Periwinkle, Our Periwinkle

The fourth grade class at Tramp Memorial Elementary School is putting on the "Periwinkle, Our Perwinkle" play today. It is an annual 4th grade production. It helps them to learn about the history and culture of Periwinkle County. Randall Nathan is there, with Claire, to see their grandson, Johnny, enact the story of the tramp for which the school was named. This is especially wrenching for Randall, because he performed the funeral service for Tramp, back when he was a young campus minister at Cratchit State University, 30 miles west of Memphjus, the seat of PC.

Jake Newland had not yet taken over the funeral home in Memphjus, and Gus Prince was still the undertaker. Gus was disgusted that Tramp had died in an alley behind The Thurber Memorial Library, reading a book he had not checked out, so he refused to ask any of the PC ministers to do Tramp's funeral. Nobody knew him. No one had even seen him before. Apparently he came to town just to use the library. He had no identification on him. His fingerprints weren't in any database, and DNA hadn't been discovered yet, although some people had claimed to see some while exploring the ion mines in west PC. Gus Prince figured Tramp didn't deserve a real minister to do his funeral, and so he called on the campus minister from CSU, in Crimson County, the one who was the pastor of last resort for any lost or dubious cause.

Randall Nathan had showed up at the Aligheri Memorial Cemetery at the appointed time. Gus Prince and the sheriff and the grave digger were standing by the hearse, smoking cigarettes and telling jokes. Gus pointed at an open grave site, about fifty yards away, down in the marshy corner of the cemetery. A plain wooden casket sat on the ground beside the hole. Randall walked down to the grave. Nobody was there. Nobody followed him from the hearse. He opened up his Book of Worship and read through the entire service. He looked back at the hearse. Gus Prince beckoned to him to hurry up. So he turned back to the grave and read the entire service again.

The Jonathan Edwards Grade School, where Randall Nathan had himself gone to school, was being replaced with a new building. The school board thought a new name was appropriate. They decided they would let the children decide on the new name. They gave them an approved list of politicians and scientists, but after Randall Nathan told them about the tramp, they all wrote in Tramp Memorial for the name of their school.

Now Randall Nathan is watching carefully as his grandson, Johnny Kendy, steps forward toward a pretend grave to re-enact the story of how their school got its name....