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Old Joe was the biggest, fightingest, craftiest coon in the Creeping
Hills. No one had ever been able to catch him; not even Precious Sue, a
bluetick hound peerless in tracking down coons.
But Harky felt that this autumn the hunting would be different. Old Joe
was in for trouble. Precious Sue had a pup who looked like a
natural-born coon hunter. With his web-footed paws he was as skillful in
the water as any coon. And on land, Duckfoot had a nose that beat every
other hound hollow.
Harky had a few troubles of his own. First there was school. Miss Cathby
was nice, but she was a teacher. She called Old Joe a _rac_coon. And she
said he could not live forever because he was mortal.
Then there were girls. More specifically, there was Melinda--the
bossiest, uppitiest young lady for miles around. And she wanted to
_hunt_.
Jim Kjelgaard's story of people and hounds captures all the glory and
excitement of coon hunting on a crisp autumn night. Marc Simont has
illustrated the story with wit and brilliance.
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