Uncle Charlie didn’t take to that little kid like his wife Leaitis did. He seen Little George sneak those biscuits and that ham and he seen him do another thing or two that weren’t so ‘sweet’. Leaitis thought he was just a nice little boy who missed his Momma. Uncle Charlie thought Little George might just like having no mother around and everyone to feel sorry for him. Oh no, he waren’t a rascal nor anything that was so easy to catch. That boy, he was always ahead of the game. Uncle Charlie saw him watching him, too, and he knew that Little George knew about his stash of liquor. But he hadn’t told Leaitis about it. Which be more worrying than if he had a done. Never could tell when that boy going to just up and blab out something that would get him in big trouble with the Missus. Uncle Charlie sure did like to see that boy go off inta that there swamp. Maybe a big ol’ gator’ed get em, and then he would be shut of him.
Course Leaitis would cry and fuss and probably blame him. Darn that sister-in-law of his for getting left by the no-good husband of hers. Uncle Charlie had kind of liked the man, afore he up and disappeared. Who knows about these things, anyway? Who knows if Little George isn’t going to grow up just like his Daddy.
Little George is a cagy sort of boy. The sort of boy who il’ stand back, quiet like, and wait to see what the big folks was talkin’ before he say a word. Always a calculatin’. And then he would open up them big blue eyes and smile and be so sweet he would charm the ladies. They would want to hug the little fellow and give him a sandwich, or some cake. Uncle Charlie’d watch him and see that Little George would catch his eye, for just a second, and it was a sure thing that chile was acting his theater part, like some traveling salesman, selling that snake oil. But the ladies never did catch on to his shenanigans. He was just like that, a snake oil salesman, Uncle Charlie thought, on account of he always got them ladies to fawn over him.
Durn kid was too smart for his own britches, too. Always coming up with some fancy answer or big question about something.
Well, we would just see how smart he was. Playing down in the swamp with all them snakes and gators and his little black friend Dime, it weren’t likely he would outwit those critters for long. Maybe for a while, do tell, but not for ever.
Uncle Charlie slipped his bottle back down behind the work bench and pushed the leaning shed door to closed. Some day he was going to get around to cleaning up that rusty lock, but for now, this’ed be just fine. Where was that boy this morning? He thought he would rock a bit on the back porch and see if he could spy him coming around. It was a mighty fine morning for porch rocking.
