Four men chat about horse racing at a drug store when an oil salesman, Joe Welling, approaches them to discuss rising water levels at great length. He hardly gives the other men a chance to speak and laughs at his own hypothesis before leaving to visit his next client.

Joe envies George Willard’s work as a reporter, though he tells George that he prefers to work as an oil salesman because the salary is higher. He advises George to write an article about his opinion that entropy is a kind of fire. He adds that it would catch the attention of George’s readers to say that the world is burning down in the headline. Joe impresses himself with his own suggestion and considers starting a newspaper of his own.

Joe moves into the New Willard House after his mother dies. He courts the town’s respect by starting a local baseball club. During games, he uses his excitable voice to distract the opposing team, allowing Winesburg to win games. Joe soon becomes the talk of the town when he enters a relationship with Sarah King, whose father, Edward, and brother, Tom, are notoriously ill-tempered. The townspeople fear for Joe’s life.