Where the Red Fern Grows

A few days later, Billy gets word that Grandpa wants to see him. Billy is sure that Grandpa wants to ask him about Rubin’s death. He heads nervously to the general store with Little Ann and Old Dan following behind. Sure enough, when Billy gets to Grandpa’s store, Grandpa asks to hear the story of Rubin’s death and how the bet went so wrong. When Billy finishes relaying his tale, Grandpa, in a quavering voice, admits that everything is his own fault. He apologizes profusely to Billy for suggesting he go along with the bet. Billy tells his grandfather that the incident was no one’s fault—just a terrible accident. Grandpa tells Billy that they won’t speak of it anymore—though he warns Billy that Billy will always think of what happened “now and then” throughout his life.

Grandpa changes the subject—he says he has something else he wants to talk to Billy about. He pulls out a newspaper and shows Billy an ad for a championship raccoon hunt that’s coming up soon. Grandpa explains that he’s wanted to go to one all his life—he wants Billy to enter Old Dan and Little Ann in the hunt. Billy feels scared and excited all at once. Grandpa tells Billy that he’s been keeping track of all the raccoons Dan and Ann have caught, and that their record is “up there with the best of them.” The entrance fee is already paid, Grandpa says, and on top of it all, the winner gets to take home a golden cup. Billy happily agrees to enter the hunt.

Grandpa calls Little Ann and Old Dan into the shop and feeds them each a big hunk of cheese. He calls them “the best darn […] hounds in these Ozark Mountains.” Billy is full of excitement and anticipation. Grandpa says that the hunt starts in six days, so they’ll need to leave in five. He tells Billy that they can travel in his buggy, and that Papa can come along if he’s free. Grandpa tells Billy to run home—but he reminds Billy to let the dogs rest for the next several days to get them ready for the rigorous hunt. Grandpa sends Billy home with a sack of candy.

As Billy runs home with his dogs by his side, he feels especially tuned into the sounds and sights of the beautiful country all around him. He hears the calls of various birds, the rustling of squirrels in the trees, and the shifting of leaves in the breeze. Every sound and sight is, to Billy, a “God-sent gift.” As Billy takes stock of his life—his beautiful hounds, his loving family, the opportunity to attend a giant hunt—he is overwhelmed with joy and gratitude.

At home, Billy tells his parents about Grandpa’s plans for the hunt. He begs Papa to agree to go with them. Papa is hesitant and he insists that Mama needs his help around the house. Mama says she won’t need Papa’s help for “several months yet.” As Billy looks at his mother, he is stunned to realize that she is pregnant and he’s amazed that he didn’t notice sooner. Papa excitedly agrees to go along on the hunt. One of Billy’s little sisters declares that Old Dan and Little Ann will bring home the cup for sure. Billy begins to cry tears of happiness. He promises his little sister that if he wins the cup, he will give it to her as a gift. 

The next several days are full of excitement and anxiety. When it is at last time to leave for the hunt, Billy and Papa walk together with Old Dan and Little Ann to Grandpa’s general store, musing all the way about what skilled hunters—and what loving dogs—Dan and Ann really are. At the store, Grandpa and Grandma are loading up the buggy. Billy puts his things in the back and sees that his ax—the one which was lodged in Rubin’s stomach—has been cleaned and packed up along with everything else. The sight of it fills Billy with a strange uneasiness, but he admits to himself that there’s no use in throwing a perfectly good ax away.

Grandpa urges Billy to go into the barn and grab some hay to make beds for the dogs in the back of the buggy—and instructs him to fetch a jug of corn liquor and hide it in the buggy where Grandma won’t see it. Once everything is packed, Grandma bids the men goodbye and she urges them to be safe and “have a little sense” on their trip.