Chapter 7 Summary

The brief prologue to this section refers to a university professor who distilled drinking alcohol from a poisonous plant, saying to anyone who expressed concern that "one man's poison is another man's high."

The narration of the chapter begins with a detailed description of the heavy rain that began to fall the night of the fight between Hank and Newton, and how Teddy (the bartender at the Snag) always did good business when the weather was bad. Teddy listens closely to the conversations going on in the bar, as does Draeger. Several townspeople are convinced that the rain is nothing more than a downpour. However, Evenwrite is convinced that unless the rain stops, the union's chances of making up time lost to the strike and business lost to the Stampers are going to be washed away like the banks of the river. Interspersed...