Chapter 9: Strange Waters Summary

Kate's flowers are budding and the corn is high, but the summer has seen little in the way of rain. Water is scarce. Marton worries that a long drought might mean his ruin. The children offer to donate their month's pay to help Marton with the ranch. The man is so moved by the gesture that he worries no more. He asks his wife to tell a funny story, something cheerful. She tells the story of "The Little Rooster and the Turkish Sultan."

Having befriended all the insects in his yard, a hungry rooster, looking for food, finds a diamond button. The button says that the rooster's old mistress would like to have it as a gift. On the way to his old mistress, button in beak, a group of three fat men, working for a greedy Turkish sultan...