Chapter 2 Summary

After finding his voice, Jerome begins talking to his neighbors when they stop by. He doesn't visit them but he is pleasant if they come by. Emma Lou Eppys, who had been afraid of the strange, silent man when she first encountered him, is the first neighbor to realize that he has become friendlier.

The Eppys had settled in the redwood forest of California when there were just six in the family. They had found an hold abandoned house and decided to settle there. Job and Cilly had located the owner of the house and bought it and the surrounding land. Since that time, three more Eppys, including Emma Lou, have been added to the family. The family loves the wilderness and the timberland. Job supports the family by cutting timber, but would never think of toppling a redwood. As his family grows...