Summary

In Chapter 3, after Charles’s death, Alice and Mary become “joint proprietors” of the Osgood Wonder apples (53). They live as spinsters in the yellow house where they grew up. Although some believe they are identical, the sisters sometimes see their differences. Alice occasionally regards herself as more beautiful than Mary. However, this notion never lasts and the sisters “become, again, the same” (55).

The apple defined the sisters’ lives from a young age. They grew up loving the orchards and their home in the north woods. They attended a school run by the minister, through which they met his son, George Carter Jr. They had many adventures with George, but found him irritating as he talked incessantly. Alice particularly disliked George’s stories and theories.

After the minister’s death, George went “to live with family in Boston” (65). Charles took over his daughters’ education...