In his delirium, Gus dreams about his traveling companions. His left leg is gone. Dr. Mobley says they must take the other leg as well. He gives the doctor money to tip a girl they can hear playing the piano. Mobley says he’ll die if he keeps the leg.

Call arrives that evening and is exasperated and panicked that Gus is refusing the surgery. No matter what he says, he can’t talk Gus into the operation. As his final request, Gus asks Call to take his body and bury it at Clara’s Orchard, back in Texas. He also asks him to tell Clara and Lorena about his death. He writes notes to the women and then dies while Call dozes.

Call orders a coffin. He plans to store Gus in salt and wait until spring for the trip. He is lonely back at the camp, and the men are annoyed at Call’s brusque story about Gus’s death. They cannot believe he is dead, and they are just as stunned that Call has so little to say about it. Dish is sad but wonders if this will improve his chances with Lorena.