How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #7
"Oh my," murmured Miss Butler, "how…much."
But Arnold Green fell to it. He didn't feed this well up at The Coffee Pot Cafe, and he was a starving artist. (6.150-151)
Grandma knows how to put her guests in a good mood and make them receptive to falling in love—she feeds them. All the food they can handle. This definitely lifts their spirits when they've been hungry for so long, and when Arnold Green's stomach is full, he finally meets Miss Butler's eyes across the table. And that's all it takes to launch their romance.
Quote #8
Beyond the Deere implement shed we saw Mrs. Effie Wilcox's house still standing, though her front gate hung by a hinge.
But then maybe it always had. I didn't get over on this side of the tracks very often. (7.48-49)
There are plenty of dilapidated old houses in Grandma's town, and Effie Wilcox definitely does not have a lot of money. Mary Alice can't even tell if her gate was damaged by the tornado or just has always been like this.
Quote #9
I'd saved up my ration card for new shoes and a suit from the basement store at Marshall Field. Though I wore a hat and gloves, I was married bare-legged because you couldn't get nylons by then, for love or money. (8.4)
The war means that finding nice new clothes—much less a wedding dress—is next to impossible. But Mary Alice doesn't care. She just gets the best that she can with her ration cards, and gets ready for her wedding day.