The Ferguson house burnt down last night despite the valiant efforts of the Calhoun County Volunteer Fire Department (We have yet to loose a foundation or frame). About 3 am this morning Maw Ferguson woke up smelling smoke in the house and called the Calhoun County Fire Dept (we have yet to lose a foundation or frame) whom were called from there regular meeting at the VFW hall.

The Ferguson house was built by Paw Ferguson way back when he and Maw had just been married but as the years went by there appeared more little Ferguson's and thus more room was needed so with the arrival of each new Little Ferguson Paw built another room on the house till the house looked like a mish mash of rooms but was up to twelve when the fire struck in the second part of the house to be built, Or Jr. Ferguson's room to be more exact.

IT seems it started out as a small fire but Jr got a bit flustered and threw the first thing that came to hand, A bottle of "Old Rush 80 proof" which sort of sent the fire on it's way a bit further so Jr decided that he needed to throw something else on the fire to put it out an remembered that somewhere he had heard someone say you could use a blanket or coat to put out a fire so he threw his 90% artificial silk blanket on the fire which only made things worse as the fire was now crawling ominously up the wall and headed for the window. It was then Jr came up with the thought that if perhaps he broke open the window the cool summer breeze would put out the fire.

It was at that point that Maw Ferguson smelled the smoke and called the Calhoun County Volunteer Fire Dept (we have yet to loose a Foundation or Frame) whom responded as fast as they could remove themselves from the weekly meeting at the VFW hall.

Maw Ferguson managed to get all 10 of the little Ferguson's out of the house along with Paw Ferguson who they had to drag out by his feet as he had taken his pill to help him sleep, as he needed it to not have the dreams about the war he always had. Maw Ferguson always wondered how bad those dreams about the wart could really be as Paw had spent his war years in San Francisco checking out the bars and had never been in combat.

Anyway at 3:25 Am the first Calhoun County Volunteer Fire Dept (we have yet to loose a foundation or frame) truck came over the hill and screeched into the front of the Ferguson's house. Ed Miller the asst Fire Chief and George Martin piled out of the truck and decided they were close enough to the house to attempt to put out the fire and were soon joined by the other two trucks from the Calhoun County Volunteer Fire Dept. (We have yet to loose a foundation or frame) manned by the Smoot Brothers and the Olden Twins.

Water was sent in the fire's direction and in no time the fire was almost quelled. It was about then that Asst Chief Martin discovered two things. Hs fire truck was sitting right in the middle of Jr's room and the other two trucks were out of water as someone, whom shall remain nameless for insurance purposes, forgot to connect the pumper to a hydrant.

IT was about this time that the fire flared up again and Asst Chief Martin remembered that they had just filled the gas tank up on his truck and needless to say as they all looked on helplessly asst Chief Martin's truck went sky high taking all 15 rooms of the Ferguson's house with it. It was a wondrous sight Maw later said and had it not been her house and everything in it headed for the sky she might even have enjoyed it.

Early this morning, about noon, Maw and Paw Ferguson were out looking through the ashes of the homestead for something they could salvage. It was all gone including the papers that Paw had put in the safe guaranteed to with stand 25000 degrees of heat that held all of the important family papers, Paw would have gone back to get a refund on the safe but the receipt was in the safe.

Maw stood looking at the ashes of her life and cried till tears came down her cheeks and she realized that the insurance settlement would get a pretty good new home for them, one that was not full of leaks and wind on a cold night and hot as Hades on a summer night. But then again Maw also pointed out to Paw the new house would not be full of memories either of how each room had been built for each new Little Ferguson. Of the times he had hit his thumb with a hammer and not been able to yell because he might wake up the youngest Little Ferguson.

Then perhaps Maw said to Paw we could just have a comfortable three bedroom house built after all the youngest of the Little Ferguson's was 35 and should really be out on there own. Paw sort of shook his head, took a drag on his "happy pipe", took Maw in his arms and they both yelled DISNEY LAND at the same time.

It was, after all time for the "Little Ferguson's" to cut the apron strings and find their own way in life.

GB

TT

© 5/14/2004 Tina F. Rice

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