Summary

Chapter 1 – On Wednesday, June 7, 1871, thirteen year-old Georgina “Georgie” Louise Burkhardt attends the funeral of her older sister, eighteen year-old Agatha. Georgie believes the funeral, overseen by Reverend Leland, is lunacy. Georgie remembers the events. Having run off with pigeoners –two men and one woman –Agatha was chased after by Sheriff McCabe to Dog Hollow, where he found a badly decomposing body shot in the face, wrapped in fabric from Agatha’s blue-green ball gown. Georgie’s mother, Dora, confirmed the body was Agatha’s, though Georgie believed there was not enough left of the body to make a positive identification. She urged her grandfather, Grandfather Bolte, the best tracker around, to try to find Agatha, but Bolte refused. Georgie then reflected on how her father is believed dead by many, having gone off to find gold in Colorado. He has not been heard from...