A Boy Called Kid

Book excerpt: Tom resented her already, and when she began to spank his little sister, that was just too much. He was at the table and picked up a butcher knife, and then he turned and ran out the door. She hollered, "You just wait until your papa gets home." Tom knew he was in serious trouble. He started crying and running. He didn't know where he was going, only he knew he couldn't go back. He ran and cried until he came to their church building. He crawled under the building and started crying again. He must have cried himself to sleep because the next thing he heard was someone calling his name. He heard his papa say, "Just wait until I get hold of that kid." Tom lay real still until he couldn't hear them anymore. It was pitch-dark, and he was so scared and didn't know what to do. Every noise he heard he thought something was after him, so he crawled out and started running. He cried and ran all night on a dirt road with no shoes or shirt. Then he looked up to see this man coming toward him. He had a star on his shirt. He came up beside him and said, "Howdy, son, have you ran away from home? What is your name?" Tom knew better than to give his real name. About that time, a man came up and spoke to the lawman. He said, "No, he is with me."