The Brooch

Here Comes The Sheriff

"Naw hold your horses." The sheriff said holding back a ranting Mrs. Crowder.

"Are you gone arrest her, Harv?"

"Naw Settle down Magnus." The sheriff pleaded with Mrs. Crowder.

"No! I will not!" She huffed! "Naw deputy Dotty put the cuffs on her!"

"You stay right there Al." The sheriff ordered.

"Naw hold on!" Daddy Woods interrupted. "Whuts this all about?"

"Ask yo wife!" Mrs. Crowder hissed. "Gone ask her!"

Fred looked at his wife, Scarlet  in confusion. He couldn't understand why Mrs. Crowder came barging into his house like a lunatic. But most of all, what he couldn't understand is why his wife and daughter were so silent in the corner.

"Naw look!" Daddy Woods asserted himself in a strong tone. "This is my house, Mrs. Crowder and I wont you out!"

"I ain't leavin this here property without my belongins!" Mrs. Crowder griped back.

"Naw there ain't nuthin here of yours, Mrs. Crowder!" Daddy Woods fussed.

"There most certainly is! And yo wife and child know of it! Heck, they were in on it together! Includin yo brother in law! And he's next!" She threatened with a cold eye towards Maple.

Maple saw them eyes... and without so much as a flinch, she darted toward Mrs. Crowder. Harv the sheriff could barely hold her back as she growled...

"Naw you look, Miss Bubble Butt... You try, you jest try to go anywhere near my Mumma or even my uncle, and I swear__"

"You see that Harv?!?" Mrs. Crowder squealed! "Don't let that brat near me!" She cried! "Hold onto her! Hold on tight! She's wild!"

She jumped back and higher than a jack rabbit on sugar, when Maple came near. As quick as her little feet would let her. She ran behind that deputy Al, all the while grabbing her hat and hanging onto her hair.

"Harv. Let go of my child." Mama Woods finally spoke up in a calming tone. "Please."

Harv slowly released his grip on a huffing Maple.

"Naw, everybody please, let jest calm down..." Harv said trying to assess the situation properly. And without Mrs. Crowder going through the window by Maple's hand. "Naw we are all grown, and we kin talk bout this calmly. Let jest take a seat and__"

"I ain't sittin nowhere in this house!" Mrs. Crowder raged.

"Naw Mrs. Crowder__"

"No!" She defied the sheriff! "Naw I am on the counsel and I pay yo bills. Not onlay that, but you are comin up on re-election and I have a lot of say here! And if you wont to keep bein the sheriff, then I suggest you do yo job! Or I will find someone who will!" She demanded!

Harv, walked over to a defiant Mrs. Crowder, he leaned over and stared her right in the eye and whispered...

"Well it ain't votin time yet, Magnus. And I am still the reignin sheriff. And I am in charge of this situation. Naw I suggest you set yo bubble butt down, right naw... or I will turn my eyes, and happily let young Miss Maple throw you through that window so fast you gone roll like a hot poe-tay-tuh! Naw sit!" He said pointing to the kitchen table chair.

"Well!" Mrs. Crowder uttered flabbergasted.

She gulped so loud and looked from the corner of her eye and saw Maple standing there with the look that made her chill to her bones. Maple, may have not heard a word the sheriff said towards Mrs. Crowder, but it was almost as if she knew what was relayed and she was ready to oblige. With that, Mrs. Crowder nervously cleared her throat and sat on the edge of the chair right back those swinging doors. Just in case she needed to make a run for it.

"Naw..." The sheriff uttered. "Naw that we are situated, Mrs. Woods, I am sorry for the intrusion."

"You are onlay doin yo job, sheriff." Mama Woods said sitting in the back corner chair by the door. She calmly sat by an already irate Maple, holding her hand, making sure she stayed in her place.

They both knew what the intrusion was already about. Sadly Daddy Woods, had no idea...

Sheriff Rosenbaum started his way towards to the other side of the kitchen towards the Woods.

"Do yo job!" Mrs. Crowder stood up ranting.

The sheriff turned back and gave her a look like what did we just discuss. Mrs. Crowder looked towards Maple, then the sheriff, and reluctantly sat back down.

"Sheriff Rosenbaum, please explain why you are here in my house and Mrs. Crowder is threatening my family?" Daddy Woods said with much concern in his eyes.

"Well sadly Fred, Mrs. Crowder seems to thank yo sweet wife, Scarlet happens to have somethin that belongs to her."

"Well she does!" Mrs. Crowder shouted leaning in trying to listen.

"Hush up woman!" Sheriff Rosenbaum lowly mumbled.

"Waaa!" Mrs. Crowder gasped.

"Mrs. Woods," the sheriff said trying to maintain his composure. "I'm sorry, but she seems to thank you stole an heirloom from her property. And are callin it your own. In fact..." he said looking back towards Mrs. Crowder daring her to utter so much as one syllable. She looked at him with her head held high, like someone had just put duck tape on her lips. He continued on standing in front of Mama Woods and Maple, as Daddy Woods stood close by. "She seems to believe, and I know there ain't no way this can be any kind of truth in whut I'm bout to utter, so I apologize in advance, but she seems to be dead set on the alleged fact that you, Jeffrey, and young Maple here were in cohoots together and deluded her eyes, taking advantage of her and creatin a duplicate replica of this..." He said taking his hand out of his pocket and unwrapping the brooch from his handkerchief... "Naw please please, tell me, there ain't no kinda truth to whut she is allegin." He said concerned eyes.

"Why that's Maple's brooch!" Daddy Woods abruptly spoke up. "Whut you doin with it sheriff?"

"Naw ya see that? You see that?" Mrs. Crowder squalled! "There is yo proof from out of Fred Woods mouth himself!"

"Mrs. Crowder please... I ain't gone to ask you again.," The sheriff fussed. "Al keep that woman quiet!" He said fussing to his deputy.

"Yessir..."

The sheriff, with a look of unbelief and feeling like someone had just fed him raw oysters and hot sauce, gazed sickly at Mama Woods and Maple as they looked at each other, and then up at the sheriff. The sheriff sighed and grudgingly drop his head as he wiped the sweat of from the back of his neck... He gazed back up at an oblivious Daddy Woods and a guilty looking Mama Woods. He started to speak with remorse...

"Mrs. Woods__"

"Naw wait sheriff! Maple abruptly said standing up. "That ain't my brooch, daddy." Maple replied gazing at her confused Daddy Woods and then the sheriff. "But the one I have is not hers either!" Maple defended.

"So you do have the original?" The sheriff woefully replied.

"Yes suh. But it don't belong to her!" Maple growled glaring at Mrs. Crowder!

"Do some em sheriff! Or so help me..." Mrs. Crowder threatened..

"That's it I warned you woman!" The sheriff blurted out. "Al, take Mrs. Crowder in."

Mrs. Crowder gasped! "On whut charge?"

"On the charge you can't shut yo dang mouth when told!" The sheriff hissed. "Gone on naw Al!" The sheriff ordered.

Deputy Dotty took a scrapping Mrs. Crowder out the house and into his car...

"Do yo job!" Mrs. Crowder hollered as she was being dragged away. So loud the neighbors came out to see what all the fuss was about...

As the deputy drove off with a hoot hollerin Mrs. Crowder, Sheriff Rosenbaum looked at the Woods...

"Mrs. Woods, if whut Mrs. Crowder is sayin is true, and Maple you have possession of that brooch, then I'm sorry, but I'm gone have to take you in too."