How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
Ellen counted Shadrach as a part of her family and looked after him as she did her own, and Shadrach Yale, in turn, showed a thoughtful courtesy for her that few women of the prairies received from their own sons. (1.15)
There is a special place in Ellen's heart for Shad, which just goes to show that you don't need to be blood relatives to be considered family.
Quote #2
"What's hurt you, Bill?" he asked, his voice barely audible, for he was pretty sure he knew.
"We had a fight, Jeth, about an hour ago. We fit like two madmen, I guess."
"You and John?"
Bill's sigh was almost a moan. "Yes, me and John. Me and my brother John." (3.44-47)
Why the sigh? It's not just that Bill was in a fight, and it's not just that he was in a fight with a guy named John. It's because he was in a fight with his brother, and one he's supposed to be close to—hence the madmen line Bill threw out. To say they were acting mad is an indication of how ridiculous it was for Bill to be fighting someone he loves so much.
Quote #3
Matt read on farther down the page. "It says here that this General Buckner and Grant was comrades at West Point," he remarked, without lifting his eyes from the paper.
"Yes," Jethro heard his mother say softly to herself, "and my Bill and John was even closer than that—" (4.15-16)
Nice juxtaposition there, Ellen. In one corner we have Buckner versus Grant, ultimate opponents on the battlefield, and yet in school they seemed to have been buddies. Now Bill and John are also fighting for opposing forces and they were more than just friends—these two share the same flesh and blood. Blood may be thicker than water, but it can still be divided by war.