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Back Come Again No More Save as PDF
Chapters (55)
  1. Cover
  2. Back Cover
  3. Title Page
  4. Contents
  5. PART I 
  6. 1.
  7. 2.
  8. 3.
  9. 4.
  10. 5.
  11. 6.
  12. 7.
  13. 8.
  14. 9.
  15. 10.
  16. 11.
  17. 12.
  18. PART II 
  19. 13.
  20. 14.
  21. 15.
  22. 16.
  23. 17.
  24. 18.
  25. 19.
  26. 20.
  27. 21.
  28. 22.
  29. 23.
  30. 24.
  31. 25.
  32. 26.
  33. 27.
  34. 28.
  35. 29.
  36. 30.
  37. PART III 
  38. 31.
  39. 32.
  40. 33.
  41. 34.
  42. 35.
  43. 36.
  44. 37.
  45. 38.
  46. 39.
  47. PART IV 
  48. 40.
  49. 41.
  50. 42.
  51. 43.
  52. 44.
  53. 45.
  54. AUTHOR’S NOTE
  55. Touchstone Reading Group Guide

“No, Grandpa. I’m not close to forgiving you. I have forgiven you. It’s time. All that is over and done with. It’s been more than three years since that day I went to Mama’s grave with you. She would have forgiven you long ago, that’s just the way she was, and now I’ve forgiven you too.”

“That’s as good as hearing it from Velma herself.”

“Well, I should have said it a long time ago. Juanita loves you and I think the world of Juanita, you know that. If you were an awful man, she wouldn’t care about you the way she does. Now I’ve seen how you are. I think I understand how things looked to you when you forced my mother off the ranch. You were a man alone with five girls and a blind son to raise and you couldn’t be weak, right?”

“Something like that.”

“You felt that if you weren’t strict with Velma, you’d set a bad example for the others.”

“I did, but I don’t see it that way now. I should have kept her and Frank on the ranch, where I could have watched you and Ben grow up. When I see how you are now, what a fine young woman you’ve grown up to be, it’s just a shame I missed so much of that.”

“It’s a shame we missed you too. You’re a strong man, but you’re never mean or cruel and you don’t try to use your power to hurt people. Everyone relies on you so much, even Ezra.”

“I guess that’s true. People rely on you too. You know that. You’re a strong woman.”

“It’s never been easy, but I wasn’t raised to do things the easy way. That’s why I have to go back. I don’t want to go. I want to be here, I want to stay close to everyone, but I can’t. I have to try to save our farm the way you saved this ranch.”

“Well, if things don’t go the way you want, you’ve got a place here as long as I have a place to offer, you know that.”

“Thank you, Grandpa. You’ve been real good to us. I know a person can’t go back in time to fix all the things you’d like to change but you’ve done the next best thing.”

“That means a whole lot to me, to hear you say that.”

He held her for a good long time in those strong arms. Emaline wished she could stop worrying about the farm, surrender herself to Eli’s protection, live on the 8T8 forever. But she had made up her mind to go back and once she had set a course, she was not one to change it.

PART III
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THE GREAT DIVIDE

1936—1938

31.