.."You won't believe this!" Try me." I woke up this morning and there he was! Trying on my underwear!" You don't say?" And he had this weird, blissful...expression on his face." So, what you'd do?" Well, I forbid him to wear any of mine, that's for sure. And then said that if he wanted some to wear, he should go out and buy his own!" And?" And he did! Raced out of the house like it was on fire and came back with three bags full. He's worn nothing-but, all day." Told you I could do it." OK, I. They're part of the balance; they keep the voles and mice, the rodents, under control; the snakes protect your hayfields."The students stood, mouths gaping, shocked as if some Communist agitator had just shouted "Bury America!" Graydon stood, his face red and angry, and the largest of the students walked right up to him and shoved his hand against Graydon's chest."No damn pansy-assed queer is gonna tell me I can't shoot some damned rattlesnakes anytime I want. Me and Pa and his friends do it. She had already picked them up with my pants and shirt.Mom looked over at me while I stared at her in horror. She didn't say anything at first though. She just stood there staring with an odd look."What happened to you, Melissa?" What do you mean?" I cautiously asked."Melissa Elizabeth Martin," she firmly stated to my horror. "It's a simple question. What happened to you?"I struggled to come up with some answer to a question I didn't understand."I just practiced hard today. I guess I'm just. That thought led to who she could get to go with her and, suddenly, the image of Frank Collins was in her mind. She blinked. She didn’t know what to think about Frank Collins. He was a boy, and usually that didn’t get you anywhere at all with Enid Rocklin. Boys were a pain in the behind. But something about him wasn’t so ... so ... so whatever it was that made her want to kick boys in the shins. She hadn’t been around any boys since they’d left Oregon. Well, there was Bobby, but he was a pain.