Summary

John lies in the shed for three days recovering. Mammy, who is also recovering from her whipping, nurses his wounds and cleans him. The first day, John lays staring at the ceiling, not speaking or looking at anyone. The second day, he calls Sarny over: “H,” he says. “The next letter is H” (Page 79). Mammy walks into the room and starts smiling, which shocks Sarny. When Mammy warns John that Waller will kill him if he catches him again, John whispers that he’s planning to run. He’ll take two more days to heal, and then he’s running back to the North. He flirts with Mammy and says that he wishes he knew her in another life, and Mammy keeps smiling. After the reading lesson, John asks Sarny to bring him some rawhide from the barn so he can make himself shoes. Two...