Smokey and the Fouke Monster: A True Story. Smokey Crabtree

side of the fence toward her house. She wanted the smooth side of the fence toward her house and the fight was on.

      When you mowed your lawn, your neighbor would come after you if some of the grass from your mower flew over on his lawn.

      When you watered your lawn you had to make sure none of the water got on his grass. He would have you in small claims court for drowning his grass. These things made me sick inside.

      I am the type of man who wants to help the man next to me and that was usually what got me into trouble.

      We got tired of paying rent and living in undesirable places. We made a down payment on a house. It was so close to our neighbor there wasn't even room enough to walk between our house and his. A few days after we moved in the house I saw him outside watering his lawn. I wanted to be neighborly, so I went outside and walked over to him. I told him I was his new neighbor, my name was Crabtree, and extended my hand in friendship. He looked me over, layed down the water hose, and went over and turned off the water He turned his back to me, walked inside his house, and left me standing there like a fool.

      We lived in that house for two years and I never knew his first or his last name. This, and many more reasons, was why I was saving to get back to the country

      Smokey on a deer hunt in California.