piece of blanket. Johnnie took it without looking at her and said, 'Thanks, Ma/' Rennie went to bed with Sarah Ellen, and Johnnie climbed the stair ladder to the loft. Both lay awake for a long time before going to sleep, thinking back on what had been said. 16 Johnnie," Rennie said one morning as he was getting up from the breakfast table, "Aunt Nance said fer me to tell ye she wanted to see ye about something when ye had any spare time to come up there fer a while." "Well, I didn't have anythin' in mind fer today, so I'll go right now." Getting his hat from the peg on the back of the kitchen door, he went whistling up the hill. In a few moments Rennie heard a lot of loud squealing and giggling from Aunt Nance's house, and she knew the kids had been watching and had come to meet him. They all thought the world of Johnnie. "Everone loves Johnnie that knows him," Rennie said to herself. "Sometimes I think he's too good fer his own good." Aunt Nance opened the door. Johnnie had to stoop to get in because he had Little Rose on his shoulder and two more of the children holding onto his legs. He went to the back of the room and dumped the squealing baby on one of the three large beds that took up almost all the space. Then he turned toward the fireplace and sat down beside Aunt Nance. "Rennie said that ye wanted to see me about somethin'. Hope ye hain't heard of some meanness that I've been into," Johnnie laughed. "Yeah. I've got a commadation that I want to ask of ye," 99 Aunt Nance said as she lifted a coal from the grate on the end of a shovel and lit her pipe. "Ye jest ask it and I'll do it if I can," Johnnie replied. "Well, it's not such a big job. It's jest somethin' that me ner Susan can do. I have a old, wore out crosscut saw out there in the corn crib, hangin' on the wall. Been there fer years I guess. Ain't got any teeth, they all wore off, but if I had it took over to the old man Bish that lives on Coon Creek and has a blacksmith shop, he could make me several hoe blades out of it." She paused and puffed her pipe to make it burn better. "Everone of these young'ns that's big enough to use a hoe is goin' to have to help tend a crop if we want to make enough to winter 'em." "Do ye want me to have him put handles in 'em, too?" Johnnie asked. "No, jest the diggin' part. I can put the handles in myself. Already got some good seasoned sassafras saplin's up in the barn loft all ready. I want to make the hoe handle to fit the child, if ye know what I mean." "I don't know fer shore if I know where the old man Bish lives. I've never been on Coon Creek, but I guess I can ask along the way and find it." "Be quicker if ye jest went up to the head of Lonesome Holler and around the ridge to the head of Coon Creek, an it's jest a hop and a jump down to his house. Ye can't get lost. Jest follow the ridge around the top of the hill till ye come to a big rock. The bridle path goes around that rock and right down to his house and shop. Ye can't get lost." "Ye don't know me, Aunt Nance. I can get lost in the middle of a corn field. And remember, I didn't grow up in Knott County." Johnnie laughed. "If ye do get lost, jest come and get me and I'll show ye the way home." Aunt Nance could joke, too. Johnnie went to the crib and found the saw. He wrapped it in an old coffee sack, balanced it across his shoulder, and started for the path that would lead him to the big road that ran up Lonesome Holler. He was going to enjoy this day. There was nothing he liked better than to get out and ramble 100 [54.234.45.33] Project MUSE (2024-03-29 06:20 GMT) through...