The Tales of Huckleberry Hound: Season 4

14. A Show on the Road!

One afternoon, Huckleberry Hound had been out for a nice August walk along the beach as well as through town, when he decided to stop in at Mr. Antonio's for some refreshing ice cream. If you were to ask Huck, he could never resist ice cream on any day! Ever since he first tasted it as a pup, it had been his favorite food ever! He soon walked into the shop as the bells jingled merrily overhead and he walked up to the counter to see his old friend.

"Howdy, Mr. Antonio!" he greeted.

"Hucko mio!" Mr. Antonio cried happily. "Is'a so good to see you!"

"It sure is good to see you too!" Huck beamed. But then he noticed that Mr. Antonio's face immediately went from happy to sad. "Shuckins! Something seems to be bothering you. What's going on?"

"Is'a a terrible conflict of my time," Mr. Antonio said, sighing heavily. "There is an annual ice cream and frozen novelty business conference in San Diego this weekend, and is' also when Miss Jellicoe plans to take the old folks for a weekend trip! They always love for me to sing for them on their motor coach, but I won't be there this time! No one to fill in for me...is the problem!"

"Hmmmm, maybe I can help!" Huck smiled.

"Ah, you would do that, Hucko mio?" Mr. Antonio asked. "Is'a down your road, si?"

"You mean 'up my alley,' and yeah! I love to sing and dance!"

"But Hucko mio, this is different from the jazz club."

But before he could say anything else, Huck started dancing, and singing a merry tune.

"I wanna be loved by you,

Just you and nobody else but you,

I wanna be loved by you, alone!

Boop-oop-a-doop!

"Bravissimo, Hucko mio...but..."

"But what, Mr. Antonio?"

"But is a bit too...shall you say...noisy for the likes of the elders?"

"What? That's crazy!" Huck replied, shaking his head. "Everyone loves jazz music."

"Yes, I understand, but Miss Jellicoe...she's a-worried about the old folks getting too much excitement."

Huck nodded. He remembered how harsh Miss Jellicoe tended to be. Sure she was the best person in Hill Street Neighborhood you could ask for to help look after the old folks, pampering them and giving them the best living accommodations, but she was also a bit of a stick in the mud. Huck remembered the time he'd been shopping at the market and had accidentally let a gust of wind blow his cart into her station wagon, leaving a tiny dent in the side. He was lucky that she hadn't called the police or filed a claim on it, but still, she called him irresponsible, empty-headed and unfit to be pushing his own shopping cart.

"Well hush my mouth," Huck muttered. "If'n that ain't a way to dampen my spirit. I mean, what are you supposed to sing if Miss Jellicoe don't want no noisy jazz? Has she even heard jazz singing?"

"She prefers something much more slow and classical," Mr. Antonio replied. "I sing the opera songs of old Italy and make der weep."

"Do what?"

"Make der weep. Bring a tear to the old folks eyes, si?"

"Make them cry!?" Huck shouted. "But I don't wanna make anyone cry. In fact, I don't know any cryin' type songs. I only know happy songs and stuff like that."

"Makes a-no difference. Is the feeling," Mr. Antonio said. "Please, Hucko mio. Would you help me? I don't want to let the kind old folks down. They insist on being entertained during their weekend trip."