Dovey Coe by Frances O'Roark Dowell Read Free Book Online Page A

Daddy done once he stopped laughing was say, “When you aim to put this circus on? You best do it before first frost, ’cause them pigs will be gone to slaughter once it turns cold.”
    Now, I guess I known them pigs would be butchered sooner or later, but I reckon I kept that bit of knowledge way in the back of my head, where I wouldn’t come across it. I started tothinking on the fact that King Edward, Scarlett, and all the rest would be on the breakfast table before too long, and the thought was like to tear me apart. I could see their little eyes, which weren’t at all beady like some folks will tell you, and the way they ran on their little pig feet to greet me when I come to the barn of a morning.
    â€œDaddy,” I said to him, “I reckon we ought not to kill them pigs. I been working them so hard, their meat’s bound to be all tough on the inside. I don’t believe they’s good eating pigs anymore.”
    Daddy leaned back in his chair, his eyes lit up by merriment. “What you reckon we ought to do with them pigs, then, Sister? I can’t afford to feed any stock that ain’t producing for us.”
    â€œI’m telling you, Daddy, that circus will make us a lot of money.”
    Daddy nodded his head, giving the matter some thought. “How many times you figure folks will spend a dime to see a pig jump through a hoop? I suspect a man sees that once, he’ll be satisfied the rest of his days that he’s seen it enough.”
    Daddy had a point there, but I weren’t ready to give up easy. “We could train them to hunt fancy mushrooms. I hear folks up north will pay a lot of money for such things.”
    â€œSister, you do take all.” Daddy laughed. “No, I suspect them pigs will be bacon come fall.”
    That ended the matter for the time being, but I went on to argue for the pigs whenever I took a mind to. Of course, it was too late for Henrietta, Scarlett, King Edward, and Ralph. All I can say is that I ain’t eaten bacon since, though I do find it difficult to pass up a piece of ham.
    I never got too upset about Mama killing the chickens, I admit. It’s hard to build up a head of steam for a chicken.
    Our money come from here and there. Daddy most always had a fix-it-up job, so he brought in money pretty steady, though not a whole lot of it, on account that a lot of folks didn’t have much money to pay him. Daddy didn’t go to church, but Mama said he done his Christian duty by taking on jobs he known he wouldn’t never get paid for doing.
    Caroline helped out by doing some sewing and other little chores for Bridie Nidiffer, who was old and bent over and whose own children and grandchildren had moved off the mountain to find work in the city. Working for Bridie weren’t the highest paying job in town, but it brought in a little extra change every week, and a little extra always helped.
    Mama, Amos, and me did our part to bring in money by collecting roots and herbs to sell to doctors down in Wilkesboro and Hickory. There was all sorts of things growing in these parts: chamomile, foxglove, crampbark, dandelion, and, the best of all, goldenseal. Goldenseal would make you right wealthy, but it was hard to come by, and when you did find some, you had to be careful not to overpick, so there’d be some next time around. Mama said the problem was that most folks was greedy and they’d wipe off all the goldenseal from the side of a mountain if they come upon it.
    Of the three of us, Amos was the best at finding roots and such. Once Mama taught him what to look for, he started spending his afternoons on the mountain searching things out. Amos was big and strong for his age, and it weren’t nothing to him to climb and ramble through the hills for hours on end. Lots of times, he’d spend all day up there, which was why Daddy got Tom and Huck for him. They’d warn him if anything dangerous were about.
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