT BECAUSE HE WAS THE SMARTEST ONE
BUT BECAUSE HE WAS THE BIGGEST ONE IN THE
GANG.
ONE MORNING WE HAD GONE TO THE TROLLEY
SLIDE THAT THE BIG KIDS HAD BUILT. A
TROLLEY SLIDE IS A STEAL CABLE TIED TO A
TREE 15 FEET ABOVE THE GROUND AND PULLED
REAL TIGHT AND TIED TO ANOTHER TREE 50
YARDS AWAY, THREE FEET FROM THE GROUND.
IT HAS A PIECE OF ONE INCH PIPE, 12 INCHES
LONG, THREADED ON IT.
AS WE GATHERED UNDER THE TREE, BILLY SAID,
“WHO WANTS TO BE FIRST TO RIDE THE
TROLLEY, RIGHT AFTER ME?”
JUDY SAID, “I’M GOING TO BE FIRST. BILLY
YOU CAN RIDE AFTER ME.”
BILLY ACTED LIKE HE DIDN’T EVEN HEAR HER,
AND AGAIN SAID,
“WHO WANTS TO BE FIRST, RIGHT AFTER ME?”
THIS MUST NOT HAVE SET TO WELL WITH JUDY,
BECAUSE SHE COUGHED UP A BIG GOB OF SPIT
AND LET FLY AT BILLY’S FACE. IT LANDED ON
HIS CHEEK. FOR AN INSTANT BILLY JUST
STOOD THERE LOOKING AT JUDY. THEN HE
REACHED FOR HER BUT IT WAS TO LATE. SHE
HAD USED THAT INSTANT TO TURN AND START
RUNNING.
BILLY TOOK OUT AFTER HER BUT SHE HAD A TEN
YARD HEAD START ON HIM. HE WAS TALLER AND
HIS LEGS WERE LONGER THAN JUDY’S SO HE WAS
HOLDING HIS OWN FOR THE FIRST 50 YARDS.
IN THE NEXT 50 YARDS HE WAS BEGINNING TO
TIRE AND JUDY OPENED THE GAP TO 20 YARDS.
AFTER THE NEXT 50 YARDS BILLY WAS SO
WINDED THAT HE STOPPED.
WHEN BILLY STOPPED, JUDY STOPPED AND
PICKED UP SEVERAL SMALL ROCKS. SHE
STARTED CHUCKING THEM AT BILLY. THE FIRST
ONE HIT HIM ON THE CHEST.
“OWE,” YELLED BILLY AND HE STARTED RUNNING
TOWARD JUDY AGAIN.
THE SECOND ROCK HIT HIM ON THE EAR AND THE
THIRD ROCK HIT HIM ON HIS HEAD. BILLY PUT
IT IN REVERSE AND STARTED RUNNING AWAY
FROM JUDY. JUDY WAS OUT OF ROCKS BY THIS
TIME, BUT SHE STARTED CHASING BILLY. WHEN
THEY CAME TO THE GRAVEL ROAD THAT WENT TO
ALL OF OUR HOUSES, JUDY SCOOPED UP A HAND
FULL OF GRAVEL AND STARTED THROWING IT AT
BILLY.
JUST AS BILLY GOT TO HIS HOUSE JUDY
SCOOPED UP ANOTHER HAND FULL OF GRAVEL AND
AS BILLY WAS OPENING THE SCREEN DOOR SHE
LET FLY WITH THE WHOLE HAND FULL. IT MUST
HAVE SOUNDED LIKE A LOAD OF BUCK SHOT
HITTING THE FRONT OF THE HOUSE.
JUDY TURNED AND RAN OFF TO THE SIDE OF THE
HOUSE, JUST AS BILLY’S MOTHER CAME OUT
ONTO THE PORCH. SHE NEVER DID SEE JUDY.
WE HAD ALL BEEN WATCHING THIS EPISODE AND
WHEN JUDY WALKED BACK TO THE TROLLEY SLIDE
AND SAID SHE WAS GOING TO BE FIRST TO RIDE
THE TROLLEY THAT MORNING, NONE OF US SAID
A WORD.
JUDY CLIMBED THE TREE AND TOOK HOLD OF THE
PIPE AND LAUNCHED HER SELF OFF THE TREE
LIMB LIKE A BIRD FLYING OFF. SHE SLID ALL
THE WAY DOWN, LANDING AS LIGHTLY AS A
BALLET DANCER.
BILLY TURNED THIRTEEN IN A COUPLE OF WEEKS
AND NEVER DID COME BACK TO OUR GROUP. I
CAN’T SAY THAT ANY OF US MISSED HIM. IN
THREE MONTHS I TURNED TWELVE AND THIS MADE
ME THE OLDEST MEMBER OF OUR GROUP.
BECAUSE OF THAT, I BECAME THE LEADER, BUT
I NEVER CROSSED JUDY. I DIDN’T WANT KNOTS
ON MY HEAD FROM ROCKS THROWN BY JUDY.
THE NEXT TIME I WILL TELL YOU ABOUT JUDY
AND THE HORSES, BUT THAT’S A WHOLE NOTHER
STORY FOR A DIFFERENT TIME.