Evergreen

By Lawrence Quammen and Marc Noreikas

Evergreen is a lively story of 3 sisters, the daughters of Mama and Papa Hopkins, a family of mice. The Hopkins family lives in an old sawdust pile located behind the Hillendale Sawmill and Lumber Company in the small town of Evergreen, Georgia. Evergreen is a little south of north Georgia and a little west of east Georgia. This story follows Pouxie, Mouxie and Chrissie from birth to their early teenage years, times of excitement and adventure. Evergreen is about the magic of childhood, family, love, trust and friendship. The sisters are accompanied in their adventures by a host of great characters and are depicted in a series of excellent illustrations. The principal characters, Pouxie, Mouxie and Chrissie were created by the authors father in the mid 1950s for a series of stories for his children. Evergreen is the first book of a trilogy named The Adventures of Pouxie, Mouxie and Chrissie.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Archway Publishing
• Release date: Dec 18, 2017
• ISBN: 9781480847859

Lawrence Quammen

Lawrence Quammen spent 23 years in practice as a PA and later joined his wife, Dr. Robecca Quammen in the medical information systems consulting firm she founded. His interest in writing came from a desire to create a fictional work dedicated to his three granddaughters, in honor of his father. Lawrence and Robecca live in Monroe Georgia and Montverde Florida.

Book preview

EVERGREEN

The Adventures of

Pouxie, Mouxie and Chrissie

Lawrence Quammen

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Copyright © 2017 Lawrence Quammen.

Interior Graphics by Marc Noreikas.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Archway Publishing

1663 Liberty Drive

Bloomington, IN 47403

www.archwaypublishing.com

1 [phone]

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Shutterstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Shutterstock.

ISBN: 978-1-4808-4783-5 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4808-4784-2 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4808-4785-9 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2017912309

Archway Publishing rev. date: 12/5/2017

CONTENTS

Introduction

Maps

Character List

Chapter 1   Daybreak

Chapter 2   Evergreen

Chapter 3   The Hillendale Sawmill And Lumber Company

Chapter 4   The Foo Prescription

Chapter 5   The Hopkins Family

Chapter 6   Life In The Pile

Chapter 7   The Neighbors

Chapter 8   The Gray Family

Chapter 9   Sweetpea

Chapter 10   Going Shopping

Chapter 11   The Happy Smell/Going Fast

Chapter 12   Papa Takes A Walk

Chapter 13   Mousing

Chapter 14   A Visit With The Grays

Chapter 15   Phineas G. Hopper

Chapter 16   Supercat

Chapter 17   Going To School

Chapter 18   Doctor Joe

Chapter 19   Rats!

Chapter 20   A Hike On The Springs Path

Chapter 21   From Flop-Over To Tough Nut

Chapter 22   The Grand Snoop-A-Roo

This book is dedicated to my precious granddaughters:

Bella, Emma, and Ava

In honor of my father:

Clifford Ernest Quammen

1911–1987

His wit, imagination, and creativity, along with his love for his children, brought us Pouxie, Mouxie, and Chrissie.

INTRODUCTION

Cliff Quammen was the quintessential traveling salesman. He left his home and family every Monday morning and returned every Friday afternoon. He spent his evenings away in rural motels across the South.

It was on one of those evenings that he decided to write a series of stories for his children based on the antics of three mice who happened to be sisters. Each weekend brought a new episode. It was a magical time for us all.

Evergreen is the first book of a trilogy based on those mice. Pouxie, Mouxie, and Chrissie are his creation. The stories and supporting characters are mine. Enjoy.

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CHARACTER LIST

• Josiah Hillendale—Owner of the Hillendale Sawmill and Lumber Company

• Joe Phillips—Josiah’s second in command; oversees the daily operation of the sawmill

• Papa and Mama Hopkins—The parents of Pouxie, Mouxie and Chrissie

• Pouxie Hopkins—The oldest daughter

• Mouxie Hopkins—The middle daughter

• Chrissie Hopkins—The youngest daughter

• Festus—The oldest of the Crow brothers

• Archie—The middle Crow brother

• Sam—The youngest Crow brother

• Myrtice and Sam Gray—The parents of Tommy, Billy, and Betsy

• Tommy Gray—The oldest child

• Billy Gray—The middle child

• Betsy Gray—The youngest child

• Sweetpea—The mill cat

• Phineas G. Hopper—A juvenile grasshopper

• Rico Rizzo—The older of the Rizzo brothers

• Carlos Rizzo—The younger of the Rizzo brothers

• Clyde—An old mule

EVERGREEN

The Adventures of Pouxie, Mouxie and Chrissie

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Chapter 1

DAYBREAK

DAYBREAK HAS ARRIVED. THE FIRST GOLDEN RAYS OF THE morning sun are sparkling through the leaves high in the tall oak trees that grow in the forest behind the Hillendale Sawmill and Lumber Company. At this very moment, three pairs of eyes slowly open. With a cautious look about to make sure things are as they should be, three crows awaken to a wonderful new day. Actually, most days are wonderful for these crows because they are all friends, and because they are all brothers, and because they each have a great roost high in the tall oaks where they are safe, cozy, and close to each other. Just so you know, the Crow Brothers’ names are Archie, Festus, and Sam. After a big stretch and a quick, cold splash in the lumber yard rain barrel, they are ready to fly! They line up together on the edge of the rain barrel with a little more teetering and tottering than there used to be, spread their wings (being careful not to knock each other off head over heels), and jump off! Flapping their wings mightily, they begin their flight to the town water tower, where they meet every single morning of every single day after their morning splash to dry out before breakfast. As they soar through the cool dawn air just above the treetops, they gaze down at the sleepy little town below, the town of Evergreen. This is a very important moment for the Crow Brothers because it means they are halfway to the water tower. This is a very important moment for you too, because Evergreen is where our story about Pouxie, Mouxie, and Chrissie begins.

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The Crow Brothers

Chapter 2

EVERGREEN

EVERGREEN IS A LITTLE SOUTH OF NORTH GEORGIA AND A BIT west of east Georgia. The town is laid out in the shape of an H, sort of, with a circle in the middle. George Gifford’s Texaco station is located at the north end of Mill Street, just on the other side of the Old Orchard Highway. The Hillendale Mansion sits at the south end of Mill Street. The Evergreen Municipal School is located at the west end of Oak Street, and the Evergreen Church is located at the east end of Oak Street. The big circle in the middle is the town roundabout. A roundabout is what some small towns have instead of a traffic light. It does the same thing, which is to make people take turns—you know, who stops and who goes first and stuff like that. It also keeps them from banging their cars together. North, South, East, and West are painted at just the right places on the roundabout, to help the local folks always know which direction they are going, leastwise while they are in town. Brightly colored houses with green lawns and lots of flowers line both sides of Oak Street and South Mill Street. The town businesses and official buildings line both sides of North Mill Street. Jefferson’s Grocery, Kirkland’s Hardware, Olson’s Dry Goods, and Evergreen Feed and Seed are on the right side of North Mill Street. The Evergreen volunteer fire station, city hall, police station, and post office are on the left side of North Mill Street. You can see them on map number one.

Chapter 3

THE HILLENDALE SAWMILL AND LUMBER COMPANY

JUST A MILE WEST OF TOWN, ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE Old Orchard Highway, sits the Hillendale Sawmill and Lumber Company, nestled in a beautiful forest. The sawmill and lumber company offices are out front, with entrances to each just off the highway. The lumber yard, log yard, sawmill, chipping mill, dry-stack shed, rain barrel, and mechanic’s shed, along with the huge wood-chip and sawdust piles are located in back. You’ll see them on map number two.

The Hillendale Sawmill and Lumber Company is owned by Josiah Hillendale. When Josiah was just a boy, it was owned by his father, Edward Hillendale, or Big Ed to his friends. Josiah, like his father,