<TITLE>20. Par 55-57</TITLE>L-55 Mrs. Wood said, "Well, Billy," said, "now the only thing to do is--is kill them." Said, "Because the opossum's got a round mouth, you know," and said, "it can't nurse the bottle; they're too little anyhow." Said, "Now, you just kill the--the mother, and then take the little ones and just hit them against the ground," said, "they'll--they'll suffer like everything drinking that--the milk from her like that." Said, "She's dead. And I seen her biting on that."
I said, "She isn't dead."
Said, "But she'll die in a few minutes, you see that?"
I said, "I just can't do it."
And said, "Why?"
I said, "I just don't know." I said, "I can't do it."
Said, "Well, you're a hunter, aren't you?"
I said, "Yes, ma'am, but I'm not a killer." And so...
Said, "Well, why, don't you go get your gun and shoot her?"
I said, "I just can't do it."
Well said, "Why not?" Said, "Let Banks do it." That's her husband.
I said, "I just can't do it."
"Well," said, "Billy, you mean to tell me, you're going to let that old mother lay there like that, and them poor little babies drink that milk from her and die at a horrible death?"

L-56 I said, "Mrs. Wood, you being a doctor, you, or veterinary, you know that that's the humane thing to do. But there's something in me"; I said, "I can't do it." And I said, "She's holding the...?... She wants to stay with her babies till she dies." I said, "She must stay with her babies." So I let her up.
And when I did, she took off towards the house. And when she got right in front of my steps, she fell over. Said, "That's it. That's all of it." I said, "Well, she got to live a few more minutes with her babies."
And I went up there and those opossums trying to nurse her. I punched her. She was exhausted. I tried to pour water on her. I finally got a little kind of a way they grin on her. I said, "Well..."
Said, "Why don't you kill the little ones?"
I said, "Just--just leave her alone."
Said, "You going to let her lay there like that, Billy?"
And I said, "Yes, ma'am."
So all that day we watched her, the little opossums still trying to nurse. That night Mr. Wood come out, said, "Billy, you've been going a long time now; let's take a little ride, get away from this crowd here." So we went out riding.

L-57 And that night, coming down the road, I seen an old puppy laying on the side of the road. And I stopped, I went and got him. Oh, he was so full of mange, he stunk, and there were... So full of fleas and lice, till they was all over my heads. I brought him, put him in the car. My wife said, "You're not going to take that?"
I said, "Yes, honey." I said, "He's a little fellow. He ain't never had a chance to live."
She said, "Bill, you ain't going to take that thing home."
I said, "Sure, I'm going to pray for him, and God's going to let him get well." He's the prettiest big collie you ever seen today. Sure. Oh, sure. I believe that. I'm sure the dog, his picture will be in the Christian Business Men's pretty soon, their magazine. So there he is, big fine collie. Prayer saved his life. He was a little fellow; he didn't--he didn't have a right to die like that. Somebody dropped him off 'cause he had mange. God's the Healer of animals, the same as He is anything.
So when we got him back over in the car, there the old opossum was laying there. Now, Mr. Wood, said, "Now, Billy, now you know if she'd ever moved." Said, "She's gone."
I said, "Well, that's right."
Said, "Let me go kill them opossums."
I said, "No, no." We went in. All that night... Billy come in; he'd been fishing. About twelve o'clock old opossum still laying there.


<A HREF="P21">Next Page</A>