HAMBONES GIFT
MY FRIEND SWEETPEA AND I HAD GONE TO THE T&P LAKE TO CAMP
OUT FOR THE NIGHT. SWEETPEAS DOG HAMBONE HAD GONE WITH US.
HAMBONE IS JUST AN OVER GROWN PUPPY WITH BIG FEET AND A WILD
TAIL THAT NEVER STOPPED WAGGING.
WHEN YOU PATTED HIM ON THE HEAD HIS TAIL WOULD WAG SO HARD
THAT HIS WHOLE BUTT WAGGED. HIS TONGUE WOULD HANG OUT THE
SIDE OF HIS MOUTH AND HE WOULD SLOBBER ALL OVER YOU. BUT
YOU COULDN’T HELP BUT LIKE HIM.
IT WAS LATE EVENING AND WE HAD OUR CAMP SET UP ON A SMALL
HILL OVER LOOKING THE LAKE. WE HAD BUILT A FIRE PIT OUT OF
ROCKS AND HAD A FIRE BURNING IN IT. I WAS COOKING OUR
SUPPER OF FRIED POTATOES WITH ONIONS IN THEM AND WHEN THEY
WERE DONE I WOULD BREAK SOME EGGS ON THEM AND STIR THEM
UNTIL THE EGGS WERE COOKED.
SWEETPEA WAS LYING ON HIS BED ROLL LOOKING UP INTO THE TOPS
OF THE PINE TREES WE WERE CAMPED UNDER. THERE HAD BEEN SOME
FLYING SQUIRRELS PLAYING UP THERE AND HE WAS WATCHING THEM.
HAMBONE HAD BEEN DOWN BY THE LAKE SNIFFING AROUND TO SEE
WHAT HE COULD FIND. JUST LIKE ANY PUPPY HE WAS CURIOUS
ABOUT EVERYTHING. THAT IS EVERYTHING BUT POSSUMS, BUT THAT
IS A WHOLE NOTHER STORY FOR A DIFFERENT TIME.
I HAD JUST BROKEN THE EGGS OVER THE POTATOES AND ONIONS WHEN
HAMBONE CAME TROTTING INTO CAMP. NEITHER SWEETPEA OR I WERE
PAYING HIM ANY ATTENTION. BUT HE HAD A GIFT FOR SWEETPEA
THAT GOT OUR ATTENTION REAL FAST.
SWEETPEA WAS LYING THERE ON HIS BEDROLL ON HIS BACK WITH HIS
HANDS BEHIND HIS HEAD AND HAMBONE TROTTED UP TO HIM AND LAID
HIS GIFT ON HIS CHEST. THE GIFT WAS A SNAKE AND WHEN
SWEETPEA SAW THE SNAKE HE LET OUT A YELL AND JUMPED UP.
WHEN HE JUMPED UP HE BUMPED INTO ME AND I SPILLED OUR SUPPER
ON THE FIRE. THIS SCARED HAMBONE AND HE RAN OFF, HOWLING.
I DON’T KNOW WHERE THE SNAKE WENT, BUT HAMBONE MUST HAVE
GONE HOME BECAUSE WE DIDN’T SEE HIM AGAIN UNTIL THE NEXT DAY
WHEN WE WENT HOME.
AFTER SEARCHING THE CAMP SITE AND SHAKING OUT OUR BEDROLLS
WE WERE SATISFIED THE SNAKE WAS GONE. BY THIS TIME IT WAS
DARK AND WE BUILT UP THE FIRE AND SAT THERE LOOKING INTO THE
FLAMES. WE DIDN’T HAVE ANY MORE FOOD WITH US SO WE WERE
GOING TO HAVE TO DO WITHOUT SUPPER.
I ASKED SWEETPEA WHAT HE WAS GOING TO DO TO HAMBONE FOR
PUTTING THAT SNAKE ON HIM? AFTER SOME THOUGHT HE SAID HE
DIDN’T GUESS HE WOULD DO ANYTHING. HAMBONE WAS JUST GIVING
HIM A GIFT AND JUST BECAUSE IT WAS A SNAKE HE DIDN’T KNOW
THAT SWEETPEA WOULDN’T WANT IT.
WHEN THE FIRE BURNED DOWN TO COALS WE WRAPPED UP IN OUR
BEDROLLS AND WENT TO SLEEP. BUT BOTH OF US SLEEP WITH ONE
EYE OPEN THAT NIGHT.
BY
LOREN
MOORE
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