Chapter 9

Sitting in a new chair in a new house in a different state that I have only driven through, I take up a pen and write. My trusty companion Macpro, is at home in Tennessee. I am at the not so tender mercies of Hewlet Packard. I haven’t used a PC in 15 years. I have no idea what I’m getting into. I’m terrified. The rifle is aware of my unrest and is uneasy for my benefit. Marion is sleeping the sleep of the just fucked to oblivion.

“Kids are home from college,” we screamed as we pulled in the drive.

Beck opened the door and screamed, “Quiet down! people are trying to sleep. What will the neighbors say?”

We dismounted.

“Daddy!” She screamed, Marion stepped out. Beck said, “Who is this?”

“Beck, meet Marion. We’ve been to the shoots”

Lights came on all over the neighborhood “Damn it, Beck. Quiet them kids down.”

Tux, Beck’s grey with white spats cat, butted open the door, and, squalling and hissing, ran up to me and launched. He most nearly knocked me off my feet. I hadn’t seen Tux since Beck moved. I got a face washing.

“Missed me, did ya.”

“He never does that to me,” Squinty eyed Beck said.

From the safety of my shoulder, Tux looked at my married daughter, and sneered, well, cats always look like they’re sneering. Tux had that look intensified.

And then the dogs bounded out the door.

Tux had failed to shut it on his way out.

Beck’s dogs are never off the leash and now they’re free.

Oh god ... that set off the neighborhood. They have Coon hounds!

Of course her dogs ran off, exploring the neighborhood with all new smells and sights? You bet.

Set off one coon hound and every hound for miles will sound off, It’s like out of time windup clocks, first one and then another fires off. You could hear the hounds barking in succession until all you could hear was owners screaming at their dogs and dogs paying no attention at all. Liked to wake the whole state.

I was proud.

It isn’t everyday the State Police investigate a dog disturbance.

Beck’s dogs are part of a experiment.

There is a University study trying to revive an extinct breed of dogs. The Dogs of the Native Americans were used to haul travois before horses became available. After horses, dogs became part of the diet.

One of the early biographers of the plains was at a feast where a bison stomach was being used to cook a stew and was told to... “Dig deep ... puppy in bottom.”

The university claims the existing dogs were eaten to extinction.

Her dogs are huge ... just the kind of dog that would wear a harness and drag a travois of poles.

Lodges were smaller before the horse.

Her dogs are and always have been house dogs.