Book 1: Chapter 15 Summary

Fuchs returns home bringing a young Bohemian, Anton Jelinek, with him. Jelinek is described as being young, handsome, and warmhearted. Jelinek feels guilty about not visiting the Shimerdas sooner, but he was busy with work. Jelinek states that the Shimerdas will worry about there being no priest yet, for Mr. Shimerda's final act is a major sin. Jelinek relates the story of when he was a boy who accompanied a priest during a time of war when men were dying from illnesses. Jelinek believes that because they were carrying the sacrament, he and the priest did not catch the illness. Jelinek is to break a road to the Shimerda home through the snow, and Fuchs is to make the coffin.

While Otto is building the coffin, he tells a story about two Swedes having a fall at a mining camp and...