In The Heat Of The Night

It is no fun getting woke up with a hand over your mouth.  But I calmed down when I realized the evil looking, flashlight-lit grin I was looking up at was Jessie.  He’d already woke up Leonard.  And oiled my window before we went to bed.  It didn’t make any noise when he opened it.  We climbed out.  Leonard carried a yardstick.

We could hear Elmer snoring in the tack room when we snuck into the barn.  Jessie aimed the flashlight while Leonard held the yardstick up to one of the numbered posts.  

It was obvious.  The three foot mark on the post was actually 33 inches.  Leonard measured up to the six foot mark.  Another three inches off.  

So Elmer had done some exaggerating.  Later, Jessie would joke, “Blossom could jump five and a half feet, Elmer just rounded it up to six.”  It didn’t matter to me.  I wasn’t going to blame Blossom for Mr. Pickett’s deception.  Her jumping had been spectacular regardless of how high.

The next morning, Elmer ate breakfast with us before heading out.  The next show would be in Quitman, nine miles to the south.  Just a few minutes by car, but Blossom would have to haul the cart the whole way, then perform the same show she’d done the day before.

Elmer raved again about my mother’s cooking and made my father promise he could stay with us next year.  I was sad Blossom was leaving, but happy I would see her again.  

Jessie always had a list of things to needle Leonard with.  Blossom got added to the list.  He combined barbs about the singing mule with claims he would expose the secrets to Elmer’s tricks.   

The rest of the summer flew by and then I was back in school, in the 4th grade.  Fall became winter which slowly turned into spring.  Jessie teased Leonard as usual.  In May, we got a letter from Mr. Pickett.  He and Blossom would be in Stonewall on June 6th and he was looking forward to “some of that fine southern cooking.”  Jessie got in the habit of singing parts of the National Anthem in a falsetto voice whenever Leonard was around.

The night before the show, Jessie reminded us he was going to “expose” Elmer.  When we piled into the pickup truck the next day, he put Daddy’s binoculars in the glove box.   

We watched the first part of the show.  Just like last year, Blossom was lovely with her braided tail, hat, and flowers.  Elmer had mixed things up and added some new jokes but it was mostly the same show as before.  When it was time for Blossom to do the jumps, Jessie elbowed Leonard, looked at me, and said, “Let’s go.”

We drove around to Walker Avenue, the nearest road on the back side of city hall. We parked at the Stonewall Assembly of God and walked across the street, through the trees.  We were about  200 feet from the show.  

 

Jessie spoke to Leonard.  “I’m going to let you do the looking so there will be no argument and no doubt about what you are seeing.  Here’s the deal.  Elmer is using some kind of hand signal to let Blossom know which sign to pick.  Every time Blossom was moving between the signs, he was standing at an angle to the audience and we couldn’t see his left hand.”

“You know that horses and mules have great peripheral vision due to their eyes being on the sides of their heads.  When Blossom is walking back and forth between the numbers, unlike the audience, she doesn’t have any trouble seeing Elmer’s hand.”

Jessie handed the binoculars to Leonard.  “With these you’ll be able as well as Blossom.  I suspect Elmer trained her to respond to finger movements.  Keep an eye on his hand.”

Elmer had his back to us as he faced the audience.  From our hiding spot under the tree branches, we couldn’t make out what he saying.  But the man writing the numbers on the chalkboard was repeating the numbers as he wrote them down.  He spoke loud enough for us to hear.  “The answer is 847.”  

Leonard aimed the binoculars and I squinted at Elmer’s hand.  He turned toward Blossom.  She started walking toward the 8 sign.  At the same time Leonard said, “He’s pointing his index finger forward!”  A pause.  “He just made a fist!”  Blossom stopped, and nosed the 8.  We could hear the audience gasp.

“He just pointed his index finger backwards…Fist!”  Blossom moved the other direction, then touched the 4. 

Jessie said, “So now you know how Elmer did it.  He trained Blossom to move to the right or left by pointing, and when he wants her to stop and touch a sign, he makes a fist.  

Leonard gave me the binoculars and I watched while Blossom “answered” questions.  Elmer used the same kind of signals for the yes, no, and maybe signs.  Jessie was right.

As we walked back to the truck, Jessie asked, “So Madeline, do you think Blossom will finally sing the National Anthem when she returns next year?”  I just giggled.  Leonard didn’t say anything.

That night at supper, Elmer dropped a bombshell.  There wouldn’t be a next year.  “I’ve got big news.  I’m getting married!  Last year in Hattiesburg, I met a widow who took a liking to me.  We started writing back and forth.  She and her husband ran a restaurant, he died a year ago and she needs help.  I’m getting to old to be doing flips off of Blossom’s saddle.  Time for me to settle down.”

“So today was my last show.”  Elmer looked at me.  “Madeline, the reason I made this my last show was because of you.  I saw how much you cared for Blossom when I was here last year.  If your parents agree, I would like to give Blossom to you.”

Daddy said, “Okay with me.”  Momma looked at me and said, “You know that is a big responsibility.  If you don’t take care of your animal, nobody else will do it for you.”

I said, “Yes, Momma, I promise I’ll feed and water her every day and keep her combed and she’ll work for her food.”  I started crying and gave Elmer a hug.