How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
"He gets a check from the government, but it don't keep them."
"But, Grandma, aren't there veterans' hospitals where he could go?'
"She won't give him up," Grandma said. "She's lost him once already." (3.96-98)
Grandma Dowdel understands the difficult situation that Mrs. Abernathy is in with her son, who has been damaged in the war and cannot take care of himself. But she also understands that Mrs. Abernathy's love of her son trumps all the hard times.
Quote #2
It was Joey, fresh from the west, off the evening train. Grandma had sent him the ticket. That's where most of the fox money went. That's what it was for.
I had to turn away, quick. There was a lump in my throat, and that would mean tears on my face, and I didn't want Joey to see them. (4.115-116)
This is the best Christmas present that Mary Alice could have ever asked for. She doesn't care about the new shoes or the fox fur on her coat. She's just delighted to see her brother again.
Quote #3
But what I remember best about that evening is the three of us walking home from church. I see us yet, strolling the occasional sidewalks with our arms around Grandma, just to keep her from skidding, because she said she was a hog on ice. And every star above us was a Christmas star. (4.120)
Grandma Dowdel's town may look dusty and sad to Mary Alice at the beginning of the book, but when her brother is there with her, everything is magical. Love and their little family is what brings on the Christmas spirit.