Seven Squirrels By Tony Smith
In his right hand he was carrying his old model 12 Winchester pump shotgun and swinging from his left side was a bunch of squirrels. Me and Ernie took off running to meet him. We wanted to see the squirrels. When we got up to Dad, we asked him how many squirrels he had got. He said, “I am not going to tell you boys. You will have to count them yourself.” Me and Ernie walked along beside Dad and we were trying to count the squirrels, but with every step he would take, the squirrels were swinging back and forth. We were not having much luck counting them. When we got up to the house, Dad reached down and got the squirrels off his britches’ leg. He pitched them up on the porch and said; “Now boys, you can count them.” So we began to count. 1,2,3,4,5,6,7. Seven squirrels.. Dad had a little stick about six inches long and as big around as a pencil. On one end it was sharpened off to a point and was sticking through each squirrel’s back leg.After we counted the squirrels, Dad reached down and pulled the stick out of their legs. Then he hollered and told Mom to bring him out two pans of water. In a few minutes she did. Me and Ernie were watching Dad sharpen his pocketknife on the whet rock. After he got his knife sharp he reached down and picked up one of the squirrels. He cut it across the back. Then he laid the knife down and with both hands, he placed the ends of his fingers in the cut that he had made on the squirrel’s back. With both hands, he slowly began to pull the hide off of the squirrel.When he had the hide off, he turned it over on its back and he cut it from its head down through its belly, to the tail. Then he reached in, pulled out the guts, and pitched them on the ground. I can remember the dogs. They would fight each other over the guts. Ernie and me liked to watch the dogs fight. To us that was fun but Dad didn’t like it. Sometimes Dad would jump in and kick the dog that was acting the most piggish. That way the other dog could have some to.After Dad got all the squirrels skinned, he put them in a pan of water and washed them off real good. Then he put them in the other pan of water and handed them to Mom. He said, “I want them cooked for dinner.” Mom took the squirrels in the kitchen and put them in a big black kettle, filled it up with water and set it on the wood cook stove to cook.After the squirrels got tender, Mom got a bowl and put some flour and milk in it. She mixed it up. Then she poured it in the kettle on top of the squirrel and began to stir. She called it “squirrel gravy” and it was good.Seven Squirels Quiz 1. What is the limit for squirrels per day?________
2. What are the names of the boys in the story?
3. Why was it hard to count the squirrels at first?__________________________
4. How did Dad hold the squirrels?
5. Who got the guts of the squirels? ______________
6. Tell the way Tony’s Mom cooked the squirels and how they tasted .___________________________________________
In his right hand he was carrying his old model 12 Winchester pump shotgun and swinging from his left side was a bunch of squirrels. Me and Ernie took off running to meet him. We wanted to see the squirrels. When we got up to Dad, we asked him how many squirrels he had got. He said, “I am not going to tell you boys. You will have to count them yourself.” Me and Ernie walked along beside Dad and we were trying to count the squirrels, but with every step he would take, the squirrels were swinging back and forth. We were not having much luck counting them. When we got up to the house, Dad reached down and got the squirrels off his britches’ leg. He pitched them up on the porch and said; “Now boys, you can count them.” So we began to count. 1,2,3,4,5,6,7. Seven squirrels.. Dad had a little stick about six inches long and as big around as a pencil. On one end it was sharpened off to a point and was sticking through each squirrel’s back leg.After we counted the squirrels, Dad reached down and pulled the stick out of their legs. Then he hollered and told Mom to bring him out two pans of water. In a few minutes she did. Me and Ernie were watching Dad sharpen his pocketknife on the whet rock. After he got his knife sharp he reached down and picked up one of the squirrels. He cut it across the back. Then he laid the knife down and with both hands, he placed the ends of his fingers in the cut that he had made on the squirrel’s back. With both hands, he slowly began to pull the hide off of the squirrel.When he had the hide off, he turned it over on its back and he cut it from its head down through its belly, to the tail. Then he reached in, pulled out the guts, and pitched them on the ground. I can remember the dogs. They would fight each other over the guts. Ernie and me liked to watch the dogs fight. To us that was fun but Dad didn’t like it. Sometimes Dad would jump in and kick the dog that was acting the most piggish. That way the other dog could have some to.After Dad got all the squirrels skinned, he put them in a pan of water and washed them off real good. Then he put them in the other pan of water and handed them to Mom. He said, “I want them cooked for dinner.” Mom took the squirrels in the kitchen and put them in a big black kettle, filled it up with water and set it on the wood cook stove to cook.After the squirrels got tender, Mom got a bowl and put some flour and milk in it. She mixed it up. Then she poured it in the kettle on top of the squirrel and began to stir. She called it “squirrel gravy” and it was good.Seven Squirels Quiz 1. What is the limit for squirrels per day?________
2. What are the names of the boys in the story?
3. Why was it hard to count the squirrels at first?__________________________
4. How did Dad hold the squirrels?
5. Who got the guts of the squirels? ______________
6. Tell the way Tony’s Mom cooked the squirels and how they tasted .___________________________________________
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