Chapter 4 Summary
The baking soda can finally contains the fifty dollars Billy needs to buy the hound pups, and his grandfather has written to the kennel in Kentucky to see if the pups are still available and if they still cost fifty dollars. Billy races to his grandfather’s store day after day to see if the kennel has written in response to their inquiries. Again and again, he is disappointed to find that they have received no response.
Then one day, his grandfather gives him good news. The kennel has finally responded and the pups are available. Furthermore, the kennel had reduced the price from twenty-five dollars per pup to twenty dollars each. But there is still one obstacle: Billy will have to travel to the distant town of Tahlequah to retrieve the hound pups.
At dinner that evening, Billy impulsively asks his father how far the state of Kentucky is from their home. His father is puzzled by the question and his sisters tease him. The question reignites his mother’s concern for his seemingly declining health and for his long, unkempt hair, which is badly in need of a cut. Billy reassures his mother that he will get a haircut as soon as possible and he halts his father’s and sister’s jesting by telling them that he heard someone mention Kentucky during a visit to his grandfather’s store.
Two weeks after sending the money, Billy’s grandfather informs him that the pups have arrived in Tahlequah. Moreover, he has arranged for one of Billy’s neighbors to drive him to Tahlequah to take possession of the dogs. His grandfather announces that the puppies will belong to him in only one week. Armed with this good news, Billy feels that he must now tell his father what he has accomplished.
After dinner, Billy tries to summon the courage to tell his father about the pups. Nevertheless, his dream of actually owning the pups is so precious and dear that he cannot bring himself to disclose that he has nearly attained it. In fact, although he is supposed to be sleeping in bed, Billy is so anxious to get his hound pups that he hastily decides to walk more than thirty miles to Tahlequah. Without requesting or waiting for permission from his parents, he stealthily gathers a few provisions and begins his journey.
Billy walks for miles and miles, stopping only as dawn approaches to build a fire and prepare a simple meal. As he enters the town of Tahlequah, he is a little timid because he has never been in a town before. He stares at the citizens as they pass him along the street, and they stare at him in return. He is astonished at the variety and assortment of merchandise in the store windows. He is also captivated by his own reflection in a storefront window because it is the first time he has ever seen his full reflection. As he considers his own image, he notices two women who describe him in one word: wild. Rather than take offense at the women’s comments, he enters the store to purchase gifts for his family.
Once inside the store, Billy generously buys clothes for his father and cloth for his mother so she can make clothes for herself and his sisters. He also buys a sack of candy. After making his purchases, he is eager to move toward the depot and collect his puppies. However, he hears a noisy commotion and seeks to find the source of the disturbance. As he approaches the area, he notices a large cluster of boys gathered...
(This entire section contains 822 words.)
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around the end of a pipe. Other boys are sliding out of the end of the chute. Apparently, the object of their play is to see which boy covered the most distance upon flying out of the chute. Curiously, Billy approaches the throng of boys. They gawk and ask him where he attends school. When he tells them that he is homeschooled, they jeer at him, calling him “hillbilly” and mocking him for walking barefoot. Just then, the bell rings to end recess and the students pour into the building, leaving him alone on the playground.
When the playground is clear, Billy examines the marks on the ground left by each boy’s feat. He gauges the distance that each boy must have traveled. Then his curiosity and competitiveness impel him to try to execute the stunt. As he crawls up the chute, he envisions the triumph he will feel as he soars through the air and surpasses the jumping distances of all the other boys. However, his triumph was not meant to be: when he reaches the top of the shoot, he clumsily begins to slide backward. He flies out of the chute and lands facedown in the sand. His only audience is a lady across the street who good-naturedly laughs at his failure.