There was a young man living in my home town who was a year or so older than I. He was a real thorn in the side. He was banned from most of the stores in town because he would steal things. Those he did go into watched him like a hawk watches a bunny. He would butt into other people�s conversations, even business transaction of adults. I�ll refer to him as "Jimmy".

Some of the boys decided to pull a trick on Jimmy, believing he wasn�t the smartest member of society. They cooked up a scheme to scare the wits out of him.

Now, I must tell you, there is no such thing as a MOKE. Like other fabled creatures, stories were always going around about Mokes and the things they would do. Some of the older boys told Jimmy that Mokes were about the meanest thing ever created by God, that they would claw and gnaw you just for fun, then eat parts or your body. Jimmy half believed it.

A scheme was devised to get Jimmy out near the low water bridge over the creek at night and make a loud noise. Everyone thought he would run like a rabbit with a fox on it�s tail.

A neighbour living close by had a little rat terrier. I captured this little dog, (who would not bite anyone) and hid out near the bridge. Others were hid all along the road west of the bridge so they could see what was going on. Cap Ridgway was to make a loud noise, although no one knew how he was going to do it.

The moon was bright, lighting up the clear areas enough to read a newspaper, but in the shadows, it was pitch black. Jimmy walked down the road and across the bridge while everyone held their breath.

"Aaaakkk! ... Aaaakkk!" The sound was a most horrible creaking racket and set everyone's heart pounding.

Jimmy first jumped and wheeled around and, for a moment, stood still.

"Ak. ... Ak. ... Aaaaaaaaookkkk!" What a spooky sound and loud, too.

Jimmy turned and started running up the road toward the neighbour�s house. It appeared he would cover the half-mile or so faster than an Olympic sprinter.

When Jimmy was about a hundred yards from the bridge, I let the now frightened little dog loose. The little rat terrier took off up the road toward his home, almost running over Jimmy.

Jimmy threw himself on the ground with his arms over his head and started whimpering loudly. Everyone who were hid out in the brush came out into the road laughing like a bunch of lions after eating a Christian.

Jimmy regained his legs and was sick, then said some very non-repeatable words and started crying, almost running down the road away from the crowd.

Everyone knew this event would be talked about for a long time. The one thing everyone wanted to know: how in the world did Cap make that God-awful noise?

Cap told them, "Take a gallon syrup can, punch a small nail hole in the center of the bottom and thread a shoestring through the hole. Tie a knot so the string won't pull out. Dip the string in lamp oil so it is wet. Now, grip the string between your finger and thumb and slide the string through your fingers. The bottom of the bucket will vibrate to make noise. The faster you pull your hand, the higher the pitch." (Try this, it really works)

This simple noise maker was used for many years to call the farmers from the fields and became known as a "Moke Call."

Jimmy went into the Army when the war started and served in the Pacific. He was wounded seventeen different times and, of course, became very respected among the people of that little town.

After the war Jimmy went to school and became a pharmacist, then return to buy the local Rexall drug store. He had a showcase placed in the center of the floor in which he displayed a magnificent example of a taxidermist art. It had the body of a large bob cat, the head of a badger, the tail of a raccoon, and stood in a very imposing position. A label on the case stated

"MOKE".

-- Tom Nance