The Papers

When Jeanne thinks in Chapter Two about these papers that she saved from the fire but never got around to destroying, it appears she is thinking about the journals written by her grandfather, Peter McCullough. She pulled these journals from the fireplace when she saw her father trying to destroy them. It is in these journals that Peter details his view of the McCullough actions against the Garcias, making his family members seem like murderers.

Venus

When Eli sees this planet during the daytime he believes it is a sign of bad luck. Coincidentally, it is that night that the Indians attack his family’s home.

Balm of Gilead

This is the sap from the cottonwood tree that Jeanne’s great-grandfather would scrape from the buds. Even as an adult, this smell would remind Jeanne of the Colonel.

Buckskin Vest

The Colonel wears this buckskin...