Where the Red Fern Grows Chapter 10

Mama makes Billy a cap out of his first coonskin and he goes "coon crazy". He hunts for coons almost every night and hangs all the skins on the smokehouse for all the passersby to see. He is making a lot of money and he gives it all to Papa. Billy thinks Papa is saving it for something, but he doesn't know for what. Billy spends some time in Grandpa's store because he brings the skins to the store to be sold. Grandpa always marks down things and Billy wonders what he is marking down, but Grandpa doesn't tell him. He says that he has his reasons. Billy enjoys going to the store because he can get into conversations with the adult coon hunters. They all share tales of their adventures. The only time Billy doesn't like the hunters is when they poke fun of his dogs. They say that Little Ann is scrawny. This infuriates Billy, but he doesn't show it: "I always took their kidding with a smile on my face, but it made my blood boil like the water in Mama's teakettle." Chapter 10, pg. 102

Topic Tracking: Maturity 6
Topic Tracking: Love 5

Billy goes on to describe Old Dan and Little Ann. Old Dan is tough, aggressive, and friendly. Old Dan is friendly with anyone; he also cares greatly for Little Ann. When she gets hurt, he is always by her side. Little Ann is a good girl. She is smart and helps Mama catch chickens. She also gets Old Dan out of predicaments. She will not have any puppies, as her birth did not allow for her to; she was the runt of the litter. Billy relates one tale of a hunt where Old Dan and Little Ann really worked together to get the coon. Seeing Old Dan run to help Little Ann made Billy's heart fill with pride. They chase the coon all over the woods and up and down the river. Finally, Billy sees Little Ann whimpering and he runs to see what is the matter. Old Dan is nowhere in sight. Little Ann digs a hole and this clues Billy in to the fact that Old Dan is underground in a muskrat hole. Nervous, Billy runs home and gets a shovel to dig Old Dan out. When he gets him out, Old Dan is covered in mud. Billy cleans him off and sets him loose again. Together, him and Little Ann finally get the coon.

Billy then relates another hunting tale. Old Dan and Little Ann were chasing a coon when they finally treed it. Old Dan climbed up the tree through a hole, but was now stuck. He couldn't jump or he would break his legs. Billy climbs the tree and pushes Old Dan back down the hole. He doesn't want to go down because he wants to get the coon. He tries to climb up the hole again but Billy reaches the ground and grabs his tail just as he is about to go in the hole. The coon finally comes out and Old Dan gets it. Billy and his dogs head for home.