Chapter 19 Summary

The old gringo leaves Harriet and heads into the railroad car. Arroyo soon follows. Harriet is trying to reach him, to beg him to let the old man live. Harriet knows that she and Arroyo have each substituted the old man as a father figure. La Luna holds her back, knowing that this is a score the men must settle. When Arroyo arrives, he sees that the old man has broken into his box of papers and set fire to the legal documents showing his rights in the property. Arroyo shoots him on the spot. The old man falls dead. Harriet and Arroyo know that nothing will ever be the same. The Indians and servants have been exposed to Americans and Europeans. They no longer need to stay tied to the land. They can be landless and blow like dust in the desert...