Huckleberry Hound: Thru the Horn

Chapter 1: A Musical Delivery

The sun began to rise on a fine Saturday morning, and Huckleberry Hound was tucked in his cozy bed, still dozing in dreamland.  He rolled over and mumbled in his sleep as he sucked his thumb.  The alarm clock by his bedside struck 8 am and began to ring, and the blue hound opened his eyes.  Sitting up in bed, he let out a yawn and smiled as he turned and saw the bright golden beams of the sun filling his bedroom through the window.

“Ahhh, good mornin’ you lovely world!” he greeted, hopping out of bed.  He ran to the mirror, put on a new bow tie and smiled at himself. 

“Good morning, Mr. Sun!” he said to the sun as he looked out the window.

A smiling face suddenly appeared on the sun. “Good morning, Huckleberry!” he said cheerfully.  “Ready for a brand new day?”

“You bet!” Huck exclaimed.  He ran back to the mirror and gave his reflection a big smile.  Then he dashed to the bathroom to wash, comb his hair and brush his teeth.  All the while as he went about his morning, he began to sing.

“Yes, it's a good day for singing a song
And it's a good day for movin' along
Yes, it's a good day
How could anything be wrong?
A good day from morning 'til night
And it's a good day for shinin' your shoes
And it's a good day for losin' the blues
Everything to gain and nothing to lose
A good day from morning 'til night
I said to the sun, "Good mornin', sun
Rise and shine today"
You know you gotta get goin'
If you're gonna make a showin'
And you got the right of way!”

He slid down the stairs and landed on his tippy-toes at the bottom, then danced to the hat rack and slipped on his favorite yellow straw hat with its red and black polka-dot band.  He looked in the mirror once more and smiled.

"Cause it's a good day for wearin' a grin
And it's a good day for playin' to win
So take a deep breath and let it all begin
'Cause it's a good day from morning till night
A good day from mornin'...
Such a good day from mornin' till night.
(That’s right!)
Such a good day from mornin’ till night!”

Just then, he heard a knock at his door.  Looking rather curious, he opened it to find his best friend Snagglepuss standing on the other side.  The lion was holding a small case that held a small guitar.

“Howdy, Snag!” Huck beamed.  “You’re early today!”

“Tut, tut, Huckleberry.  I’m perfectly prompt!  On time, even!  T’would be pushing it too much if I arrived right on time, for I might be late!”

Huck grinned.  He’d been looking forward to Snagglepuss’s visit all week since the two of them were now planning on a musical performance for the Happy Pines Summer Camp’s summer talent show. Each year, the summer camp would put on a talent show to end camp for the year. This year, the campers decided to invite Huck and Snag to perform with the children. They had planned to meet every weekend for a jam session so that they could practice for the big show.  Snagglepuss had been taking some guitar lessons alongside Quick Draw McGraw, and Huck was becoming quite a pro at playing the drums. 

Earlier that year, he had played in a band with Quick Draw, Hokey Wolf and Mr. Jinks, and they had played quite a smash hit gig at the Jellystone Summer Jamboree.  They called themselves “The JellyStars,” which was a name suggested by none other than their good friend Yogi Bear.  Thanks to Huck’s inspiration and motivation, they had become quite a sensation with the summer crowds.  The band was taking a break at the moment, but Huck wasn’t ready to hang up his drumsticks just yet.  It seemed like every day he was finding new beats to practice everywhere he looked and listened.