Chapters 4-6 Summary

Chapter 4. Clay has not been able to work on the house all week and knows he should spend the weekend on it, but on Saturday he gets an itch to go fishing. Clay meets his mother-in-law, Ida Italiano, in town as he is going to the river and learns that the ladies of the Baptist Church are preparing the new preacher's home for his arrival. Clay goes to the river where, just as he puts his line in the water, a car stops and a man asks how the fishing is going. When Clay sees the man is a serious fisherman, he invites him to join him. The two men enjoy the fishing, and a bottle of whiskey Clay hid near the river the last time he was there. Soon both men are very drunk. Unbeknownst to Clay, the man, Mr...