The Rural Voice, 1978-04, Page 34The day
money grew
in Homestead
A short story
by Ronald Kirby
1
Little Homestead hadn't seen so much excitment since the
celebrations on V -E day. In fact, some of the old-timers said, it
was only surpassed by the time Will Stimers had run
breathlessly into town shouting that he had found gold in his
apple orchard. That had been more than 50 years earlier and the
old timers were later to 'state categorically as they sat in the
shade of the old elm in the little park near the post office, it was
just as anti -climatic.
It began in the morning, when Kelly McGintee swaggered
importantly into Margaret's restaurant just as the little group of
main street businessmen were sitting down for their morning -
coffee break and gab -fest.
Mac MacKenzie was the first to notice the important smirk on
Kelly's face. Kelly wasn't an accepted member of the little club
that gathered at Margaret's. Besides being charged to uphold
the by-laws set forth by Homestead's illustrious town council,
PG. 34. THE RURAL VOICE/APRIL 1978.
which meant writing tickets for all the businessmen's cars that
sat in the one hour parking slots along main street from 8:30 in
the morning until six at night, he was one of only two Irish
Catholics in a Scotch Presbyterian town.
"Well Kelly, what's up this time," Mac asked sarcastically.
"Did yuh get to put a ticket on the mayor's car again?"
The group exploded momentarily into suppressed laughter
and school -boyish giggles. Kelly was a favourite target of Mac's
humour.
"Fellas," Kelly said, the laughter in no way squashing the
importance he felt as he relayed the news, "I think we're in for a
little excitment."
You couldn't say the prediction put the -room into utter
confusion. About the most noticeable reaction was a little twitch
in Jimmy Maclntyre's moustache as he bit into his bran muffin.
Kelly was noted for overemphasizing the importance of
everything connected with his job. Finally Mac MacKenzie
looked up from the morning newspaper and. after a pause of