Chapters 6 - 10 Summary

Chapter 6: Two weeks later, the tax bill arrives on the same day Dad, Matthew and Mark load up the hogs for slaughter. When Dad hands Mother the tax bill, she is so startled she drops it. The bill is three times the usual amount. Dad explains that the taxes have gone up because the new houses next door have raised the property value of the Garners' home. Luke interjects that this sounds like a good thing. Secretly, from his vantage point at the attic vents, Luke has grown to love the new houses. Watching their construction has become his main form of entertainment. But Dad shakes his head and explains that the rise in property value is good only if a homeowner is planning to sell his or her house, which the Garners are not. "All it means for us is...