by: Delilah Kelly

In a nation breaking apart, a family remained united.[1]

March 1861

Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane was patrolling in the county. The spring air would have been almost perfect had not it been for these rumors of war hanging around. He sighed deeply. Mixed feelings of love for this land and of sorrow for the tribulations to come oppressed his heart in his chest. But he knew that things could not go on forever that way. He knew that the present state of affairs could not continue. The Northern Union was putting more and more pressure on the Confederate States. No, things could not go on like this and he knew that the day was coming closer and closer when everything would break up.

His horse had led him towards the Evans farm. A path he knew very well. For few months already, Rosco was dating Joe Evans’ daughter, Katrina. He had noticed her at church, few days after her sixteenth birthday. He had found her real pretty, a real young lady now. He had fallen in love with her right on the spot. He had approached her since then and much to his surprise, the girl had accepted him as her suitor, though he was much older than her. He was in his early forties now and still unmarried. Time for me to get a wife, he had thought then. Unfortunately for him, he was the County Sheriff only, his estate was made up of only a house with some bits of land around – not even a farm. And though he was one of the most powerful men in the County, he could not pretend to marry a planter’s daughter. He had no slaves on his own, not even one or two, like many farmers did. He was living with his mother and his younger cousin, MaryAnne, who was his Deputy too.

By the time he had noticed Katrina, Rosco was desperate to find a wife. He thought too that even old Joe Evans would not consider him as a possible husband for his daughter. But Rosco was too harsh on himself and he quickly discovered that the farmer would accept him gladly. After all, to be kin with the County Sheriff would not be a bad move… Joe Evans was a shrewd farmer and he had heartily agreed to this courtship. He did not object to the age difference between Rosco and Katrina. In these times, girls used to marry around sixteen or seventeen, sometimes at fifteen, no matter what the age of the man could be. Evans was aware too that his own daughter could not marry a planter’s son either. His family was not even invited to the barbecues planters used to organize in their sumptuous houses.

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by: Kristy Duke

Fear grabs a tight hold of me as I stare numbly at the old clock that rests above the nurses desk, silently counting down how long we have waited on word for Bo. Despite the happy word of Garrett awake and quickly recovering from his injuries, my mind and fear remain upon Bo. All that Luke had said that he had witnessed and all that had happened in the shaft continues to haunt me while my imagination vividly flashes scenes of what my nephew must have went through. Of his fear and of his pain. With the injuries that Luke had described to me and of Bo’s condition, fear of losing him rushes through me, making me think of a life without Bo. As I have done many times in the past when he had grown up with his diseases and had been left in the hospital fighting for his life. As we had done a year and a half a go when we had been led to believe he had died in the accident. Watching the clock slowly tick by, I am lost once again in prayer for my nephew’s fragile life, that he may be strong enough to pull himself out of his weak condition that he is in now. That he may live long enough to have a future, that his life may have a chance to go back to as it had been before the fight at the Boar’s Nest between Luke and Garrett.

Thinking of Luke, I slowly glance over at Luke who stands quietly at the window that over looks a muddy pasture filled with cows and horses. Blood and sweat stain his clothing as he stares blankly through the window, a lone tear melts down his right cheek as he remains lost upon thoughts of Bo. His right eyes is blackly bruised with a thin cut above his left dark eye brow from his own brief moment as prisoner. For a moment I debate upon approaching him before I slowly let the thought escape in knowledge that there isn’t anything I can say or do that would help him any. The only thing that would help him would be a good and positive word from Bo’s doctor. If that is even possible.

I let go a deep breath I had been holding before I glance back at the clock and sigh heavily at seeing that we have been waiting for two hours for word on Bo. Two long hours in the emergency room. Glancing to my left, I take in Daisy and Kristy who stare quietly into an open, old magazine despite not seeing the pictures that is shown. LB, Cooter, Brodie, and Dobro sit somberly in the far corner, their emotions spread across their crazy eyes as they fear for their friend’s life. Standing across the room is Sergeant Frank Mills who waits for word on Bo himself from hearing about his partner’s health problems. Sergeant Mueller will be released in a day after a day of observation. After visiting Treyton, Frank had declared that he would stay to hear about Bo. An FBI agent waiting worriedly on my nephew. The irony doesn’t leave me. JD Hogg and Lulu Hogg sit holding hands upon the bench seats across the room, awaiting word on Rosco as well who by the sounds of things, is doing ok.

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by: Kristy Duke

Bo Duke

Icy cold sweat rolls down my thin smooth face as the darkness clings tightly onto me. I gasp for air as I sit up in my old queen sized bed as the nightmare plays lively in my head as I fight back the images of his still body lying on the living room floor. Though as usual, the more I fight back the horrid picture the more it haunts me, as if in an odd way it is teasing me or playing some odd and twisted game with me. Silently I wipe my face with my thin lengthy hands as the sounds of house ring out at me, growing louder by the second it seems. Once again the picture of his thick body lying there while I walk in screams at me behind my eyes and I squeeze my eyes close, hoping they would just go away.

Loosing the battle with the images in my head I slowly swing my lean lengthy legs over the side of the bed as I read the digital clock that luminates three in the morning. I sigh as I think of all I have to do today and yet know I won’t be able to go back to sleep, leaving me to work with four hours of sleep. An hour more than usual since the incident had occurred only two weeks ago. I stand still in place as the dark room seems to spin around me as the images play tricks in my mind. Slowly I fall into what I have been taught growing up, counting on prayer, of which I have lacked since the horrid incident. I pray to myself for the sight of my uncle lying on the floor to vanish from my dreams and from my head, that I will be strong enough to move on with my life.

Closing my weak prayer I glance over to my right at my cousin who sleeps silently in his single bed. His sheets are tousled around him as he rolls from his right side to his back in his sleep. I watch him sleep filled with my own love and affection toward him, the one that has been there for me through all of this, as he has been throughout all my life. Slowly I shift in place and slowly walk to the door and slowly open it, making sure it don’t squeak to awaken my cousin. Slipping out of my caved in room, I quickly close the door behind me and walk into the living room where more darkness invades, taking over the old house. Through the darkness I move through the known living room across the old oak desk that sits against the wall, that separates the two hallways. Passing the old desk I quickly turn left into the larger of the two halls.

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by: Keith

Act Four

(Scene unfreezes. Barnes fires his gun as Bo and Luke fall on top of him and his lacky)

UNCLE JESSE: (panicking) BOYS!!

(Bo and Luke get up, unharmed.)

(Boss Hogg, Rosco, and Uncle Jesse look in amazement)

ROSCO: Jumpin’ G. Hossifat! They ain’t got a scratch on ’em!

UNCLE JESSE: But that ain’t possible. There ain’t no way he coulda missed.

(Barnes stands and takes aim at the group)

UNCLE JESSE: WATCH IT!!

(Barnes shoots, but no one is hurt)

BOSS HOGG: That’s the second time he missed like that. What in tarnation’s goin’ on here?!

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by: Keith

(We see the shocked looks on Uncle Jesse and Daisy’s faces and switch views to see Bo and Luke standing up on crutches. Uncle Jesse’s expression quickly changes from surprise to a big smile)

UNCLE JESSE: Ha! Would ya look at that?! Doc, by the way you came out to the waitin’ room, I thought these boys was gonna be paralized for life!

DOC APPLEBEE: (smiling) Well, they asked me to be calm. They wanted you to be surprised when you saw them.

DAISY: I’ll say! Doc, does this mean Bo and Luke don’t need them wheel chairs anymore?

DOC APPLEBEE: That’s right! To tell you the truth, I knew when you wheeled these boys outta here a few weeks ago, that it wasn’t gonna be long before they were back on their feet.

LUKE: How’d ya know that, Doc?

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