The big show that Dooley and Cousin Billy Clyde had put together in front of Pete's store porch would have been a total failure had it not been for the big rat.
Not a single person had bought a ticket to see it, and few of the loafers on the porch had even seemed to listen to Dooley as he  sang out the attraction in his best imitation of a carnival side show barker. A few of them had laughed and seemed mildly interested when he invited them to watch the amazing one headed calf in the box do the hoochie koochie...   
Someone had told Dooley to “break a leg.”  just before the show started. He almost did when he fell off the store porch.
The worlds largest rat was a  tremendous hit...  when measured by the interest shown in the other acts. The night before the big show, Billy Clyde had caught a very large bluff rat inside his barn. He proudly held up the number two rat trap by the chain as Dooley sang out for people to take a look at the world's biggest rat. A few of the men did nod their head and agreed that it was a big rat.   
They commenced their amazing story about how the monster rat was captured and carefully included all the details. Billy Clyde told how he set the trap, and how he had baited it with a smear of peanut butter on the paddle.  
He omitted the part about how his mother almost took a switch to him when she saw him dip his finger down into the jar and smear it on the paddle. They proceeded quickly into the part about how they killed the rat.
Dooley relayed how he had stomped hard on the dirty rascal's back three times. Billy Clyde told about hitting the giant rat with a stick, and Billy Clyde also noted that he had held it down inside a bucket of water until it bubbled. 
Dooley was telling about dropping the big rock on it when he  noticed that preacher Flatt had walked up behind them. Not being sure what the preacher would say about such violence, he quickly changed his tone of voice to the one Uncle Silas often used when giving a testimony, and concluded with these words:  “And God called the poor little feller on home...”     
How often is someone listening when we share things that would be better left unsaid. God is always watching us and listening to our words. He always loves us, but doesn't always like our words or deeds.