Act 2 Summary

Act 2 begins about two weeks later. The downstairs room has become somewhat cheerful, and there is an air of excitement throughout the house. Everyone is getting ready to go to Tillie's science fair. Her board and charts are lying around the room, and all three of the women are dressing up.

As they get ready, Ruth and Tillie discuss Janice Vickery's project in which she boiled the skin off a cat. According to Ruth, she is Tillie's only competition. Ruth tries to change some of the things about the way their mother dressed Tillie so that others will not laugh at her.

Ruth begins telling Tillie that Beatrice used to be known as "Betty the Loon." She tells Tillie that their mother was just as weird then as Tillie is now. Ruth says everyone has been talking about their mother, and they are...