After bouncing a couple of times, I finally settled down to earth. I lay spread-eagled for a few seconds, and then slowly got to my knees.
Hearing loud laughter, I looked around. It was the little old lady with the hoe in her hand. She hollered and asked how I liked it. Without answering, I grabbed up my gunny sack and left. Far up the street, I looked back. The little old lady was sitting down, rocking with laughter.
I couldn't understand these town people. If they weren't staring at a fellow, they were laughing at him.
V
ON ARRIVING AT THE DEPOT, MY NERVE FAILED ME. I WAS afraid to go in. I didn't know what I was scared of, but I was scared.
Before going around to the front, I peeked in a window. The stationmaster was in his office looking at some papers. He was wearing a funny little cap that had no top in it. He looked friendly enough but I still couldn't muster up enough courage to go in.
I cocked my ear to see if I could hear puppies crying, but could hear nothing. A bird started chirping. It was a yellow canary in a cage. The stationmaster walked over and gave it some water. I thought, 'Anyone that is kind to birds surely wouldn't be mean to a boy.'
With my courage built up I walked around to the front and eased myself past die office. He glanced at me and turned back to the papers. I walked clear around the depot and again walked slowly past the office. Glancing from the corner of my eye, I saw the stationmaster looking at me and smiling. He opened the door and came out on the platform. I stopped and leaned against the building.
Yawning and stretching his arms, he said, 'It sure is hot today. It doesn't look like it's ever going to rain.'
I looked up at the sky and said, 'Yes, sir. It is hot and we sure could do with a good rain. We need one bad up where I come from.'
He asked me where I lived.
I told him, 'Up the river a ways.'
'You know,' he said, 'I have some puppies in there for a boy that lives up on the river. His name is Billy Colman. I know his dad, but never have seen the boy. I figured he would be in after them today.'
On hearing this remark, my heart jumped clear up in my throat. I thought surely it was going to hop right out on the depot platform. I looked up and tried to tell him who I was, but something went wrong. When the words finally came out they sounded like the squeaky old pulley on our well when Mama drew up a bucket of water.
I could see a twinkle in the stationmaster's eyes. He came over and laid his hand on my shoulder. In a friendly voice he said, 'So you're Billy Colman. How is your dad?'
I told him Papa was fine and handed him the slip my grandpa had given me.
'They sure are fine-looking pups,' he said. 'You'll have to go around to the freight door.'
I'm sure my feet never touched the ground as I flew around the building. He unlocked the door, and I stepped in, looking for my dogs. I couldn't see anything but boxes, barrels, old trunks, and some rolls of barbed wire.
The kindly stationmaster walked over to one of the boxes.
'Do you want box and all?' he asked.
I told him I didn't want the box. All I wanted was the dogs.
'How are you going to cany them?' he asked. 'I think they're a little too young to follow.'
I held out my gunny sack.
He looked at me and looked at the sack. Chuckling, he said, 'Well, I guess dogs can be carried that way same as anything else, but we'll have to cut a couple of holes to stick their heads through so that they won't smother.'
Getting a claw hammer, he started tearing off the top of the box. As nails gave way and boards splintered, I heard several puppy whimpers. I didn't walk over. I just stood and waited.
After what seemed like hours, the box was open. He reached in, lifted the pups out, and set them down on the floor.
