Summary

On Thea’s seventh day at the camp, she receives a letter from her father. In the letter, Thea’s father expresses how sad he was to leave Thea, but he also says that she was kept too secluded throughout her life and that her time at camp will be an opportunity to learn. Thea puts the letter under her pillow, with Sam’s handkerchief.

It is rest hour, but Thea’s cabin mates are talking excitedly about a dance Mr. Holmes announced during lunchtime. For the girls, a dance is a rare and special occasion. Thea isn’t too interested, though, and instead focused on memorizing the Robert Frost poem “The Cow in Apple Time” for her elocution class.

Thea drifts into thinking about her family’s history. She recollects how her great-grandparents moved to Florida and accumulated their wealth in the citrus...