Some of the regulars who had heard the story before still liked to hear what happened next. This part of the story never got old.

“Except Old Man Brown never had time to get off a shot,” said Eddie. “He thought we would tip it over from the front; instead it was much easier for us to tip it over from behind. He never heard us coming.”

What happened next had passed into Cherry’s Halloween lore-at least for some of the people at the bar who had heard the story and had known Eddie and his gang. When they tipped the outhouse over, they tipped it too hard and it knocked Brown feet first into the open septic hole filled with months of putrid excrement. And in a flash of lightning, that was what Eddie and the others saw-an angry Old Man Brown shoulder deep in that septic hole. Fortunately for them the shotgun was out of Brown’s reach.

“That’s right, standing shoulder-deep in all his crap or someone else’s crap,” laughed Eddie. “He was so pissed and I swear we could see his face turning red in the darkness. We were laughing so hard we nearly pissed our pants.”

Everyone around the bar laughed.

“I’ll never forget that expression on his face,” added Eddie. “It was one of shock, anger, horror-all rolled up into one very pissed off man.”

“What did you guys do,” asked Rich sheepishly, as though he should have known what happened next. “Did you go back to Elsie’s-you know, to make your alibi stick?”

“Well, we could see that he was okay. It was a good thing we had pushed it from behind. Maybe if we had pushed it from the front he would have fallen in head first,” said Eddie grinning. “We just took off running and went home. The next day the sheriff came around. Old Man Brown hadn’t gotten a good look at us but he figured it was us. Except he couldn’t prove it.”

Tommy Smith, down at the end of the bar grunted and motioned for Jake to get him another beer.

“The sheriff gave us a stern warning. That’s all he could do,” said Eddie. “Well, we must have been too much for Old Man Brown because the following summer that outhouse came down once and for all.”

“What that was some story,” Rich said. “It was a good thing you did push it from behind.”

“That’s right,” added Eddie, “Otherwise I am sure myself and the others would still be carrying some rock salt scars.”

“Thanks for telling it again,” said Jake smiling as he brought Eddie another beer.

Eddie smiled and nodded.

“Don’t you ever get tired of telling that story?” asked Tommy Smith who had moved down the bar and now stood behind Eddie.

“Not as long as I know it still pisses you off that we didn’t get caught that night,” said Eddie grinning.