Summary

Chapter 1 is titled “The Twins.” Ned and Tam are twins who are so similar that most people cannot tell them apart. Everyone knows that one of the boys is better, but they cannot decide which one is better. One day, the twins make a raft and launch it into the Great River with plans to sail to the sea. The raft sinks, and the boys are carried away. Their father, the woodcutter, rushes into the river though he does not swim well. No one goes into the water to help, and it becomes clear he can save only one of the boys. Someone shouts that he should “save the right one.” He pulls Ned to shore. When Tam's body washes to shore down river, people say he saved the wrong boy.

Chapter 2 is titled “A Sharp Needle and a Bit of Thread.” Ned...