Summary

The speaker is Adelaide, as she recounts the story of her childhood with her great aunt on top of Parker Mountain as well as her voyage to the city of Asheville to work. While in the city she worked her way up from washing clothing to working with tobacco, given her history with the product. She returned from her summer in the city to find that her aunt had died, and no one had taken care of her body. She recalls a dream she had of Jesus who showed her her aunt in heaven.

She then recounts the story of her trek though the blizzard to help Julie give birth to Stump. She successfully births Christopher, but he does not cry at all during the process, foreboding his mute future. Ben decides not to bury the afterbirth, stating that it isn't...