Jaybird's mom and dad were crossing the rickety bridge over the Big River, halfway between Ware and Grubville. The coach was driving a black high-ceilinged 1934 Chevrolet touring car whose springs, never very good to begin with, and not designed for pot-holed, poorly maintained, country roads, were worn down to the point that every small bump in the road was cause for Jaybird's mom to complain. "Slow down, Coach," she said, "this road is killing me."
"If I go any slower, I'll have to get out and push, Sis. Hang on, it's only a few miles further."
Jaybird's mom, holding tight to the door handle with her right hand and to her wide-brimmed straw hat with her left hand, looked at her husband in surprise. "Have you been on this road before,Coach?" she asked.
Jaybird's dad, holding the oversized steering wheel firmly in both hands, and concentrating fiercely on the road ahead of him, screwed up his face in a slight grimace. "It seems like I have," he said.
"What are we going to do about Jaybird?" The words came from Jaybird's mom, but they echoed a thought in his dad's mind.
Although his dad would always maintain a stern and mildly disapproving front with Jaybird, he was secretly pleased with his son's adventurous spirit. "He's a good kid, Sis."
Jaybird's mom agreed. "I know he is," she said, "but he needs to learn to be more considerate of other people's feelings ... especially of my feelings." Her voice cracked as a well of emotion overcame her. Jaybird's mom had a sometimes supersensitive side that often embarrassed her when she found unwelcome tears in her eyes at times when she wanted to be strong.
Jaybird's dad tried to change the mood. "Did I tell you what a good poker player he's getting to be?"
Jaybird's mom rolled her eyes. "Honestly, Coach," she said, "what are you trying to do with that boy?"
"I'm not sending a boy out into the world who don't know how to play poker," Jaybird's dad said resolutely.
Jaybird's mom gave him a playful punch. "Honestly," she said.
"So what should we do, Sis? I think he's too old to spank."
Jaybird's mom shook her head. "I don't know coach," she said, "why does life have to be so hard?"
Jaybird's dad did not have an answer for that question
Dusk was approaching when they pulled into the Grubville town square. Jaybird's dad parked the car across from King's General Store, got out, and stretched his legs. He heard the haunting sound of a train whistle in the distance. He stared in the direction of the sound.
Jaybird's mom was halfway across the street when she noticed that her husband was still standing by the side of their car. She turned back and found him looking vacantly into the distance. "Coach? Coach? Are you all right?" she asked. "Is something wrong?"
Jaybird's dad snapped out of his trance at the sound of his wife's voice. "What? ... No nothing's wrong, it's just that I ... I got this odd feeling when I heard that train whistle." He looked at his puzzled wife, and answered her questioning eyes. "It was like I've heard that sound before, like I was here before."
Jaybird's mom and dad had met in 1926, on the campus of Bradley, a small college in Peoria, Illinois, noted for its horology department. They were married after a whirlwind courtship featuring a breathless proposal in the leftfield bleachers of Sportsman's Park in St. Louis following game three of the 1926 World's Series between the Yankees and the Cardinals. Jaybird's dad was so excited over the performance of 33 year-old Cardinal's pitcher Jesse Haines who had not only shut out the Yankees' Murderers Row 4-0, but had also contributed a 2-run homer of his own, that he fell on his knees and proposed marriage on the spot. Jaybird's mom, like his dad, was overwhelmed by the optimism of the moment. Jaybird did not ever remember seeing pictures of his mom and dad's wedding. Jaybird always wondered why his dad's poker buddies laughed so loud when his dad told them he was out in left field when he proposed marriage.
When Jaybird's mom asked his dad about his life prior to coming to Bradley where they met, she learned that it was almost entirely unknown; it was a blank wall. The only thing he could tell her was that the American Red Cross had found a family in a southern Illinois coal-mining community called Breeze that was willing to take him in after he returned to reality in the St.Louis Veteran's Hospital following his return from the trenches. Today was not the first time she had seen him drift off into a shadowy past, reminded by a sight, a sound, or an event. But always, the tantalizing reminders turned out to be dead ends in the unplanned search for a previous life.
Jaybird's mom took his dad by the arm. "Come on, Coach" she urged, "let's go see if this storekeeper knows where Jaybird is."
"Yes, Ma'am," said Eb King, "your boy was in here all right, seemed just fine, except for that bandage on his hand, reckon you'll have to ask Doc Land about that. Crazy Dan bought him some clothes, and some shoes, too... And a straw hat," King allowed himself a small smile remembering the dressed up Jaybird. "That boy looked right smart in them new duds."
Jaybird's mom winced. "Bandage on his hand? Crazy Dan?" She looked imploringly at her husband.
"Where can we find him?" asked Jaybird's dad.
Eb King stroked his beard. "Can't rightly say for sure, but if I was you, I'd go see Doc Land."
Jaybird's mom asked impatiently, "Are you going to tell us how to find Doc Land?"
King walked from behind his counter through the door and onto the porch. He pointed in the direction of a row of trees down one of the streets that met here at the town square. "You go on down Elm street there," he said, "Doc Land's house is the fifth one down on the right side. You'll see a sign in his front yard."
As they started down the steps, King called out. "Say mister."
Jaybird's dad turned, "Yes?"
Eb King stroked his beard. "You look like somebody I used to know. Did you used to live around here somewheres?"
Jaybird's dad shook his head. "Nope," he said, "this is the first time I've ever been to Grubville."
Dr. Land's wife answered the knock on the door. She saw a man almost a foot taller than the frightened-eyed woman standing next to him. "Yes? Can I help you?"
Jaybird's mom said, "I hope so. We're Jaybird's parents, is our boy here?"
Mrs. Land opened the screen door and gestured for them to enter. "Come in and sit down," she said. "Let me go get the doctor."
Jaybird's mom and dad remained standing waiting for the doctor. "He's not here," said his mom.
Doc Land, coming into the room, heard her. He shook his head in agreement and resignation. "I'm afraid you're right Ma'am, he's not here."
Jaybird's dad flared, "Well, where is he?"
Dr. Land tried to calm them, but he knew he could offer little comfort. He would have to tell them about Jaybird's finger, and that their son was off to the city with a man called Crazy Dan. "Please," he said, "come in and sit down, let us get you some iced tea." He looked at his wife.
"Maybe you'd like to stay for supper," said Mrs. Land, "I'm fixing chicken and dumplings."
Jaybird's mom was normally a model of politeness and consideration, she would no more think of saying a cross word to someone than she would think of not breathing. But there was something about the way the doctor and his wife were putting them off that triggered baser instincts in her. She jumped to her feet and shouted, "WHERE'S JAYBIRD?" To her great mortification she discovered tears streaming down her face. She saw the doctor and his wife as well as her own husband all looking at her with expressions of surprise and shock. "Where's Jaybird?" she repeated in a calmer voice, almost a whisper.
Doc Land was quick to respond. "Jaybird's all right," he said. "He's not here, but he's all right."
Jaybird's dad, shaken by his wife's unexpected outburst, tried to stay calm. "Do you know where he is?" he asked.
The doctor nodded. "He's on his way to St. Looie to see a baseball game. Actually two games," he said, "the Browns are playing a doubleheader with the White Sox tomorrow."
Jaybird's mom groaned. "Oh my God," she said.
"Did he go with that crazy guy?" Jaybird's dad asked.
Dr. Land nodded. "Crazy Dan," he said, then added, "I think he took his dog too."
"Why did you let him go?" Jaybird's mom was outraged. "Is this guy really crazy?"
Dr. Land shrugged. "I don't think he's crazy. The truth is that Crazy Dan saved your son's life."
Jaybird's mom stared at the doctor in shock and disbelief. Shock at the thought that Jaybird's life had been in danger, and disbelief that a crazy guy could save it.
"This sounds like a long story," said Jaybird's dad, "maybe we should stay for supper, Sis." Jaybird's dad loved chicken and dumplings.
Mrs. Land clapped her hands together. "Wonderful," she said, "now you just sit right down there and talk to the doctor while I go fix things. I baked an apple pie, too." She started for the kitchen, then stopped and asked, "Did you tell me your names?"
Jaybird's mom said, "I'm sorry Mrs. Land ... all this excitement ... forgot our manners ... John and Edie Frederick ... John and Edie, we're Jaybird's parents."
Mrs. Land did a barely perceptible bow and curtsy. "Well pleased to meet you Mrs. Frederick, and you Mr. Frederick. You must be good parents, Jaybird is a fine young boy."
Jaybird's mom smiled. "Thank you ma'am," she said, "we've been awfully worried about him."
"Well, I'll just let the doctor tell you about it," said Mrs. Land, and left the room.
"I had to cut off his finger." Dr. Land said it as matter-of-factly as he could, first because he was not versed in the art of drama, and second because he didn't consider it to be an overly significant event.
Jaybird's mom and dad were momentarily speechless, staring at Doc Land, then at each other.
In the interim, the doctor went to a cabinet on the side of the room and returned holding a small glass jar. He held it out for their inspection. "I preserved it in formaldehyde," he said proudly, "thought he might want to keep it as a souvenir."
Jaybird's mom put her hand over her mouth to stifle a gasp that came close to being a scream. She closed her eyes and turned to bury her head on her husband's chest.
Jaybird's dad drew his wife close and looked resentfully at the doctor. "My God, Doc," he said. He started to ask if this was some kind of joke, but faced with the evidence in front of him (he noted that the fingernail could use trimming) he stopped.
"It was either his finger or his life," said the doctor, "seemed like an easy choice to me."
"It must have been the firecracker," said Jaybird's dad.
Jaybird's mom sat up and looked at her husband. "Firecracker?" she questioned.
Jaybird's dad nodded. "Donnie told us a firecracker exploded in Jaybird's hand. I didn't tell you ... you had enough to worry about without that."
Dr. Land continued to hold the jar with the finger in it. He seemed to enjoy looking at it. "When Crazy Dan brought him in he was delirious. The finger was infected and the infection had spread to the blood stream. I had to remove the source of the infection. It was a close call even with that. Jaybird was in a coma for two days, but he's a tough kid; he pulled through."
"Thank God," said Jaybird's mom.
"I guess we should thank Dr. Land too, Sis," said Jaybird's dad.
Dr. Land was modest. "It was a small thing," he said, "my thanks were seeing Jaybird snap out of it. Nellie and I never had any children of our own, and I normally treat horses and cows. Jaybird brought some spark into our house. He's a great kid, you should be proud of him."
Jaybird's mom sat up straighter and smiled. "Thank you Dr. Land," she said, "we are proud of him, except that ..."
Jaybird's dad finished the sentence, "Except that we could crown him for running off with crazy guys. What about this crazy guy, Doc? You called him Crazy Dan."
Mrs. Land appeared at the door and called them to supper.
After they were seated and the blessing had been offered, Dr. Land said, "Let me tell you about Crazy Dan."
Jaybird's mom and dad were not so much interested in hearing the story of Crazy Dan as they were anxious to know if Crazy Dan posed a threat to Jaybird. Jaybird's mom asked. "Is Jaybird safe with him?"
Dr. Land like almost everyone in Grubville knew the basic details of Crazy Dan's story, but also like everyone else in town, he didn't know Crazy Dan anywhere near as well as he might think. He spread his palms upward and shrugged his shoulders, "Who can tell?" he said, then added as an afterthought, "... Jaybird's dog is with him."
Jaybird's dad chewed on a piece of succulent chicken. He thought about Jaybird and Rin off on another wild adventure. With a guy called Crazy Dan who Doc Land said wasn't really crazy. He put aside the fleeting thought that he wouldn't mind being with them to see those baseball games. "How old is this guy?" he asked.
Doc Land did some quick math in his head before answering. "It's 20 years since the war started," he said, "that's when Crazy Dan's father took off to be a soldier, the kid was maybe 10 years-old at the time, about the same as Jaybird is now, so that makes him around 30. He was called Danny Stoltzfuss when his dad left. After the war ended in 1918 his dad didn't come back, and one day his mom took off for St. Looie, or Kansas City, nobody knew for sure where she went, and she never came back either. Young Danny had a hard time with that ... he became crazy. But some said his dad was crazy ... his dad's name was Phjlip and he thought he was one of the apostles ... it was his job to go into the world and evangelize the sinners. There was a fierce argument between Philip and his brother Abraham ... they both used the Bible to support their arguments, Abraham quoted from the book of Mathew, verse 26 ... `sheath thy sword; for those who taketh up the sword will perish by the sword.' Philip quoted from the book of Acts where his namesake, the apostle Philip, who the bible calls Philip the Evangelist, proclaims the good news about Jesus Christ and the kingdom of God to the people of Samana in the province of Gallillee."
Jaybird's mom shook her head. "How can people decide which part of the Bible to believe when there are so many conflicting thoughts?"
Dr. Land agreed. "Exactly the point Mrs. Frederick ... when young Daniel was left without both his father and mother, things got worse for him when his Uncle Abraham tried to convince him that there was comfort in the Bible. It was the book of John that finally tipped him over the edge."
Dr. Land went into the next room and returned shortly holding a large black Bible. He sat down and thumbed through the pages. "Listen to this," he said, and began to read, "John 14:18 `I will never leave you orphaned, I am coming to you. In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me; because I live, you also will live. On that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you.' ... It wasn't long before young, orphaned Daniel, started calling himself Phil and people started calling him Crazy Dan."
Jaybird's dad shook his head. "I don't like it," he said. "Jaybird up there in that big city with a 30-year old guy who might be even crazier than anybody thinks."
Jaybird's mom agreed. "I don't like it either Coach," she said, "what can we do?"
Jaybird's dad stood up. "We have to get back to Cottage Farm," he said, "I'm goin' to talk with Captain Lynch."