Salt Fork of the Brazos

Young Backwoods girls and their companions. Country life, west of the Pecos river.

Walking along the railroad tracks gathering up small pieces of firewood, was one job the girls did not take to very well . but in order to stay warm for the next four or five days it had to be done. old cross ties and mesquite stumps burned pretty hot in the wood stove and made enough heat to cook as well.Brandy and Natalie  were in charge of the days chore that took no more than two hours or so, yet  the girls somehow managed to gather up enough wood in half the time so they could wander about aimlessly and day dream,or pretend to be on their way to Hollywood to be famous movie stars. Natalie was the second oldest  of the two girls and pretty wise for her age, she was already dating an oilfield hand that  lived about thirteen miles from our place. even though she was just fifteen years old, her mother gave the girl permission to see the boy, who would come calling , on his way home from work. I  thought he was a pretty good kid myself,and so , the young couple on Friday night would go to town and visit with the boys family and friends, then as usual he brought her back home at a decent hour. Afterwards she would tell us about the evening and the places they had gone to.... Brandy was only thirteen at the time and still not so educated about certain things in the real world yet, and boys were the last thing on her mind as far as that went, she loved to go fishing though,  trot lines or a snag lines up the river a few miles from where we lived, were her passion. it was'nt uncommon for Brandy to bring home a nice stringer of catfish or even some crappie fish when the season was right. And the  wind or rain, even bad weather could not keep Brandy from checking those snag lines on the river bank,She did have one habit that her mother was complaining about, she would scold Brandy about the can of snuff that was found in her room one Saturday,Girls don't dip Copenhagen, It ain't proper, you understand me young lady! I'll whip the tar out of you if I find another can of snuff in your damn room!! her mothers voice echoed all through the trailer that day and since she was on the soap box having a discussion with her daughter, I remained outside and sipped on my bottle of Jim Beam a little, then sat in the shade under the cottonwood tree just out of distance of the motherly conversation that was taking place inside the trailer house. Hell hath no fury.....Brandy took it all in stride,  after the a*s chewing from her mother she came out back to where I was sitting and sat down next to me. I suggested that from now on, to keep her snuff out of sight from the wicked  witch  of the west, and pat her on the head, Brandy looked at me and asked if I was going to punish her for dipping? No, I said. your mother had done enough already,and besides I told her there's a lot worse things in this world than a can of snuff. We shook hands and the Brandy made her way up the road, to go see  what was brewing at the local grocery store, that's where the kids her age hung out on a Saturday afternoon to visit and share stories, or trade cigarettes for Copenhagen I supposed.