The Midnight Fox

After supper, Aunt Millie takes Tom up to the old room of her son, Bubba, which is now Tom’s room for the summer. Bubba’s room has a shotgun on a rack, old bird nests, eggs, and a stuffed squirrel on the bookshelf. Tom finds rocks, bullets, and old coins in a shoebox, along with hunting clothes and bathing suits in the drawers. Millie points to an old tree with smooth branches by the window and tells Tom that her boys used to climb down the tree rather than using the stairs. She comments that Fred was supposed to nail the screens in, but Tom assures Millie that he won’t be climbing out the window because he is afraid of heights. Millie good-naturedly replies, “Don’t tell me. You’ll be out there first chance you get. I know!” (26). Tom feels so out of place that he is unable to eat his supper. He hides his sandwich in his pocket when Millie isn’t looking. Back in his room, he reminisces about the “Petie Burkis Special” (27) sandwich as he tries to eat Millie’s pimento-cheese sandwich.