The Diamond Bikini by Charles Williams(page 18)

I was worried. “What will they do to Pop?” I asked
the sheriff. “And to Miss Caroline?”
He didn’t act like he even heard me. He just stood
there with that dreamy expression on his face, and
every once in a while he would whisper, “Wonderful.”
And then, “Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful.”
It was maybe five minutes before he looked around
and even noticed I was there, and then I thought of
one other thing that still puzzled me. Uncle
Sagamore had got some clothes for Miss Caroline,
but there she was wearing his old overalls. I asked
the sheriff about it

The Diamond Bikini by Charles Williams(page 17)

“You’re damn right he has.”
The sheriff held up his hands again. “All right. Let
me talk. You ain’t heard the half of it yet. There ain’t
no reward offered for that girl, and never has been.
You’re a bunch of suckers.”
Then Pop was climbing up on the stand.
“He’d better look out,” Murph says, real soft.
Pop was holding up his hands, and talking, but you
couldn’t hear a word he was saying because the
sheriff was drowning him out with the loudspeakers.
Then a rock flew through the air, and it just missed
Pop’s head.
“We’ll see who’s a sucker!” a man yelled in the
crowd.
Another rock went sailing past Pop.

The Diamond Bikini by Charles Williams(page 16)

the palm of your hand, and he’ll tell you anything you
want to know about it.”
Everybody cheered Uncle Sagamore. He took hold
of the microphone and shifted his tobacco over into
the other cheek, and says, “Well sir, men, I ain’t no
hand at makin’ speeches. You all know that. I’m just
goin’ to tell you I appreciate you comin’ out to help
an’ I know you’re going to be just like me. You’re
goin’ to be right here, by hell, till that girl is found.
“Now, naturally, a man can’t look all the time. We
wouldn’t expect him to. He’s got to have a little rest
now an’ then, so there’s refreshment up here, and
entertainment for when you get tired.”

The Diamond Bikini by Charles Williams(page 15)

We scooted past the sound truck, and then I saw
Pop was up there. He was walking along beside the
front one of the yellow trucks, and he motioned for
them to pull off in an open place beside the ruts
about a hundred yards away. He waved for the one
with the lumber to pull off on the other side.
The one with the lumber stopped, but Uncle Finley
was already there, and before the man could even get
out he ran around back and pulled off a board about
twenty feet long and started running down the hill
towards the ark, dragging the board after him.
“Hey,” the men in the truck yelled, and took out
after him. One of them got hold of the end of the
board and started trying to take it away from him.
The other one yelled at Pop, “Who’s this crazy old
bastard? Tell him to leave this lumber alone.”
Pop was telling the drivers of the yellow trucks
where to park. He looked around and waved a hand.
That’s just Finley. Let him have the plank and he
won’t bother you no more. He’ll be all day nailing it
up.”