Mama wanted to know when he got home. “I didn’t git’m Mama, ‘cause I wuz careless and went off and left my basket of eggs on the ground. While I wuz gone, a dang ole mutt got in’m and sucked ever’ last one.” “Watch that language of yours, Joey Frank,” Mama scolded. “You should be ashamed of yourself for talking that way. Your sister could have been here and heard that. Now I don’t want to hear you speaking that way again.” “I’m sorry, Mama, I wudn’t thankin’. Where is Gloria anyhow?” “She’s over at the Widow Simson’s. She’ll be spending the night there. They’re baking cookies for the church to help raise more reward money for the killer of Banker Tolbert. You did hear about the banker’s death in Ruby Creek, didn’t you?” Joey Frank was not prepared for Banker Tolbert’s name to be brought up, and he tried to keep his voice steady when he answered Mama’s unexpected question saying, “Yeah, Me an’ Ernie heard about it, Mama.”
