Chapter 23 Summary

Winnie believed the day was the longest day of her life. The air was hot and unmoving and the time seemed to be as unmoving as the air around her. She had hidden the bottle Jesse gave her in a bureau drawer and decided there was nothing left to do but wait. Her family was sitting in the parlor, fanning themselves and drinking lemonade. They were more unkempt than she had ever seen them. She decided she liked this side of them, but did not stay in the parlor with them. She took her lemonade and returned to her room.

Later that evening, Winnie went back out into the yard as the day was cooling down. She noted that the sky had changed, becoming heavier, the clouds thickening. Even the trees of the wood were turning their leaves upside down with the hope...