Page 12 - Contrast1965Spring
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"Hi ya, boy!" Buddy patted the dog and having given the rabbit_ up as; lost cause.
scratched his ears. The hound closed his He came toward Buddy, pau~e an d barked.
There was a wriggle in the dust.
eyes and leaned against the boy's legs,
wagging his tail in a gesture that denoted
pure dog-rapture.
Id have
The snake turned its head and ~ouThe dog
A rustle of bushes, a snapping of dry grass in gone away but the hound blocked 1~'h snake
the field across the road and the hound was
all eager attention. He bounded away with a barked - short excited yaps" e nd the
wild yelping in pursuit of the rabbit.
quavered. The dog CI.rC 1e d wal r i yh a houn.d
"That hound ain't gonna be good for nothing,"
observed Cap'n Jim's wife. "Lettin' him run snake turned, head ever toward t e
wild like that. He ain't gonna know nothin'
about hunt in", Wonder why Mr. Davids ever J."It looks like it's gonna strike, "Cap'n rrn 's
got him?"
wife stopped work to watch.
"Buddy!" His mother ordered. "It looks like
a copperhead. Run get the hoe."
"Hunting." Buddy sighed and looked at his Buddy srarte d to run, stopped abrupt 1Y and
turned, "Where is it?"
mother. "When can I get a twenty-two?"
"Not till you're twelve." "I n t he gilr d en. Hurry'. It's leaning against
the fence."
"Get your dad to take you shootin'," Cap'n as
Jim's wife told the boy. the
Hot dust splattered up and into h'1~ shoedS
he ran. He reached the garden, Jumpe bed
"He won't", said Buddy's mother. "You row of new beans, s k·irte d rh e tohbeacchOoe? ftlie
know him. He's got three guns in his closet,
but he never uses them. He won't kill anything. and reached the fence. Where was t suckle
You remember that old sow we used to have?
He wouldn't butcher her or sell her either. found it, handle half hidden under hone: lane.
She just lay around till she died of old age." vines, grabbed it and raced b~ck to t e hoe
Its wood was rough and spl inrery- T.hest the
"Then why's we have guns?" Buddy asked in
a plaintive tone. its. elf kept bouncing and thudding agdalfind put
ground. He paused to get a better ho. lh ahe hoe
it over his shoulder. He ran on ~lt h t had a
bouncing and turning till it felt like e k wet,
blister coming. Face red, arms. and bac
"Oh , he used to hunt - but not SInce he got Buddy reached the wagon, panting.
out of the service."
"Here," his mother held out her hand.
They fell into a long silence.
"No," Buddy gripped the hoe in both hands.
The hound came pattering out of the brush, "I wanna kill him."
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