[legendsport]

The Barrell clan had packed up, lock, stock and seven sons, and headed to Georgia. Rufus, tears in his eyes, had stood in Malcolm Presley's office and resigned his position as a scout with the Kings. The death of his family had shocked him to the core. When he suggested to Alice that they all move to Egypt, she had been astounded, but agreed.

"I'm going to rebuild the farmhouse, even bigger and better than before," Rufus said, and then added, "There'll be plenty of room for all the Barrells."

Vera was shocked. "You're leaving Brooklyn!?!" she exclaimed to Alice after Rufus had gone to see Presley.

"Yes, mother, this is what Rufus needs right now."

"But, what will he do? He's not a farmer, you know. Rufus has been about nothing but baseball since he was 16 years old."

Alice sighed and said, "Yes, I know, but he's in shock right now. We'll get by - you know Dad is right there in Atlanta. If the worst comes to worst, he'll give Rufus a job."

Vera shook her head. "You know I won't be coming with you. I simply loathe the country."

Alice smirked and wryly said, "Yes, I know mother. I do appreciate all you've done for us. You can keep the house - we own it and perhaps Rufus might want come back someday. He may have been born a country boy but all these years in Brooklyn left a mark."

So on a bright and clear October morning, Vera found herself alone in the now too-empty Barrell home in Brooklyn while Rufus, Alice and their sons went to Georgia.

Rufus broke down in tears when he saw the blackened remains of the home where he'd grown up. He had avoided going to the farm when he had come down from Providence to handle the funeral arrangements and sign the legal documents giving him ownership of John Barrell's 100 acre farm.

Alice shepherded the boys back onto the wagon - she wasn't sure she wanted them to see their father in his current state. Around them were acres of crops - Alice wasn't even sure what they were - that would soon need to be harvested. She had no idea how a farm worked, and knew that Rufus had some experience, but had rejected his father's designs on making a farmer of him, instead following his dream of being a ballplayer. That dream too, had ultimately failed. Her heart broke at the sight of her husband, disconsolate, weeping while standing before the ashes of his childhood.

Eventually, Rufus raised his lowered head, took a deep breath and turned to his family. "This is where I was born, boys. And this is where we're going to live now." Then he squared his shoulders and with an effort that was obvious to Alice, smiled and said, "Well, at least it will be after we get the new house built. Until then, we'll be staying in Savannah."

Little Joe raised a fist and shouted, "The Barrells shall rise again!" Alice started to shush him but Rufus just laughed and said, "Spoken like a true son of Georgia, Joe - which you ain't just yet, but I reckon you might be eventually."

Jack turned and looked over his shoulder. A rattling, wheezing sound could be heard from around the bend. Rufus grinned and looked at Alice, who had raised her eyebrows. She asked, "What now?" just before a battered Model A Ford slowly and sputteringly rolled into view.

Rollie Daniels was sitting in the right-hand seat and driving. Beside him, holding his hat onto his head with his left hand and chewing on an unlit cigar was Joe Reid.

"It's Gramps!" should Little Joe as he leaped from the wagon, with Rollie, Jack, and Jimmy right behind him. Alice quickly grabbed Danny and Fred to keep them from falling out of the wagon themselves. Tommy, oblivious, was somehow sleeping in a basket shaded by the wagon's bench.

"Hoo boy! That's a fine passel of younguns you got there, son!" Rollie Daniels bellowed as he braked to a stop. The car's engine sputtered three times and died.

"Well, at least it got us here," Joe Reid muttered as he stepped out of the vehicle and hugged his grandsons, one by one.

"What is this?" Alice asked.

"Well, Miss Peaches," Rollie began and grinned a gap tooth grin when Alice flared up, "Rufus here asked me to help, so I am here to help."

Alice turned to Rufus who was standing sheepishly beside her. "Well?" she asked.

"Rollie knows how to run a farm. I've offered him a job. He accepted and is going to run the farm for us. I don't know how to get these crops harvested - but he does."

Alice turned to her father, "And just what are you doing here?" she demanded.

"Our season's over Peaches," he said. "I wanted to see my grandsons and my favorite daughter... heck I even wanted to see Rufus too."

"I'm your only daughter," Alice said, but she was now smiling.

"And that's a good thing," Joe replied with a chuckle.

Jack was tugging on Rufus' jacket. "Hey Pop, can we get a hound dog?"

The elder Rollie hooted and shouted, "That's a grand idea, son! With seven boys, one hound ain't gonna be enough... y'all probably need to get two or three!"

As Jack and Jimmy began jumping up and down in excitement (a dog had long been atop their wishlists), Alice just shook her head and asked Rufus, "Just what have you gotten us into?"