The Suitcase

The Suitcase On The Side Of The Road

Young Clyde Reid's running buddies found a suitcase on the side of the road, at the bottom of a ditch. They cleaned the outside, but had to trash the contents. They may have gotten a comb or something as a reward, but then their imagination kicked into high gear. They were very accomplished trappers. I remember my Dad explaining how to trap a raccoon without any sort of cage.

One of the boys had recently trapped a wild bobcat. It was a ferocious animal and the boy had scars to show for his effort. There was no taming this wildcat for a pet, so they decided to stuff it into the suitcase.

That was a story in itself. Every one of the boys had scars to show their part in this dangerous undertaking. If it had been made of canvas it would not have held the animal. It would simply have ripped the sides to shreds and run back to the woods. But this had, at one time, been a very nice suitcase constructed of thick leather with a metal frame. It proved to be a temporary match for the bobcat's teeth and claws.

The suitcase looked good on the outside, so the boys set it on the side of the road and hid in nearby brush to watch the show. They talked for a while and then heard the sound of an automobile coming down the pike. The car slowed down as it drew close to the suitcase, but continued to roll past it. Seeing no one around, the driver ground the gearbox into reverse and began to back up. My Dad said that a door opened and they could see that the car was filled to brimming with people.

One of them grabbed the suitcase, jumped back into the car and slammed the door. The car lurched forward about 20 or 30 feet when suddenly all four doors flew open and people, too numerous to count, ran screaming in every direction. The boys swear that the bobcat did several laps inside the upholstered roof of the vehicle before shooting like a bullet out one of the doors and into the woods.

The boys wisely felt that the occupants of the car would not appreciate the humor of the situation. They quietly cut a path through the woods and found their way home.