Tumbleweed sat half asleep in the saddle as his trusty paint pony walked him slowly into Sock Monkey Ranch. It had been a long trail drive and they were both plum tuckered out.
"Uncle Cletus!" Miss Millie called from the front porch of the ranch house.
Tumbleweed gave a tired wave as he dismounted. He reached into his saddlebag and pulled out a small bundle, then let Dusty lead Chango off to the barn for a good rub-down, a hearty meal and a well deserved rest.
"Hello, darlin'," he said, "how's my favorite niece?"
"I'm just fine," said Miss Millie, "You were out a long time. I'll have Betsy rustle you up some grub."
"That'd be just fine," Cletus said, "I'm headed to the bunkhouse for a hot shower. I'll meet ya in the kitchen. Tell Betsy I've got a hankerin' for her buttermilk biscuits and tell her I brought her something special."
Miss Millie stifled a smile as she turned toward the mess hall. She had always suspected that Uncle Cletus had a soft spot for Betsy, the ranch cook.
A short time later Tumbleweed, Dusty and Miss Millie gathered round an old wooden table in the mess hall. Betsy ladled her famous Calico Bean Soup into bowls then set a huge platter piled high with buttermilk biscuits right in front of Cletus.
"Betsy, old girl, I do declare if I was a younger man I might ask you to marry me!" he said.
"Tumbleweed, you old coot, if I was a younger gal, I'd turn you down!" Betsy answered.
Cletus reached beneath his chair and pulled out something wrapped in a bandana.
"Well, if'n I was to ask and if'n you was to say yes, I might just give you this fer a weddin' present," he said, handing Betsy the bundle.
Betsy unwrapped the bandana and found a big jar filled with thick amber liquid.
"That there's the finest mesquite honey this side of the Mexican border, woman." Cletus said, "Should be a perfect match for this mess of biscuits."
"How in the world did you get a jar of honey while out on a cattle drive?" Betsy asked.
"Well, now, that's an interestin' story." Tumbleweed said.
Low chuckles circled the table.
"Uh, oh - here it come." said Dusty.
 | "We was down around Three Points when we run up on this mess of mesquite trees. They was all drippin' with yellow flowers and a sight to behold. We was even more amazed at the sound of thousands…ah, maybe millions of bees hummin' away as they gathered the sweet nectar from the velvety flowers. It was then I started thinkin' how good that honey would taste on yer biscuits, Betsy, so I asked Cookie fer an empty jar and started toward them trees. Once I got close enough. I unscrewed the lid from that jar, sat it on the ground and pulled out my old harmonica." |
Betsy interrupted the old storyteller.
"Now, don't tell me you charmed those bees right out of their honey by playin' that old mouth harp, Tumbleweed."
"That's exactly what I did," said Tumbleweed, "If I'm lying I'm dying! I commenced to playing and sure 'nuf, them bees started gatherin' round that jar and droppin' in their sweet honey. When that jar was full, I quit playin', thanked 'em kindly, put the lid on it and carried it on home to you, gal."
"What song was you playin', Uncle?" Miss Millie asked with feigned innocence.
"Why, Sweet Betsy from Pike, of course," Tumbleweed said with a sideways grin at the cook.
"You old bee-charmer," Betsy blushed.
Dusty picked up a biscuit from the platter.
"Looks like he's charmin' more than the bees," he said, and reached for the jar of honey.
"Well, I think it's sweet," said Miss Millie, and the table erupted in another round of laughter.
