Josie+Gover+<3


 * Name: ** Josie Gover
 * Title: ** Where the Red Fern Grows
 * Author: ** Wilson Rawls

Characters: In the first picture, you see my dogs Little Ann and Old Dan. Little Ann is sweet and innocent looking. Don't let her looks fool you because she can be a real feisty one. Old dan is kinda of scared of everything. I think it's really funny when Little Ann turns out to be the tough one and Old Dan is the scared one. I am a very hard worker. It took me two years to save my money to get my dogs. People say that takes a determined mind to save up my money for that long. I have also been told that if I put my mind to it then I can do anything. In the second picture, you see me, Billy. I have Blonde hair and blue eys. I normally ware overalls with a red jacket. They are also really dirty. They'er dirty because I do a lot of yard work and house work to help out my Ma and Pa. When I bought my dogs, I had ten extra dollars. Ten dollars get you a lot. I bought enough fabric for my Ma to make 15 dresses. I bought some shoes for me, some new overall's for Pa, and a big bag of cany for my sisters and me along with the fabric I get them. Then I brought in my dogs. At first my dad wasn't to happy. Nether was my Ma. They didn't like that I went through all that trouble to get my dogs. They felt bad that they couldn't pay for the dogs themselves. I told them that It wasn't their fault times were hard. It wasn't their fault at all. I don't think they should blame themselves for nothing.

Setting: My story takes place somewhere in Missouri. The year is about 1988. I'm mostly out in the woods hunting coons with my dogs. On stormy nights I stay inside and train my dogs. I live in a small town. In this town, you know everyone and everyone knows you. Where I live, it's like a village. There's a village and a town. People who live in the village are mostly poor. People who live int the town are considered the rich people. Only a few people in the village have coonhounds. I used to be one of the many people how didn't have coonhounds until I got mine.

I love my dogs so much and I would die if anything happened to them. I remember the very first time they trained to hunt a coon. I had to sit under a tree and wait for a coon to come down because I just couldn't let my dogs down. Once I got the coon down I set a trail and hid my coon on the other side of the river. A long time past by before they figured out they had to go across the river. As always Little Ann was the first one to cross and then Old Dan. When hunting season came, it my dogs a couple tries to get coon. Once we got the coon pa helped me skin my coon. Ma also made it into a coonskin hat. It looked mighty fine if I do say so myself. After ma put it on my head, she didn't like me waring it. She said that it made me "coon crazy." I went hunting every night. The only time I didn't go hunting is when the wether was bad.

My Life revolved around my dogs. Everywhere I went, they went too. There was only one place I didn't want them to go. That was Grandpa's store. Other dogs were always there and they seemed to all want to jump on Old Dan. I could only see my grandfather when I drop off my coon hides. This was a problem. I tried to get out to drop off my hides but my dogs always saw me leave.

Conflict: One day, while hunting coons, Old Dan saw a coon run up a whole in a tree. Old Dan ran after him and ended up twisting his paw. He climbed out and started chasing the coon again with Little Ann. The coon ran on to the icy river and Little Ann was right behind. Little Ann was running full speed at coon when the ice broke over the river and she fell in. I ran after her in panic. I slipped and twisted my ankle. Old Dan was worried about Little Ann and decided to join me to save her. I didn't want him getting hurt so I had to push him to the side with my cane. Little Ann slipped again and all I could see of her now where her red paws, her nose, and her eyes. I hurried over and grabbed her paws to pull her out. I first I thought she was gone. Then she moved her head. I knew the blood flow was slow and she couldn't move her legs. Old Dan was having a fit. He was barking and jumping up and down. I got a fire started and laid Little Ann right next to it. Slowly, Little Ann was getting to her feet. The fire was helping warm up her blood. Little Ann was up and ready to hunt again.

One night, while trying to hunt "the ghost coon" there was a horrid encounter with the Pritchard boys happened. Old Dan and Little Ann were fighting with Old Blue, the Pritchard boys dog, while Billy was being beaten. Then all of the sudden one of the boys shouted, "There killing Old Blue! Do something!" I grabbed my dogs and saw Old Blue lying there. I knew he was dead. I then saw Rubin lying on the ground. He wouldn't respond and he wouldn't move. I looked over at his brother and when I looked at him, he ran and screamed. I saw what had scared him. Rubin had fell on my ax and as the blades hit him it made a bloody gash in his side. I heard a small voice. Rubin was trying to tell me, "Take it out. Take it out of me. Please." I don't know how I did it but I did. I dropped the ax and left Rubin there.

A few days later, my grandpa sent one of the Hatfield boys to tell me that my grandpa wanted to see me. That was unusual for him to send for me. I was worried he was going to talk to me about Rubin Pritchard's death. I always enjoy talking to grandpa but I don't want to talk about the death of Rubin. We did talk about what happened to Rubin but that wasn't all. He pointed to an article in the newspaper. 'Coon Hunt'. Only the best of the best go to Coon Hunt. I was so excited to enter the Coon Hunt with my dogs. I was a little nervous though. I know there are a lot of good hunters out there and good coonhounds that are much bigger t han Old Dan and Little Ann. I ran home and told my Ma and Pa. When I walked in I noticed that Ma was pergnant. I didn't know how i could have missed it. Her tummy was round, big, and hard. She was gonna have a baby.

I started walking through the large camp. Looking at the other dogs I was starting to wonder if I would even have a chance. On our first hunt, my dogs were on a coons trail from the beginning. Off they were and they brought back a coon hide. One of the judges said that Little Ann and Old Dan were fine looking dogs. The next day, they were off again. The coon hopped on Old Dan head and sunk his teeth into his floppy ear. As the coon bit his ear, he yelped. The sound of his yelp crushed my hart. Another conflict is, do I risk my life to save my dogs? I don't know. I want to live a long heathly life, but I also want that for my dogs. So I guess I would risk everything for them. I know they would risk everythung for me. media type="youtube" key="dS7r3-xSguk" height="315" width="560" align="right"