Guest Author - Phyllis Doyle Burns
Remember ol' Jistin Time? Course ya do - he was the hero in Jistin And The Dogwood Tree that I wrote a story 'bout back in July. I thought I should give you an update on his life, seein' as how we just left him back there by the swamp under that old Dogwood tree.
Well, it seems that Jistin, after having lost his whole family, did for sure go into that ol' swamp to see if there really was some gold buried in there. Sure 'nuff he did find it! Remember a rich man came 'roun to that area where the Dogwood tree was and he built hisself a right fine house, a hot dog stand and a fine, big ol' market and a new road that went right on to the next village? Yup! That was ol' Jistin.
Well, that ol' Dogwood tree is still there with the carvin' on it that Jistin scratched into the bark. Course, now that carvin' is kinda faded like, but, you can still make it out if'n you get up close and squint a little.
Jistin built a pretty little bench to go all 'roun that tree, planted some pretty flowerin' bushes and made some walkways and a little water fountain - made a nice little park there, he did. He also put a lot of little bird houses in with feeders. He and his wife, Molly, often sit there after supper just awatchin' the birds eat and chatter.
That's right, Jistin got married and he and Molly had nigh on to seven children, they did. The four boys just as venturesome as Jistin and the three girls just as pretty as Molly. Why the first one, a boy named William, has already gone off to college to become a doctor and wants to go to work in one of them fancy hospitals they're abuildin' all over the country. Two of the boys are alearnin' agriculture (you know, fancy farmer stuff) and plan on turnin' that old swamp into a good payin' orchard full of apples and such.
The girls are pretty smart, too. Why one of them is gonna be graduatin' from high school next spring and wants to go off to one of them medical schools, like her brother. The other two are still just havin' fun in school with their friends and growin' up just fine.
Now, the little un - the youngest boy - well, he's just a chip off the old block and wants to go explorin' when he grows up, just like his Pappy. Ol' Jistin took one look at that babe when he was born and said, "By the wink in that boy's eye, I think he's a goin' to be splorin the world! Ain't no one gonna hold him back!" Jistin right off named the babe Columbus! His Momma always calls him "Colly", to rhyme with Molly. Why he's a'fit to be tied, just a thinkin' about how his brothers are goin' to fill in that ol' swamp! Well... he's a studyin', too. Lookin' into all them wild places on the maps of the world and readin' all about arkeeologee stuff. There is plenty of places in the whole world for him to "splore" - and he will, too - why that kid just doesn't know what quit means - like to drive his Momma nuts, too!
And Jistin? You think he's just a sittin' back and takin' it easy now? Not till hades freezes over! Why he's still buildin' on to that ol' Just In Time Market of his. He has added a little more space to it almost every year and rents out more space to other little stores. Why that place is just turnin' into a real, whatta ya call them places? - a plaza or mall? Something like that there. Anyway - Jistin owns all that land roun' that area, includin' the swamp. His parents and grandparents had staked claims way back when there was no one else 'roun them parts.
Molly keeps herself right busy, too. She has a little booth in the New Market called Molly's Folk Remedies where she fixes up whatever remedy the folks in the village need for whatever ailments they got. She also does all the bakin', not just for her big family, but for the new market as well. She does all the orderin' for the market also. Her biggest supplier, Rosie Skyhaven, keeps her stocked to the rafters with all sorts of stuff - from nails to food and all that in between. Ya - ol' Rosie sure is a right fine stocker, that's for sure and she's good folk, too!
Yup! That little ol' market just took off and gave Jistin and Molly the money comin' in that they needed to raise and feed all them kids of theirs.
Now - I wonner where that ol' Colly is off to now?!!!
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