Summary

Joe Wear continued to run the Alleys in “Almost Done,” waiting for Bertha’s son, Nahum Truitt, to appear. Dr. Sprague had left a detailed will, and an advertisement was taken out in papers across New England in search of Nahum. Jeptha’s mother arrived at the Alleys and explained to Joe that she and Jeptha almost died during labor. She implored Joe to allow Jeptha to continue working at the Alleys, the place that made him the happiest. Meanwhile, the townspeople began dreaming about Dr. Sprague, including LuEtta, who received news from him that she was pregnant. Joe considered posing as Nahum Truitt since no one had stepped forward and he wanted to own the alley. He thought about his own lineage, the story he was told about his parents dying on the journey from Ireland to America. His thoughts...