"It's not easy for a young boy to want a dog and not be able to have one. It starts gnawing on his heart, and gets all mixed up in his dreams. It gets worse and worse, until finally it becomes almost unbearable." Chapter 2, p. 16

"Realizing that everything was forgiven, I stood up and dried my eyes. Papa was pleased with his new overalls. The light that was shining from my mother's eyes, as she fingered the cheap cotton cloth, was something I will never forget." Chapter 6, p. 51

"It was a beautiful night, still and frosty. A big grinning Ozark moon had the countryside bathed in a soft yellow glow. The starlit heaven reminded me of a large blue umbrella, outspread and with the handle broken off." Chapter 8, p. 69

"If a man's word isn't any good, he's no good himself." Chapter 8, p. 77

"I could scold them a little...