for short!”
“But if it’s a nice cat,” said Patsy, “it’d be worth ten dollars, wouldn’t it?”
The women laughed.
“That’s the kind you can’t give away,” said Mrs. Foster.
“I’ve tried a dozen times,” said Mrs. Barker, “but it always comes back. It seems to feel at home here.”
The children said good-bye to Aunt Edie and Mrs. Foster invited her to come for a visit. They started off, but Aunt Edie called them back.
“How long you folks goin’ to be here?” she asked.
“Don’t know,” said Mrs. Foster. “Until we get a notion to move on, I reckon. It’s a good place to lay and handy for the kids to go to school.”
“Be sure to stay through cotton picking,” urged Aunt Edie. She broke off some geranium slips and handed them to Patsy.
“Plant them in some dirt in tin cans and they’ll grow,” she said.
“They will?” asked Patsy, delighted.
As they walked back along the dusty road, Patsy said to Mama, “Aunt Edie’s houseboat is almost a house, isn’t it?”
“No more than ours is,” said Mama.
“I mean it seems like a house ’cause it’s up on land,” said Patsy. “The water’s way down at the bottom of the river bank, not up under the hull.”
“Oh yes,” said Mama.
As they passed the store, Patsy saw the girl Joella and her brother and little sisters sitting on the steps. The store was big and barnlike, sitting on high posts, so there were five steps up to the long entrance porch across the front. The girl waved to Patsy, but she did not wave back. She turned to Mama.
“That girl’s always hangin’ around that store,” she said. “She must have a lot of money to spend.”
“Maybe so,” said Mama. “We’ll find out soon enough.”
The girl Joella and her brother and sisters followed Mama and the children down the river bank. As soon as Mama and Bunny went inside, Patsy put her slips down and she and Dan picked up stones and threw them. They chased the strange children up to the road. They called them names.
“I hope Mama didn’t see us throw stones,” said Patsy. “She made me give that girl a banana—only she didn’t take it.”
“They just better not come down our river bank again,” said Dan.
Back at the houseboat, Daddy had his trotlines baited and was about to start off in the johnboat. Patsy went to the kitchen to look for tin cans to plant her geranium slips.
“Abe,” said Mama on the porch, “Edie says there’s a man down at Ashport Ferry Landing who has a fish house there and sells fish.”
“That so?” said Daddy. “What’s his name?”
“Andy Dillard,” said Mama. “Edie says he won’t like it if you try to sell fish here.”
“What can he do about it?” asked Daddy.
“Run you out,” said Mama. “Edie felt she had to warn you.”
“Run me out?” Daddy laughed. “Just let him try it.” He turned to Patsy. “Want to go with me, honey, to set my lines?”
“Yes,” said Patsy, jumping in the boat.
On the way out toward the mouth of the chute, they passed the ferry landing, and saw the small ferryboat over on the Tennessee side. Patsy pointed to the Arkansas bank, where a small frame building stood. It had a sign on it, Fish for Sale.
“There it is,” she said. “That’s where Andy Dillard sells fish.”
Daddy saw the sign and laughed; so Patsy laughed, too.
“There’s plenty of fish in this old river for everybody,” said Daddy.
But when they got back to the houseboat, a strange man stood on deck. Mama was there, too, talking to him. The man turned and waited for Daddy to get out of the boat. He was a large fat man with a red face and a tight-fitting cap. His ears stuck out at both sides and he did not look friendly. Patsy began to tremble. What did he want? How come he was standing on the porch of their houseboat with both his hands on his hips as if he owned it? As soon as he opened his mouth, Patsy knew that this was Andy Dillard and that Daddy was in for trouble.
“You can’t
“But if it’s a nice cat,” said Patsy, “it’d be worth ten dollars, wouldn’t it?”
The women laughed.
“That’s the kind you can’t give away,” said Mrs. Foster.
“I’ve tried a dozen times,” said Mrs. Barker, “but it always comes back. It seems to feel at home here.”
The children said good-bye to Aunt Edie and Mrs. Foster invited her to come for a visit. They started off, but Aunt Edie called them back.
“How long you folks goin’ to be here?” she asked.
“Don’t know,” said Mrs. Foster. “Until we get a notion to move on, I reckon. It’s a good place to lay and handy for the kids to go to school.”
“Be sure to stay through cotton picking,” urged Aunt Edie. She broke off some geranium slips and handed them to Patsy.
“Plant them in some dirt in tin cans and they’ll grow,” she said.
“They will?” asked Patsy, delighted.
As they walked back along the dusty road, Patsy said to Mama, “Aunt Edie’s houseboat is almost a house, isn’t it?”
“No more than ours is,” said Mama.
“I mean it seems like a house ’cause it’s up on land,” said Patsy. “The water’s way down at the bottom of the river bank, not up under the hull.”
“Oh yes,” said Mama.
As they passed the store, Patsy saw the girl Joella and her brother and little sisters sitting on the steps. The store was big and barnlike, sitting on high posts, so there were five steps up to the long entrance porch across the front. The girl waved to Patsy, but she did not wave back. She turned to Mama.
“That girl’s always hangin’ around that store,” she said. “She must have a lot of money to spend.”
“Maybe so,” said Mama. “We’ll find out soon enough.”
The girl Joella and her brother and sisters followed Mama and the children down the river bank. As soon as Mama and Bunny went inside, Patsy put her slips down and she and Dan picked up stones and threw them. They chased the strange children up to the road. They called them names.
“I hope Mama didn’t see us throw stones,” said Patsy. “She made me give that girl a banana—only she didn’t take it.”
“They just better not come down our river bank again,” said Dan.
Back at the houseboat, Daddy had his trotlines baited and was about to start off in the johnboat. Patsy went to the kitchen to look for tin cans to plant her geranium slips.
“Abe,” said Mama on the porch, “Edie says there’s a man down at Ashport Ferry Landing who has a fish house there and sells fish.”
“That so?” said Daddy. “What’s his name?”
“Andy Dillard,” said Mama. “Edie says he won’t like it if you try to sell fish here.”
“What can he do about it?” asked Daddy.
“Run you out,” said Mama. “Edie felt she had to warn you.”
“Run me out?” Daddy laughed. “Just let him try it.” He turned to Patsy. “Want to go with me, honey, to set my lines?”
“Yes,” said Patsy, jumping in the boat.
On the way out toward the mouth of the chute, they passed the ferry landing, and saw the small ferryboat over on the Tennessee side. Patsy pointed to the Arkansas bank, where a small frame building stood. It had a sign on it, Fish for Sale.
“There it is,” she said. “That’s where Andy Dillard sells fish.”
Daddy saw the sign and laughed; so Patsy laughed, too.
“There’s plenty of fish in this old river for everybody,” said Daddy.
But when they got back to the houseboat, a strange man stood on deck. Mama was there, too, talking to him. The man turned and waited for Daddy to get out of the boat. He was a large fat man with a red face and a tight-fitting cap. His ears stuck out at both sides and he did not look friendly. Patsy began to tremble. What did he want? How come he was standing on the porch of their houseboat with both his hands on his hips as if he owned it? As soon as he opened his mouth, Patsy knew that this was Andy Dillard and that Daddy was in for trouble.
“You can’t
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