Chapter Eighteen Summary

After the fire, Tom makes his way to the outhouse and stays in there for over a half hour. When that time passes, Ginny worries and walks out to check on him. He moans through the door that he is sick and can't get up. With Joe's help, Ginny manages to pull Tom from the outhouse and get him to the house, where she undresses and bathes him. She burns some whiskey in a jar and forces him to drink it for strength. She also gives him blackberry juice to try to flush the sickness from him. The whole time, his fever gets worse and worse, until Ginny feels like his forehead is a stove. Soon after, a letter arrives in the mail from Locke. In it, he questions whether or not Ginny has ever tried to understand what is important...