Summer of the Monkeys
By Wilson Rawls
Sydney Bearden
Chapter One:
Sally Gooden’s Gone
Again
Jay Berry Lee is a fourteen year old boy living in the Oklahoma territory. He came from
Missouri when he was little but then moved to where he lives at the time. He has a twin sister
named Daisy and she has a twisted leg. Jay Berry’s grandfather is the one that helped give his family
land in Oklahoma. Years had gone by, and Jay Berry turned fourteen. He was able to do the chores
and things of a boy in the late 18000s.
The Lee family has a crazy cow named Sally Gooden. She can jump over just about anything.
One day, Jay Berry’s father came inside from morning chores and told everyone that the cow was
missing again. Jay Berry was determined to find it and went down to the bottoms, a place sort of
like a swamp. Mrs. Lee does not like the bottoms. She says that they are dangerous and not for
someone Jay Berry’s age to venture into. But, the boy and his hound dog, Rowdy, went down in
the bottoms to find Sally. They found her without losing much time, and Jay Berry decided to walk
around and explore the area. When they were looking around, Rowdy smelled something, and
went off toward the smell. It ended up being a monkey! Jay Berry got scared because he didn’t
know what the monkey wanted or if there were more monkeys. The boy ran so fast that he forgot
the milking cow. He went and told his father, who didn’t believe him, and when he did, assumed
the monkey was just a pet that had escaped its rich owners. When Jay told his mother, she did
believe him, just because of all the things she was afraid of down there.
Chapter Two:
The Story of the Monkeys
That day, Jay Berry went to the store, anxious to
talk to his grandfather about the monkeys. He needed
to find out about the monkeys and of course his
grandpa would know. He went to the store and talked
about it, and instantly, his grandfather knew what the
monkeys were about. They were from a circus, and
worth a lot of money, two dollars apiece. One of the
monkeys was one hundred dollars, and Jay Berry was
astonished. Jay Berry asked grandpa how to catch the
monkeys and after a while, grandpa thought of an idea.
Grandpa had one. He took a trap and covered
it in something soft. The trap seemed like it wouldn’t
hurt a monkey, but the animal wouldn’t be able to
escape, either. The only thing they needed to do was
test it. Jay Berry didn’t want to stick his finger in it,
and Rowdy wouldn’t step in it either. Grandpa stuck
his own finger in it, and it didn’t hurt, but he needed
help getting if off.
Jay Berry thought it was perfect. He was
ready to test it out, but he needed to go
home. When he was heading out the door,
Grandpa reminded him that his mother
might want something, and Jay Berry was
glad for the reminder. On the way out the
second time, Grandpa snuck some candy
into his bag and Jay Berry and Rowdy went
off.
As Jay Berry went home, he sang a song
about catching monkeys. Jay Berry was
so excited about his plan that he tried to
add all the cost of the monkeys up, but
there was too much stuff in his head
and Rowdy kept walking all over the
equation. When he got home, Jay Berry
talked to his dad about the monkeys,
and his dad saw them! He believed that
the monkeys did belong to the circus,
and that they were worth quite a lot. He
also knew that it would be hard to catch
monkeys, but let Jay Berry attempt to
get them anyways.
The only thing Jay Berry needed to do
was talk to his mama, and that would
be the hard part. Mama had never met a
real monkey, and if they lived in the
bottoms, then they had to be dangerous.
Jay Berry needed to talk to his mother,
however, and she thought he was crazy.
But when Jay Berry began to talk to her
about grandpa’s traps, she began to
give in a little and finally agreed to
what Jay Berry wanted. Then Jay Berry
went out to look for his little sister,
Daisy, to tell her about the monkeys.
Chapter Three:
The Old Man of the
Mountains?
Jay Berry went off, excited, ready to find his
sister in her play house. When he got there, she was surrounded
by animals, as usual. Jay Berry felt weird around these animals,
and slightly hurt that they wouldn’t stay around him like that.
But, he had to interfere and went out to her playhouse. All the
animals left and Jay Berry gave Daisy the candy Grandpa put in
the bag. While Jay Berry was with Daisy, he told her what he had
learned about the monkeys, and she told him something very
interesting.
Daisy had never been interested in hunting, and didn’t
like the act of killing animals. She told Jay Berry about a man as
old as time who watched over the Ozarks. Daisy said that this
man was as old as time. Jay Berry did not believe in fairy tales,
but what Daisy told him did scare him. If anyone were to be
killing animals, they would be punished greatly by the Old Man
of the Mountains.
Cinch – something done with ease, certain to happen
Slough – deep mud, backwater, swamp
Rind – hard or tough outer layer of something
Gunnysack – bag made of material like burlap
Minute – very small and detailed
Pertly – assuredly, freely and forwardly
Vocabulary :
Chapters 1-3
Chapter Four:
Traps
Outsmarted
Jay Berry went out the next morning feeling
great about his traps. The night before he had a
terrible dream about the monkeys laughing at him,
but he was sure they would work. He went out early
to work on setting up the traps. It took the monkeys
a long time to finally come out and see the apples.
At first, they went after them, anxious for the
breakfast. But then, something squalled at them.
Jay Berry couldn’t see it. He didn’t see the
thing, and when he did, Jay Berry thought it was a
boy. Now that boy certainly was causing a lot of
trouble and Jay Berry was becoming irked and was
about to yell at him when, suddenly, the figure
moved, and it was not a boy at all.
It was a monkey. He hopped down and the
little monkeys moved aside. The big one fiddled
with the traps until he got one of the apples out of it.
It intrigued Jay Berry. All of the apples were plucked
up by the big one and thrown to the little monkeys.
Jay Berry was stunned. When the monkeys went
back to the trees, Jay Berry reset his traps in a different
position. It hardly took any time before the monkeys were out
again. Again, the leader monkey looked at all the apples and
figured out the traps. Jay Berry’s traps got snapped open by
sticks rather than by the monkeys’ feet. When the monkeys
disappeared with the apples again, they were laughing at Jay
Berry. The laughing made him angry, but there wasn’t a thing
he could do about it. When they left again, Rowdy was
sniffing around a log, and Jay Berry’s heart was so happy.
Jay Berry had a new plan to make the monkeys get trapped.
He put the apples in the logs and strapped the traps to them.
Then, he and Rowdy went off to get a drink.
Jay Berry should have thought twice about leaving
the site, because when he returned, his things were gone.
The traps, the apples, and his gunny sack were all gone. The
monkeys took them. It made Jay Berry so angry to see all of
them laughing and pointing and making a fool out of him. He
grabbed some dirt and threw it up in the tree at the leader
monkey, and the monkey returned it with an apple.
Jay Berry was so angry that he grabbed a bean
shooter. He put a rock in it and flung it at the monkey. The
monkey responded in a frightened way. Because Jay Berry
was fired up, he flung another one at the monkey and hit him
on the stomach like the first one had. Just then, the monkeys
started dropping out of the trees in a mad attempt to chase
Jay Berry and Rowdy.
Chapter Five:
A Better Idea Than Those
Traps Were
Jay Berry took off running, and Rowdy came with him. When he reached his father in
the fields, his dad wanted to know what had happened. Jay Berry told him it was just a small
incident, but his father knew better. Jay Berry told his father about the thieving monkeys, how
they had stole all his things, even the traps. Jay Berry told about the main monkey and how
smart he was. Finally, Jay Berry got his father to go into the woods with him and look for the
monkeys. After a long time of searching, neither of them found a thing. They went back home.
When Jay Berry’s mama saw him, she freaked out. His clothes were all torn and he was a mess.
Jay Berry’s sister began to laugh at him too, and it was too much for him to handle. Jay Berry
needed to see his grandpa.
When he went to find him, grandpa was sitting on his porch. When Jay Berry told him
what happened, it seemed as if grandpa knew what had happened already. He laughed very hard,
but seemed to have expected the bad luck. Jay Berry was dying for a new idea, and grandpa had
just the thing. He went inside the barn and came back with a very odd thing. It was like a net,
but with levers to use to open and close it. Jay Berry wondered where the thing came from.
He had never seen a thing like it before. It was strange. Grandpa said he got it from a butterfly
professor that was nearly out of his mind. The mad man left and grandpa got the contraption.
Jay Berry learned another thing from grandpa: he had a dog as a boy, and many memories with
that dog. Jay Berry wondered why he never found out about it.
Chapter Six:
The Meanest Goose Alive
Jay Berry went inside his grandparents’
house and his grandma served him huckleberry
pie. When he finished talking to his grandma, he
left the house with Rowdy. Jay Berry went
home with his new idea in mind for monkey
catching. When he went home, he told his mom
he had new plans for monkey catching.
After he left his mom, Jay Berry went
outside, hoping to catch something. He was
walking, trying to think of something, when he
thought of Gandy. Gandy was a white goose
that Rowdy and Jay Berry didn't like. He lived on
his farm. Gandy was a mean goose that didn't
like either of them. It was about time Gandy got
paid back for all he had done wrong. They went
and hid in the bushes and waited for Gandy. He
made his way towards them, waiting to attack.
Gandy was coming towards them
quickly and as he came, Jay Berry put the net
out. He snapped it shut as Gandy was in it.
Gandy assumed it was one of his victims and he
attacked it. Realizing that it was something he
couldn't defeat, Gandy really started to freak
out. The female gees tried to help him, but it
was no use. Jay Berry tried to let him out, but
he couldn't.
Jay Berry's mom and sister came out
looking for what was going on. They saw Gandy
and helped him out of the net. Daisy was
freaking out, but mama was more calm. Gandy
took off as soon as he was out of the net. Jay
Berry wanted to catch the monkeys, and he
thought the net would work. His dad agreed,
and said first thing in the morning, it was time to
catch monkeys.
Chapter Seven:
Holy Smokes!
Rowdy and Jay Berry were up
and ready for monkeys the next
morning. ON their way to the bottoms,
they came across Gandy. He was not
looking great. He was dirty and
unkempt. Gandy wasn't to happy to
be seen either. He waddled around
them, in an attempt to return to the
house.
When the boys got to the site,
they used apples to put in the net so
that the monkeys would go in it. When
they had sat for a while, a black snake
came and slithered down near them.
It was soon scared away. The next
guest was a hornet and it wasn't so
readily invited. It was just itching for
something to sting, and Jay Berry
thought he was the thing. Luckily, the
hornet left a while after it came.
After the pests had left, the
monkeys came out. It was the head
monkey first that came down from the
tree. He looked around, but couldn't
find the the place where Jay Berry was
hiding. He finally decided it was okay
and a smaller monkey stepped in it.
The trap closed and the monkey was
stuck. Jay Berry headed off for home,
but soon, the lead monkey started
following them and tugging on the
net.
Soon after, the little monkeys
needed to help the big one. They
began to go around Jay Berry and
Rowdy and the captured monkeys
until they finally attacked. Jay Berry
and Rowdy were hurt badly, and the
little monkeys escaped.
Vocabulary Chapters 4-7
• Goose Pimples – goose bumps
• Crosscut – something that cuts across or through
• Celluloid – a flammable thermoplastic
• Snuff – the charred part of a candle
• Gander – a male goose
• Flounce – to move in a bumpy fashion
• Passel – a great portion
• Leverage – the action of using a lever
Chapter Eight:
Whoever Heard of a Monkey Having a
Name?
When Rowdy and Jay Berry came home, Daisy and Jay Berry’s mama saw them. They were
scared to death. Daisy seemed to think hydrophobia, or rabies. They thought it was possible that the
monkeys carried rabies. Daisy was saying all kinds of crazy things, like that they should be tied to a
post. For once, Jay Berry’s mom and dad made Daisy quit carrying on.
Jay Berry’s bites hurt. They needed plenty of medicine, and for that reason, Daisy got to do
Red Cross Nursing. It was the terrible consequences of getting hurt. Daisy would give remedies to her
“patients” which included Jay Berry and Rowdy. Jay Berry began to get better. He was okay until one
day, Daisy came in with water. When he finished the first cup, Daisy went and got more. When Jay
Berry stopped drinking, Daisy was afraid. She thought it was another sign that Jay Berry had
hydrophobia.
A few days later, Jay Berry was feeling so good that he went to the store to see his grandpa.
Rowdy came along, after some coaxing. Jay Berry was all out of ideas. When he got to the store,
Grandpa asked Jay Berry how it had gone, and Jay Berry responded with the truth, not so well. Jay
Berry told Grandpa all about his accident, and the consequences of it. Jay Berry was so out of ideas, he
didn’t know what to do. Grandpa had an idea, though. He had gotten a note from the men that trained
the big monkey. They said he had a name, and he was called Jimbo. Grandpa said that Jay Berry could
make friends with him. The people who trained him said that his name might actually help Jay Berry a
lot, and it would be easier to win their battle. Jay Berry could hardly wait to get started.
Jay Berry badly wanted to try out his grandpa’s new idea. He went home and got some apples, but his parents
never knew he got home. In the bottoms, he began to call for Jimbo to try to catch his attention. When he had got a little
along, he reached the smell of sour mash, or whiskey. Jay Berry was afraid that there was someone out there with a
whole bunch of it, and he didn’t wish to get near them. Finally, Jay Berry heard the monkeys chattering, and he found the
two things at once.
The first thing Jay Berry saw was the monkeys, and then the sour mash barrel. Jimbo was near it, and a small
monkey fell in it. Jimbo lifted him out. The other monkeys gathered around and licked that monkey clean. Jay Berry
realized that they were drunk. He went to give Jimbo an apple and make friends with him, being that he might be a bit
calmer than usual. Jimbo wanted to give Jay Berry some sour mash in exchange for the apple. Jay Berry accepted the
trade, but didn’t drink the mash. Jay Berry didn’t want to drink what he was given, but it was the only way that the
monkeys would accept the first gift. Jay Berry didn’t like the sour mash at first, but then he began to understand why
the animals did so much. Before he knew it, Jay Berry was drunk, and so was Rowdy. Jay Berry fell asleep and when he
woke up, he was in for a surprise.
Jay Berry was sick. His head hurt and his stomach hurt. He was cold, and his britches were gone! Jay Berry didn’t
think though. It took him forever to get home, and Rowdy too, and he didn’t think about his consequences. They may be bad.
Daisy found him first, and told his mother. She couldn’t believe it. She was super mad at Jay Berry and sent him to bed. Jay
Berry was too sick to care.
Chapter Ten:
The Place With All Those Books
Jay Berry went to the store to see his grandpa a few days later.
Grandpa joked Jay Berry about drinking, and Jay Berry again said he
was not a drinking man. Jay Berry was all out of ideas. He didn’t know
what there was left to do to catch a monkey. Jay Berry was beginning
to think it was impossible to catch them. Grandpa still had ideas,
Jay Berry was just as sick as when he
went to bed. Maybe even sicker. Papa came in and though. It was Grandpa’s idea to go to town. Jay Berry was excited. He
talked to him about getting drunk, and Jay Berry had only been to town a few times. What Jay Berry couldn’t understand
swore that he would never ever drink sour mash
is what was so good in town. Grandpa said they could go to the
again. Not any kind of alcohol at all. When papa library, that place with all the books, and he would pick Jay Berry up
left, Daisy decided to give Jay Berry a little more
bright and early in the morning.
red Cross nursing. She began to examine him and
made him swallow castor oil. Daisy was a little
worried about her reputation. She thought that if
Jay Berry ever drank any alcohol again, she would
never again be respected. Jay Berry wanted to
know where Rowdy was and how he was doing.
Rowdy was hiding out in the barn. He wouldn’t
accept an nursing, but it was no surprise when
sick Rowdy lost.
Chapter Eleven:
Rowdy Isn’t Patient
Jay Berry forgot to wake up early. His papa woke him. Jay Berry got ready as fast as he
could. Grandpa was waiting for him in the buckboard. It was time for them to leave, and,
despite Jay Berry’s protest, Rowdy came along too. They saw all sights in the bottoms, and
Rowdy wanted to chase them all. Jay Berry wished for some hunting, but it was time to go to
town. When they got to a stream, Grandpa recalled a painting where the grandson drove the
buckboard across the stream. Jay Berry agreed to it and had fun doing it. When they reached
the town, Grandpa told Jay Berry what everything was. He had been to town more than once
and Jay Berry hadn’t.
When they reached the hotel to stay at, Jay Berry loved it, though he thought it would
be a good idea to keep Rowdy away from all the people and animals. He was put in the wagon
yard and Jay Berry and Grandpa went around town. When they returned, they had a great
meal and went to bed. In the morning, Jay Berry was by himself in the room. He was told to
come eat breakfast and met his grandpa outside, and they went to the library. It was a big
building, full of books. They put Rowdy outside and went inside. Grandpa hadn’t ever been to
a library, either, and he didn’t know what to think. He went to a lady and asked her for a book
about monkey-catching, and it was much to loud. She shushed him and took a while finding
one. Jay Berry and Grandpa walked around and looked at books. It was obvious it took a long
time, because Rowdy started howl and tell them to come out. Everyone laughed. Jay Berry was
embarrassed, but the lady at the counter didn’t seem to mind and actually enjoyed Rowdy’s
loudness. They were just about to leave the library and town when Grandpa decided to make
one last trip.
Vocabulary 8-11
Brier – any plant with a prickly stem
Hydrophobia – rabies, a morbid dread of water
Moonshiner – someone who makes or sells illegal whiskey
Ferment – a state of agitation
Castor Oil – a fatty oil used as a medicine
Buckboard – a four wheeled vehicle with boards as a floor
Spring Seat – a flexible board, usually used for gymnastics
Borneo – a large Asian island off the coast of Asia
Jay Berry and his Grandpa went to a store.
Grandpa and the guy that ran the store didn’t get
along. Grandpa wanted coconuts for the monkeys,
and the guy thought that was weird. In the mean
time, Jay Berry needed to buy some stuff. There
was a pretty girl at the counter and he needed to
find out what he could buy, but the girl was boy
crazy. It was hard for Jay Berry to get any help
from her. She even asked him if he had a
“sweetheart.” Jay Berry bought lots of things: a
shaving mug for his dad, a thimble for his mom,
some jawbreakers for him and Rowdy, and ribbon
for Daisy.
Chapter Twelve:
“Jay Berry’s Hopper”
When Jay Berry and Grandpa left for home, Jay
Berry talked about the girl and what she did. He told
Grandpa what he bought, too. They talked about the
book Grandpa read to find out how to catch a monkey.
After they had passed through the stream that Jay
Berry drove through, the two of them got thirsty. Jay
Berry took his Grandpa away from the buckboard to get
a drink from “Jay Berry’s Spring.” Grandpa thought
that maybe one day, that spring might actually be called
Jay Berry’s Spring. When Jay Berry and Grandpa got
back to the buckboard, the horses seemed skittish and
Rowdy was looking around. Jay Berry saw it first.
Up in the trees, the monkeys had taken all of the
coconuts and were eating them. They had taken all of
Daisy’s ribbon and spread it all over the trees. Jimbo
laughed. It made Grandpa mad to have a monkey
laughing at him, but Jay Berry advised him to not hurt
Jimbo. When they got home, Jay Berry and Grandpa
told everyone about what happened in the bottoms.
Everyone thought it was funny but Daisy. She was
mad at Jay Berry for losing her ribbons. She offered him
the silent treatment, but Jay Berry offered her Sally
Gooden’s next calf. Daisy agreed and they made up.
Chapter Thirteen:
Not To Give Up!
There was a storm the night Jay Berry came home. His sister was scared. She came in his room
during the night because she was scared. She told a story to Jay Berry about a man named Thor, and when
he got mad, he made thunder with his chariot and lightning with his hammer. Jay Berry liked this story but it
was the other story that Daisy told him that intrigued him even more. She saw the Old Man of the Mountains.
He was pointing his stick at the house and smiling. Jay Berry didn’t understand what was good about that,
but Daisy explained how it was a good thing. Jay Berry had a dream about it that night.
The next morning, everything was so much nicer than the night before. The ground was wet, but
that was the only thing. Jay Berry came down to breakfast and everyone was making plans for what they
would do that day. Jay Berry wanted to go monkey hunting again, but it was a no for now. Jay Berry went
with his dad to go to the blacksmith shop. Jay Berry liked the blacksmith shop. He did lots of work in there.
When Jay Berry was in the blacksmith shop, Daisy yelled at him. With all what was going on at the time, Jay
Berry got mad. Papa thought it was the stress of not being able to catch those monkeys. Jay Berry said it
was because he wanted a gun and pony. Papa wanted Jay Berry to know that one day, if he worked hard
enough, it would pay off.
Chapter Fourteen:
She Does See Something
The blacksmith shop working continued for a while.
Daisy went out to her play house with Rowdy. It hurt your heart to
watch her “walking”. Papa felt sad. Jay Berry thought soon
enough, she’d be fixed, though. Then, Daisy screamed. She called
for Mama. Jay Berry and Papa thought there was a snake. While
they were running to her, it dawned on Jay Berry that it couldn’t
have been, because surely Rowdy would defeat a snake. They
went to her anyway. When they saw Daisy, she was standing still,
staring at the ground. No one knew what it was. It was a fairy ring.
The story so called is that when you see a fairy ring,
you make a wish in it. Mama remembered a story she had heard
about a person that made a wish with fairy rings. She was going to
get married, when the man she loved was brought to war. The
bride was heartbroken and wouldn’t speak. One day, she found a
fairy ring and made a wish. Amazingly, the man she was going to
marry came home. Daisy decided to make a wish. Jay Berry
wanted his pony and gun, but he realized that fixing Daisy’s leg
was a better wish. He wanted it badly. It was so silent by the fairy
ring. Animals gathered around and stood there, just glancing at
them. Finally, once everyone had wished, the forest came back to
life. Later, Daisy said the Old Man of the Mountains was there.
When Jay Berry talked to his mom about this man, she said he
could be Daisy’s imagination. Jay Berry hated that thought.
Chapter Fifteen:
No Bite Left
Jay Berry got permission to go look for the monkeys. It took Rowdy a long time to get going towards
the bottoms. They searched and searched, but the monkeys were nowhere to be seen. He did see a mama duck,
her babies, and a catfish and stork. Jay Berry heard a noise. It was a tiny noise, but he heard it. Rowdy didn’t
hear it. There it was again! Rowdy heard it that time. Jay Berry whooped, and that noise followed it. He went in
the direction towards the noise, and found the monkeys. They were huddling together in a hole in the bank. Jimbo
was sitting near the top. Jay Berry spied one monkey that didn’t look so well. Despite the fact that he might get
bit, Jay Berry grabbed the little fellow and dried him off. It seemed to help. He hoped Jimbo would come out,
and he did! Jimbo came out and climbed into Jay Berry’s arms. Jay Berry knew he had to help. He dried the
other little monkeys off and let them sit for a while. When they had regained their energy, he brought them to
the house.
The reaction was utter shock. Daisy called for Mama, and Papa came too. The monkeys frightened
Mama, especially Jimbo, but Daisy held him and it helped Mama know he wasn’t bad. The monkeys were put in
the corn crib. All of them ate some corn. They seemed content, and Jay Berry was ecstatic.
Chapters 12 – 14 Vocabulary
Mercantile – relating to merchants and trading
Spool – spindle which something is spun on
Ringtail Wampus Cat - ringtail, animal like a cat
Anvil – heavy iron block used in blacksmith
Whippoorwill – a medium sized Nightjar bird
Blower – something creating air
Forge - furnace where metal is heated
Kettle – like a pot, used for tea
Chapter Sixteen:
Johnson Brothers Circus
Jay Berry had never ran all the way to Grandpa’s before, but today,
he set a record. When Grandpa was told about the monkeys, he was ecstatic.
The mail man was in the store, and when he heard about the captured
monkeys, he offered to send a message to them, if Grandpa made it quick
enough. They just decided on a telegram. It would say that the monkeys
have been caught and are ready to go. Jay Berry told Grandpa all about it,
and Grandpa said Jay Berry could have as much candy as he wanted. Jay
Berry was stunned, but he didn’t question Grandpa. Rowdy “asked” for a
meat rind, and he got a huge bone instead! As he was leaving the store, Jay
Berry asked Grandpa if he had ever seen a fairy ring, and Grandpa said no.
Jay Berry told him that that morning, he did, and Grandpa was amazed.
Grandpa said that the next day, he was going to Indian Tom’s to pick up
some horses to sell and Jay Berry could take his pick. The amazement just
didn’t end that day.
After Jay Berry got home, and after dinner, it was time for a
reading of the Bible. Jay Berry liked the story about Moses parting the Red
Sea. He liked the Bible, but he never had questions. It seemed odd. The next
morning, everyone was eating breakfast. As they sat down, Rowdy started to
bark at something. It was a circus truck! Jay Berry knew the people in it
were there for the monkeys. They went out and greeted the men from
Johnson Brothers Circus. They went to the corn crib and Jimbo recognized
the men immediately. He ran up and he hugged them. Jay Berry knew the
monkeys were where they belonged. Jay Berry then got paid, the exact
amount. He gave Daisy six dollars, and, boy was she pleased!
Chapter Seventeen:
Good Bye, Little Girl
Jay Berry ran with his hand in his pocket, hoping that he would not lose his money. He got to Grandpa’s store and asked his grandfather to
help him pick the pony the pony. Grandpa said go ahead. Jay Berry ran to the pasture. When he got there, he saw two ponies. One was a roan gelding. He
was muscular and strong. The other was a paint mare, and she was tall and fast. He knew he wanted the paint, after experimenting with the horses’
temperaments. Even Rowdy liked the mare. But, upon further inspection, he noticed she had a bad leg and limped. Jay Berry’s heart was broken. He
went to Grandpa and seemed frustrated that his grandfather brought a horse home with a limp. Jay Berry thought long and hard, and decided that
because the wound would be treated in six weeks, he could have her and ride her then, because he had waited the most of his life for a horse anyway.
While he walked her home, he was ecstatic. He stopped and petted her. His dad saw him. Then, Jay Berry heard Daisy.
She was whistling. Then, he thought, and everything made sense. Grandpa’s odd behavior was because he didn’t want Jay Berry to buy a
pony, but save Daisy’s leg. Jay Berry went back to the store and returned the pony. It broke his heart, but he thought he should save his sister instead.
When he got home, his family was sitting down to dinner and he told them the news. The women in the house got emotional, and as they walked away,
Jay Berry’s father told him how proud he was. Jay Berry felt proud, too. Daisy and Mama would leave tomorrow.
Chapter
Eighteen:
And Be
Thankful
Daisy and Mama left the next morning.
Everyone said their goodbyes. The next day, Papa
reminded Jay Berry that anything they ate would have
to be fixed by one of them, and, as proved, neither
were a good cook. Jay Berry tried to cook some food,
but almost set the house ablaze. They ate what they
could, and every other day, Jay Berry headed to
Grandma’s, and she gave him some food. Him and
Papa would live off of that. Another thing they did while
Mama and Daisy were gone was read their letters.
Letters were sent from Mama and Daisy often. The
operation was through. Around the house, though,
things were not quite as happy. The animals seemed
less spirited and the birds laid less eggs. Grandpa and
Papa were not happy. One day, Jay Berry went to
Daisy’s playhouse and remembered the Old Man of the
Mountains. He prayed for comfort in his family. It soon
came. Grandpa came to the house to say that Mama
and Daisy would be home soon. They were coming in
a train. Papa and Jay Berry were so excited, and so
was Rowdy. The next day, they headed to the train
station. Jay Berry had never seen a train before and
When they did arrive, Rowdy was
barking loudly and excitedly. He was scared
of the train. Many people came off the train
at the same time. Papa made conversation.
Jay Berry saw Mama and Daisy get off.
Mama and Papa were so happy to be
together, and Daisy came to Jay Berry. She
showed him her foot, and he was amazed!
Jay Berry didn’t believe that was her foot. He
was reminded by her crutch, which Mama
put in the wagon to remind her to be
thankful.
Chapter
Nineteen:
Someday, I
May Write a
Story
On the way home from the train station, Daisy talked an awful lot. As they pulled in to home,
they could see Grandpa’s buckboard sitting by the house. Perhaps he had wanted to see Daisy as
soon as she got back. On the other hand, there was something in the pen by the house, and it wasn’t
Grandpa. When Jay Berry saw it, he was so excited. It was the paint pony! He ran to the house and
saw that it was her. Daisy thought the horse was beautiful. Daisy was really happy for Jay Berry. She
even got him a gun while she was out of town. Jay Berry was ecstatic. He didn’t know what to do. He
went to the horse. Daisy asked Jay Berry what he was gonna name her. She said that the pony was a
doll, and so Jay Berry named her Dolly. He wanted to ride, and Daisy too, but Daisy had a better
idea. She wanted to run. It was the first time in her life she had done so. It made her so happy. Jay
Berry was happy for her too.
When Jay Berry was sixteen, he left the bottoms, and went all over the world looking for a
thing. He went all over the United States, in all the mountains you could think of, but never found it. It
was a miracle his sister ever found one, in the small area of which she lived, but, nonetheless, she did. Jay
Berry would wish and wish and wish to see one. He knew what he would want. He wanted to see a fairy
ring.
Vocabulary For Remainder
Alfalfa - tall plant grown for hay
Jarred - to make a harsh sound
Woodbox - a bin for storing wood fuel, woodbin
Flint - a hard gray rock, used a lot in older times for scraper or
weapon
Bib - piece of cloth to keep clothes clean while eating
Tendon - the hamstring of a quadruped
Bull-headed - determined, stubborn
Corn-shuck - a husk of corn