Chapter 7 Summary

That evening as the Foxes eat dinner, there is a knock on the door. It is the migrant workers. One of them casually carries a machete in his hand. The men present Father with the machete, in thanks for the "Worm Tub." The next morning, as the Foxes leave, Charlie notices that the men have tied myriad red ribbons to the branches of the trees in the Foxes' yard. It is the last thing Charlie sees as he leaves.

Father takes his tools, the Thunder Box, the Atom Smasher and all the camping equipment the family purchased the day before. They leave everything else in the house - the dishes, the beds, curtains, Mother's radio and the cat asleep on the hydraulic chair. Father leaves the door to the house ajar. He drives the truck all the way to Baltimore, where the family...