41-03-03 Rush and Uncle Fletcher, Tree Surgeons

STARRING: ART VAN HARVEY, BERNADINE FLYNN AND BILL IDELSON

• Vic arrives home to find Sade scolding Rush and Uncle Fletcher for having endangered themselves by climbing one of Mis' Harris' trees.  Fletcher isn't taking the scolding seriously.
• Uncle Fletcher mentions Gus Thompson from Carberry. Gus married a Dubuque girl – he doesn't remember if she was a Cunningham or a
  
  Dunkly.  She was considered the fattest girl in Joe Davies County.
• Rush tries to shift the blame to himself to spare Uncle Fletcher from Sade's wrath.
• Vic wants details. Sade had been walking home from Croucher's when she heard voices and spotted Rush and Uncle Fletcher at the top of one of Mis' Harris' trees.
• Uncle Fletcher mentions Alvin Thompson (Gus' brother) in Carberry.  He wore shoes with cast-iron soles.  Made ‘em himself.  Shoes weighed 8 pounds apiece. In later years Alvin had trouble walking.
• Rush explains Mis' Harris offered him fifty cents to remove dead, broken limbs hanging loose in the tree-top.  He insists there was no danger, as Mis' Harris had a ladder, and there was no ice – no chance of losing his grip.
• Uncle Fletcher tells Vic he found a complete violin in the garbage, but it had no strings, bow, or chin-rest.  He thinks Vic plays the violin.  Vic says no one in the family does.  Uncle Fletcher remembers who does play violin – Herkimer Scott.  His wife was near-sighted and mistook the violin for firewood and threw it in the stove.  Herkimer moved to Erie, Pennsylvania for six weeks. Herkimer's dead now – was either kicked by a horse or fell off a barn.  Oldest boy was a preacher.  the Scott family was all pigeon-toed, except Louise.
• Sade continues her probe: How did Uncle Fletcher get up in the tree?  He'd been riding in Mr. Gumpox's garbage wagon, got off, and climbed the ladder.  Rush did warn him to be careful.  Sade reminds him older gentlemen often have brittle bones.  He thinks she's referring to "Brittle" Bones who used to farm near Sycamore – a horseshoe champion.  Edward Bones, but they called him "Brittle."  He had a son they called Peanut Brittle Bones, who married Emma Slattery – she had hair so long she could sit on it.  
• Fletcher assures Sade that the next time he's climbing trees he'll keep a closer eye on Rush. - compiled by Barbara Schwarz, edited by Jimbo Mason

SEE THE PARTIAL DIALOGUE AND SYNOPSIS

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I regret that this episode is one that we cannot hear as it appears to be filled with classic stories from the one and only Uncle Fletcher.  The stories about Herkimer Scott and Alvin Thompson are already some of my favorites.

While we generally think of Uncle Fletcher getting only himself in trouble, there have been other cases where he got both Vic and Rush in trouble.

Uncle Fletcher seems to think the only problem with this bizarre tree incident is keeping Rush safe.

The violin probably belonged to Rush, since he was once taking lessons.