I listened enraptured as story after story came forth. My fiancé’s grandfather held my full attention as he talked of his days as a miner. He related the stories with such humor that one would never guess how hard those times had to have been. I loved this gentle old man and his wife was just a jewel. I begin to look forward to being part of this family.

Let me get back to the stories. One particular tale stands out. Granddad talked of a friend who was in trouble a lot because of his taste for strong drink. His day off work was especially hard. Granddad’s friend Joe would lose his head when he had one too many. He liked to debate or argue whichever fit in the situation. Many were leery of Joe and his fighting ways. Waking up in strange places was not unusual either. Trouble with his family and friends was an all too familiar occurrence. Spending the night in jail had become part of his lifestyle. I could take this list of Joe’s woes even further but suffice it to say that he was not exactly on the right path. He was often heard saying, “If um a fool, um my own fool.”

One day granddad said someone had this crazy idea to tell Joe about the black cat bone. ‘Hey Joe, I got the answer to all your troubles, boy.” says a not so good friend. “See, thar’s a way you can stop them people that pester you when y’all want a good time.” Just find you a black cat and take it down in them woods behind Mr. Mac’s place. When you get to that lake bout midway thru them woods, take that cat and put him out his misery. Y’all will need the magic black cat bone. Take each bone, run it across your face, oh yeah y’all will need a mirror. If it’s really the black cat bone, you will disappear, poof, like a puff of smoke!”

Joe could not wait to get started. His imagination was just wild. His day off finally arrived. He found a black cat and was off to the woods. Joe had no doubt that the black cat bone was his answer. He could just disappear when things got tough.

Hot diggity dog, Joe later shouted, “I cain’t see myself in the mirror I brung!”

About a month after that fateful night, Joe’s family had finally given up hope of ever finding him. You see, old doesn’t care if um a fool Joe, was never seen again. I quickly asked Granddad if this story was true. He just laughed and replied, “where there is smoke, there is fire.”