them to go down in the rich bottom field next to the road and plant, and he indicated that they should plant it all in watermelons, over an acre of them.
“ Why do you grow so many watermelons?” asked my dad.“ Do you sell that many watermelons in a season?”
“ Oh no,” said the old farmer.“ But I plant a lot of extras so that the local boys can come down in the middle of the night and steal a few of them.”
“ Really?” dad asked, with what must have been a guilty tone.
“ Oh yeah,” said the farmer.“ Sometimes I run out and fire the shotgun off a couple of times, just to add to the sense of danger. But I’ m not really aiming at them,” he said with a conspiratorial smile.
So the farmer apparently staged this elaborate ritual of providing free watermelons to those bold enough to take them, but also a lesson learned early about the probable reactions of the victims of such petty crimes.
The Russian poet Yevtushenko wrote,“ Stolen apples always taste better.”
And he wasn’ t just being a good commie, either. No, Yevtushenko was speaking to a basic, universal human desire to get something for nothing, for an unexpected and perhaps forbidden pleasure, for the idea that not just the political state, but God Himself has decreed and ordained that everything belongs to everybody.
I couldn’ t help wondering if Bud’ s melons would taste even sweeter if I slipped back over there under cover of darkness and carried one away.
And then I wondered if Bud still has a shotgun. •
Outdoor
Gazebo Parties
Food • Drinks • Live Music • Fun
Cookout Buffet( menu varies) • Cash Bar • Live Music
June
Friday, June 5
:( 6 – 10
( 6 – pm 10) pm)
Friday Sunday, June, May 19 25:( 5 9 pm)
July
Friday, July 3 Friday, July 24
August
Friday, Aug. 14 Friday, Aug. 28
September
Sunday, Sept. 6 Friday, Sept. 18
Dates subject to change
( 6 – 10 pm)
( 6 – 10 pm)
( 5 – 9 pm)( 6 – 10 pm)
245 N. Jefferson Street in Nashville, IN 812-988-8400 • www. hotelnashville. com
Need help deciding what to do in Brown County? Talk to us. Drop into our Visitors Center on the corner of Van Buren and Main Streets and one of our friendly staff members will be happy to help you make a decision. You can also shop for official Brown County souvenirs and keepsakes.
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July / August 2015 • Our Brown County 57