WRONG SCARECROW
Years ago a boy had a crush on a girl, Laura Mae, in his high school freshman class. It was a farm community and everyone planted gardens. They also protected them with scarecrows. Each family tried to make its scarecrow the most lifelike and original. Riding home on the school bus one afternoon, they rounded the curve near Laura Mae’s house and her parent’s garden came into view. There in the middle of the rows, was a figure dressed in an old straw hat, ragged overalls, and a faded checked shirt. A hoe was stuck under his right arm, adding authenticity. In an effort to gain favor with the girl he loved, this boy said, “Laura Mae, your Daddy never has to worry about crows in his garden; anything that ugly will keep everything away.” And right at that moment, the ‘scarecrow’ began hoeing. Laura Mae is married now, but not to that boy. From Progressive Farmer, Jan 1991, Birmingham, Alabama
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