In this story, Billy Coleman tell a flashback story of when he was a little boy and the adventures he had with his two coon dogs. Billy was able to afford buying his two coon dogs after two years of saving up all the money he earned from doing various jobs. When Billy gets his two dogs, Old Dan and Little Ann he learns that they both have very different personalities that makes them each special. As soon as Billy gets them home, he begins training them to coon hunt. Billy trains his dogs so well that they become some of the best hunting dogs in the area. When Billy and some other boys make a bet about who has the better hunting dogs, the night ends tragically when a boy dies. Billy is traumatized by the event and has no wish to go hunting for