Birthday Battles

[Betsyraeduke]

“Are you sure this is the right place?†Ellen asked looking around.

“Will you pipe down? Of course I'm sure!â€

Frank and Ellen Grenshaw tiptoed around the Duke's farm seemingly busy with some task. As they finished up, Frank tripped over the chopping block and fell to the ground with a thud. Before he could help himself, he let out a yelp. He and Ellen froze like deer caught in the headlights for a split second as lights came on inside the house. Composing themselves, Ellen quickly helped Frank to his feet and they took off at a dead run, not slowing down until they were well off the Duke's property.

“Now what do you suppose those clowns are up to?â€

Uncle Jesse returned to the kitchen where Bo and Luke greeted him anxiously.

“Ya see anyone?†Bo asked

“No, no, nothing unusual out there†Uncle Jesse replied, scratching his head “probably just some varmint scavenging fer foodâ€

“Must have been a pritty big varmint to make a racket like that†Luke piped in

“Well, in any case, there's nothin' or no one out there now†Uncle Jesse answered, “At least it didn't wake the girls, whatever it was....alright, lets git back ta bed nowâ€

“Yes sir†Bo and Luke replied sleepily.

[Betsyraeduke]

The Grenshaws stood beside their pickup just outside of town.

“Yup, step one completedâ€, Frank spoke into the receiver of the pay phone, “we'll be aware of every move they make.†There was a pause while he listened

“Yeah†he hissed into the phone again, “You can count on it as long as you don't double cross me! I'd better git my share!†There was another pause

“Alrightâ€, Frank replied into the receiver, “We'll be in touch†He hung up the phone.

“Everything set?†Ellen asked as she flicked the ash from her cigarette

“Yeah†Frank answered as he and Ellen climbed into the truck.

[Betsyraeduke]

Warm sunshine splashed through the kitchen window as the Dukes sat around the table enjoying breakfast. They chatted with each other lively and cheerfully not noticing or suspecting anything out of sorts.

“Mmmm, this is sooo yummy†Betsy-rae said over her plate of biscuits and gravy and scrambled eggs.

“Glad ya like it sugar†Daisy replied

Betsy-rae smiled. Turning to Bo and Luke she asked, “You guys are gonna give me a ride to school in the General today ain't cha?â€

“You betcha! We wouldn't disappoint our little sis, would we now?†Luke responded

“Of course we wouldn't!†Bo added. Betsy-rae had been adopted into the Dukes family by Uncle Jesse and had quickly become just like a sister to Bo, Luke and Daisy.

“Woohooo!†Betsy-rae said happily

Uncle Jesse smiled. He was so proud of his family and though he was not a man of many means, he felt rich for having them.

“How many of yer friends did you say was coming fer yer party tonight, dear?†He asked Betsy-rae. It was Betsy-rae's fourteenth birthday, which to Betsy-rae's delight was on a Friday this year, and Uncle Jesse had promised her that she could have a slumber party as long as she agreed to adult supervision and didn't get to rowdy.

“Lets see.....Cindy Ledbetter, Haley Jenson, Tara Doolin, Sally Rhuebottom, Rachael Henning, and Hannah Mackeys for sure....and Leeanne Terwilliger said she might come.......so six for sure, maybe sevenâ€

“Alright, dear, that's fine, just fine†Uncle Jesse kissed her on the top of the head. “Ya best finish yer breakfast and git off to school.â€

“Okay†she replied cheerfully

[Betsyraeduke]

Frank and Ellen sat in a small disheveled shack located a ways from the little traveled dead end road which led up to it. Frank was fiddling with the knob on a little black box. Having got it adjusted to his satisfaction, he sat back content.

“Did ya hear that?â€Ellen asked indignantly, “That brats having a party tonight. That's sure to interfere with the plans...â€

“Aint nothing gonna git in the way of us and that money!†Frank cut her off, “If anyone gits in the way, we're jist have ta git them out of the way!â€

“Well maybe that brat's party will end early†Ellen responded. She didn't know that it was a slumber party.

“We roll out of here at 11:00 pm sharp! Party or no party!†Frank hissed

“Right!†Ellen replied. They sat silently and listened to the chatter that seemed to be coming from the black box.

“So that's what they were doing at the Dukes farm........they bugged the place.......And the Dukes don't know about it. Folks, I'm not sure what these two sidewinders are up to, but I'm worried.....aren't you?â€

Betsy-rae laughed delightedly as Bo swiftly glided the General around a curve shouting yeehawww! As he did. She loved riding in the General with Bo and Luke. She smiled as she watched the scenery whiz by her window. All to soon, it seemed to her, the car began slowing as Hazzard Middle School came into view. Bo glided the car up to the curve in front of the building.

“Have a good day at school, Bets†Luke said warmly as she climbed out the window.

“See ya later sweetheart†Added Bo.

“You betâ€, Betsy-rae replied. She waved and ran off to find her friends.

[Betsyraeduke]

“Do you think we have enough refreshments for Betsy's party Uncle Jesse?â€

“I thinks we gots plenty, their gonna love yer chocolate cupcakes darlin, they's the best in the county!â€

“Oh, Uncle Jesseâ€, Daisy blushed slightly at her uncle's compliment

“I jist wish you could be here ta help out tonight, but I know J.D's got ya pullin them double shifts at the Boars Nestâ€

“Oh I wish I could too, Uncle Jesse, but she's a good kid, you guys should be alright without me.â€

“Yeah, we'll manage......After all, I did manage to raise you and those ornery cousins of yers.†A slight smiled played on Uncle Jesse's lips as he spoke, “course that's why I got all theses gray hairs...â€

“Oh you wouldn't have missed it fer nothing and you know it!†Daisy laughed

“Well.....that's true.†Uncle Jesse smiled fondly at his niece.

Just then the phone rang. Jesse answered it while Daisy remained in the kitchen finishing up the preparations for Betsy-rae's party that night. A short while later, Uncle Jesse returned to the kitchen looking worried.

“What's wrong, Uncle Jesse, who was that on the phone?â€

“That call was about yer cousin Judd.....he's in the hospitalâ€

“Oh no! Is he....I mean, he's gonna be ok ain't he?â€

“Oh, he's gonna be find....just fine. It seems he took a bad spill during his last fight. Busted up his ankle pritty bad. He's gonna be jist fine, but he'll need a little help whiles he mends and he'd like to be here with the family.â€

“Isn't he living in California still?†Daisy asked

“Yup, I'm gonna have to go out and git him, and I suspect that I'll never hear the end of it from Luke if I don't take him along........The thing is, we'd have to leave tonight....I'm promised Betsy that party......â€

“It'll be alright, Uncle Jesse, I'm sure Bo can handle it.......†her voice trailed off

Jesse wasn't sure how Bo would get along being in charge of a house full of young teenage girls, him having never taken on that sort of responsibility before, but he had promised Betsy-rae that she could have the party and he didn't want to disappoint her. She had already had such a hard life before coming to live with them.

“I reckon he'll have to†Uncle Jesse replied.

[Betsyraeduke]

“Look at all them turkeys†Bo said referencing the flock of large birds that had gathered near Hazzard pond as they drove by.

“Yeahâ€, Luke replied, “family members of yours?â€

“Oh real funny Lukeâ€

Luke snickered. Suddenly they heard the wail of a siren behind them.

“Rosco at our back door†Luke said with annoyance in his voice

“Not for long!†Bo replied. He stepped down on the gas and the General's engine roared as they shot off. The squad car behind them sped up as well.

“Alright you Duke boys, this Rosco P. Coaltrain, pull it over!†the sheriff's voice blasted through the CB.

“I don't think so, Rosco†Luke replied

“I'm not kidding now, pull over!†Rosco repeated. Bo and Luke just laughed.

“Alright cuz, here's where we lose him!†Luke looked ahead and saw the wide, deep gully looming before them. Snickering, he replied,

“Alright! Go for it Bo!†Bo floored the gas pedal and took off full speed toward the gully. Just before reaching it, the orange stock car hit a small incline and went sailing into the air, swiftly gliding through the air over the gully and landing smoothly on the other side. Bo and Luke looked out their back window to see where Rosco's squad car had landed in a heap, the nose of the car pointing down into the gully. They watched as Rosco pulled himself out from his squad car.

“Oh what an horrendous crash. You Dukes boys, scuffin my vehicle like that! Oh shame, shame, everyone knows your name.â€

Bo and Luke laughed.

“He's ok, lets git back to the farm.†Luke said

“Yeah†Bo agreed

Ellen and Frank were still sitting in the old shack. They had taken up house there for a bit.

“Did ya hear that?†Ellen asked excitedly “Sounds like that old man and that dame are gonna be out tonight.â€

“Yeahâ€, Frank agreed, rubbing his hands together, “And at least one of them ploy boys too. This job is getting easier and easier†he grinned maniacally.

[Betsyraeduke]

Bo and Luke arrived back at the farm to find Uncle Jesse packing.

“What's going on?†they asked confused.

“I's gots ta take a trip ta California and Luke yer coming with me.â€

“California? Now? What fer?†Luke asked looking even more confused.

“Yeah†Bo added.

Uncle Jesse filled the boys in on the phone called that he'd received earlier regarding Judd.

“I'm counting on you to take care of them girls at this party tonight, Bo†he added at the end

“Yes sir, Uncle Jesse†Bo responded, “I won't let ya down.â€

“Ye best not†Uncle Jesse stated firmly. He walked out to his truck and loaded their luggage into the back.

“I think we's ready, gots a long trip ahead, the sooner we's get going the better.†Uncle Jesse said

“Right.†Luke replied. He and Jesse climbed into Jesse's pickup.

“Wait, you ain't taking off with out these sandwiches I made up for ya's†Daisy called out running up to the truck with a bag in her hands. She handed the bag to her Uncle and then hugged them both.

“You take care of yourselves now.†She said firmly

“We willâ€, Uncle Jesse responded, “don't worry yer pritty head, we'll be jist fine and back before ya know it†Uncle Jesse smiled and kissed his niece on the top of her head.

Bo and Daisy waved as Uncle Jesse and Luke took off. Soon they were out of sight. Bo headed inside to the kitchen where he fixed himself a sandwich and a glass of milk. Daisy set off to get the laundry hung up on the line before heading off to work.

[Betsyraeduke]

Betsy-rae set anxiously at the edge of her seat waiting for the final bell to ring. At last it was 3:00pm. Betsy-rae bolted from her seat as soon as the bell rang and scurried to her locker. Grabbing her backpack and books quickly, she ran out the door to the bus, nearly running into the janitor on her way.

She couldn't wait to get home and prepare for her party. Leeanne was coming to, she had found out. So all her friends would be there. They were going to have so much fun! The bus pulled up to her stop at 3:45pm same as always, although to Betsy-rae it seemed as if it had taken a lot longer today. She scampered off the bus and ran the short distance to the farm. Bo met her in the kitchen.

“Hey darlin', how was school?â€

“It was ok.â€

“When are yer friends gonna arrive?â€

“About 5:00!.......Where's Uncle Jesse and Luke?†She asked looking around.

“They had to pick up Judd, he's gonna need our help for a few days.â€

“Judd's coming?!†Betsy-rae asked excitedly.

“Yes, but he won't be here for a couple of days, how about you go get ready for yer party?†Bo said, winking at her.

“Yeah!†she replied running off toward her room. She stopped halfway as a thought suddenly occurred to her.

“Does this mean I have to eat yer cookin' fer dinner?†she asked Bo, wrinkling her nose. Bo laughed. He couldn't deny that he wasn't much of a cook.

“No, Daisy made all the refreshments fer yer party and a casserole fer dinner before she went to work.â€

“Oh good!†Betsy-rae replied. Bo playfully lunged after her and she took off to her room, closing the door behind her.

The dinner table seemed quiet with just the two of them. Betsy-rae didn't mind. The two chatted and joked through dinner. As soon as they finished, Bo cleared the table then headed into Uncle Jesse's room where he rummaged through the closet for a minute. He came out with a arm full of brightly wrapped packages and found Betsy-rae in the living room where she was pacing anxiously awaiting the arrival of her guest.

“Hey darlin' would ya like yer birthday gifts?â€

“Oh!â€, Betsy-rae replied. “I was so excited about the party that I fergot all about the presents!†she said giggling. Bo chuckled.

“Uncle Jesse, Daisy and Luke all said that they were sorry that they couldn't be here to see ya open em.†He replied as he handed her four packages. One gift from each himself, Luke, Jesse and Daisy

Betsy-rae eagerly tore the paper from the packages. There was a small jewelry box from Daisy. A diary from Uncle Jesse, a heart shaped locket from Luke and a sparkly new hair clip from Bo. Betsy-rae smiled gleefully at her gifts.

“Oh their all lovely!†she proclaimed running to Bo and hugging him. She placed her new hair clip into her long shiny reddish blonde locks and slipped the locket around her neck.

“How do I look?†she asked smiling broadly

“Why you's jist about the prittiest little filly I ever saw!†Bo replied smiling and giving her a wink

Just then there was a knock at the door. Betsy-rae's friends had begun to arrive.

[Betsyraeduke]

Back at the old shack, Ellen and Frank snickered deviously.

“They will have different attitudes after tanight.†Frank said with a wry smirk

“That they will!†Ellen agreed, eyes gleeming dangerously.

They settled back and continued to listen to what was happening in the Duke household.

Betsy-rae and her guest sat in the living room, where they were camping out for the night, watching movies and whispering lively. Although they were doing more giggling then anything else.

“What do y' all think of Rodney Perkins?†Racheal asked, smileing broadly

“He's totally hot!†Cindy replied

“Oh yeah, totally!†the other girls agreed giggling.

“How about Josh Wensel?†Betsy-rae piped in

“Uhu!†the other girls agreed, “He's a hunk!â€

“Ricky Hodgkins!†Hannah offered, licking her lips.

“Yeah, and did you see those shorts he wore in gym class today?†Sally chimed in

“Oh yeah, he looked good!†Leeanne exclaimed

Cindy and Haley snickered,

“You know who else is hot?†they asked looking at Betsy-rae

“Who?†she asked

“Bo and Luke!†they replied giggling

“Yeah!†her other girls agreed

“Bo and Luke? Ya mean my brothers?†Betsy-rae asked

“Yeah!†the girls replied, “ they're extremely hot!â€

“But they's my brothers.......†her voice trailed off

“Yeah,†the other girls agreed, “but yer adoptive brothers, not blood. Ya can't tell us that you don't notice they're hot!†Betsy-rae smiled and winked.

“Shhh!†she laughed, “Ya can't blame a girl for having a couple good lookin' brothers can ya?â€

“Yeah ya do†Tara agreed excitedly and a little loud, “especially Bo!â€

“Shhhhh!†Betsy-rae replied throwing a pillow at her, “He'll hear ya!â€

Tara laughed and threw the pillow back at Betsy-rae. Betsy-rae promptly picked it up and swung it at Tara, accidently hitting Leeanne as well in the process. Leeanne and Tara both picked up pillows and swung back. Not wanting to be left out, the other girls also grabbed pillows. Soon they were all engaged in the pillow fight. Feathers began to fly everywhere and the girls were so engaged in whopping each other, dodging blows and laughing so hard that none of them noticed Bo walk into the room to see what all the ruckus was.

[Betsyraeduke]

“What is the meaning of this?†Bo asked trying to stay straight faced, obvious amusement showing in his eyes. For a brief moment, the room grew quiet. Then Betsy-rae whirled around to face Bo, pillow still in hand. Betsy-rae studied the expression on Bo's face briefly and grinned mischievously

“It's a pillow fight!†she declared, whacking him full force across his mid drift. Bo was caught off guard and stumbled back a step. Betsy-rae gave the other girls a sly look and they all caught on. Within seconds, all eight girls tackled Bo to the floor and pelted him repeatedly with pillows.

Bo struggled for a minute.

“Alright girls, that's enough! Let me up!†he tried to sound authoritative but no one took him seriously. The girls all laughed harder and continued their assault. Bo lay on the floor for a minute letting the girls attack. Then suddenly he pinned Betsy-rae down gently but firmly in a scissor hold. At the same time, he quickly reached up and grabbed two more girls in each arm and effortlessly pinned them beneath him, before grabbing the other three and holding them firmly. The girls all struggled to get loose but it was no use. Bo let them struggle until they tired and seemed to give up. His eyes sparkling with amusement and trying very hard not to smile, he turned his attention toward Betsy-rae, still holding all the girls firmly in place.

“Betsy-rae Duke!†he exclaimed “I'm shocked at yer behavior! Jist wait till I tell Uncle Jesse!......And as for the rest of you....†he began, turning to face the other girls

“Oh blah blah blah.......ya ain't gonna do anything and ya know it!†Betsy-rae mocked, cutting him off.

Bo turned back to face her. He tried to give her a stern look but Betsy-rae just looked back at him, giving him a silly but innocent look and blinking her eyelashes at him. At last Bo couldn't keep the charade up any longer and he bust out laughing whole heartedly, as did everyone else with him. At last they all calmed down, tired out from the rough housing. Bo released Betsy-rae and got to his feet. He helped the girls up.

“We really do need to clean this mess up.†Bo said seriously, looking around the disheveled room, “If Uncle Jesse were here to see this, he take the switch to all of us.â€

“No kidding†Betsy-rae agreed, looking over the state of the living room.

Bo and the girls worked together cleaning up the room. Soon everything was back as it should be.

[Betsyraeduke]

Ellen sneered.

“Ya hear that foolishness?†she asked nodding toward the noise coming from the black box

“Yeah, I hear it.†Frank replied in a menacing tone “Soon none of them will be laughing!â€

“But we will be!†Ellen scoffed, “We's gonna cash in big time tanight!â€

Frank and Ellen both laughed. Glancing at his watch, Frank looked to Ellen.

“It's time†he announced

“Oh good! I can feel that money in our hands already!†Ellen replied. She and Frank headed out toward their truck.

“We'll stop at the phone on the wayâ€, Frank said, “I bet we can get extra for those other bratsâ€

Ellen nodded, grinning wickedly.

“What do ya suppose that was all about?..........I don't know about y'all, but more I see of those two, the more nervous I git!â€

Bo and the girls sat enjoying the breeze out on the front porch. They all felt the need to cool down some after the night's horseplay.

“Hey, what's this?†Haley asked holding up a small round object

“I dunno†Betsy-rae replied, “Where'd ya git it?â€

“It was stuck to the back of the swing.†Haley answered

“There's another one stuck under this window ledge.†Sally piped in pulling an identical object from the window and holding it up for everyone to see.

Bo took the objects from both girls and look them overly closely

“If I didn't know any better, I'd say these were bugs.†he replied

“Bugs?†the girls asked confused

“Yeah,†Bo replied. “So people can hear what goes on here. Boss Hogg had some stuck to the General once when Luke and me was trying ta help Cale Yarboroughâ€

“Why would someone want to listen in on us?†Betsy-rae asked alarmed.

“I dunnoâ€, Bo replied, “but it can't be good. Let's search and see if there are any more of them.†He added detroying the two that had been found already.

“Well I know who......but I still haven't quite figured out why....â€

[Betsyraeduke]

Bo and the girls quickly searched the grounds around the house. They found four more bugs stuck under the window sills and around the porch. Bo gathered them all and destroyed them. After one last thorough search to be sure that they had found all of them, Bo told all the girls to go inside and made his way to the phone. Fairly positive that reporting the incident to Rosco would be pointless, Bo called Enos and filled him in on what they had found. Enos was alarmed at the news and told Bo that he was on his way. Bo thanked Enos and hung up the phone. Extremely worried, he began pacing the living room, wishing Luke was there to help figure this whole thing out and come up with a plan if necessary.

Suddenly they heard a crash as someone burst through their back door. Bo and the girls ran out to the kitchen to find out what the commotion was. They stopped short as they came face to face with Ellen and Frank. Betsy-rae grew wide eyed upon seeing them.

“A--aunt Ellen and U-- ncle Fr-- Frank†she stammered in a low, scared voice clinging to Bo

“You know these sidewinders, darlin?†Bo replied

Ellen interrupted them, pointing a pistol at them.

“Do as I say or I'll use this!†she ordered “You git over to that chair and sit down pretty boy!†she demanded Bo. Bo sat down and Frank firmly tied him to the chair.

“That should hold him!†he said satisfied

“I don't know what yer after, but you're never gonna git away with it!†Bo exclaimed

“Oh but I think we will!†Frank replied. “We've been listening to what's been going on here all day and we know yer the only one here with these girls, and yer all tied up!â€

“So yer the low down snakes that bugged us!†Bo accused

“Ah! So ya found our little charms, did ya?†Frank responded, “Well it don't matter no how, it's too late!â€

“Quit jawing with that plow boy and git them brats and lets git outta here!†Ellen hissed

“What do ya want with them?†Bo demanded “They's jist little girlsâ€

“Fourteen year old girls!†Ellen exclaimed, “and gonna make us a fortune.†Ellen turned toward Betsy-rae who shivered and backed away.

“yer momma and daddy are very upset with you. They's gonna teach ya a lesson fer gitting then thrown in the slammer like ya did.†Betsy-rae cringed and tears of fear started falling down her cheeks but Ellen continued on.

“They heared of a secret child labor camp few hundred miles from here. They buy brats like you ta work there. Prime age fer girls is fourteen, and they pay a might hefty price too. First thing yer momma and daddy did when they heared about it was git in touch with yer grand uncle. He in turn got a hold of us ta pull the job off. Of course we's was only planning on you. yer friends here are a bonus!â€

All the girls gasped, eyes growing wide in fear.

“For those of you that don't remember, Betsy-rae's grand uncle is non other than that mangy polecat, Pa Beaudry.â€

[Betsyraeduke]

“You can't do that!†Bo shouted, “You'll never git away with it!â€

“Oh yeah?, who's gonna stop us?†Frank sneered. He grabbed Betsy-rae and three of the other girls.

“Keep the rest of them here till I git back†he told Ellen. Frank led Betsy-rae and the other girls, crying and kicking, out to his truck where he firmly tied them up and secured them into the back. Checking over his work and satisfied that the girls couldn't free themselves, he returned to the house where he grabbed the remaining four girls whom he led to the same fate as the first four.

“You stay put now†Ellen said to a still tied up Bo as she smirked and walked out.

Bo heard the truck engine roar to life and instantly began squirming to get his knife out it's case which was clipped to his belt. Seizing the knife, he carefully yet quickly cut his hands free from their bonds. He wasted no time cutting the rest of the ropes off him. Leaping to his feet he ran outside, just in time to see Frank's truck peel out of the drive and bolt off down the road with the girls tied up in the back. At the same time, Enos came from the opposite direction and pulled up. Bo shouted to Enos.

“Follow that truck!†he ordered, “They took Betsy-rae!â€

“Possum on a gumbush!†Enos replied, “I'm after them!†Enos raced out of the drive taking off after the truck, siren wailing. Bo ran to the General. He jumped in and took off full speed after Enos and Frank.

“See if ya can git around them and cut 'em off in front†Bo told Enos through the CB.â€I'll shut the the back door.â€

“You got it buddy roe!†Enos replied. Enos gunned the engine of the squad car and quickly caught up to the truck. He pulled up along side and attempted to get around in front of them.

“Git rid of that smokey!†Frank hissed. Ellen aimed her gun out the window and shot at Enos. Bullets bounced and pinged off the hood of the squad car, but Enos didn't back down.

“Ram him!†Ellen yelled. Frank suddenly veered his truck to the left, side swiping Enos and knocking him off the road.

“Officer down!†Enos spoke into his CB “I'm in pursuit of a brown pick up, license plate HNT 435. I repeat, that's a brown pick up with license number HNT 435! Betsy-rae Duke has been kidnapped!â€

“That's right!†Bo spoke into his CB, “Anyone out there gots yer ears on, we need help! The varmints are headed South down Mill Pine road coming up on Chestnut Lane!â€

“Breaker one, breaker one, Cooter here. I hear ya and I'm close. I'll be at the corner of Chestnut and Mill Pine in one minute flat! 10, 4 â€

“Thanks a lot Cooter†Bo replied

“Anytime, buddy roe!â€

[Betsyraeduke]

Bo dropped the CB and continued to chase after the truck, just inches behind it. He dodged and swerved as bullets from Ellen's gun pelted his hood. Bo maintained a steady distance behind but did not back off. All of a sudden, the truck skidded to a stop. Bo instantly hit the brakes and the General skidded to a stop right behind it.

“Watch out!†Ellen screamed. Franked cussed and slammed on the breaks. A large tow truck was blocking the road ahead of them.

“Damm it!†Ellen shrieked. “What's that fool doing?â€

Frank didn't have time to answer as he spotted a very angry Bo climbing out of the General behind them. Frank took off running on foot across the field. Ellen started to follow, but was stopped by Cooter who had walked over to her unnoticed. Grabbing Ellen by the wrist, Cooter walked her over to his tow truck, lifted her into the back and secured her into place.

“I think you'd better stay right here and wait lady!†he said to Ellen. He then walked back over to Frank's truck and untied the girls. They climbed out and gathered around the General, still trembling from fear.

[Betsyraeduke]

Bo ran after Frank, catching him and tackling him to the ground.

“I think it's high time someone taught you a lesson!†Bo said. He reared back, a split second later his right hook caught Frank squarely in the jaw. Whimpering, Frank struggled to get away. Bo reared back again; colliding his fist into Franks face a second time, this time, knocking him out cold.

“Hey Cooter,†he called out, “Would ya mind giving me a hand here?â€

“Sure thing.†Cooter replied walking over to join Bo. He and Bo tied frank up then lifted him and carried him over to Cooter's truck. They hoisted him into the back and tied him securely to the tow hook, next to Ellen.

“I reckon that takes care of them!â€

[Betsyraeduke]

Bo walked over to the girls and embraced each one of them in warm hug.

“It's ok,†he assured them, “It's all over now.â€

“Who wants to ride in the tow truck with me?â€Cooter asked

“I will.†Hannah replied

“Me too†Leeanne said

“And me†Sally added

“Alright, lets go!†Cooter answered patting the seat in the cab of his truck. They all climbed into Cooter's truck while Betsy-rae and the other four girls squeezed into the General.

“I'll swing by and get Enos on my way†Cooter told Bo, “then I'll drop these gals off and assist Enos escorting these two scoundrels to the slammer.â€

“Right,†Bo agreed. “Much obliged fer yer help, Cooter.â€

“Don't mention it, ain't nothing ya wouldn't have done fer me.†Cooter replied

Bo gave a wave and then started the General and headed back to the farm, Cooter following a short distance behind.

Back at the Dukes home, it took a while for Betsy-rae and the other girls to fully calm down from the scare they'd had. They finally relaxed after Bo triple checked all the doors and windows to make sure they were all closed and firmly locked and agreed to stay out in the living room with them for added protection, just in case. Gradually the girls' fears wore off and the rest of Betsy-rae's party went off without a hitch.

[Betsyraeduke]

Late Sunday afternoon after the last of Betsy-rae guests had returned home, she, Bo and Daisy sat quietly in the living room listening to the radio and talking.

“I can't believe what those scoundrels tried to pull during yer party, sugar.†Daisy said, “Boy they're lucky I was at Boars Nestâ€

“Yeah, I bet their sorry now that they're cooling their heels in the pokey fer the next twenty years.†Bo added.

“Serves them right!†Daisy replied. Betsy-rae shuddered at the memory.

“I'm just glad it's over.†She said

“So are we, sugar, so are we.†Daisy replied, hugging her.

Just then they heard a vehicle pulling up the drive way.

“Uncle Jesse and Luke are back!†Betsy-rae exclaimed, getting up and running toward the door. Bo and Daisy followed closely behind her. Betsy-rae burst out the door.

“Uncle Jesse! Luke! Judd!†she cried running toward them. Uncle Jesse caught her and swung her around in a hug.

“Hey Judd!†Bo and Daisy greeted their cousin warmly. Daisy walked over to Judd and put her arm around him, offering extra support beyond what his crutches provided him.

“How was the trip?†They asked Uncle Jesse and Luke.

“Weren't bad†Uncle Jesse answered. “How'd things go here while we was gone?â€

“Well,†Bo replied as they all walked back into the house, “We have lots to talk about. We'll fill ya in.â€

“Folks, I git the feelin' that after good ol Uncle Jesse hears what went down this weekend, he won't be wanting to leave his family alone fer a looonngg time.....not that he ever wanted to anyway......But that's ok, we'd rather have him right here with us. Wouldn't we?â€