One Came Home

“People from Wisconsin know wild pigeons. Pigeons come every year, but because 1871 was an odd-numbered year, we were expecting greater numbers: pigeons adore black-oak acorns, and black oaks drop acorns every other year. So to put it plainly, Mrs. Finister’s agitation must have meant she’d seen something unusual.

But outside, from my position on the porch, Placid, Wisconsin, looked as it always did: There was Main Street (bakery, blacksmith, three inns, tailor, photographic studio, courthouse, church, and train depot).”

This excerpt from one of Georgie’s memories shows how the wild pigeon migration influences life in Placid. Since the pigeons migrate only every other year, the townspeople know to prepare for the influx of visitors the migration brings. Mrs. Finister’s agitation, coupled with the enormity of the migration shown later in the novel, highlights just how extraordinary the 1871 migration is, hinting at The Inevitability of Change entering Georgie’s predictable world. In addition, Georgie’s final line describes the layout of Placid and reflects her desire for order and predictability.

“‘Sahairy Desert,’ I said.

‘Sa-har-a,’ she said.

‘It looks like “hairy” in the books.’

‘Does not!’ she said.

‘If you read it fast enough, it does! Anyway, you understood what I meant. You just made me say it so you could look well-read. That’s prideful.’”

This discussion between Georgie and Agatha highlights the differences between the girls, especially regarding how they engage with words and knowledge. While Georgie reads, her mispronunciation of the Sahara Desert makes it clear she does so quickly and not as intently. By contrast, Agatha’s thirst for knowledge and intellectual superiority comes across in her correction. Georgie’s response highlights her defensiveness. Pointing out Agatha’s pridefulness is meant to be humbling and chastising, as pride is one of the seven deadly sins of Christianity.

“And do not even mention horse thieving as an option—there’s theft and then there’s horse thieving. Not only does a crime like that stain a family’s good name now and forever, there’s the Anti-Horse Thieving Society to consider. I swear those men rise out of the river mist when they hear of horse thieving. They trail that thief until caught and don’t usually wait for the law to execute justice, tending to leave that thief dangling between broad limb and bare ground.”

These lines both establish historical context for the novel and highlight Georgie’s strict adherence to a binary moral framework at the beginning of the novel. The Anti-Horse Thieving Society was one of several vigilance committees formed around the time of the American Civil War. In general, such committees claimed they were providing law enforcement in areas where government groups could not; however, many of these committees used their societal privilege to terrorize vulnerable populations, such as immigrants and people of color. Formed in Fort Scott, Kansas, in 1859, the Anti-Horse Thieving Society initially focused, as Georgie notes here, on stopping horse-thieving bandits involved in border warfare. Over time, the group expanded to other tasks, and their name, like that of other vigilance committees, inspired fear of retribution.

“Ma’s grief, in particular, wore on me like sandpaper. She dragged her sorrow room to room, and I found out that viciousness nested inside me. When I saw receipts left in the till, or noted that Ma had forgotten to mark down a sale, I mentioned it. I became a fault-finding expert: bins missing their lids, eggs gone bad, a customer left unattended, a boy in a fancy blue serge suit with a fist in the penny candy. I knew I shouldn’t do it, but the part of me that was unredeemed spoke.”

In the wake of Agatha’s supposed death, Georgie struggles to deal with her family’s grief. Her attitude here highlights her frustration with Agatha’s disappearance and shows her emotionally inappropriate response to this situation; the simile “wore on me like sandpaper” conveys how grief grates on her unprocessed emotions. Instead of understanding her mother’s grief, Georgie fails to consider the emotional states of others, much like how she did not understand Agatha’s motivations before she left. Pointing out fault and refusing to let up her criticisms are Georgie’s way of venting her own frustrations. These lines are a reminder that, even though she deals with adult-level concerns, Georgie is still a child who reacts in accordance with her age.

“Of course, Agatha gave me that look when she saw the rifle.

I tried to change the topic by pointing at the sketchbook bulging in the satchel. ‘What are you going to sketch? It’s winter,’ I said.

She touched the Springfield. ‘You always end up killing something. I don’t know how you can be so sure about putting creatures to death.’”

This conversation between Georgie and Agatha highlights the differences between the girls and also helps to establish sharp shooting as a cornerstone of Georgie’s chosen identity. While Georgie revels in her hunting skill and does not concern herself with the lives she takes, Agatha’s desire to study nature shines through here in her quiet condemnation of the rifle. Her dialogue foreshadows the difficult choices Georgie will make along her journey to Dog Hollow, specifically when she is faced with Mr. Garrow in Chapter 17. Though Georgie isn’t aware of it yet, these lines will become part of her internal transformation as she realizes how much the finality of death affects herself and others.

“I had to make do with skimming any topic remotely associated with unwelcome situations: storms, stampedes, rattlesnake bites, grizzly bears, and the ways of the ‘western Indians.’ (Captain Marcy’s description of those western tribes did nothing less than scare me half to death.) In general, this ‘handbook’ contained not one hint about solving relational difficulties. Reading it, you’d think that once you’d chosen your company of men, everything would go on all buttercups and roses until the day—alas!—you parted.”

The book Georgie reads is a travel guide she borrowed from her grandfather’s library, and her sarcasm toward it reveals both her humor and frustration. She finds that the book does not contain information relevant to having an unwanted travel companion—specifically Billy. Her choice to read about other difficult situations reveals her inexperience as she relies on external authority to solve problems.

“Then he clucked his tongue. Off he and Storm went. Where Storm went, the mule went. Since I was riding that mule, I went too.”

Georgie sits astride the mule Billy brought her as the animal trails after Billy’s horse. This moment highlights how, though this journey was Georgie’s idea, she has been stripped of a leadership role by the circumstances she finds herself in. Symbolically, this moment represents that she is not yet in control of her growth or her perspective. Billy’s age and experience have led to him naturally taking command for the time being, and Georgie is reduced to almost a spectator.

“My mind, on the other hand, jumped over the moon and ran off with the spoon. It listed what it saw by every possible name. It thought the list forward: Catamount, cougar, American lion, painter, red tiger. It thought it backward: Red tiger, painter, American lion, cougar, catamount. My mind pinched the list in the middle, folded it over, and thought it again: Painter, cougar, catamount, red tiger, American lion.

It distressed me to discover that running vocabulary lists was my mind’s behavior during direst need.”

When faced with the cougar, Georgie’s mind goes numb with fear. All she can think to do is list the animal’s various names, which does not get her any closer to dealing with the situation. Her syntax mirrors her panic, as her thoughts are looping and fragmented. Georgie’s ability to recognize the problematic nature of her response—she acknowledges this through the nursery rhyme metaphor—reveals that she has room to grow.

“The worst part (and the part I never wanted to admit) was that a moment before I spoke to Mr. Olmstead, I knew I shouldn’t say a word. But up until that moment, I possessed absolute certainty of the rightness of my cause. I would have said, with confidence, that my sister was seeing Mr. Olmstead for his library. (Beware of such convictions, for they are fraught with peril.)”

These lines come as Georgie thinks back on her actions prior to Agatha’s disappearance. From the beginning of the book, Georgie has carried guilt for Agatha leaving. She believes tattling about Agatha’s kiss with Billy to Mr. Olmstead is the event that made Agatha leave. Later, Georgie realizes this is not the case, but here, Georgie’s mind runs in circles as she tries to work out how she could have done things differently to prevent Agatha’s disappearance. The parenthetical aside is a direct address to the reader that offer wisdom Georgie does not yet possess.

“If you only talk to nice people, you won’t find out the half of it. Nice people either keep their noses so clean they hardly know a thing, or they conveniently forget what they know and fill their heads with daisies. You’ve got to talk to the rude ones as well.”

Georgie thinks this while she is in the store in Dog Hollow. Prior to this, the store owner has been rude, and here, Georgie calls upon her own experience working at her grandfather’s store to understand the woman’s attitude. Working with customers has allowed Georgie to understand different types of people and what she can learn from engaging with them. This moment highlights Georgie’s strengths and shows that she is intelligent.

“I closed my eyes, and instead of counting sheep, I counted ifs: If I hadn’t seen that kiss. If I hadn’t told Mr. Olmstead. If I had told Agatha instead. What if I could not find her? What if there was a good reason for Agatha’s tracks ending in Dog Hollow?”

Georgie’s thoughts exemplify how her past decisions influence her current actions. Her tendency to live in the past and replay her memories shows that she is resistant to change and does not want to be responsible for it. Here, though, she rethinks what she has done, showing that she is starting to accept the necessity of change. By questioning her past actions, she leaves herself open to considering what she wishes she’d done differently.

“Was I truly expecting to get to the place where the body was found and find a note? Maybe. Yes. All right then, I admit it. People in stories are sometimes expected to possess sterling character, to act with courageous purpose, and, on top of it all, to be a smidge smarter than everyone else. Well, maybe if I were writing my memoirs, I’d polish myself up and forget a few things. But I’m telling the entire truth now. My story, as best I can tell it, is all I have to offer.”

Here, Georgie speaks directly to the reader and offers context about storytelling, as well as the difference between fiction and memoir. Georgie’s admission that she hoped to find a note shows that she has viewed her journey as a story with a neat resolution. The latter portion of this quotation highlights Georgie’s honest nature. Prior to Agatha’s disappearance, Georgie told the truth, even though she had reservations about doing so, because she believed she needed to be honest. Here, she does the same thing and sticks to the truth about her discovery, even though it is disappointing.

“From here on out, I’d have to keep my own company. Trouble was, I didn’t like myself much. In the course of this journey, I’d made an unpleasant discovery. I had discovered that I willfully deny the facts, even when the facts are arranged before me in a pine box with the lid slid off.”

After Georgie visits the site of Agatha’s supposed demise, she resigns herself to Agatha’s death, and these lines are a result of that resignation. Georgie realizes the folly of her past actions (specifically tattling to Mr. Olmstead about Agatha). Georgie also realizes that, as much as she likes to pretend she is truthful, she has a tendency to lie to herself. She convinces herself that she is in the right when she knows she is not, and here, she realizes how this tendency makes her unlikeable. This moment represents a moment of character growth. By acknowledging this willful denial, she can move past it and start to change.

“Carroty hair, I thought. Never liked that phrase. It was common and lacked specificity. People tossed it about willy-nilly to describe red hair. Whenever someone had used it to describe Agatha’s auburn hair—the color so pretty it made you ache to look at it—I had thought less of them.”

Georgie details her irritation with the phrase “carroty hair,” saying she doesn’t like how unspecific it is. This mirrors her discomfort with ambiguity as she flounders with The Difficulty of Finding the Truth. Thus, this excerpt shows that Georgie’s annoyance is a projection that parallels her frustration with undefined relationships and unclear truths.

“One body was found—a body wearing your sister’s dress. This ribbon? Probably a coincidence. But even if your hunch is correct, it’s most likely that you’d be discovering only what happened before—or after—Agatha died. Does before or after truly make any difference to you?”

Billy says this to Georgie after she shows him the piece of fabric from Agatha’s dress that the Garrow girl had in her hair. Billy and Georgie both take the fabric as a sign that there is more to Agatha’s story than they know, and these lines are Billy’s attempt to keep hope from planting roots in his heart. Billy does not want to believe Agatha could be alive because he still loves her and does not want to deal with the pain of losing her again. To keep from thinking about it, he cynically focuses on how the fabric would likely not reveal whether Agatha is alive.

“No one keeps money in caves. It’s either the mattress or the bank. We have a currency shortage in Wisconsin, but looking at the amount of paper money in this cave, a body would never know it.”

Georgie has just accidentally discovered the cave with Mr. Garrow’s counterfeiting equipment. Her reference to the currency shortage grounds the novel in historical accuracy by showing how money in 1871 was different from money today. In addition, Georgie’s understanding of the currency shortage comes from her experience of handling money in her grandfather’s store, highlighting how her intelligence grows from her experience.

“After walking several minutes, I stopped to load the cartridges into the repeater’s buttstock, and thought about how guns are easier to understand than people. Every part in a gun has its place and purpose. I took a long look at that Spencer and liked what I saw. Looped below the trigger was a lever. By pushing this lever forward between shots, I’d accomplish three things: First, the used cartridge would fall out of the rifle. Second, a fresh cartridge would be forced into place. And third, the hammer would be cocked. It was a nice mechanism.”

Through Georgie’s examination of Billy’s repeating rifle, she quickly finds she is able to understand how the gun works because it possesses similarities to her own rifle. Her comparison of guns to people highlights how Georgie struggles with emotional complexity and unpredictability. Georgie wishes for a world where outcomes follow rules.

“I stared at him for what seemed like a long time. Finally, I said: ‘You did not show love to my sister. You never cared for me. You talk to your maker about it.’ And I walked off.

I did not go far.

Furious? Oh yes.

But Billy was dying, for heaven’s sake. Dying. There is a night-and-day difference between ‘dying’ and ‘dead.’”

When Georgie realizes Billy used her commitment to the truth in an attempt to win back Agatha, she is angry and bitter at first, which aligns with how she has responded to feeling slighted in the past. Her eventual change of heart reveals that she is growing as a person. Instead of remaining angry, she realizes that Billy was only trying to help himself, not hurt her. In addition, now that she understands the finality of death, she knows she cannot leave Billy while he still has a chance to recover and live.

“But it was a room without memories. It did not suggest any pasts or futures. It was simply a room in a place in time.”

Georgie thinks this when she wakes at the hotel in Dog Hollow. While the room is one of the nicest accommodations she’s ever had, it also lacks specificity. This is fitting because, at this moment, Georgie is between points in her life. She has just learned that the circumstances surrounding Agatha and Billy’s kiss are not what she thought, and she is not yet ready to return home to move forward with her life. Suspended between the past and the future, this room represents a place without context or direction as Georgie weighs her next steps.

“My room—all mine now.

That room had shriveled in the sun. The walls seemed too close. I swore the floor was more worn, the window dirtier, the chair and desk plainer than I remembered. I saw someone had made the bed and tightened the ropes underneath.”

Here, Georgie has set foot in the bedroom she shared with Agatha for the first time since leaving home. Taken in conjunction with the previous quotation, these lines show the difference between a space that holds memories and the impersonal hotel room. Georgie’s thoughts about her room show how she has changed and grown. Though her journey was not long and did not take her to a place far different from Placid, the room feels like it belongs to the person she was before. Georgie has grown past the confines of this room and what it represents. Further, without Agatha, the space feels different, and Georgie does not yet know how to handle the change.

“‘Girl Sharpshooter Brings Down Counterfeiters’ read the headline in the Milwaukee newspaper. I found myself described as ‘a pigtailed hoyden’ with a bruise covering ‘half her head.’ In addition, Mr. Garrow called me a ‘freakishly accurate’ sharpshooter who ‘shot the thumb off a man at two hundred yards.’ That wasn’t all: I ‘lay in wait like the snake from the garden of Eden.’ And in case readers were unclear on the matter, Mr. Garrow concluded: ‘I’ve never met a natural man who can do such things. This was a daughter of Beelzebub.’”

After Georgie returns home, Mr. Garrow is apprehended by the authorities. The soundbites Georgie references here are from the article about her in the newspaper, and they show the inflammatory, sensationalist tactics used to create headlines and engage readers. While Georgie did have a bruise on her face from a fall during her journey, it was nowhere near as terrifying as the image given here. In addition, she was not wearing pigtails, and she did not shoot from anywhere near as far as 200 yards. Mr. Garrow’s disbelief that a girl could shoot so well illustrates the gendered inequalities of the time.

“Living with uncertainty is like having a rock in your shoe. If you can’t remove the rock, you have to figure out how to walk despite it. There is simply no other choice.”

Georgie’s metaphor comparing uncertainty to a “rock in your shoe” shows her shift toward emotional resilience. She thinks this after she has settled back into her life in Placid. She has not yet received Agatha’s letter, so she does not know if Agatha is alive or dead. Instead of letting this uncertainty consume her, Georgie realizes she needs to live with it, which is a strict departure from her earlier fervor to find the truth. These lines highlight how much Georgie has changed and how she accepts things she does not fully understand.

“Agatha and I had both started in Placid and ended in Dog Hollow. Yet who would say we’d had the same journey? It was as if I had walked, tilling the earth for troubles, and Agatha had bypassed it all by flying overhead.”

This excerpt highlights how Agatha and Georgie traveled the same stretch of road but had two very different journeys, and this highlights the subjectivity of circumstances and character. Specifically, this is true in terms of how Georgie and Agatha move through life. Agatha’s desire for adventure and fearless attitude allow her to move through challenging situations with less difficulty because she expects and even embraces adversity. In contrast, Georgie’s aversion to change makes her stumble when unexpected events arise, and this causes her journey to be filled with complications.