Summary

Chapter 4

Phil Burbank is described at the beginning of this chapter as a man who can see in nature what others miss. Only one other could see as he sees. On this particular day, Phil was working in the blacksmith shop and noticed that the air smells of snow. It was Sunday, and the young hired men had gone out the night before for a weekend of fun and would return Monday a little worse for wear. This thought made Phil smile. The older hands woke up slow and spent the day doing laundry and bathing and then playing games or writing letters, if they were able. Phil thought back to a spring day when, to pass the time, Phil caught four magpies in a burlap bag—the birds were nuisance creatures, picking at the sores and scabs of the cattle. Phil quickly...