Title: Copperhead Road

Author: Evil_Little_Dog

Rating: Teen

Disclaimer: This is a derivative work, and, as such, I make absolutely no money writing this. Darn the luck.

Summary: Uncle Jesse knows Jedidiah Duke was a hard man.

Them Duke boys, well, they were mighty clever, an' they were good at gettin' away with stuff, but they weren't nothin' like their ol' great-granpappy Duke, Uncle Jesse's grandad. He was a legend in Hazzard County, in ways ol' Bo an' Luke might never be.

Daisy found the old photo album, flipping through it. A picture caught her eye, one of an old, skinny, grizzled man, glaring at the camera. A couple of jugs sat at his feet, and Daisy was willing to bet they were full of shine. "Uncle Jesse, do you know who this is?"

He took the album, pulling a pair of wire-rimmed glasses from his breast pocket and settling them on his nose. Studying the picture, he said, "That's Granpa Jedidiah Duke." His mouth pulled in a frown, and he shook his head, closing the album.

"What is it, Uncle Jesse?" Daisy leaned closer to him. "Somethin' wrong?"

"That man," Jesse said slowly. He sighed. "I guess you'd come to know sooner or later. He was a legend, still is, if you ask around the right parts of the county. But I don't want you gettin' any ideas of followin' in his footsteps." He shook a finger at Daisy. "Granpa Jedidiah was a hard man, a harsh man. He didn't use his wits to stay ahead of the revenuers, he used guns."

Daisy bit her lip. "Was he a bad man?"

"One of the worst. He got into a gunfight with a bunch of revenuers, an' he was the one who came out alive, nary a scratch on him." Jesse shook his head. "Your granma Hettie, my momma, she didn't take truck with that, even if she did inherit Jedidiah's stills and customers. She turned things around, made sure no one got hurt, or at least, not dead." Jesse sighed. "Your great-granpa, he lived in a different time. Hazzard was a different place. Not like it is now. But let's not talk any more about him, all right, girl?"

"All right, Uncle Jesse." Daisy gave him a quick hug. "I'll put this book back where I found it."

"That's a good thing, Daisy." Jesse managed a smile at her, but his thoughts were still on his ol' grandpappy, and all the deeds he'd done.

~end~