Billy Honeycutt was a barefoot boy from Roundabout Creek in a remote cove of the North Carolina mountains. He liked to hurry with his evening chores so he could scramble up the mountainside to watch the sun go down. He dreamed of the day when he might own a fiddle and play it at the neighborhood music-frolics.

Billy was a very lively boy and the story of his adventures, from riding the mule to mill and fighting the Buckwheat Hollow boys, to his discovery—on a panther hunt one dark night—of the mystery of the hideout at No Man’s Cove, will bring a warm response from every boy and girl. In the book the reader meets many delightful mountain people: Sarey Sue Trivett and her Granny who are in the “yarbing” business; old Uncle Pozy who teaches Billy a secret; Jeb Dotson who keeps the general store at Solitude, and Billy’s own lovable family, including a stern Pappy, a very wise mother and a lively small brother and sister.

From the dust jacket