That night the older men got to talking about going possum hunting on a moonlight night. Bobby Joe and two or three of the other boys declared they had never been possum hunting, and Uncle Bill Farnworth (from Mama Albright's side of the family) said he would just get up from there and take them, right then.

After they had left, some of the people moved around, to find more comfortable places to sit. There were not many chairs, so that some preferred to sit on the edge of the porch, resting their feet on the ground, and others liked to sit where they could lean back against the wall. Howard, who had been sitting against the wall, said he needed more fresh air, and took the spot on the edge of the porch where Bobby Joe had been sitting.

``You'll be a darn sight more comfortable there, Howard,'' Ernest said, laughing, and they all laughed.

Linda Kay felt that she was not exactly more comfortable. Bobby Joe had been sitting close to her, touching her actually, and holding her hand from time to time, but it seemed at once that Howard sat much closer. Perhaps it was just that he had so much more flesh, so that more of it seemed to come in contact with hers; but she had never been so aware of anyone's flesh before.

Still she was not sorry he sat by her, but in fact was flattered. He had become the center of the company, such stories he had to tell. He had sold oil stock to Bob Hope and Bing Crosby in person; he had helped fight an oil-well fire that raged six days and nights.