Chapter 15 Summary

Mary Call has begun to think that spring will never come, that the Lord really has forgotten them, and the mountains are so old that the world is tired of supporting them. She realizes that these are childish thoughts, and spring does come. It fills the valley with greenery, the wild birds return, and Mary Call, Romey and Ima Dean once again begin the work of wildcrafting. She talks about the many different plants they gather: the waxy buds of Gilead trees they pull down with their rakes, the leaves and roots of skunk cabbage, and the pollen of black willows. Her brother and sister make fun of her for being stuck up and calling things by their proper names instead of their local mountain terms, but Mary Call likes learning the real names. Mary Call and the others learn all about the...