Old Dan was killed by a mountain lion. He was trying to protect me. He didn't deserve that! I can't believe that happened! The lion jumped out at me and he was there. I carried him home and his entrails were coming out. I spent the next two days in my room. I buried him up by the big white oak stump, where he killed his first coon -- that's all he ever wanted to do, hunt. If that wasn't bad enough....Little Ann died a few days later. I'm heartbroken. Mama says that God took my dogs because she and my dad were going to let me stay here and help grandpa so I could hunt at night....she said God doesn't want families split up. At first I was angry, but I calmed down. I guess I understand Him not wanting families split up, but did He have to kill my dogs? I buried Little Ann next to Old Dan. When we moved to town, on the way I stopped and went to visit my dogs one more time. And there between them, was a red fern. I was ecstatic. They say only an angel can plant the seed of the red fern.  Now I know that God is watching over my dogs.

The coon hunt was a huge success!!! WE WON!!!! We tied all the way up until the last night. There was a bad blizzard and grandpa broke his ankle. He will be okay. The best part of winning was the cash pool and the look on my mom's face. We are moving next week.  I'm not sure if i should be happy about this but I know mama is. She sings all the time now. This is the last week of hunting with my dogs. I let them roam all the time now. I think they know something is about to change, I think they sense it.

Last night Dan got in a fight with a bobcat. Not only a bobcat, but the biggest bobcat around. I don't like to kill them, their hinds are worthless and they have no good meat. But this was a exception. I almost decapitated him with the axe. Grandpa told me about a big champion coon hunt, winner gets a cash pool and a gold cup. He figures that there should be about 100 people there. Thats a lot of people!!!! He also said that with 5 dollars a person to go into the cash pool, the winner would get five hundred dollars! That plus all the money grandpa has saved from my coon skins, we would be able to move to town. I would miss it here, but I know mama would be happy and that's what matters the most. My dogs would be depressed, but it would be okay. I hope that I win, but at the same time I hope that I lose. I'm thinking about asking papa to come with us, but he might have work to do. I have never been to a big coon hunt and I'm really excited.

I am amazed at how much my little dogs have learned, we went hunting and they killed two coons. Two coons!!!! I am thrilled. My dogs work like the best team I have ever seen. I have named the big one Old Dan, and the little one Little Ann. They treed one coon in a large white oak, the largest in the bottoms. I didn't think I could cut it down!  I built a scarecrow to keep the coon in so I could go and rest, but my dogs stayed with the tree the whole time. I never saw anything like it. I almost didn't get it down but said a little prayer and all of a sudden a wind come out of nowhere and blew it the rest of the way over! When it finally come down, my dogs went crazy. They attacked the coon and I had to pry them off with all my strength even after it was dead. I felt a little bad after I cut the tree down, but I thanked God and was on my way. Mama made me a hat out of my skin, and it totally went to my head. I got coon fever and spent every night in the bottoms chasing ringtails. Little Ann almost died one night, if it hadn't been for Old Dan, she probably would have. She was stuck in the frozen river out of reach. I used a cane and the lantern handle to make a long hook and pull her in. I thought she was dead when I got her in. I built a large fire and warmed her, I never again let that lantern get dirty and it was always well oiled. I will never repay it for the life of my dog.

It took two weeks, two whole weeks!!! But now I finally have my coon. Papa went down to the river bottoms with me and clubbed the coon to death. He showed me how to skin it and I tacked it to the smokehouse wall to tan. I have already started training my pups. My sisters hold there collars and I drag the skin through the grass. They are experts already. Hunting season starts soon and I'm sure I'll kill some coons.

It wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. Apparently, when Mama and Papa noticed I was gone, they went to grandpa and he came clean. He also calmed them down a little. He is the best grandpa a boy could have. Mama was thrilled about her dress fabric, and papa exclaimed over his new overalls. I don't think my sisters will ever be mean to me again, not after I gave them all that candy. I asked grandpa about how to get a coon hide to train my dogs with, and he told me the most ridiculous plan ever. He told me to drill a hole in the side of a log, put four nails thorough it at a angle, and put a piece of tin or fish in the bottom. He said that the coon will reach in, grab the bait, and wont be able to pull his hand out because of the nails. I asked him if he thought I was an idiot, because all the coon would have to do is let go. He laughed and said that the coon will be to stubborn to let go, all I had to do was trap him and club him, and I'd have my coon. I'm skeptical but ill try it.  I put out seven traps today.

I left early this morning and was in town by noon. People looked at me funny and I'm not sure why. Maybe it's because I have overalls and no shoes. Everyone here looks real classy, I just look like a hillbilly. I picked up that term today: "hillbilly." I don't think it's very nice. A bunch of boys from the school yard called me that. I slid down the slide and almost broke my tailbone!  I don't know why people have fun on those things. When I got to the post office, I felt like I can hear my dogs. When I got there, the man behind the counter asked if I was Billy Coleman, and I told him I was. He said that he had a crate in the back for a Mr. Coleman (I've never been called "Mr." before) and that it was making some very funny sounds. When I got around to the back, I saw what a tiny crate it was and I was worried there was some kind of mistake. The crate hardly looked big enough for one hound, let alone two. I let out a yell and went to work on opening it, the man helped me and pretty soon, we had the lid off. I remember letting out a huge sigh of relief as I saw my dogs sitting there. They were tiny, I mean miniscule. One of the hounds (the boy) was larger than the other. The girl -- she was like a squirrel. I gathered them up in a sack, thanked the postman, and headed home. On the way I got in a fight with some boys who pulled my dogs ear. The sheriff stopped it and I thought I was going to get arrested!  Thankfully, all he did was buy me a soda pop. A soda pop!!! It was the weirdest thing I have ever tasted. I stopped at a clothing store and bought Papa some overalls and Mama some dress fabric. I hope this will make up for me sneaking out. I also stopped buy a drugstore and bought all the candy I could carry. This should please my sisters. I'm almost there and I better start working on my apology.

Finally I have my fifty dollars!!!!!!!!! It took almost two years but it's all here. I went to grandpa's store yesterday and he said that he will take me to town next week. I can't wait that long -- I think will just walk there. It's twenty miles as the crow flies; shouldn't take more that two days. I'm leaving tomorrow. Two and a half days until I will be the owner of the best dogs in the world! I have already made collars out of leather, and soon I will carve names on them. I'm tired and I think I will go to bed soon since I'm leaving early tomorrow. Oh yeah! One more thing -- I have ten dollars left over cause the dogs went down to forty! I think I will buy papa some new robes and mama some new fabric for dresses. And my sisters, I think I will buy them some candy, lots of it.

I'm halfway there. I have twenty five dollars, but it's fifty for the two pups. I have been working for 11 months now. Grandpa said I should just stop now and get the one pup, but I couldn't do that, then I would only have one, and I want two. I know that I can do it. I have strength and hope. I'm sure that if I keep trying, I will get there. One more year, and I will have everything I have ever wanted. I will be roaming the woods, killing coons by the dozen. My dogs would be the best ever, and I would be whooping to them the whole way. I will raise enough money so that papa can buy a new mule. I know we sure need one.

I want dogs. I don't want any crappy mutts or collies, they're good dogs, but not good enough. I want hunting dogs, more than anything else. I talked to grandpa about it, he says that God is going to help me, if I meet him halfway. I guess that means that the dogs will turn up, I just have to do my part. I found an ad in a magazine near the fishing camp. Two red boned hound pups, one male, one female. I'm sure that if I raise the money, work for it, God will help me. I'm sure that if i do my part, he will do his. I pray every single night and ask for help.  I think i will get it. I've been selling bait to the fishermen, cutting corn for the farmers, cutting wood, building fences, and anything else I can think of to raise money. I have been doing this for two weeks, and I have fifty two cents. This is going to take longer than I thought.