Summary

In The Burned Man, a man referred to simply as the Burned Man wished that he could find a way to forget the things that he had seen in the war. He was working up the courage to kill himself when he received a call from his lover telling him that she wanted to marry him. The promise of love revived him and he hopped trains to get back to her. Elise claimed that she loved him just as much after what the war did to him and to his face. She told the man, whom she called Tucker, that she cherished his burned face. Her comment was in contrast to his mother’s reaction to his injuries. She deserted him at the hospital.

Between Shawnee Junction and Wolf, the Burned Man was attacked by a skinhead. In Cheyenne, he...