Summary

In Chapter 45, Dell began to work at Arthur’s dive of a hotel, the Leonard, in the small prairie town of Fort Royal four miles down the road, where he cleaned the rooms for the nomadic group of oil-rig roughnecks and railroad-gang boys among other men whose work kept them moving across the prairie. Dell explored the town of Fort Royal, and one time when he was standing in front of the drugstore a woman and her daughter, who were Mormon, asked him where he was from. When Dell told the woman his uncle was Arthur Remlinger she seemed concerned, but then walked away. When not at work Dell returned to Partreau where he stayed and became despondent over his circumstances, but then decided to examine the wrecked and abandoned town. Dell thought about all of the life “that had gone on...