river rat

To her horror, she discovered that the rope she was holding was not a rope at all, but a tail. And attached to the tail was a large river rat that scrambled frantically in midair, thrashing to get away.

The river rat he fought was one of a gang of them lolling under the eaves of the porthouse, probably waiting for a gaming house to open.

Cap’n Andy claims that his show boat is “one big happy family”—and that includes his wife, daughter Magnolia, as well as stars Julie and husband Steve, and black help Queenie and Joe. But it won’t be for long; because a river rat’s love for Julie goes unrequited, and he informs the sheriff that she’s a “half-breed” with Negro blood.

While other children were learning how to walk, I was learning how to swim, and I knew how to set a trotline, gig a frog, catch a crawfish, and strip the mud vein out of a carp by the time I was four. Dad called me a river rat.