Margery O’Hare directs her mule Charley through the dense Kentucky forest. The quick-moving creek, as well as her heavy clothing and the numbness in her toes, are acute reminders of the season: “Three pairs of wool stockings, and in this weather you might as well go bare-legged” (1). Despite the cold, Margery is traveling to Red Lick to deliver books to Nancy Stone and her sister Jean.

Suddenly, a twig snaps, and a gruff voice calls out to Margery. She turns and sees a drunken, angry Clem McCullough hoisting a shotgun. He derides her haughtiness and takes issue with her “job” of delivering books. Suddenly, he points the gun at her and demands she dismount. His attention momentarily turns to the sound of Nancy Stone, who’s walking to meet Margery while singing. Margery pushes at Clem’s gun, and the mule knocks him over while Margery hangs on to Charley for dear life.

Three months prior to the prologue, it’s a hot September in the small town of Baileyville. The town’s inhabitants assemble for a town meeting. Alice Van Cleve, an Englishwoman who recently married one of the richest men in town,