Who is Bonnie Bee? Who is 'Coon Jack? Chapter 5

Little Tree explains her name is Bonnie Bee. Sometimes at night he hears Granpa say, "I kin ye, Bonnie Bee", his way of saying he loves and understands her. Granma has told Little Tree it is a love and understanding that has deepened so much over the years, that it would be difficult to put into words; so they called that feeling 'kin', short for 'kinfolk' or 'loved folk' who understood you.

Granpa then shares a story about his father's old Cherokee friend 'Coon Jack. One day, he entered the church with a pistol, saying he'd heard there had been bad talk about him. He assumed they were jealous that he handled the key to the song box. Granpa's Pa told 'Coon Jack he'd been doing a fine job, and that he was sorry for any misunderstood words on behalf of the congregation. Later, Granpa asked his father about 'Coon Jack. His Pa explained that, as a young man, he had fought in many battles, lost his home, and was forced to hide in the mountains. Now there was nothing left to fight about.