George Smith

Old Crip George Smith

Zane Haney has been forced to take care of the family in the bayou country because his father is in the Veterans hospital. Zane receives help from his grandfather, but his burden is heavy. On top of Zanes daily problem of putting food on the table, after a tornado strikes near the Haney shack, a huge whooping crane hobbles out of the thicket into Mama Haneys chicken yard, scaring Bubba, Zanes younger brother, and Luci, his baby sister. Zane stops Bubba from shooting the whooper, which Mama later names Old Crip, because Zane had learned the whooper was almost extinct. Although Mama doesnt like it one bit, since Zane is the breadwinner, she lets him keep the giant crane, doctor its leg and wing, and feed it. Zane overcomes many obstacles as he struggles to keep the family fed, knowing the doctors had given up on Papa Haney walking again except Zane never gave up hope, and somehow he had a weird feeling that if he could get the whooper we