Justin and the Best Biscuits in the World Read Online Free Page A

their ears went back, but only Black moved toward him on the run.
    Justin reached up and Black lowered his head. Justin rubbed him behind the ear. Softly he said, “Good boy, Black. I’ve missed you. You glad to see me?”
    Then Pal nosed in, wanting to be petted, too. Cropper didn’t bother. Justin wondered if Cropper’s eyesight was fading.
    The sun had moved well toward the west. Long shadows from the rolling hills reached across the plains. “Want to take me home, boy?” Justin asked Black.
    Black lowered his head and pawed with one foot as he shook his mane. Justin ledhim to a large rock. From the rock, Justin straddled Black’s back, without a saddle. Black walked him home.
    Grandpa’s house stood on a hill surrounded by plains, near the rolling hills. Over many years, trees standing close by the house had grown tall and strong. The house, more than a hundred years old, was made of logs. The sun and rain had turned the logs on the outside an iron gray. Flecks of green showed in some of the logs.
    When Justin went inside, Grandpa had already changed his clothes. Now he busily measured food for the animals. While Grandpa was away, a neighbor had come to feed the pigs and chickens. The horses took care of themselves, eating and drinking in the meadow. Today the horses would have some oats, too.
    â€œLet’s feed the animals first,” Grandpa said. “Then we’ll cook those fish for dinner. You can clean them when we get back.”
    Justin sighed deeply. How could he tell Grandpa he didn’t know how to clean fish?He was sure to make a mess of it. Worriedly, he helped Grandpa load the truck with the food and water for the chickens and pigs. They put in oats for the horses, too. Then they drove to the chicken yard.
    As they rode along the dusty road, Justin remembered Grandpa telling him that long, long ago they had raised hundreds of cattle on Q-T Ranch. Then when Justin’s mama was a little girl, they had raised only chickens on the ranch, selling many eggs to people in the cities. Now Grandpa had only a few chickens, three pigs, and three horses.
    At the chicken yard, chickens rushed around to get the bright yellow corn that Justin threw to them. They fell over each other, fluttering and clucking. While Justin fed them, Grandpa gathered the eggs.
    The pigs lazily dozed in their pens. They had been wallowing in the mud. pond nearby. Now cakes of dried mud dotted their bodies. The floor where they slept had mud on it, too. Many flies buzzed around. My room surely doesn’t look like this , Justin thought.
    The pigs ran to the trough when Grandpa came with the pail of grain mixed with water. They grunted and snorted. The smallest one squealed with delight. He’s cute , Justin thought.
    By the time they had fed the horses oats and returned home, it was dark and cooler. Justin was glad it was so late. Maybe now Grandpa would clean the fish so that they could eat sooner. He was hungry.
    Grandpa had not changed the plan. He gave Justin some old newspapers, a small sharp knife, and a bowl with clean water.
    â€œNow,” he said, handing Justin the pail that held the fish, “you can clean these.”
    Justin looked at the slimy fish in the water. How could he tell his grandpa that he didn’t want to touch those fish? He still didn’t want Grandpa to know that he had never cleaned fish before. Evelyn’s words crowded him: Can’t do anything right . He dropped his shoulders and sighed. “Do I have to, Grandpa?”
    â€œWe have to eat, don’t we?”
    â€œBut—but I don’t know how,” Justin cried.
    â€œOh, it’s not hard. I’ll show you.” Grandpa placed a fish on the newspaper. “Be careful now and keep it on this paper. When you’re all done, just fold the paper and all the mess is inside.”
    Justin watched Grandpa scrape the fish upward from the tail toward the head. Little shiny scales