Riding back home, Cussy Mary stops at the outpost with a headache. Jackson Lovett, passing by, worries about her. Cussy Mary faints and falls from her mule. When she wakes, she tells him about the pills. He tells her that the cure is worse than the disease and that there was nothing wrong with her color. This comment makes her angry, and she leaves.

Nine days into her treatment, Cussy Mary is still feeling ill. She visits Cole at the fire tower, and he runs down to see her. His face is bruised. Ruth, his girlfriend, is also there, with injuries on her face. She says that they could have lived with her father, but there’s more room in the watchtower. Cole gives Cussy Mary yellow root, which makes her feel better, and introduces her to Ruth, thanking her for her help in getting them together. As Cussy Mary leaves, he explains that he had to fight all the men in Ruth’s family to win her. Cussy Mary wonders if anyone would fight for her.

Cussy Mary heads into town on a very hot Fourth of July. She is going to the picnic, bringing her Scripture cake, which cost a lot of money to make.