Summary

Ellis’s feature has taken off with phenomenal success. Nine other newspapers have rerun it and donations for the Dillards have continued to stream in. Ellis has taken to making clandestine trips to the Dillard household at night to leave the boxes of gifts on their porch.

Ellis’s next feature is to be a highlight of the coal miners in Pittston, a cause close to his heart as his father has worked in the coal mines his entire life. Ellis has personally witnessed the Breaker Boys used to sort coal, as young as six years old. Ellis is exhilarated by the thought of telling his father about the piece and having the opportunity to justify his decision to enter journalism as a career.

During a dinner at his parents’ house, we learn the story of Ellis’s younger brother. We are told...