- Jody wakes up, heads to the kitchen, and starts examining himself in the mirror.
- He declares that he's ugly, and his Ma agrees. Real nice!
- Then he tells her he wishes he was dark, like the Forresters.
- She tells him he should be proud he isn't, and that the Forresters are as "black as their hearts."
- Brain Snack: "dark" and "black" don't mean "African-American" here—it just means dark-haired and sometimes having a slightly darker complexion.
- Lem Forrester had made fun of him, too, telling him his ears looked funny. Boy, this guy makes the rounds, doesn't he?
- Suddenly, their old dog Julia starts barking like crazy, and he hears his Pa outside, too.
- He runs out to find that their brood sow has been killed in the night, and the tracks point to Old Slewfoot, a giant bear with one missing toe. Think he'd get a discount at a nail salon?
- They drag the carcass to the house to use what meat is left. Mmm bear leftovers.
- Ma freaks out, and demands to know how the bear got her without the dogs making a fuss.
- Old Slewfoot is just really smart and sneaky—he knew the wind was in his favor.
- They sit down to eat breakfast, and tease Ma a little to cheer her up.