'You reckon your daddy would like to go?' he asked, 'As late in the fall as it is, I don't think he's too busy, is he?'
'No, our crops are all gathered,' I said. 'We've been clearing some of the bottom land, but that's almost done now.'
'Well, ask him,' he said. 'Tell him I'd like to have him go.'
'I'll ask him,' I said, 'but you know how Papa is. The farm comes first with him.'
'I know,' Grandpa said, 'but you ask him anyway, and tell him what I said. Now it's getting late and you had better be heading for home.'
I was almost to the door when Grandpa said, i'Wait a minute.'
He walked over behind the candy counter and shook out one of the quarter sacks. He filled it up to the brim, bounced it on the counter a few times, and dropped in a few more gumdrops.
With a twinkle in his eye, and a smile on his face, he handed it to me saying, 'Save some for your sisters.'
I was so choked up I couldn't say anything. I took it and flew out the door, calling to my dogs.
On my way home I didn't walk on the ground. I was way up in the clouds just skipping along. With a song, I told the sycamore trees and the popeyed gray squirrels how happy I was.
Little Ann sensed my happiness. She pranced along on the trail. With a doggish grin on her face, she begged for a piece of candy, which I so gladly gave.
Even Old Dan felt the pleasant atmosphere. His long red tail fanned the air. Once he raised his head and bawled. I stood still and listened to the droning tones of his deep voice. The sound seemed to be trapped for an instant in the thick timber. It rolled around under the tall white sycamores, beat its way through the wild cane, and found freedom out over the clear blue waters of the river. The sound, following the river's course, rolled like the beat of a jungle drum.
As the echo died away in the distance, silence settled over the bottoms. The gray squirrels stopped their chattering. The wild birds quit their singing. I stood still. No sound could be heard. It seemed that all the creatures of the wild were holding their breath. I gazed up to the towering heights of the tall trees. No leaf was stirring. The silence seemed strained and expectant, like a young boy waiting for a firecracker to explode.
I looked at Old Dan. He was standing perfectly still, with his right front foot raised and his long ears fanned open. He seemed to be listening, and challenging any living creature to make a noise.
The silence was broken by the 'Whee-e-e-e' of a red-tailed hawk. This seemed to be a signal. All around me the happy atmosphere resumed its natural state.
I heard the 'Barn, bam, bam' of a woodpecker high in the top of a box elder snag. The cry of a kingfisher and the scream of a bluejay blended perfectly with the drumlike beat. A barking red squirrel, glued to the side of a hackberry tree, kept time to the music with the beat of his tail.
Each noise I heard and each sight I saw was very familiar to me but I never grew tired of listening and watching. They were a God-sent gift and I enjoyed them all.
As I skipped along, it was hard for me to realize all the wonderful things that had happened to me in such a few short years. I had two of the finest little hounds that ever bawled on the trail of a ringtail coon. I had a wonderful mother and father and three little sisters. I had the best grandpa a boy ever had, and to top it all, I was going on a championship coon hunt. It was no wonder that my heart was bursting with happiness. Wasn't I the luckiest boy in the world?
Everyone was just sitting down to supper when I got home. My sisters quit the table for the candy. I told them to divide it equally. The oldest one asked if I wanted any of it.
'No,' I said. 'I brought it all for you.' Of course, I didn't tell them about the four pieces I had in my pocket.
They thanked me with their clear blue eyes.
I guess it's pretty hard for a young boy to fool his mama. She took one look at me and called me over. She ruffled up my hair, kissed me, and said, 'If my little boy's eyes get any bigger they're going to pop right out of his head. Now tell me, what are you so happy about?'
Before I could say anything, Papa chuckled and asked, 'What's going on between you and your grandpa? What are you and that old man cooking up now?'
As fast as I could talk I started telling about the big coon hunt. I told how hard Grandpa had been working to have my dogs entered, and how he had already paid my entry fee.
