My Dog Skip Page #3

I'll take the first watch, boy.

You rest.

I give him 20 minutes.

If he stays...

...he's a better man than me.

And if she kills him...

...I got dibs on that dog.

A sunbeam

Jesus wants me for a sunbeam

A sunbeam

I'll be a sunbeam for Him

Oh, no!

- Junior, we did real good this week.

- Just hurry up.

If we get to Izzard County,

they'll pay twice as much.

Those boys get real thirsty out there.

Don't you know it!

What the hell you doing?

Put that back.

- I'm keeping a bottle for myself.

- You're drinking up all the profits.

Moonshiners!

Millard, shut that mutt up.

Hey, doggy! Who's a nice doggy?

I'm good with dogs.

Shut him up, unless you want

to go back to the joint.

Goddamn it!

I'll take care of this mutt!

- What was that?

- Let's get out of here, Skip!

Run!

Get that kid!

Come on, Skip!

It's no use, kid!

I'm gonna find you!

Let's get out of here, Skip.

Where do you think you're going?

Listen to me, you little worm.

You tell anybody where

we're hiding this...

...you'll wake up to find

a dead pooch on your porch.

See...

...I been needing me a new billfold.

I think one made out of genuine

dog hide would be right slick.

Now, you look like a smart kid.

You move one little pinkie

before the sun comes up...

...you better think hard

about life without that mutt.

Everybody needs a friend.

Come on.

Think I scared him enough?

I think he peed his pants.

Gonna have to change those shorts.

Damn!

He killed a whole six-pack!

He slept right by her grave.

Damn!

Because of Skip,

I was able to cross...

...the threshold

from childhood to boyhood...

...from being on the outside...

...to finding myself smack-dab

in the middle.

He helped open my eyes

to the wonders of life.

And I got to know the delta

like the palm of my hand.

Every bend in the road,

every slope, every field.

It became as familiar to me

as grass or sunlight.

But Skip opened my eyes

to other things too.

- Sorry we're late.

- That's okay. I was late too.

He likes you.

I like him too. A lot.

Huck Finn.

It's about a boy who has adventures.

This is Caddie Woodlawn.

It's about a girl who has adventures.

Not too many boys like reading.

I do.

I'm thinking of becoming a writer.

Either that or a U.S. senator.

One of those.

I'll probably be a writer too.

Or a pilot.

Or maybe even a senator's wife.

Something like that.

Well, I haven't really decided yet.

Me neither.

Hey, Skip!

Hello there, Skip.

Skip grew to know Yazoo too.

It was a good place to grow up

for dogs as well as boys.

Being friendly, he occasionally

wandered around town by himself...

...and anyone of any consequence

knew who he was.

One of Skip's favorite spots

was my dear old Aunt Maggie's.

Her bridge games meant

finger sandwiches for the taking.

And the strange creature

that was her pet...

...was an endless source

of one-sided conversation.

Lordy, Lordy! Lord have mercy!

Lordy, Lordy! Lord have mercy!

Y'all come back!

Like all dogs, Skip was colorblind.

He made friends easily with

people of all races and origins.

The town was segregated back then...

...but as we know, dogs are

a whole lot smarter than people.

That's Waldo Grace.

Nice and easy. That's it.

That's my Skip.

Come on, boy.

Bye.

- Any of y'all heard of Waldo Grace?

- Who?

Waldo Grace. Colored boy.

They say he's better than Dink.

You shut up.

They say he's good at every sport.

Let me tell you.

Nobody around here

can beat Dink at nothing.

Especially no colored boy.

I'd like to see how good he is.

Who's that man with the black mask?

He doesn't belong to the special army.

After him, men!

Uncle Sam is looking

for a few good...

...dogs!

That's right.

Some ofAmerica's bravest soldiers

salute by wagging their tails.

Yankee Doodle doggies from all over...

...have dedicated their lives

to winning the war.

Members of the Army's

crack K-9 Corps...

...undergo a training as rigorous

as that of our fighting men.

Take that, Adolf!

We're not pulling your leg.

We mean business!

But not all of our four-legged

Gls make it home.

Even the youngsters do their part.

Para-pups, they're called,

and they aid our boys in the air.

Who says dogs can't fly?

Safe and sound on the ground.

Another successful mission.

After a hard day's work,

these puppies need some R and R.

Front and center, Fido.

Enlist today!

Hup 2, 3, 4! Hup 2, 3, 4!

We'll bomb them, and then

come down here to Libya...

...and bomb the rest of the guys.

You got it?

Go! Go! Go!

Way to go, Skip!

Those are the bad guys.

The Germans.

Hitler!

You want to kill Hitler!

He's ready.

That's about 16 inches high.

That's tall for a terrier.

He's a real good eater, sir.

I'm sure.

I see.

What?

Mr. Morris...

...this is as fine an animal as

I've ever had the chance to encounter.

Sir, thank you, sir.

And I know Uncle Sam could use him,

except he's 4-F.

4-F?

Yes, canine 4-F.

You see, his left testicle

hasn't descended.

But I appreciate you bringing him in.

Lieutenant, sir...

...Skip would like another chance.

He obeys orders really well and...

I really appreciate your patriotism...

...but I've got work to do.

Sit.

Sit!

Roll over.

Play dead!

Canine 4-F! I can't believe it.

He obeys orders really well, I know.

And he can do all those tricks.

I don't know what got into him.

Maybe he just got scared.

You saying my dog's a chicken?

I'm not saying your dog's chicken.

I'm saying maybe he got scared.

Dink's coming home!

My boy's coming home!

Yes, Dink's coming home!

Bet he's got a bag of medals.

Is he there? Is he there on the bus?

Well, I don't see him.

There he is!

Welcome home, sugar!

He just missed the bus, that's all.

It's okay.

He'll be on the next bus.

What's wrong?

Look, a cigarette wrapper!

One little old piece of tinfoil

ain't gonna win no scrap drive.

You know, it's been two whole weeks...

...and Dink hasn't even

come out of his house yet.

Willie, when you saw him,

was he wearing his uniform?

Was he wounded?

It was really dark.

I couldn't tell for sure.

But I bet he's got a lot of medals

to show us when he gets ready.

My old man said

he didn't win no medals at all.

Yeah, my pop says he's a drunk.

I heard worse than that.

I heard he turned tail and ran.

Broke his own record

in the 100-yard dash.

Where are you going?

What's eating him?

Watch out for the poison oak there.

Can almost taste

that blackberry pie already.

Should be some nice, thick bushes

in around here.

Now, look.

See that hickory over yonder?

The one that looks like

he's got a broken arm?

That's lightning.

Now, see, you always want

to leave a mark...

...so you can find your way home.

Dad?

Whatever happened to your leg?

Now, you know what happened to my leg.

Lost it in the Spanish Civil War...

...when you was just a baby.

Where is it now, you think?

Well, somewheres in Catalonia,

I suppose.

Does it ever itch or hurt?

You know, like the way they say?

It hurts.

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