The Old Rugged Cross-Eyed Bear

The book starts on a May day in 1939 as several twelve-year-old friends are headed to their favorite swimming hole on the Solomon River near the town of Downs, Kansas. A problem develops for them as they seem to cross swords with a W.W.1 wounded veteran tending his goats.

The story continues and they find various ways to earn money by catching crawdads, and they observe a "raid" by the State officials on a bootlegger's house.

They have a meeting with the "restless spirit" of a disturbed Indian warrior. These kids don't realize that they are in a "depression," because almost everybody they know is in the same situation except for a few people who "have money."

Quite a lot of the book is devoted to their school experience with outstanding and devoted teachers, and T.Y.S. (Twelve Year Syndrome) begins to affect them. These kids mostly have a happy time, but are awakened to grief with the loss of a good friend.

The end of the story has these same kids going down the same road a year later. They have learned a lot in one year, and they are saddened when "Billy Goat" is not there anymore. They had found out that he was a friend.

How wise we are when Chance is gone, And a glance we backward cast. We know just the thing that we should have done, When the time for doing is past.